He turned the letter over, but there was nothing written on the back. Even when he searched inside the envelope again, the result was the same.

That was all Grimbleton had left behind.

“......”

They had not known each other long, yet a bitterness washed over him as if he had lost someone he had known for years. Leonardo drew the hand that had been idly touching his throat down to his chest. His heart ached sharply.

He could not tell whether the emptiness came from regret over information that might have been obtained but was now scattered beyond reach, or from the fact that, for a fleeting moment, he had glimpsed something like a father in the old man.

What was certain was that his chest felt far hollower than he had expected, and that he was grateful the old man had passed peacefully.

Leonardo lowered his gaze to the final address once more, then gathered his turbulent thoughts and carefully organized the items spread before him. He placed them back into the envelope, melted wax to reseal it, and stored it inside the artifact before letting out a small sigh. Staring out the window without focus, he asked into the air,

“How long until the full moon?”

“The full moon? I think it was the last quarter just a couple of days ago.”

“...Still a long way off.”

As he counted the days in his head, Terzio jerked his chin toward him again.

“What is that, anyway?”

“...There’s someone the old man said he would introduce me to. That’s the address.”

“What for?”

“He said the person is well-versed in curses. I thought... maybe I could learn something about the collar.”

“It’s more of a riddle than an address,” Leonardo muttered low.

Terzio’s gaze drifted toward Leonardo’s neck. He watched him intently for a long moment before changing the subject.

“The ring?”

“I’m not sure either. He said to bring it along, so I’ll probably find out when I go.”

“You’re going? On what basis do you trust that old man?”

One of Leonardo’s eyebrows arched. At his displeased look, Terzio added,

“Come on. Just a few days ago you asked me to keep watch on him because you were worried he might be connected to that tail. Earlier you were debating whether that woman, Dott, could be trusted. And now you’re just going to grab an address left by someone you barely knew and run off to it?”

“Hey.”

His golden eyes turned deliberately cold.

“He left a will trying to help me until the moment he died. Yes, I asked you to keep watch on him. But now that he’s gone, doubting him further is meaningless.”

He tucked the artifact carefully into his inner pocket and continued,

“He’s already passed. I can’t repay him or apologize now. But at the very least, we can show him proper respect at the end. Both of us.”

Terzio let out a short, breathy laugh as he stared at Leonardo’s resolute face. Leaning back in his chair with one arm draped over the backrest, legs crossed, he propped his head against his palm.

“Yes, yes—I misspoke. But doesn’t Your Highness understand gratitude?”

The way he tilted his head carried clear disapproval.

“Who was it that lay in wait because you asked and brought you the news?”

Leonardo started to retort, then deflated slightly.

“Fine. I appreciate that, but—”

“You need to fix that father complex of yours.”

“...What?”

Leonardo frowned deeply as he asked back. Terzio rubbed the scar at the corner of his mouth and stared out the window.

“An older man treats you a little kindly and you lose your head. Sometimes you seem smart, and then in moments like this you’re naive beyond belief.”

Leonardo’s narrowed golden eyes twisted subtly. His lips parted, unable to immediately form words. What kind of nonsense is that? Even the sharp warning in his gaze did not deter Terzio.

“Break that habit of getting attached so easily. Especially to old men. It’s dangerous.”

“...Why are you picking a fight? And when have I ever—”

“After everything the Emperor did to you, you’re still acting like an idiot. That’s why.”

For an instant, Leonardo was struck speechless. Terzio’s gaze once more drifted toward Leonardo’s neck. It was hidden beneath layered clothes and a loose hood, yet his eyes seemed to see something beneath. Leonardo swallowed and looked away.

“Let’s try to be a little wiser. If you need someone to lean on, how about this older brother? Much fresher.”

As he said it, Terzio slapped his own damp trousers where they clung to his thigh. The sharp sound echoed in the room. His tone was teasing, but the way he objectified himself went beyond unpleasant and into something revolting. What is wrong with him today? Leonardo scanned his partner with incredulous eyes before abruptly rising from his seat.

Terzio lifted ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) his head to follow him.

“Where are you going?”

“If you’ve got nothing to do, stay here and keep an eye on the situation. There’s something I need to check regarding the League.”

“The League? The test match is over. Are you going to that address now?”

Without answering, Leonardo pulled his hood up. As he prepared as if to leave immediately, Terzio’s expression suddenly turned cold.

“Are you going to the Legion Commander?”

The hand fastening a button paused briefly. But he did not reply.

Terzio shot to his feet.

“Are you going to Kazard?”

Again, Leonardo remained silent.

He had asked for Agrizendro’s understanding, saying something urgent had come up. The timing was poor. Leaving that man alone on his birthday still weighed on him. When His Grace had come after receiving the servant’s message, his expression had not been particularly bright, and that concerned Leonardo.

At the time, the dinner had ended awkwardly under the pretext of Leonardo’s health, cooling the atmosphere that had been warming pleasantly. Announcing his sudden departure in that situation must have been bewildering for the host of the duke’s villa.

But before leaving, he had heard that the man himself had also been called away by sudden circumstances. Whether that had been consideration so Leonardo would not feel guilty, he did not know... In any case, it was not a situation where he could simply return to the villa.

More than that, staying with Terzio had become uncomfortable, and he had been considering heading near the Main Stadium to gather information about the Appendix. It seemed this bastard had misunderstood completely.

When Leonardo continued to say nothing, Terzio—radiating the cold killing intent unique to an assassin—suddenly grabbed his forearm. The grip was strong enough to make Leonardo’s brows crease. He was about to shake him off reflexively when Terzio’s right hand darted up and hooked behind his neck.

His fist caught the back of Leonardo’s collar as if snagging prey. With a rough yank, the hood he had just fastened was dragged open messily.

Pop, pop—

The buttons at his raised collar snapped off, and through the gap a navy handkerchief flashed into view. Terzio’s eyes flared viciously, as if something inside them had snapped.

“Ha—.”

He shoved Leonardo hard in the shoulder. Leonardo fell back onto the creaking bed and sat at the edge without resistance, lifting his head. He showed no particular reaction, but the man climbing over him and tearing at the handkerchief was unexpected.

“Hey, you—.”

The soft fabric stretched taut around his throat as if to strangle him, then was yanked free in one swift motion. Leonardo’s urgent hand and voice fluttered uselessly after the navy handkerchief now seized by a brute.

He could not snatch it back. When he tried to rise, Terzio pressed down on his left shoulder, blocking him from reclaiming it.

“Fuck, what are you doing?”

Leonardo’s eyes sharpened dangerously.

“Give it back.”

“Well, well.”

Terzio’s gaze fixed on the pale nape of Leonardo’s neck, flushed red with overlapping bruises and bite marks.

Grinding his molars hard enough to produce a sound, he asked,

“Did you sleep with him?”

“What?”

It would be a lie to say he was not startled. For a moment, all he could do was repeat the word. But Leonardo quickly met the killing glare head-on. More than anything else, the way the other man had snatched his handkerchief infuriated him.

“I asked if you slept with him. Don’t make me ask a third time.”

And what was this interrogation supposed to be? His twisted red lips trembled with irritation. If I really had, at least I wouldn’t feel falsely accused. Maintaining the lethal stare, Leonardo seized the wrist climbing over his shoulder with enough force to threaten breaking it.

“Whether I did or didn’t, what does that have to do with anything?”

Pain must have shot through it as if the bone would crack, yet Terzio paid it no mind. He merely twisted the corner of his mouth in a derisive smile and threw his head back. Thick veins bulged along his extended neck and jawline.

Lowering his eyes again, he deliberately jabbed like a needle,

“Do you have any conscience? Does Kazard know you played a part in the explosion?”

Leonardo’s mouth snapped shut at that. Terzio’s hand, which had been sliding slowly across his shoulder, moved to the heated nape of his neck, as if it had been ravaged.

In a meaning entirely different from the owner of the handkerchief, Terzio’s cold grip tightened around Leonardo’s throat as if he might twist it off.

With his airway pressed, Leonardo’s face gradually reddened, but he restrained his ragged breathing and did not cough. Instead, even the blazing defiance in his upward stare pressed back against his opponent.

Terzio provoked him once more.

“Do you have no pride?”

As he looked at Leonardo searching for the mark that branded him a nobleman’s plaything, Terzio bit down on the inside of his cheek. A metallic taste spread.

“Why are you trying to put a collar on yourself again? And from the Emperor’s hound, of all people.”