The secret meeting that had begun at midday ended when the sun was tilting westward. Though there was much to sort out with his partners, due to pressure from the two women telling him to rest for today, Leonardo went up first to the top floor of the residence.
Though called the top, it was only the 4th floor, with better lighting than the front building due to having more floors. Leonardo leaned against the window of his room that he had returned to after a long time and carefully scanned the interior.
Though the owner had been away for months, there were traces of someone using it. It seemed Tergio had been lounging in this room again. He was often found in this top floor room, leaving his perfectly fine room empty.
Though not as much as the lodging he had stayed in with Nero, this place too was full of an old feeling. It felt even more so because the room's owner wasn't particularly neat in his use. Perhaps it was due to lack of attachment from frequently moving residences. Even this room, though he was approaching a year of staying here, he had left just when he was starting to grow attached to it, being displaced in turn by the cabin in Fidele and the Commander's personal room.
Leonardo, who had lowered his eyelids at the afternoon light coming through the window, took out the small backpack stored in his artifact. He placed the items inside one by one on the desk, and picked out one top and bottom from the clothes His Excellency had prepared for him. He should have noticed from how glossy the fabric was, but after changing, they had that new clothes smell.
With flowing material and lots of delicate embroidery, it was a design that seemed fit for the youngest son of some noble family. Following the clothes, his impression looked quite delicate, making him tilt his head wondering 'Does this suit me?'
At that moment, the mirror beside the desk reflected someone opening the door and entering.
Knock knock–
"I'm coming in."
Tergio announced while leaning against the doorframe. His casual knock imitating a gentleman was odd since one foot was already inside.
"Get out. I have things to do."
Leonardo looked at him in the mirror and answered indifferently.
Tergio also indifferently came in and sat down heavily on the bed.
"Go ahead."
He propped his head with one hand and lay down in a somewhat seductive pose while staring at Leonardo. Regardless, Leonardo ignored him and headed to the shelf to organize the items given by Hugo.
"Those are clothes I haven't seen before."
He could feel the gaze from behind scanning his body's curves.
"Does it look bad?"
"It's not my taste, but it's fine since you look like a prince."
Leonardo shook his head at the unnecessary comment.
Never mind his taste, it had been nearly 3 years since he started hearing that prince talk from him.
He had said Leonardo looked the most prince-like among all the people he had seen in his life. In fact, among the strong ones living in the underworld, that was an evaluation as shameful as being called 'pretty.' However, Tergio, who had given such a frivolous reason as 'looking like a prince,' had consistently called him 'my prince' since then.
For the first 3 months after first hearing it, he had complained daily about the goosebumps on his forearms. The problem was that the person in question didn't even pretend to hear.
Today too, he seemed to pay no attention to his shuddering expression. Tergio spoke while wiggling his toes that stuck out from the bed:
"By the way, my prince, you've gotten better at changing the subject?"
"..."
"Don't make excuses about there being many people. The truth is you didn't use your full strength against Kazad."
So that's why he came, still looking to pick at that point.
"You can't deceive my eyes."
The assassin's subtle gaze made his nape feel chilly. However, Leonardo willingly showed his back to him while continuing to organize his things.
If there were two things Leonardo had affection for in this room, they would be the safe placed on the shelf and the bed with its soft bedding. Normally, he would have threatened Tergio, asking if he wanted to die for getting on the bed with his shoes on, but today's Leonardo didn't pay attention to that.
He simply turned the safe's dial to unlock it and neatly filled it with items taken from his artifact. Noticing he was being ignored, Tergio deliberately messed up the bedding he had tidied with his own hands this morning. Leonardo fiddled with the device while keeping his gaze fixed on the communication magic tool Hugo had given him.
Somehow it felt like pressing just one button on this magic tool would let him hear that person's voice. However, though his thumb hesitated at the tip, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it and put the magic tool in the safe.
Afterward, he looked for a while at the photo taken of the two of them, making sure it couldn't be seen from behind. Just as he was putting it in the safe while thinking he should get a sturdy frame lest it wear out, a box he had put in before caught his eye. Leonardo reached out as if entranced and took it out.
"What, did seeing his face make your heart weak?"
He paused as he was about to open the box at those words. Rolling his eyes halfway with narrowed gaze, he answered:
"What are you trying to say?"
"Does Kazad remember you?"
Leonardo returned his sidelong glance to its original position.
"It's been almost 15 years, how could he remember? Even I'm hazy about it."
"True."
Tergio lay back facing the ceiling, using the pillow full of sunlight scent as a headrest.
"It's time to forget. Someone else has taken that position anyway."
"..."
"So, how was it meeting him again?"
The troublemaker asked naturally while touching the scar at the corner of his mouth. Leonardo maintained his silence.
After firmly closing his lips that let out a sigh, he opened the box's lid and carefully gripped the leather case inside.
"Well, I'm not sure."
While caressing the luxurious surface, he lifted the top cover to open it. Inside was a wristwatch that looked at a glance to have been crafted with all the skill and sincerity of a master craftsman, neatly stored.
The watch had a cold and sophisticated image harmonizing silver and navy blue. Though it hadn't seen light for a long time, the glass was spotless without a speck of dust, still emitting a dazzling radiance.
Though it wasn't exactly the same form as what he had seen on someone's wrist recently, the similar design made it clear it was an item made for one person alone.
Tergio, who had silently approached from behind, wrapped one arm around Leonardo's neck. Then, resting his chin on his shoulder and looking down at the watch together, he whispered like a devil:
"You might become enemies with him. Be wary."
The watch must have been stopped for a very long time, as the second hand showed no movement. Leonardo closed the safe door and shook off Tergio who was heavily pressing down on his shoulder.
He sat at his desk with the stopped watch and examined its parts. Perhaps because the sunlight was particularly good, the reflected parts sparkled like a midday Milky Way.
"We agreed not to touch him."
"That was when he had no connection to the vampires."
"He has no connection. I can tell just by looking at his eyes."
Leonardo's brow was furrowed with displeasure as he answered firmly. Yet he opened the drawer and took out tweezers and a small screwdriver, seemingly familiar as he separated the watch's glass and back.
He delicately applied lubricant to the gear train and various parts using an oil pen. Then after readjusting the completely unwound mainspring, he tightened the screws on the back.
Tergio asked the focused back view that was hiding his displeasure:
"How can you be so sure he has no connection? He's said to be cold-blooded enough to abandon even a begging child."
Leonardo's fingertips paused as he was wiping the glass with a soft cloth. He knew the child the other referred to was aimed at him. Observing the slightly slowed hand movements, Tergio leaned his upper body over the golden hair and added:
"Even if he came back later, it was already too late then. Now he doesn't even remember you."
Leonardo silently fiddled with the watch's crown. After slowly winding the protruding spring, he removed his hand while hiding his tension.
Then the second hand that had seemed permanently stopped began to move again. It was the first time seeing this sight since this watch had left its owner and come to him. Thanks to it, he had mastered everything about watches over the years, but actually making this watch move again had required quite a bit of courage from him.
"You resented him."
Tergio's voice scattered over the golden hair. But Leonardo could no longer hear his voice clearly.
Just watching the silver tip stepping through the markings one by one, he finally felt his stopped world flowing again.
The sight of small gears meshing and turning in their natural order made him realize he had boarded the ship of time again that he had missed for so long.
Leonardo looked down at the watch for a while with a blank face as if he couldn't believe it. The ticking sound echoed in the quiet room. Soon a bright smile like a flower spread across his face, and boundless brilliant joy bloomed in his golden eyes and around his mouth.
Even his eyelashes cast over the curved golden eyes sparkled particularly brightly in this moment, receiving the light. It was such a beautiful smile that Tergio, who had been watching that appearance in the mirror set up beside the desk, turned away with a stiffened expression. It was pure and innocent, as if he had returned to being a young boy.
In his golden eyes was reflected a man who had always returned to his waiting self in every moment of the past days. Whether in the gap of an erupting volcano or in the heated courtroom. Even in the moment when he had waited endlessly in front of the gate that sees the sun, the man had unfailingly appeared before him.
His red lips drew an elegant curve and curved pleasantly.
"But this time, he came before it was too late."
Leonardo lightly kissed the watch's glass that he had carefully cleaned. Though his breath left a deep mark, it seemed not to matter anymore.
In the tranquil room where he had somehow been left alone, he indulged in the flowing time for a while.