When the maid opened the door and bowed, Jean peered around her to see who the guest was.
His eyes widened as he spotted Jerry—a spectral cat who had once played a key role in rescuing Jerome.
Jerry, with a large bundle strapped to his back, wagged his tail as he entered.
“Meow.”
The sudden appearance of the tiny ghostly cat threw both the maid and the butler into visible confusion.
Meanwhile, the primordial evil beamed with delight, flailing its hands at the sight of Jerry’s adorable form, who was burdened with a bundle much larger than himself.
“Aaah… Aaah…”
Jerry, who hadn’t noticed the child until now, froze when he finally saw the primordial evil.
His eyes widened in apparent shock, likely struck by how much the child resembled a younger Jerome.
“Jerry!”
Jean called out excitedly at the sight of Jerry after so long.
But the ghost cat’s gaze was fixed on Jerome as it approached, brushing against his leg and purring loudly.
Jerome, puzzled by Jerry’s affectionate behavior, remarked, “Why does he only have one whisker left?”
Jerry averted his gaze, looking sheepish, but Jean, who knew the reason, merely smiled to himself.
Ignoring Jerome, Jerry hopped over to Jean, signaling to be picked up.
Kneeling, Jean gathered Jerry into his arms, stroking his round head as he murmured softly.
“Thank you, Jerry. I couldn’t have saved Jerome without you.”
Seeing Jerry with only one whisker left filled Jean with a strange melancholy.
Without the doll Jerry had given him, he wouldn’t have been able to return to the past.
He wouldn’t have been able to unlock the formula that freed young Jerome from the underworld.
Jean knew better than anyone that Jerry had been the true hero who saved Jerome.
Feeling Jean’s warm touch, Jerry closed his eyes and purred contentedly.
“Meow… Meow!”
Suddenly snapping out of his blissful state, Jerry pointed his tail at the primordial evil with an expression that seemed to ask, ‘What is that?’
Jean, caught off guard, awkwardly explained.
“Um, it’s a child we’re temporarily looking after…”
Hearing this, Jerry’s already large eyes grew even wider, and his tail twitched nervously.
Observing Jerry’s reaction, Jerome laughed.
“He seems to want to take care of it.”
“Take care of the primordial evil?”
“Yeah, Jerry was originally made as a toy to care for young kids.”
“But Jerry’s not that young anymore.”
Jean’s worried voice prompted Jerry to shake his head vehemently.
Then, in an effort to prove his vitality, Jerry abruptly started doing sit-ups on the spot.
“Alright, alright. I’ll allow it.”
Jean finally relented, and Jerry eagerly approached the primordial evil.
Jean watched cautiously as the two stared at each other in silence for several moments.
“Why are they just staring at each other?” Jean murmured, squinting suspiciously.
“Maybe they’re bonding,” Jerome suggested.
“Shouldn’t we stop them? What if the primordial evil gets scared and attacks?”
Jean’s concerns were interrupted by the sight of the two creatures suddenly hugging each other tightly.
The primordial evil’s previously restless expression softened, and Jean let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed Jerry had been wholeheartedly accepted.
Watching the scene, Jerome scooped up the now-sleeping primordial evil and gave Jean a playful wink.
“I’ll put the kid to bed. Go change your clothes.”
“Why?”
“Jerry’s taking care of the kid, so let’s go out for dinner together.”
After a brief hesitation, Jean nodded.
The butler stepped forward, offering to assist him with his attire.
As Jean followed the butler down the corridor, a thought crossed his mind.
‘The royal harvest festival at the plaza… That’s what they mentioned earlier, wasn’t it?’
He recalled the giant clock tower in the square, and the time he’d fallen from it while chasing after the pocket watch carried away by a bird.
He remembered the strong arms that had caught him mid-fall.
Lost in the memory, Jean stared out the darkened window, his eyes reflecting bittersweet recollections.
‘I wonder… how he’s doing now.’
✽ ✽ ✽
The marketplace was more crowded than ever as the Harvest Festival began.
With the carriage stuck in the unmoving throng, Jerome eventually disembarked and extended his hand to Jean.
Accepting the hand and stepping down, Jean glanced around at the dense crowd surrounding them.
With such a bustling atmosphere, it was clear that every spot would be fully occupied.
Seeing the worry etched on Jean’s face, Jerome chuckled softly and wrapped an arm around his waist.
“Don’t worry, I know a good spot.”
“…Take your arm off my waist. I’m not dressed as a young lady right now.”
“Well, there’s already a rumor that you killed your father. What’s one more about being involved in a romance with a man?”
Grinning, Jerome clasped Jean’s hand and started pushing through the crowd.
After maneuvering their way through the sea of people, they finally arrived at the clock tower square.
Compared to the other areas, this square, with its relatively few shops, was quieter.
As Jean stared at the brightly lit clock tower, an unfamiliar voice reached his ears.
“Sir Jerome.”
A man in uniform hurriedly stepped in front of Jerome.
The smile Jerome had been wearing all along instantly faded, his expression growing cold.
After exchanging a few words with the sweating man, Jerome let out a low hum, then turned to Jean with a gentle voice.
“Can you wait here for a moment? I’ll take care of this quickly.”
“When will you be back?”
“I’ll be quick, so don’t go anywhere. Stay here, okay?”
Jerome tapped Jean lightly on the cheek with the back of his hand before leaving hurriedly with the man.
Seeing Jerome, who was usually so composed, moving with such urgency, Jean assumed it must be something serious.
Left behind, Jean looked around the square.
Nearby, he spotted a bench where he could rest.
“Well, he did say not to wander off…”
As Jean made his way to the bench, his shoulder suddenly collided with a passerby heading in the opposite direction.
The impact was so solid that it felt like hitting a wall.
Wincing and clutching his shoulder, Jean looked up.
A strong gust of wind swept past, pulling back the hood of the passerby’s robe.
“My apologies.”
“…”
“Are you all right?”
The familiar voice sent a chill down Jean’s spine.
He recognized the man with fiery red hair immediately.
Carlisle.
Struggling to find words, Jean froze, staring up at him.
Carlisle, expressionless, bent down to pick up the handkerchief Jean had dropped and handed it back.
After a brief hesitation, Jean accepted it.
“Th-thank you.”
“It’s nothing. Though, judging by your attire, you seem to be from a noble family. Are you here alone?”
Jean hesitated before answering in a trembling voice.
“I’m here… with my partner.”
“…”
“We came out for dinner.”
“I see.”
A faintly bitter smile crossed Carlisle’s lips.
Jean couldn’t tell if he was remembered or not, and Carlisle’s ambiguous demeanor left him on edge.
Wishing to end the encounter quickly, Jean started to leave, but Carlisle grabbed his wrist.
“Wait.”
“I… I need to go. My partner is waiting for me.”
“There seems to be a high-ranking monster roaming this area. I understand your urgency, but it’s safer to stay here until things settle down.”
Jean paused, glancing back at Carlisle. He didn’t seem to be lying.
Suddenly, he recalled Jerome rushing off with the uniformed man—perhaps it was to deal with the monster.
Carlisle watched Jean silently before speaking in a low, amused tone.
“By the way… you have quite a beautiful face.”
“…”
“If you were a woman, I might have fallen for you at first sight.”
Carlisle leaned in closer, and Jean raised his left hand defensively, showing the ring on his fourth finger.
Carlisle laughed and stepped back.
Just as Jean was thinking of an escape plan, a familiar figure appeared in his field of vision.
Cedrick, panting heavily, stood beside Carlisle.
“Is the situation resolved?” Carlisle asked.
“Fortunately, Jerome handled it. He was nearby.”
“Odd. Usually, he’d pretend it wasn’t his problem.”
“Exactly. Maybe he didn’t want his date interrupted?”
As Cedrick’s curious gaze landed on Jean, Jean briefly hoped to be recognized, but no such luck.
Carlisle, noticing the wistfulness in Jean’s expression, spoke.
“It was nice meeting you, even if only briefly.”
“…”
“I hope we meet again. And…”
Carlisle stepped closer, gripping Jean’s shoulder.
Just as Jean tried to retreat, Carlisle leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.
“I truly cared for you.”
Ding. Dong.
The clock tower’s chimes resonated, and a breeze tousled their hair.
Without another word, Carlisle walked away with Cedrick.
Watching the two depart, Jean couldn’t help but notice how Carlisle, free of past burdens, seemed more like his original cheerful self.
A faint smile formed on Jean’s lips.
“They’ve all grown in their own way.”
Though Jean and Jerome were no longer central to the story, Luke and Carlisle’s unfolding journey lay ahead.
Jean now wished to be a supportive reader, cheering for their happy ending.
He turned to leave but froze upon spotting Jerome standing nearby, covered in blood.
“What happened to you?”
Jerome, expressionless and soaked in blood, slowly raised his head.
“It was one of those monsters that spits blood.”
“…”
“Ruined it. I was really looking forward to today’s date.”
“Why the long face? We can always come back another time.”
Despite Jean’s reassurances, Jerome couldn’t hide his disappointment.
Sighing, Jean approached and wiped the blood from Jerome’s face with a handkerchief.
Jerome was excellent at everything, but his ease with success left him vulnerable to failure.
And it was Jean, resilient in the face of setbacks, who comforted him each time.
Smiling softly, Jean said, “Let’s just go home.”
“Home?”
“Yes, home.”
The word slipped out, and Jean’s eyes widened.
“So that’s it. I finally have a place I can call home.”
It was a novel feeling, one he had never experienced before.
A place to return to.
His eyes grew misty.
Seeing Jean’s uncharacteristic silence, Jerome suddenly pulled him into an embrace.
Startled, Jean frowned.
“What are you doing? You smell like blood.”
“Just felt like it.”
“…”
“Because you looked like you needed a hug.”
Jerome’s strong arms tightened around him.
Sighing, Jean wrapped his arms around Jerome’s bloodied back, gently patting him.
The warmth of Jerome’s body seeped through, filling Jean with a sense of belonging.
“Our home…”
Jean closed his eyes, his heart swelling with joy.
