Passion: Diaphonic Symphonia Novel - Chapter 24

The contact was made, so then— Jeong Taeui, biting his thumb as he recalled the steps for emergency first aid, suddenly saw Christoph standing motionless at the edge of his vision. From his initial position, he was still looking at Oliver. He didn’t seem to have lost his mind. He was just silently glaring at Oliver. With an even paler face than before.

Just then, a few people ran out from the main building. They immediately ran towards them. It seemed Ilay had contacted none other than the main building of the mansion.

“Oh dear, what happened?” 

An old physician, who resided at the mansion, approached. Two or three servants followed behind him. Perhaps having heard the commotion, several people were leaning out of windows. Richard stepped aside for the physician, who sat down next to Oliver. And standing beside the physician, he looked down at Oliver with a grave expression.

“…” 

Jeong Taeui retreated from the group surrounding Oliver.

Ilay was looking at them with an expression that held no particular concern. He was a man who wouldn’t care even if someone died in front of him. It would have been strange if he had looked at the boy with a heavy, worried expression, but seeing him so indifferent even in this situation made Jeong Taeui feel uneasy. It was always like this.

Would that man’s face ever cloud with worry or anxiety? Would he ever grieve for someone hurt or dying? He tried to imagine it for a moment, but couldn’t. Jeong Taeui sighed.

Suddenly, Christoph seemed to move a step. His step, which seemed to take half a step forward, however, stopped. He didn’t know where he was going or why he stopped, but he became motionless again, and then very slowly, he took his eyes off Oliver.

At a glance, it seemed as if nothing had happened. He calmly raised his hand as usual, and slowly brushed off his waist where Oliver had clung. He brushed the unsoiled clothes repeatedly, again and again.

“…Christoph.” 

Jeong Taeui called him quietly.

Christoph, who kept brushing his clothes as if he hadn’t heard the voice, finally lifted his head after a long while. And he answered several minutes after Jeong Taeui had called him.

“Why?”

His usual gaze turned towards Jeong Taeui. His attitude was so nonchalant that Jeong Taeui instantly wondered if he hadn’t remembered shaking Oliver off while he was dazed.

“Oliver is…” 

He started to speak, then fell silent.

Even if he didn’t remember, bringing up that name now would only be blaming him. And he wasn’t the one who could blame him. Christoph, who had been looking at the silent Jeong Taeui, said coldly,

“I always said. To those children too. Don’t touch me.”

“…!”

Christoph hadn’t forgotten. He knew very well that he had pushed Oliver away. But his gaze, looking at the fallen Oliver and the people surrounding him, was simply cold and composed. The only difference from usual was his face, which was barely discernible as faintly pale.

Beside Jeong Taeui, who was silently watching him, Ilay, who had been perfectly bystander-like, observing the situation from a slight distance—with a hint of a chilling smile in his tone—spoke calmly.

“Just because you always told them not to touch you doesn’t justify this situation.”

“Justify?”

Christoph sneered. A chilling gaze settled over his pale face. The cool, blue light seemed poised to slice through one’s heart.

“What need is there for justification?” he said curtly. Then he cast a dry gaze back at Oliver.

—What need is there for justification?

Christoph didn’t care whether he was justified or not. It had never mattered to him in the first place. Whether what he did was right or wrong, or what others said, he was utterly unconcerned.

Jeong Taeui followed Christoph’s gaze and looked towards Oliver.

The doctor, who had been examining Oliver, nodded and said something to Richard. From the doctor’s calm expression and the way Richard’s hardened face softened slightly, it seemed thankfully that it wasn’t serious.

“…However, just in case, a detailed examination…”

As the doctor’s words faintly reached their ears, a car approached from the garage and stopped. Soon, men carefully laid Oliver inside the car and adjusted his position to prevent any shaking.

The car, brought out in a hurry, was quite spacious, but with Oliver occupying the back seat, only the passenger seat remained. The doctor, who naturally took that seat, said there was no need to worry much and that he would accompany them, but Richard shook his head.

The doctor tutted, then said that he would ride in the same car as the boy just in case, and for them to follow in another car, before leaving first.

Richard told the man standing beside him to bring out another car, and the man hastily ran towards the garage.

A chaotic silence fell over the spot. People observing the situation from a distance outside the window, and those who had begun moving busily between the main building and the west wing, created a murmuring noise.

And in the midst of those people, gathered far away, only they remained, just as in the beginning.

Ilay, who had originally maintained his position as an observer. Jeong Taeui, whose expression was clouded, his situation not dissimilar to Ilay’s, clicking his tongue. Christoph, with an indifferent and calm face, meeting Richard’s gaze. And Richard, pacing restlessly, his face turning coldly rigid when his eyes suddenly met Christoph’s.

Richard, who had seemingly poured all his attention into Oliver until now, seemed to be overcome by a natural and violent surge of anger the moment his eyes met Christoph’s.

“You…—!!”

Richard lunged forward. It took almost no time to reach Christoph, who was only a few steps away.

As he reached out to grab Christoph’s collar, Christoph’s pale face twitched. His fingers clenched as if to form a fist. But soon, as if resigned, his grip loosened, and Christoph stepped aside.

Richard, who had failed to grab Christoph by a hair’s breadth, turned to look at him with piercing eyes. Christoph, with eyes no less chilling, met his gaze.

Richard’s eyes narrowed. The bone structure of his jaw, clenching his teeth, showed beside his slightly closed lips.

“Don’t touch me,” Christoph said coldly. As he spoke, he brushed off the lapel of his clothes where Richard’s fingers had seemed to graze. Watching his irritable gesture, Richard let out a “Ha…” and laughed.

As if the intensity with which he had rushed to grab Christoph’s collar just moments ago was a lie, the impassioned light completely vanished from Richard’s expression. His usual calm and composed demeanor returned. Only the laughter was absent.

“What were you planning to do with my son?” Richard asked softly. At his icy, stern question, Christoph frowned. But unlike his bleak and expressionless gaze, his tone was tinged with mockery.

“Planning to do…? I had no plans to do anything. Your son isn’t even worth considering doing anything to.”

“…Haa. Right.”

Richard muttered through clenched teeth. It was a low growl, like a beast threatening. A sound that made the listener uneasy.

“Then it was just an accident, I suppose? That you mercilessly struck Oliver, who stumbled into you and grabbed you?”

“Of course.”

“And it’s merely my imagination that he, running at not even a fast pace, seemed to wait for you to collide with him, without you moving or avoiding him, as if you were waiting for the collision?”

“…I understand what you’re trying to say. Think as you please. There’s no need for me to make excuses for your words.”

Christoph looked at Richard coldly for a moment, then answered indifferently.

…No.

That’s not right.

Such a thought flashed through Jeong Taeui’s mind.

When Oliver ran, Christoph wasn’t looking at him. Even if his eyes were pointed towards Oliver, his pale, rigid gaze was trapped within his own body. At least, that’s how it appeared to Jeong Taeui.

Christoph would not deliberately harm Oliver.

—That son is decent enough in his own way.

Christoph’s voice, saying that with a brusque face, came to mind. His attitude of diligently answering each of Oliver’s questions even as he looked down at him disapprovingly, and the way he inwardly clicked his tongue yet subtly followed the boy with his gaze.

Christoph deliberately hurt Oliver? …No, that’s not true.

Jeong Taeui subtly frowned.

“Richard, Christoph is—”

But the moment Jeong Taeui uttered his name, Richard’s gaze turned as sharp as a blade.

It wasn’t the gentle, kind look he usually gave Jeong Taeui. It was nothing less than the gaze one would give to an annoying busybody defending a hateful opponent.

Christoph’s gaze wasn’t much different. An annoyed, chilling glare flew over.

Jeong Taeui realized. These two were not on terms where outsiders could intervene. Their surroundings were of no concern. Whether many people sided with Richard or not, whether Christoph was almost isolated or not, it fundamentally didn’t matter to them.

Jeong Taeui shrugged and took a step back.

He felt Ilay, who was standing not far away, arms crossed, watching them with glassy eyes and a thin smile, not having exchanged a single word. Jeong Taeui didn’t turn his head.

Richard, who had been sending Jeong Taeui a silent gaze, not overtly hostile but clearly conveying animosity, eventually turned his eyes back to Christoph.

For a while, there was no sound. Both Richard and Christoph merely stared at each other silently. Beside that thin, unstable silence, like cold ice, the car that had approached to pick up Richard also held its breath and stopped.

“…Alright. It must have been an accident,” Richard finally said.

His voice was quietly subdued. At first glance, it seemed almost no different from his usual self.

There was no longer any hint of excitement or anger on his face. Only the absence of laughter, and his trustworthy and earnest demeanor had returned as usual. In fact, that quiet, laughter-free expression almost seemed affectionate, as if he were giving concerned advice to a close friend.

“You were always that kind of person, and it’s not entirely your fault what happened. But you still don’t bat an eyelid even when such an accident occurs. Yes, that cruel nature of yours hasn’t changed at all. Not one bit, from over ten years ago until now.”

Step by step, the words, savored and chewed sufficiently in his mouth before being spat out, spread through the space.

Richard was growing increasingly composed. As if he had never shown anger outwardly, he was perfectly calm and composed. No, he even wore a faint smile.

“You said my son wasn’t worth even considering doing anything to. —Remarkable. People call me a person of excellent character, but in my eyes, you seem a hundred times better than me. You don’t even think of laying a hand on my son, whereas I develop a grudge even against your family.”

At that moment, Christoph’s expression, which had only been indifferent and cold until then, faintly hardened.

Richard was now completely his usual self.

His kind, pleasant face wore an affectionate smile. Soft wrinkles formed around his eyes, softening his impression even more, in contrast to Christoph’s face which was slowly freezing.

“Why did you come back? You weren’t planning to return to Tarthen for good, were you? Weren’t you going to T&R with no intention of ever coming back?”

“…The succession is an important event that happens only once every few decades…”

“Ah. So you returned because you value an important family event. Meaning no one lightly contacted you.”

Christoph’s face seemed to momentarily pale. He simply stared at Richard without a word, without blinking.

“Is your aunt well? Right, I’ll see her at the succession soon. How many years has it been? It must be over ten years. I hear she sometimes sends letters, but I’ve never opened them, so I wouldn’t know.”

“…Thank you for your concern. My mother is well.”

“Yes, that’s fortunate.”

Richard smiled with utmost affection. He nodded, repeating that it was truly fortunate.

Watching them, Jeong Taeui had long since wiped the smile from his face.

For a while, something had been flickering in his mind. That alarm, similar to a warning sound, was pointing to Christoph.

Who was staring at Richard with a ghost-like, expressionless face, growing paler and paler.

“But—you haven’t returned for a long time, so how do you know your aunt is well? She’s also getting on in years now, isn’t she? And she seemed to have suffered a lot from chronic illnesses since she was young. …Is she not sick anywhere?”

Richard seemed genuinely concerned. He even dropped his smile for a moment, looking at Christoph, frowning slightly, and shaking his head.

“You’ll see her soon, so there’s no need to worry beforehand,” Christoph said quietly. Rather than speaking, he just moved his lips, almost mechanically. A faint reply, as if he were answering himself, as if the questioner were himself.

His face was like wax. So white and pale, it seemed as if it would melt if touched.

At that moment, Jeong Taeui subtly frowned.

Christoph was moving his lips.

At first, he thought Christoph was trembling. He tilted his head in bewilderment, seeing him shiver despite it not being cold, and only then realized he was whispering something. Not to anyone, but to himself.

But it wasn’t just his lips.

He truly began to tremble.

With a pale face, looking at the corner of Richard’s lips—no, to be precise, he wasn’t looking at anything in that spot—he began to tremble faintly at the shoulders. Huddling his body as if cold.

Richard, seemingly oblivious to such facts, laughed. Very affectionately, sweetly. Then, bending slightly and leaning towards Christoph, he whispered softly into his ear.

“This time, I hope to see her in good health. …Because I haven’t chosen an animal yet to serve as a corpse to scatter over her grave when she dies.”

“…!!”

It was then that Jeong Taeui, whose face had hardened, instinctively clenched his fists as he took in that low whisper.

Christoph moved.

Without anyone knowing when he moved, he was striking Richard’s face with his fist.

The dry, piercing sound didn’t stop at just one blow.

Twice, three times, several times, the sounds continued haphazardly.

“Christoph!” Jeong Taeui shouted.

Christoph was expressionless. With unfocused eyes, he looked at what seemed to be merely a ragdoll in front of him, swinging his fist mechanically.

“Be quiet.”

The reason Jeong Taeui could understand that small voice, uttered with barely moving lips, was solely because he had heard those words many times before.

Muttering his habitual words, not directed at Richard or any specific person, he aimed for the opponent’s vital points, striking without the slightest mercy. Even at dangerous positions that could lead to death if hit accurately, without any hesitation.

“Chris! Stop—”

But Jeong Taeui hadn’t even finished his words.

Thwack, a heavy thud echoed. From a slightly different direction than the blows that had just landed.

Richard, caught off guard and having taken a few punches, thrust his fist accurately into Christoph’s solar plexus.

Christoph paused for a moment. No sound came from his mouth, which had instinctively opened to let out a groan. He merely bent over, clutching his solar plexus, and stared at his feet for a moment.

“Why? Are you angry because I said I’d decorate your mother’s grave with a corpse? Even though you killed a stray dog and buried its corpse in Olivia’s grave?” Richard said, rubbing his fist. Still calm and quiet, he looked at Christoph affectionately, even with a faint smile. Then, he suddenly closed his mouth and tutted, as if feeling pity.

“You’re a truly pathetic fellow. You were born able to get anything you want, you have no obstacles and nothing to fear, yet there’s something wrong here.”

Tapping his temple just above his ear with his index finger, Richard sighed. He looked at Christoph with genuine regret, as if pitying him.

Yet the gentle smile on his still pleasant face didn’t fade, and Jeong Taeui inhaled sharply.

…Damn it. Turns out this bastard was crazy too.

Jeong Taeui unconsciously kneaded his other hand with the fist he had unknowingly clenched, his knuckles white with tension.

Cruel words were exchanged. Words that Jeong Taeui couldn’t understand, but every single one of them was cruel. Both to the listener and to the speaker.

However, even if he could somehow stop it midway, he didn’t know how. All he knew was that it shouldn’t happen. Jeong Taeui had no right to intervene between them.

Tsk, Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue and suddenly looked at Ilay.