SALOME Ch 15

At Yuri’s annoyed expression, Cedric’s face went blank, completely dumbfounded.

“…Pardon?”

“What is your objective that you’re paying money just to meet up? Someone of your standing wouldn’t lack people to meet.”

Yuri’s blue eyes caught the faint lighting spilling from the banquet hall, shining as if to pierce right through Cedric. At that, Cedric couldn’t meet his eyes and hung his head. He had no intention of insulting her, but had his feelings gone too far, making it appear that way?

“I just… want to talk.”

“…”

“I mean, sleeping together or things like that… I’m sorry if it sounded that way.”

Cedric spoke with a faster cadence, as if even mentioning it was embarrassing. Coughing dryly a couple of times, he calmly continued speaking.

“Anyway, Daniela, you live in Germany, but you’re from the Warsaw Pact side, right? Since you’re Polish.”

At the words Warsaw Pact, Yuri felt a sudden jolt inside. But at the words that followed, he felt relieved and nodded. At that, Cedric scratched the back of his head and explained:

“It was… my first time seeing one. Someone from the Warsaw Pact side.”

Someone as pretty as you, too, Cedric added inwardly. Yuri gave Cedric a flat, unimpressed look, as if asking if that was all.

“People from Warsaw Pact nations are everywhere here.”

East Germany beyond Berlin was Warsaw Pact territory, so seeing Eastern Bloc people in neutral Berlin was nothing special. Unless it were in Allied territory in other European countries, perhaps. Cedric nodded in agreement.

“Of course. That’s true. But the only person who talks to me like this is you, Daniela.”

Well, that’s… Unable to say it was because of orders, Yuri opened and closed his mouth, then quietly waited for Cedric to continue.

“I want to talk with people from the Warsaw Pact too, but it’s harder than I thought. To them, I’m just someone belonging to the Allies…”

At that, Yuri let out a small “Hm,” as if understanding. Was that why he was unexpectedly talking to those Warsaw Pact kids at the banquet hall earlier? Seeing Cedric, who was usually so confident, speaking so dispiritedly, Yuri let out a sigh.

“Of course it is, you idiot.”

At Yuri’s sharp response, Cedric raised his drooping head. Yuri then ruffled his own shoulder-length hair in irritation.

“You’re British, and the guy you talked to is the Albanian ambassador’s son. Why on earth would a kid from a country that sent torpedoes at your country’s fleet talk to you with a bright smile?”

Yuri brought up the incident in the Corfu Channel, addressing the reaction that Cedric hadn’t understood.

“They’re locked in a nasty dogfight with your country in an international trial right now—how could he laugh and chat in an open place like this? Your…”

Yuri caught himself just as he was about to scold him, asking if his father didn’t teach him such things despite being a diplomat. Cedric’s eyes lit up as if realizing something. Unbelievable—she really is different.

“How do you know that so well? That’s amazing!”

Yuri let out a momentary “Oops” expression, which returned to a deadpan look before Cedric could even notice.

“…Because I come here often for work.”

When he slurred the end of his sentence, saying he had to hear about it whether he liked it or not because of work, Cedric took Yuri’s hand, which had turned cold in the winter night wind.

“Daniela really is different. That’s right. This is what I wanted.”

Saying that his judgment wasn’t wrong after all, Cedric’s dark eyes shone with pure excitement. The held hand was quite warm.

“I want to talk freely like this with people from the other camp. The war is over, after all.”

“The war is… over?”

“Of course. Naturally things aren’t completely settled yet, like the Corfu Channel incident Daniela mentioned… But still, someday, we’ll be able to communicate freely. Right?”

Cedric timidly whispered that he wanted to become a person who lays that kind of foundation. At Cedric’s far too idealistic words, Yuri sighed internally. The war is over? The war is just beginning.

This naive young master was completely lost in fantasy, unable to face reality. Far from being on guard when an unknown person approached, he wagged his tail in delight like a dog greeting a master without knowing it might be slaughtered.

“Even if the future is like that, now isn’t the time. You…”

Russia had assigned someone to him. If so, other countries had surely assigned people as well. Did he even know that? Yuri alertly scanned his surroundings. Since it was the Russian Embassy, there shouldn’t be any issues, but just in case.

“You… need to be a bit more careful. Berlin isn’t as peaceful a place as you think.”

Yuri felt a little bothered by this thoroughly naive young master. Was it because a guy he was only supposed to observe for a mission kept talking to him? If anything, this city was fiercer than any other—fierce enough to thoroughly monitor the family of a mere diplomat. At that, Cedric wore his characteristic easygoing, pleasant expression.

“Then tell me how I should be careful. You know we’re meeting tomorrow, right?”

“That’s…”

Faced with him seeking advice from someone who might kill him, Yuri couldn’t answer readily. And the moment he hesitated, an owl sound—hoot, hoot—echoed from the embassy roof. It was the signal agreed upon with his squad members: The party is ending soon, so return. Yuri turned his body quickly. Cedric followed after him.

“Where are you going?”

“I told you I was going to work.”

At Yuri’s ice-cold response, Cedric pulled a small package out from the breast of his tailcoat. A red satin ribbon was neatly tied around the brown craft paper package.

“Alright. Then, take this.”

“What is this?”

Cedric forcibly shoved the package into Yuri’s hands, which hadn’t moved to accept it.

“A Christmas bonus. I’m a diligent boss who complies with labor laws, you see.”

Isn’t Britain the place that treats workers worse than machine parts? At Yuri’s suspicious glare, Cedric urged him to open it quickly. At the insistence of acting as if he would keep following if he didn’t open it, Yuri roughly tore open the package in irritation. Even at that sight, Cedric smiled with satisfaction.

“…”

“Do you like it?”

Unfolded inside the package was a pair of dark brown leather gloves.

“Your hands looked cold last time… Don’t feel burdened, just use them roughly. They didn’t cost much.”

Cedric spoke with exaggeration about the gloves, which were clearly high-end goods at a glance. When Yuri stopped walking, Cedric spoke softly, as if reading his reaction:

“I don’t know if the size is right. Normally you’re supposed to measure hand size… Try them on once.”

Yuri silently looked at the gloves, then handed them back to Cedric with a reluctant expression.

“I can’t accept this.”

At that, Cedric’s expression turned into a pouting, tearful face. You’re a grown man, are you a child? Yuri scolded inwardly at the grown guy’s crestfallen face.

“Why?”

“…It makes me uncomfortable.”

Cedric backed far away from Yuri, waving his hands off despite having just approached.

“Really, it’s cheap. Just use it.”

Backing away further, he suddenly turned his body back toward the banquet hall and quickly climbed the side stairs.

“If you don’t like it, you can throw it away! Though that would make me a bit sad.”

In the end, he shouted the words telling him not to throw it away before stepping through the open terrace door and into the banquet hall.

“Merry Christmas, Daniela. Don’t forget we’re seeing each other tomorrow!”

“Hey, hey!”

Yuri gave chase, only to stop helplessly in front of the open terrace door facing the garden. If he went into the banquet hall to return the gloves, his ridiculous outfit would surely be caught by the Warsaw Pact group attending the Russian Embassy’s affiliated school. And from above the embassy, the squad’s assembly signal sounded again. Yuri held his head and yelled irritably:

“I’m coming, I said I’m coming!”

In the end, unable to throw the gloves away, Yuri stowed them in his apron pocket.

It was clearly a tiny object, but somehow it felt as bothersomely heavy as a lump of iron.