SALOME Ch 19

“Lip…? Ah.”

At Cedric’s low voice, Yuri unconsciously touched his lips, feeling a scab of dried blood against his fingertips. Yuri spat out a lie as if it were nothing. It was a kind of bolt on his door.

“It’s nothing. I just slipped.”

“What do you mean it’s nothing? There’s a wound on your face…”

Contrary to Yuri speaking nonchalantly, Cedric reached out his hand in dead earnest. For a moment, Yuri flinched at the large hand approaching him. The adult male’s characteristic large palm and prominent, thick knuckles brought to mind the hand of his half-brother, Alexander, who had beaten him yesterday—or the hand of the Italian ambassador, who had lusted after him last night. Instantly realizing that Yuri’s eyes, usually indifferent and without a ripple, had frozen with a faint fear, Cedric immediately lowered his hand beneath the table. His hand felt stiff and heavy. Then, showing Yuri his open palm, he slowly reached around from the side toward him.

“If you slipped, what about your arms or legs? Give me your arm.”

He carefully took hold of Yuri’s arm, and that spot hidden beneath his clothes happened to be the very place heavily bruised again from Alexander’s violence. Because of that, far from slapping the hand away, Yuri couldn’t use any strength, his arm muscles throbbing with pain.

“Ah.”

At Yuri’s ensuing soft groan, Cedric’s eyes shone brightly.

“Where else are you hurt? To a doctor…”

As Cedric blew things out of proportion as if he were about to take him to a doctor this instant, Yuri belatedly creased his brow and shook off Cedric’s warm hand.

“I told you it’s nothing. Don’t touch me.”

“…Do you have medicine?”

“I do.”

At Yuri’s firm answer, Cedric whispered softly:

“Is there… anything I can do to help?”

At those words, the look in Yuri’s eyes, which had softened for a moment, hardened coldly.

“If you’re only going to say useless things, I’m leaving.”

“Wait a moment, don’t go. I won’t do it anymore.”

Cedric barely managed to answer with a dissatisfied face. He wanted nothing more than to shower him with worry disguised as useless talk, but even so, he didn’t want to send her away. Moreover, on such a good day to meet her, he didn’t want to ruin her mood.

The waiter served them squash soup and proceeded to pour champagne into their glasses. Unlike the warm food and the atmosphere of the restaurant right before their eyes, the air between the two was chilly. Neither raised a spoon, continuing their silence as jazz music resonated through the restaurant. In the end, Cedric forced a smile and spoke first.

“Try some. I heard it’s delicious. When you’re hurting, you need to eat well to heal quickly.”

“…What was that thing you said you’d show me earlier?”

Yuri followed Cedric in picking up his spoon, taking a spoonful of soup right after Cedric ate a mouthful.

“Ah, right.”

Relieved by Yuri’s action, Cedric handed Yuri the envelope he had set aside in the corner of his table. Flustered by Cedric’s unexpected action of handing it over right away, Yuri choked and coughed slightly. What’s this? Why so easily…?

“Ahem.”

“What’s wrong? Is the food not to your liking?”

“No…”

Waving his hand off, Yuri repeatedly said he was fine and took the envelope from Cedric. As he stared at the wide, rectangular envelope, Cedric urged him to open it even after giving it himself.

“Open it up.”

“…”

What on earth is this? Yuri carefully inspected the white envelope handed to him by Cedric. Over the fairly large, rectangular white envelope, a hole was cut out right in the center in the shape of the Berlin Philharmonic’s characteristic pointed circus-tent roof. Cedric urged Yuri with an expectant look.

“Open it up.”

Yuri looked once at Cedric’s face, flushed with anticipation, and pulled the card inside the side of the envelope slowly, feeling a strange, unexplainable sensation. Then,

“Pretty, isn’t it?”

As if waiting, the moment he pulled the card, the cut-out shape of the pointed roof was filled in with gold foil. Seeing such a design for the first time, Yuri blinked his eyes wide in silence. When someone saw something truly wondrous, words simply wouldn’t come out.

At Yuri’s reaction as he stared silently at the card, Cedric rested his chin on his hand over the table. It was table etiquette he normally wouldn’t practice, but it slipped out inadvertently out of a desire to look slightly up into Yuri’s surprised eyes.

When Yuri pulled out the card completely, the back of the card had large letters reading 〈Berlin Philharmonic New Year’s Eve Concert〉. The moment Yuri confirmed it, Cedric scratched the back of his head as if embarrassed.

“Next week… would you like to go together?”

“…”

Leaving Yuri silent, Cedric hurriedly blurted out words as if making an excuse.

“You said you’d help me get along in Berlin. So… it’s a bribe, a bribe.”

In the center of the card, the name ‘Daniela’ was written neatly in handwriting that was clearly written by hand with a fountain pen. To anyone’s eyes, it was an invitation meant for Yuri. A gathering where the political and business luminaries of Berlin—and by extension, those belonging to the First World’s Allies and the Warsaw Pact—would congregate.

The very seat that his half-brother Alexander had tried so desperately to secure for himself every time Berlin’s year-end approached to build connections. The very ticket that anyone would starve themselves to get, even in the meager circumstances following the end of the war.

Going to the Berlin Phil… was for this?

Unlike what he had assumed to be at least a biochemical weapon, Yuri was at a total loss before Cedric’s completely unexpected “bribe,” merely placing the card that poked out back into the envelope. The hands quietly holding it trembled slightly.

Why… give something like this… to me…?

In the meantime, the waiter arrived with the prepared food, and the two began their meal in silence. Because of that, Yuri missed the timing to return the ticket placed beside his table mat. Merely chewing his food, unresolvable questions endlessly spun through his mind.

To Yuri, Cedric’s behavior was entirely incomprehensible. Cedric’s actions, which seemed suspicious, turned out to be somewhat… pure the moment he reached them. Whenever there seemed to be a dark corner, it turned out to be spotless. Yuri stared at Cedric as he cut the dry-aged steak into bite-sized pieces. Raising his lowered eyes after eating a piece of sliced meat, Cedric caught Yuri’s gaze and smiled brightly.

Yes, just like that smile, he was untainted and pure.

It was entirely different from the Colonel’s order to dig deep because there was bound to be something shady behind it. Unaware of Yuri’s internal confusion, Cedric asked Yuri casually:

“What does it look like to you, Daniela—Berlin, I mean?”

“My name… is—”

It’s not Daniela, he was about to tell him, but Yuri shut his mouth. It was too late to tell him now. Just like the questions spreading through his head. At that, Cedric asked back in wonder:

“Your name?”

“No. Berlin… in my opinion…”

Yuri ate a piece of sliced steak. It was tender. Without a single thing to bother him. Normally, he would have eaten to check for anything wrong or to see if something was inside, rather than tasting it, while maintaining utmost vigilance.

However, during the time spent with Cedric, such things were useless. As if simply letting his guard down was the proper way to use the time spent with him. And so, Yuri unconsciously removed one of the bolts he had tightly fastened. Instead of the dozens of prepared excuses and lies,

“It’s dangerous.”

He ended up telling a single truth that he knew. In that momentary lapse, the arrow had already left the bow, and Cedric replied:

“As expected. Even to my eyes, I can feel a stiff atmosphere. The war is over, but the deep rift in thoughts shows no sign of narrowing.”

Cedric moistened his mouth with wine and nodded. Just looking at the situation of yesterday’s party showed as much.

“I felt that yesterday’s event was actually a place for those on the same side to reconfirm their power once more. That’s a bit disappointing.”

“Why?”

At Yuri’s question, he pondered deeply with a “Hm” before answering:

“Because then the war ending isn’t truly the end. If we really want to end it…”

Cedric continued with a somewhat complex face. To bring an end, a new beginning is necessary.