Don't Come Near Me, I'm Just a Background Character [BL Harem]

37 - Eliad's Gratitude

Two knocks on the door interrupted my stupor. I scrambled up and hurried to answer the door, signaling for Nore to hide. He hopped under the bed quickly, seeming to understand what my gestures meant. I hid a bemused smile and turned the handle. Eliad stood, with his usual inexpressive face, holding a small box in his left hand. I stole a quick glance at it before turning back up to him.

"Young Master, may I come in?" He asked. His hand clutched the box a slight bit tighter. I saw the small movement and my curiosity immediately grew. I nodded and strode back into the room.

I sat on the soft mattress of the bed and watched Eliad's expression as he marched in behind me. I took another peek at the odd box in his hand for a half-second before turning my attention back and signaling for him to speak.

He got on his knees and gave a deep bow. I was a bit taken aback with his grandiose actions, but brushed it off and listened. What would he have to say, to act this humble?

He raised his head, meeting my encouraging gaze. "Young Master, I..." He trailed off. His mouth opened and closed, as if he didn't know how to continue that sentence.

I laughed lightheartedly and bent down to move my eye level to his. "Go on. You almost never ask for favors, I'm interested."

More than interested, I was brimming with curiosity. Eliad, despite only being a year older than me, always kept to himself, only doing his duties in the house. He even isolated himself from other servants, so his personal affairs were always kept close to him. Mother never asked about it; she didn't care, and I didn't want to needlessly involve myself in a capture target's things, so I kept silent too. However, that didn't mean I wasn't curious. A capture target always had an interesting background, and the longer he restrained himself, the more invested I was.

Eliad's face grew more reluctant, and I could see traces of redness appear on the tips of his ears. "...then, alright." He coughed, then continued. "...I've always wanted to thank you, Young Master."

I blinked once, confused. "Thank me for what, Eliad, why are you sentimental today?"

He stood up and took my hand. Puzzled, I remained still, leaving him room to speak. "Young Master, you took me in. You fed me and taught me, and even put me in such a high position when I was clearly not qualified."

I winced and just chuckled awkwardly in response. Ah, fuck, I almost forgot about that.

He bit his lip and carefully drew out the small black box in his hand. My gaze was fixated on it curiously, distracted, and I didn't see the rare expression on Eliad's face.

"Please accept this, Young Master, a token of my lasting gratitude. I... did my best to make it myself." He blushed and opened the box, revealing a small leather ornament inside. I picked it up, looking at the unique leather engravings and the interesting metal shaping.

I beamed. "Thank you. It looks wonderful." I sat down on the floor next to him and chuckled, "I'm sure Aileen will love her gift, too, hmm?" I nudged him with my elbow and my smile grew. The happy atmosphere in the room instantly turned stiff. Eliad froze.

I hadn't noticed and went on, trying to subtly shift the topic. "Also, Eliad... did you happen to see anything under my bed while I was gone?" I shifted closer and whispered into his ear.

"Ahem... yes. Rest assured, I told the servants not to spread any unnecessary words to anyone." His voice was tinged in a slight tremor. He slowly stood up and moved away.

So, it was him, after all. I frowned, and, not understanding what he was moving for, stood up with him. I reached up to pat him gently on the head. His normal neutral face shook and he looked away, clenching his fist.

"Thank you for doing that, Eliad." I said.

----

I was lying on my bed with Nore cradled in the nook of my chest. I studied the ornament in my hand with eyes glazed over. My mind wandered as I continued to fix my attention on his gift.

"You took me in. You fed and taught me." Eliad's words kept playing back in my head, over and over like a broken record. I turned over with a scowl, placing my head face-first into a soft feather pillow, trying to muffle my brain. Nore regarded me quizzically, his gaze questioning the sudden change in my demeanor.

Ah, damn it. Why did I do that in the first place?

It was before I regained my memories. At that time, everything was peaceful.

That day, I was four years old, and for some reason, I found myself especially bored that day. My parents were too busy to play, and Aileen was being tutored.

That day, I snuck out of the mansion. I brought a maid with me, using a stash of gold in my mother's drawer to pay her and a coachman off. I was quite smart for a four year old.

We never reached the town, though. Five minutes to our destination, I saw a small boy, covered in rags and shivering in the cold morning.

He had his legs tucked in and his arms hugging his knees to try and retain warmth. He had small cuts all over his body. They seemed to freeze out in the open air.

I was naïve at the time. I ordered the coachman to stop and I simply sat there, blankly, for ten minutes, staring at the boy outside. The maid was panicking. When she saw me in an absentminded state, she was extremely worried and tried to coax me into contentment. All I did in response was shake my big head and point at the small boy on the side of the street.

"He needs to be warm."

The maid grew annoyed.

"He will be, someday. Young Master, perhaps it's time to leave."

I ignored her words and marched out of the carriage with the three pouches of gold attached to my waist loosely.

I handed one of the pouches to the boy. It was supposed to be my spending money when I got into town. He looked up to the arm extending the pouch to him and quickly glanced inside the pouch. He saw the smoothness of the gold and immediately grabbed the pouch to try and run away.

A small boy running on his short legs, of course he stood no chance. The coachman leapt out of his seat and seized his waist.

"Trying to steal from the Young Master! How insolent!" He set the boy down in front of me. "Young Master-"

I ignored the coachman, as well, and simply grabbed the boy's empty hand. It was freezing cold. I shivered and frowned.

"Bring him back to the mansion. We're going back."

I was moved by naïve emotion. I took him back, and my parents, who were especially busy in those days, didn't know about my trip until two months after. Eliad and I slept in the same bed together for three weeks. Each night, I hugged him tightly, trying to dispel the lingering cold in his body. The following month after, I brought him along to my lessons. Maybe it was because I finally met someone my age after being isolated in the mansion for so long.

Exhausted, I groaned and flopped back onto the bed, holding Nore's claw authoritatively and pulling him closer. Back then, I had no idea that he was a capture target and someone who I should never associate with. Now, I regret everything. I let out a sigh and shook my head. Well, it should be fine. I'm sure that Eliad likes Aileen. The plot hasn't deviated yet.