Heavy Rain Chapter 19

“Yes. It is an aftereffect of the accident. It was confirmed at the time of the initial contract, but since it did not interfere with the fulfillment of the contract, it was overlooked.”

Lyle had heard the report, but he seemed to have forgotten because it wasn’t important. According to the records, his left ankle had been shattered and then restored through surgery.

As Lyle observed that part intently, the secretary, after some hesitation, added a bit more. He remembered the cautionary advice he heard when he met the doctor instead of Haejin.

“They said that while he is usually fine, he is in a condition where he must not overexert himself.”

“…”

At that moment, the image of Haejin resisting while intentionally dragging one leg played back in Lyle’s mind. It was from when he had grabbed the fellow by the collar and roughly dragged him into the mansion.

What if he hadn’t done that on purpose?

The report certainly said that for some reason, Haejin had been wandering the city. That he had gone out alone, leaving the mansion’s car behind, saying he was going to visit someone in the hospital. If so, he must have overexerted himself. It meant he hadn’t truly acted that way just to be rebellious.

Caught in a very strange mood, Lyle slowly raised his hand and adjusted his tie.

No matter how much he fidgeted with the knot, his throat felt strangely tight.

Returning to the mansion late at night, Lyle leaned back deeply into his study chair and let out a sigh. He had spent a frantic day because his morning schedule had been disrupted. It was a rather cumbersome price to pay for a brief impulse.

There was still work to be processed before falling asleep. Since most of the mansion’s affairs were delegated to the butler, he now had to inform him of Haejin’s return.

“…You mean Mr. Bright?”

“That’s how it turned out. Have things ready.”

“Yes. Regarding the room…”

It was a command that should have ended with a single word, but the butler’s question was strange. Lyle assumed that since there was the room Haejin had lived in for the past five years, the owner just had to return to it. Lyle suddenly remembered that the fellow’s room was in a very secluded spot.

It didn’t get any sun, and it was too far from the main facilities of the mansion.

“Is the condition of Jin’s room bad?”

“Well, about that… It has been completely cleared out.”

The statement that it had been disposed of entirely, rather than just being a problem with the room’s condition, was puzzling. Lyle pressed down his body, which had been about to leave for the bedroom. The butler’s complexion had looked quite uncomfortable for a while now.

“I never gave such an order.”

“I am sorry.”

The butler immediately bowed his head and begged for forgiveness, but Lyle merely waved his hand once. He had spoken because the thought suddenly struck him as odd, but in truth, there was no reason to maintain Haejin’s room either.

Lyle’s temper had been very foul lately, so minor issues were likely handled at the butler’s discretion. He let the situation slide for the most part.

“That… truthfully, there wasn’t much to even clear out, as Mr. Bright personally disposed of most of his belongings anyway…”

“…Is that so?”

However, unlike Lyle, who was dismissing the situation due to fatigue, the butler was extremely tense.

As the head butler of the Vermouth family, he took great pride in his position, and he was quite concerned about the recent unsavory incidents. It was already a problem that he had secretly placed his relative in a driver’s position, but of all things, that fellow had caused an accident.

No matter how insignificant he was, that Omega going to the hospital was a matter specified in the contract. The butler had an obligation to uphold those conditions. For once, Haejin had sought him out, but he had ignored it because it was bothersome; he never imagined such a thing had happened.

Furthermore, hadn’t the end turned out to be a very unsettling conclusion even for him? It was only after he regained his senses that he realized not informing him quickly of his parents’ deaths was a major blunder.

Still, he thought it was a relief that Haejin had quit and left without a word for whatever reason. But to think he was coming back.

In fact, the items remaining in Haejin’s room had already been taken by the servants, one and all. He originally knew the servants were touching Haejin’s things in earnest, but the butler simply turned a blind eye. They were items provided to Haejin by his hand anyway, and there were many luxury goods that he felt were more than enough for a mere whore-like fellow.

However, it should have stopped there, but the servants, who had developed a taste for stealing, caused trouble as soon as they realized Haejin had left. This was also something that should never happen in the Vermouth mansion. There was no point in searching for those involved now. If their motives were explained, the butler’s long-standing silent approval would also surface.

Therefore, it had to be hidden at all costs. If possible, it would be better if that Omega left the mansion on his own feet again before he could open his mouth.

“Then there will be much to prepare anew.”

“Yes, that is correct. It wasn’t in a state to be used again anyway… I will prepare the room as it was.”

So, he intentionally spoke words that could lead to a misunderstanding and evoke a sense of loathing, and indeed, his master frowned deeply.

The butler, who had most recently personally prepared a new Omega and shoved them into the room, recalled the face of the Omega who spat out curses when he tried to undress them as usual. It seemed that because the Omegas visiting this mansion lately were not submissive, Lyle was bringing Haejin back as a last resort.

However, Lyle gave an unexpected command.

“No. Let’s move the location of the room.”

If everything had to be prepared anew anyway, there was no need to insist on that room. There was no need to insist on moving the room’s location either, but Lyle was merely reminiscing with deeply sunken eyes.

The image of the fellow soaking wet from the rain in front of his secluded room door.

“Give him a guest room in the main building.”

“…Do you mean the main building?”

The main building was where Lyle resided. And the guest rooms there were, naturally, where important guests of the Vermouth family stayed.

The butler, hearing his words, asked back in dismay, but Lyle did not bend his will. There weren’t many important guests who needed to be hosted at the Vermouth main mansion anyway. So, there would be nothing wrong with giving a remaining room to Haejin regardless.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, it is not that.”

Yet, the butler’s reaction was somehow strange. Something had been irritating him like a constant prickle since earlier, but since there was nothing specific he could point to, Lyle simply stared at the butler.

Suddenly, Haejin’s extremely thin body came to mind.

“By the way, I heard Jin skipped many meals.”

Hearing his nonchalant question, the butler felt cold sweat trickling down his back. Could that Omega have babbled something?

Carefully watching Lyle’s reaction, he spoke words that could serve as an excuse as much as possible.

“It seems that Mr. Bright… doesn’t really… eat much…”

As expected, it seemed Haejin was acting picky with his food. Even so, Lyle still had doubts. No matter how finicky a guest acted, wasn’t it the butler’s role to manage and accommodate that?

“Then you should have made him eat, even if you had to hold him down. If he has preferences, accommodate them. Isn’t it your role to treat a guest like that?”

“Th-that is…”

The butler quickly lowered his head with a troubled face. Watching that, Lyle clicked his tongue inwardly.

The butler, who had worked in this mansion since his late father’s time, occasionally acted in this irritating manner. Still remembering only Lyle’s childhood, there were frequent cases where he tried to handle mansion matters on his own discretion. Such behavior occasionally infringed slightly on the master’s authority.

Lyle knew this but had turned a blind eye.

The massive mansion was an old place passed down through generations. Thanks to that, there was a pile of important parts that required meticulous management. Excluding the former butler who resigned when his parents died, he was the person who had worked here the longest. It was because the former butler had handpicked him as a successor.

Above all, the biggest reason was that Lyle had no particular lingering attachment to this mansion, which was nothing more than an empty shell. This mansion was also where his parents were found dead in a ridiculous manner. If occupying the mansion were not like a symbol of the person who controlled the Vermouth family, he would have moved his residence to a city penthouse long ago.

Regardless, this time, the butler’s actions had crossed the line to the point of being irritating. In particular, the thought suddenly struck him that errors regarding Haejin were far too frequent. Lyle pointed out that fact mercilessly.

“You have been disappointing me since a while ago.”

“…I am sorry.”