“It’s a lie…”
Luke Illum was Lucas Lowell Blake? Iberis denied the truth that Lucas had difficultly revealed. It was that hard to believe.
“That’s impossible.”
Contrary to his mouth denying Lucas’s confession again, in his mind, moments when he had unconsciously felt a sense of dissonance emerged one by one like puzzle pieces.
The story of suddenly losing parents and becoming an orphan like the Blake siblings, coming from a British noble family like them, having the same outstanding guardian in Winfried Bismarck, the scene of him talking affectionately with Regina Lowell Blake.
His words about suspecting Livio Logan as the culprit who took away his precious people and his confession about deceiving everyone for his purpose, even his attitude of thoroughly rejecting people who approached him, making excuses about being a premarital chastity advocate…
As he assembled his memories like putting together a puzzle, he suddenly got goosebumps. Iberis, his complexion turning pale, looked down at Lucas and moved his lips.
“Are you really…”
Lucas Lowell Blake? The question that couldn’t be voiced aloud disappeared. His eyes, mixed with various emotions like shock, bewilderment, excitement, betrayal, and disappointment, trembled like leaves in the wind.
Crunch. Iberis bit his lower lip hard. He felt contradictory emotions, wanting to hear Lucas confirm it was him while also not wanting to hear it.
“It’s not a lie. I’m sorry for telling you only now.”
Lucas apologized as if feeling ashamed to Iberis, who had fallen into extreme confusion. Although there were unavoidable circumstances, the fact was that he had deceived him.
“Why…”
Why are you revealing this only now? Iberis barely swallowed the protest that had risen to his throat. If Lucas was really Viscount Blake, he could fully understand his position.
Even after being expelled from the defense force, Livio Logan still held considerable influence. If he had known that Luke Illum was Lucas Lowell Blake, he wouldn’t have left him alone. Especially if the Armands’ death wasn’t an accident but Livio’s plot.
Therefore, Lucas must have enlisted under the alias Luke Illum to avoid being targeted by his parents’ enemy. Moreover, in a situation where he suspected Livio as the culprit, he couldn’t easily trust anyone in the defense force. Because apart from those publicly known to be friendly with Livio, he couldn’t know who else might be his people.
“I tried to tell you several times. But…”
“You couldn’t trust me. Liking and trusting are different things after all.”
“No, that’s not it!”
Lucas, startled by Iberis’s self-deprecation, raised his voice. Growing anxious, he gripped Iberis’s hand tightly.
When revealing his identity, he hadn’t expected Iberis to accept it nonchalantly from the start. Understanding and acceptance might seem the same at first glance, but they were clearly different emotions. Even if it had been him, he would have been angry first.
Nevertheless, his heart sank at Iberis’s tone and expression that didn’t hide his disappointment. Becoming impatient, Lucas hurriedly continued his explanation.
“At first… I did have such feelings. Given the situation, it was inevitable. But not anymore.”
“…”
“It might sound like an excuse… but I didn’t want you to misunderstand me. I was afraid you’d think I approached you with the intention of using you.”
Iberis swallowed a sigh at Lucas’s detailed explanation. As he said, there was no one who didn’t know that Livio and he were in an antagonistic relationship because of past events.
In fact, even after the scandal, many people had approached him with improper intentions. Some wanted to know if there was evidence other than what Iberis had submitted when denouncing Livio, while others tried to use him to increase their own recognition or power.
Having become accustomed to situations where someone tried to use him as a chess piece, if he had known that Lucas was Viscount Blake before trust was built, he wouldn’t have given his heart like now.
When he received the news that Lieutenant Luke Illum had been assigned as his guide, he had doubted Winfried’s intentions and even ordered Brenda to investigate him.
So he could understand why Lucas hadn’t revealed it to him until now. He would have done the same in his position.
But he still felt hurt. While his head understood, his heart couldn’t easily accept it.
“Falling for you, Major, was unexpected even for me. I had planned to leave the military after succeeding in my revenge.”
“…”
“So even though I knew I was attracted to you, I deliberately ignored it. In the end, I couldn’t control my feelings and confessed… But after that, I couldn’t find the courage to tell you more. I didn’t know I was such a coward.”
Lucas desperately explained his situation. Unlike usual, he showed no composure at all.
“Haa, I understand your circumstances. And why you hid it.”
“Major.”
“But right now, I don’t think I can treat you normally. I’m… very confused at the moment.”
“…I’m truly sorry.”
Lucas lowered his head like a criminal. His face was uncharacteristically gloomy and dark. Judging from Iberis’s attitude, it seemed he had avoided the worst-case scenario, but he still felt anxious. Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on Iberis’s hand.
“Hmm…”
Iberis let out a low sigh as Lucas gripped his hand tightly, as if clinging to him. Even on battlefields teeming with monsters, he hadn’t felt this disoriented; his head was spinning as if he were motion sick.
“It’s not that I dislike you. I won’t hate you because of this.”
Iberis, seeming unsure of what to say, moved his lips for a while before finally managing to speak.
“I just need time to fully accept the truth. Only then…”
Unable to finish his thought about being able to convey his feelings to Lucas, Iberis closed his mouth. His complicated gaze turned to Lucas’s left shoulder.
Wasn’t the Name supposed to be near the left shoulder blade?
Iberis swallowed hard, recalling a conversation he once had with Lucas. Apart from being bewildered by the unexpected identity revelation, a faint thrill rose at the possibility that he might be his Name match. Simultaneously, he felt an urge to immediately strip off Lucas’s shirt and check the name.
“So you could be my Name match…”
Iberis muttered, as if finding it hard to believe. If he really was the Name match, then what was written on his body would be the name Iberis had lost. At that thought, his already racing heart pounded even harder.
“Yes, so… May I see the Name?”
“Huh?”
“Please allow me to check the name on your ankle, Major.”
Lucas cautiously requested. He had worried Iberis might refuse, but fortunately, he received a positive answer.
“…Alright. I’m curious too.”
Iberis nodded and leaned back on the sofa. Though still surprised, he wanted to confirm it quickly too. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his pounding heart as if he had just sprinted at full speed.
“Thank you.”
Lucas cupped the ankle with both hands, an area that had been like a forbidden zone to him until now. As he hooked his index finger on the top of the sock, the slender calf twitched.
Why had he never suspected, even though he knew Iberis had Korean blood and had lost his memories to become who he is now?
Cursing his own stupidity, Lucas slowly removed the sock. His shoulders tensed and his mouth went dry with the sudden surge of tension. The brief moment of removing the sock felt like an eternity.
If Iberis was truly his Name match, the name engraved on his ankle would be visible. Lucas fixed his gaze on the gradually exposed white ankle, feeling his insides burning with anticipation. Then he let out a gasp.
“Lucas.”
Lucas silently mouthed the name that met his eyes. His trembling finger traced the Name engraved across the ankle bone.
It wasn’t a hallucination. He wasn’t seeing things wrong. The name on Iberis’s body was undeniably his real name. As he took it in, a thrilling joy swirled inside him.
“Uh.”
Iberis let out a faint moan as gentle fingers caressed the bare skin where the Name was written. The moment Lucas’s hand touched it, the area around his ankle bone felt as if it had been burned. As a ticklish yet strange sensation climbed up from his ankle, his thighs involuntarily clenched.
“It is my name.”
Lucas murmured in an overwhelmed voice. As he gripped the ankle bearing the Name, the area near his shoulder blade, which had been tingling, suddenly felt hot as if a spark had burst into flame.
He stared at the Name engraved on the protruding ankle bone as if entranced. He recalled the foreign language written on his own body.
The name of the Name match, which had been a negligible existence to him who had lived solely for revenge.
Until now, he had never felt a sense of mission to find his Name match, but he had always remembered that Korean name. But now, that name had become the most special in the world.
“…Eunsu.”
Lucas savored the Name, now the most precious to him, whispering it slowly. Though his pronunciation was slightly clumsy and awkward due to the unfamiliar language, it was clear enough for Iberis to understand.
