"Why… Izac… why?"
Hansmax's voice trembled as rain hammered the rooftop. "Where did everything fall apart? Tell me… what mistake did I make that made you unable to choose me?"
The young man knelt on the cold marble floor, tears streaming down his tan cheeks. Outside, the storm roared, but inside the room only his breaking voice filled the space.
"Please… don't leave me. Look at me."He lifted his eyes—desperate, pleading."Please, Izac Mikalian. It's me. The one you once said you loved."
Izac's violet eyes remained cold.
"You're too attached, Hansmax. You cling to me until I can't breathe."
Hansmax froze. His voice came out in a strained whisper.
"So that's it… my love was nothing but a burden to you? Too clingy? Izac, I feel things too! I hurt too! You— you never change. You're still the same person who pretends nothing touches you!"
He stood abruptly and turned toward the rain-streaked window. His shoulders shook.
"If I disappeared… would you finally look at me? Would you finally understand how much I—"
"Don't do anything foolish. What are you planning?"
But Hansmax didn't harm himself. Instead, he clenched his hand against his chest, fighting the storm inside him. Tears fell, soft but steady.
"Where did we begin to fall apart, my Lord Izac Mikalian…"
Ten years earlier
Sunlight spilled across Izac's face. He squinted up at the cloudless sky with a sigh.
"When did my peaceful life turn into this constant irritation…"
Izac Mikalian—one of the highest-ranked sorcerers in Borderland, the city of mages. With dark hair that glimmered in the sun, cool violet eyes, pale skin, and a tall, graceful figure, he commanded respect from nearly everyone.Everyone except the king and the royal family stood beneath him.
Most of the other mages whispered from a distance:
"Izac Mikalian? He's insane. That's why no one dares approach him."
But Izac wasn't insane.If anything…He was something far more troublesome.
His arrogance was legendary, his pride impenetrable, and his stubbornness so absolute it could challenge a child, a wild beast, or the laws of nature. He often strolled into the royal palace wearing plain clothes, ignoring all protocol. Once, he almost set a royal celebration on fire simply because he was in a foul mood.
And now, here he was—standing in the middle of his own garden, scowling at the sunshine.
He stepped under another tree for shade.
At that moment, a tall, tan-skinned young man approached. His reddish-brown eyes were steady and calm: Pandorah Hansmax.
"My Lord Izac… instead of wandering around looking for a comfortable spot to nap, perhaps you could finish your work first?"
Izac yawned, unbothered.
"It's my break time, Pandorah."
Hansmax's expression darkened at the name.
"How many times must I say that I dislike that name, my Lord? It sounds like a woman's name."
Izac burst into laughter and straightened to his full height. With a slight tilt of his head, he looked down at Hansmax.
"But it's adorable, Pandorah."
Hansmax's eyebrow twitched.
"My Lord… if you have enough energy to tease me, perhaps you should use that energy to actually complete your duties."
Izac only smirked, clearly entertained. He leaned down, whispering:
"Your face is turning pink, Pandorah."
"You— you are impossible!"
Before Izac could tease him further, Hansmax slapped the stack of documents against Izac's face and ran back toward the mansion.
Izac shouted after him:
"Pandorah~! Tell the kitchen I want beef stew for dinner!"
Hansmax, red-faced and sprinting like someone being chased, groaned internally.
"This man will be the end of me… If only the salary weren't so good…"
He entered the kitchen and announced:
"My lord wants beef stew tonight."
A maid sighed miserably.
"Doesn't he know Lord Izac hates beef stew?"
Hansmax pressed his palm to his forehead.
"That wasn't Lord Izac's idea. It was Lord Yanyan's."
Yanyan Mikalian—Izac's younger brother. Magicless. Eighteen. A flirt with nothing but charm and mischief to his name.
Hansmax sighed again.
"But keep your opinions to yourselves. Lord Izac gave the order, so follow it. He's the one paying us— not Lord Yanyan."
The servants nodded. Quietly, they hoped Yanyan would not cause chaos again tonight.
That evening
Dinner was silent, the clinking of forks echoing in the spacious hall. The two brothers sat across from each other.
Then—
Crash.
Yanyan hurled his plate aside the moment he saw the stew. But before he could speak—
"Yanyan."
Izac's cold stare froze him.
He lifted his spoon and tasted the stew calmly.
"Eat what you're served. If you don't like it, move into the city residence."
Yanyan blinked rapidly as tears threatened to fall. Why was Izac always like this?
Still, he forced a casual tone.
"No need. Half of this mansion is mine too. Why do I have to leave every time you disapprove?"
He stabbed a piece of beef he deeply hated and ate it without complaint.
Hansmax entered the room just in time to see the broken plate and the tension thickening the air. He muttered under his breath:
"This entire family is full of lunatics…"
Yanyan didn't notice. Izac definitely did.
"Pandorah," Izac said softly. "Are you upset? Should I increase your salary?"
Yanyan nearly choked.Izac?Speaking gently?To a servant?
He stared at Hansmax, then at Izac.
"What is going on between you two?"
Hansmax frowned.
"My Lord Yanyan, I don't understand what you mean."
A heavy aura radiated from Izac. Yanyan swallowed his next question instantly.
"N-nothing. Forget I asked."
Hansmax answered calmly:
"My Lord, we are nothing more than servant and master. Nothing else."
Izac's expression shifted subtly—annoyance flickering beneath the surface.
Dinner ended. Yanyan returned to his room. Izac stepped out onto the balcony.
Below, Hansmax lay on the grass, gazing up at the night sky.
Izac lifted a hand.With a whisper of magic, the stars shimmered brighter—because he knew Hansmax loved the stars.
Leaning on the balcony railing, Izac simply watched him.
Hansmax, unaware, wondered why the night sky looked more beautiful than usual.
Peaceful. Quiet. Like the calm before a storm.
To be continued…