Chapter 52 - I Love The Way You Lie

Stein was tucked in bed, with 'Franklin' softly brushing his hair with his fingers and humming a tune to him.

Yet Stein could not close his eyes, after the voices he just heard in his head. 

"Hmmm..... mm.... mmmm..." 'Franklin' still patiently singing his lullaby.

It sounded too sickeningly sweet. Why is it so sweet?

It does not help with the turbulence of Stein's emotion at all. It was like that song.....

Is being sung to another.

Not to him.

His mellow voice dripped like honey into his ear, and further mellified him into the sweetness of something that was meant to be for another, only projecting that sweetness to him. He was a substitute. He was a mere copy, not the original...

Every part of him is.

Andres.

That person..... How much did he mean to Franklin's heart? For Franklin to feel betrayed that way?

He wanted to learn the true story, the full of it, and yet he could not ask from this intoxicatingly sweet lullaby.

Is he singing this to..... one of the people who once owned the parts of his body?

'Franklin' had eventually gone tired of brushing and humming. He asked with much worry, "Stein, why are you not closing your eyes yet?"

"I... I will soon. You can sleep now, Frank." He said, covering up his true emotions with a simple smile. "Thank you."

"Are you sure? Well... Yawn....." He kissed his forehead. "Sleep well, my dear creation."

He went to get to his bed, when Stein suddenly grabbed his hand. Using Andres' hand, just the same way in the memory where Franklin grabbed it so desperately. 

"I love you...." Stein said with much yearning, like it was a plead rather than a show of affection. 

'Franklin' supplied it to him as well. "I love you too."

And when he said that, the effect of the overly sweet and suffocating lullaby to another disappeared.

Franklin meant it. He loves him. They love each other.

Stein is sure of it.

Or at least, he wants to be.

This relieved his restless heart more than the lullaby. He was able to close his eyes properly, as he settled to learn more about this Andres once a new morning came.

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"Hmmmm...mmm.... mmmmm..."

It was night, and yet the lights of the busy streets kept everyone awake. Two drunken men hummed as they strolled. 

"Chasse, and whisk, and slowly sway...." One of them began.

"Turning and turning like hands of the clock..." The other continued.

They have just heard this song at the pub, yet they have already memorized it. They walked arm in arm, like two idiots, giggling to themselves and purposely stepping on puddles of rain. Their image was in a haze, that seemed to make the city sparkle and shine in a soft glow. One was wearing large glasses, one has a mole above his lip.

The moonlight shone over them, like a spotlight to the start of a new act on stage. They were the main characters of that night.

"Andres.... I don't want you to leave yet. You are too fun." The one with glasses said.

"I do not want to as well." The man with a mole belched. "But mi familia.... mi family me necesita....."

The one with glasses nodded. "It is only you who can feed your family, huh? Eldest of seven, one madre y no padre." 

"Your Spanish is improving." The Mole commended.

"Andres.... Is there anything I could do to help you? You are sure you do not want me to send money to your family so you would not have to go back and forth just to do so?"

The Mole shook his head. "I truly must continue having one foot in Colombia and one foot here in Germany, my friend. There is nothing I or you can do. Once I get my degree, I must return to my homeland permanently to lift up mi familia's status in life as a doctor."

The Glasses whined. "Hmm... Then how about something to make you stay longer? If your family has enough money for a year, then there is no need for you to go back so soon."

"Hah! If such money could come into my hands so easily, I would have done so. But a year of expenses is not just a bag of gold coins, mi amigo. I..... mi familia is just too large....."

"Then I'll pay it. I'll loan it to you, the money that can feed your family for a whole year!" The drunk Glasses exclaimed, raising a finger to the sky like a god making a declaration to pass his blessing to a mortal. 

"How? There's no need to---"

"Here is a cheque. I always keep one on hand..... Hmm..." He took it out after rummaging a lot from the back of his coat, while giggling like a simpleton. "Ah! Here it is! Mira, it is an account for my inheritance itself. You can write any number you want, and pay me back any time you want, no problemo!"

The Mole's eyes were wide like two moons upon being handed that cheque. He was also given an old fountain pen, and he scratched his head. "Are you certain about this, mi compadre? You might regret this, the amount I need is no measly thing... It might take my whole life to pay you back!"

"I am certain! I am certain! You are my dear friend Andres, after all. I am sure you will not steal a single gold from me and return to me what you must!"

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Stein woke up with great discomfort. There was a heavy feeling in his chest.

The feeling of guilt.

And.... being strangely seen through. Inspected in glass without him being aware.

He hurried to look for Franklin, and was greeted by the annoying captain instead.

"Snow Queen." He said, also looking uncomfortable himself, like had also not slept a wink last night. His eyes have large dark circles under them. "I need to speak with you about something---"

He gave him a stone-cold glare. "I told you not to speak with me. Where is Franklin?" 

"He is at his mother's rooftop garden. But----"

Stein scoffed and proceeded to go upstairs again to the third floor, then the attic, the to the rooftop. But the pesky captain pulled at his sleeves, revealing the stitches on his neck again.

"Listen, Stein! This is important! I--- My conscience could not take it any longer!"

The artificially made man shove him away, tossing him to the floor like a limp doll. The captain's whole body ached from the impact, and yet he still stood up and grabbed on to this scary, huge man who wants nothing to do with him.

"It's about your master!" He exclaimed. "There's something you must know about him!"

The blond frost giant was already in the middle of the staircase with his thunderous steps booming when he came to a halt upon hearing the captain's words.

He turned slowly. "What did you say? What did you learn about my Fra--- My master?"

"I found this." He showed a self-bound book with its battered cover. It appears to be a journal.

Stein walked a few steps back done, squinting his eyes to read the title on the cover. Eventually, he read. 

'Studies of Franklin Storitz and Andres Cervantez, 1879.'

His eyes widened back again, like two large planets.

"I've read it, and it seems to be a study of him and his classmate back when he was at the academy. I can't understand some parts because it is filled with scientific junk, and drawings and all sort of mumbo-jumbo in German, but I got the important gist of it." Captain Clerval explained. "Stein, there is a page where he mentioned something----"

"Give it to me." Stein said.

The captain just complied, handing the thick hard-bound book to him. 

"Which page it?" He said with a raised eyebrow. "No, wait..... When did Franklin say he will return?"

"He didn't say, he merely said he will be watering the plants and grow some crops for future use." Captain Clerval said, with a hint of distaste in his tone.

He recalled Zhe Chouhen's stupidly grinning face saying, 'I will grow cucumbers as big as my little brother downstairs, hehe!'.

[That pervert scum!] Daoist Panda cursed in his head. But he did begin to wonder if that pervert's cucumber is really as big as he claims........

Noticing how his mind is drifting off closer and closer to the gutter, he shook his head and focus on his conversation with the MC. 

Stein said with a frown. "He can't be that long. We must not talk about this here..... I don't want my master to see this book or me talking with you."

"Why not? I'm just a guest, what's wrong with a servant having a conversation with a guest?" Captain Clerval asked like he was really confused.

Stein was so irritated that his face went red. "It...... It does not matter. We need to find some other place where we can also hide this book from his sight."

Captain Clerval 'remembered' about the painting on his bedroom, and immediately offered, "What about my quarters?"

Stein immediately said with much vexation, "No! Absolutely not! I will only go into my Fr---- my Master's bedroom. It's too inappropriate..."

"Inappropriate? How are two men going to a bedroom inappropriate?" Captain Clerval had raised an eyebrow at him. "If you are some honorable lady of the household, like Franklin Storitz' wife, that would be more understandable. But we're both men, and you're just a servant."

Daoist Panda remembered the awful mistress joke again last night. Aysh, why is the script of this book like this???

"I am not....." Stein became flustered at the thought of being considered as 'Franklin's wife', and had to clear his throat to continue. "Anyway, I don't have to explain myself! We'll go to the piano room, and that's the end of it!"

He dragged this loudmouthed captain who keeps on dilly-dallying and speaking nonsense to the music room with the grand piano organ and the Storitz family portrait. He was immediately greeted by the smiling faces of his 'husband' and 'parents-in-law'. This caused more stirring in his heart.

But moreover, things are dire, and he shouldn't dwell on such trivial thoughts. Yes, he is smitten with Franklin, as he was created for the purpose of loving him, but he is also torn because of this plot uncovering before his eyes.

The sunlight from the window shone upon them, like a spotlight over a stage uncovering a new act.

"Now... Quickly tell me what page it was." He ordered with a scowl, creasing his eyebrows.

"I think..... Right over here....." Captain Clerval went on tippytoes to point at a certain page. "Entry 30 or something near....."

But there is no need to point. The very first page Stein uncovered was in the 30s, and it was the longest entry.

[Entry 33

Andres has to go back to his country again on a ship. I had once given him a few gold coins in an effort to help with his poor family.

This year, I had given him my whole inheritance one drunken night at the pub.

No, not given. He had taken it himself, with a cheque I signed. This has always been his goal. Father, mother, your intel was correct. As always, your friends in all corners can be trusted.]

Father and mother?

Isn't this supposed to be a book about their studies?

This page.... It is also different from the rest. It was yellower.... Stein noticed what is going on.

These words were written with invisible ink, using citric acid that can only be seen when put over a fire.

The effect is the discoloration that turned it yellow. So..... This message is meant to be a secret, and the people who are meant to receive it had already read it.

Stein looked at the man and the woman smiling at the portrait. Lord and Lady Storitz were smiling so sweetly at him, that it caused the hairs on his arms to raise.

Just what is going on? Everything feels like.....

One big lie.