016 – On the Same Bed
Soft…
A gentle bed.
Soft…
A plush pillow…
Squishy…
Smooth skin…
This is the best… This is heaven…
Wait a moment, what was that last one?
“?”
I quickly opened my eyes to see what I had touched in my sleep.
“Ah… I am sorry, Mi-Han… That was…”
Clearly, I’d intended to adjust the pillow.
The comfort it offered seemed suddenly…off, so I reached out to reposition it, but…
Why was my hand resting on Ella-ssi’s thigh?
And why was my head cradled in her lap?
“…Ella-ssi?”
“…If you’re awake, would you mind…removing your hand?…”
‘Tch…’
I was hoping to pretend I didn’t notice, play up the exhaustion a little longer…
Removing my hand from Ella-ssi’s thigh, I gave her a look that pleaded ignorance of her presence.
“…I’ll be honest.”
She who speaks of honesty…
“I came because I was worried.”
With gentle strokes, she began to caress my hair.
“Ah…”
“I came because I missed you…”
“…Excuse me?”
“I came because…I’m sorry…”
“…”
Judging by how she stirred up such disquiet in a man’s heart…she had clearly broken a fair few along the way.
‘This…is it alright to start choosing baby names?’
A bit disoriented, I was suddenly pondering if “Yeeun” would be a good name for a daughter, when…
“I’m sorry…Mihyeon-nim…”
Her voice began to tremble, filling with tears.
“I’m sorry…for deceiving you…”
“…?”
Apparently, unbeknownst to me, I’d been deceived.
‘…Did I sign up for some kind of insurance? I don’t remember signing any documents…?’
I wondered exactly when she had managed to deceive me, but then…
“You…you knew all along…and yet…”
‘I’m terribly, terribly weak to a woman’s tears.’
“I’m sorry…I’m truly, truly sorry…”
Seeing the tears of this woman relentlessly apologizing to me, the only words I could manage were that it was alright.
“It’s alright.”
“Because of…because of someone like me…”
“It’s really alright, Ella-ssi.”
“Hic…Hic…”
Slowly, I rose from her lap and sat facing her.
It seemed that with each time I said it was alright, her tears only flowed more freely.
*Sniff…Sniff…*
Without a word, he reached out and carefully wiped the tears from her eyes.
“I’m… sorry… I’m so sorry…”
It didn’t take a fool to see the woman before him was crying because of him.
Not crying out of injustice, because he’d done something wrong…
But crying because she felt terribly sorry towards him… He could easily gather that much from their conversation.
However…
‘…What did I even do?’
He truly had no clue.
And so, all he could do was…
Gently…
He wordlessly embraced the weeping woman, slowly patting her back.
‘…Is this even okay?’
Now that he’d acted…
Dare a lowly commoner like him treat the eldest daughter of the Marquisate in such a way…?
Sh-sh-shiver…
No matter how much he tried to act nonchalant… He couldn’t help the slight trembling in his fingertips.
*
He thought he’d suppressed it well.
He thought he could avoid showing it…
But uncontrollable tears began to flow.
“I’m sorry… truly… I, I really…”
With every word of reassurance from the man,
The guilt residing within her heart tightened its grip on her like mad.
And so… she couldn’t hold back her tears.
Pat… Pat…
She could feel the man’s hand comforting her.
Skin and bones,
On death’s door,
“Because of me… I… I made you…”
She could sense that he was acting as if his own pain was nothing.
Even now, the hand on her back was trembling weakly.
Behind that calm facade… How much pain was he enduring?
Stroke… Stroke…
The hand that had been cautiously tapping her lower back moved up to stroke her hair.
A warm touch, as if caring for a distressed child.
“I don’t know… if I… if I even… de-deserve… this…”
He must have already realized that she was trying to use him…
So why was he being so kind to her?
She knew that being like this was causing him great trouble…
But she didn’t want to let go.
“Sob…Hng…”
Warm.
Vast.
I thought it would be small…but his embrace was wider than anything.
“…”
Comforting.
I can’t think of anything anymore.
The faint scent of masculine skin seemed to calm me.
“…”
If only I could stay like this forever…
If only I could be held in this embrace forever…
If only this embrace…was only for me…
*
“…Hmm?”
As gently as possible, I was stroking the woman’s hair when I noticed her breathing had become regular. I checked on her.
Snore, snore…
I could see Miss Ella had fallen asleep in my arms.
‘…What happened?’
I couldn’t know what had transpired, but I carefully laid her down on the bed.
After tucking her in properly with the blanket, I wracked my brain, trying to recall what it was that made me think Miss Ella had deceived me…
—
Ella Eloise (21)
[Kidnapping] – Activated
[Espionage] – Leighton Isold
[Sleep] – Deactivated
—
Below the woman’s information in the status window…a new magic had appeared.
“…Oh, this is really not it.”
Suddenly…a scene flashed in my mind where someone sneaks up behind a kidnapping victim and covers their mouth and nose with a rag soaked in sleeping potion.
“Well…at least this magic is a little better…”
Lucky for me.
Sleep, as a magic, was something frequently seen in many other fantasy settings.
I decided to be proud that I now had a magic I could show off to others.
‘That being said…’
Returning to the main issue, I pondered why Miss Ella felt so guilty towards me…
I soon realized the reason.
‘I didn’t inform her beforehand about the potentially dangerous task.’
It was something I had suspected from the beginning.
At first, I thought she had simply invited me to the mansion to repay the debt of saving her life, but…
She used delicious food as bait to ask me to identify the Doppelganger in her mansion.
‘Hmm…’
Truth be told, I hadn’t given it much thought.
From the Academy days, I was the one who claimed to distinguish Doppelgangers from humans, wasn’t I?
Though Professor Layton wanted to keep it secret for now…
Someday, the tale of how I perfectly identified the Doppelgangers in the Marquis’ mansion would spread, a perfect opportunity to prove the Archmage’s patronage wasn’t misplaced.
In a way, this whole thing felt like an investment for that day.
‘Aww… look at this tender-hearted lass.’
She must have felt so apologetic.
“To survive in this harsh world, you’ll have to toughen up that heart.”
In a world teeming with monsters, how dangerous is a kind soul?
Having witnessed countless swindlers strip people down to the bone the moment they sense vulnerability…
I couldn’t help but feel a little worried.
‘Anyway…’
“Haaah…”
A wide yawn escaped my lips.
Having been jolted awake just moments ago, my body remained heavy with sleep.
‘Just a little more shut-eye.’
Wasn’t it called postprandial somnolence?
That wave of fatigue after eating, coupled with the exhaustion from vigorously throwing up, compelled my body to rest.
Thump…
I flopped down beside Miss Ella and closed my eyes.
*
Trembling…
Alexander Eloise’s hand trembled faintly as he read the letter delivered by the butler, a man who had served the Eloise family for ages.
–
My Lord,
Considering the urgency, I take the liberty of sending this missive.
I am well aware that I should deliver this news to you personally, but with the young lady resting, there is no one to watch over the manor, hence this letter.
I beseech you, in your benevolent heart, to forgive my impropriety.
The Doppelganger purge you deemed most urgent is complete.
There were a total of nine Doppelgangers hidden within the manor, and it is now certain that there are no further Doppelgangers present.
This is thanks to the young lady inviting a guest named Mi-han to the manor.
.
.
.
–
Warden Alexander Eloise felt nothing in particular as he read the first part of the letter.
One might think it impertinent for a servant to send a letter instead of addressing the head of the family directly.
But Alexander Eloise, first and foremost a warrior, had never cared much for formalities.
And William was a man who had devoted himself to the Eloise family for a long time; such impropriety was always welcome.
But…
–
.
.
.
Presently, the young lady is abed, slumbering alongside the esteemed individual who rid the mansion of its doppelganger.
–
Upon reading that final line, Alexander forgot everything that had come before.
A tremor ran through him…
“…Lord Alexander?”
“…”
“…?”
“Adjutant.”
“Yes, sir! At your command, sir! Your Excellency’s two battalions await your orders—”
“I am going home.”
“Absolutely not, sir…!!”
The moment the words ‘going home to Alexander Eloise’s house’ were uttered, his adjutant, with practiced ease, seized the hem of the Earl’s trousers and clung on, a dead weight.
“I must go!”
“You did so before, sir…! And His Majesty gave you a right dressing down…!”
“My daughter… my daughter…!!”
“Your daughter…?”
“Is lying in bed with some man I don’t know!!!”
“Your daughter is allowed to have romantic interests, sir! Let us be understanding, Captain…!!”
“My daughter promised to marry her father when she grows up!!!”
“If you abandon your post again without authorization…!! His Majesty will truly—”
“I swear I will kill that cur!!”
“You mustn’t go, sir…!! You simply mustn’t…!!”
*Drag…drag…drag…*
And so, today, the Earl was dragged roughly twenty meters before being forcibly subdued.
“Death! You are all sentenced to death!!! To dare defy my will!!”
“…What shall we do, Deputy?”
“The Captain’s outbursts are nothing new…Just leave him be until he calms down.”