“What do you mean?”
I had no other reason to approach him. “I was here to meet the evil spirit of Room 333…”
I bit my lips gently and spat out the rest. “So, I took advantage of your sincerity.”
Mr. Henry’s eyes widened. I told him the whole story from beginning to end.
“Mrs. Blavatsky hosted a conference to create a connection between you and me.”
I used my old friend, Helena Blavatsky, to “begin” my relationship with him. He was invited to such a conference, and I made sure to catch his eye. In the end, I even accepted his serious confession of “meeting on the premise of marriage”.
“I was playing with your feelings, Henry.” It was like a heavy stone pressed against my chest. The guilt of exploiting the honest feelings of this man, who has lived an unhappy life in the face of misfortune after misfortune.
Because of that, my apology wasn’t as good, but Henry Jekyll seemed to cheer up.
“So… you don’t mind my flaws?”
“What?”
“I was…” The young man, who had been speechless for a while, struggled to say his next words. “I was possessed by a demon, became Edward Hyde, and did something terrible.”
A terrible deed.
It was simply an accurate expression.
Edward Hyde borrowed Henry Jekyll’s body to engage in “unhuman” activities…
It wasn’t going to end with that. Fortunately, the natural laws of the world were not broken. Presumably, Henry’s Jekyll strong sense of moral justice suppressed Hyde’s instincts.
“As I said before, it’s not your fault. I’m not offended.”
I spoke with all my heart, but Henry still looked incredulous.
“I can’t even acknowledge my other self… Are you saying you can accept it?”
It wasn’t another him; it was just the shadow of a demon. I wanted to say that, but I didn’t think it would be helpful for the young man with a sad face.
“Henry, every human is weak. So…” I decided to cheer him up in a different way. “The unfamiliar desire at the bottom of your heart… Why don’t you accept it as it is sometimes?”
“…”
“Everyone is good and evil. Trying to restrain yourself from going back and forth between two extremes…”
Henry stared at me with a mysterious gaze.
“Isn’t it what makes humans, human?”
Henry Jekyll’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t thought about it that way.
“You shouldn’t try to suppress your desires. Accept them. Don’t do it all the time, but sometimes you need to be honest with yourself, right?”
“Emily…”
Henry just called my name. It was somehow cute and lovely to see him try and hide his emotions.
“You know, this is the first time you called me Emily and not Miss Emily.”
He blushed at my remark and suddenly gave me a serious look.
“Then, just once in this place…”
I made eye contact with him to see what he was going to talk about.
“May I show you my desire as it is?”
“…What?”
Beyond his eyes, dark blue like the night sea, was a burning desire. My heart was pounding, and I was nervous at the same time. I couldn’t pick up the words to say.
“Sure.”
When I answered with a determined heart, Mr. Henry walked up to me and leaned down. His mannerisms were polite and thoughtful, but his eyes shined, tenacious, like a beast in front of his prey.
Somehow, it was hard to breathe in front of such a man. There was a sensual musk from his well-toned body. As soon as my body stiffened in front of the long shadow that fell upon me, he held my hand.
…His lips, warm and soft, touched the back of my hand.
I was curious what he was going to do, but he just kissed the back of my hand. I naturally took back my hand without showing any signs of embarrassment or regret.
It was funny that I was nervous; Henry Jekyll himself was red from his cheeks to his ears.
“I-I… I’m trying to express my feelings honestly. You didn’t dislike it, did you?”
He was so cute that I felt bad for thinking a handsome man could look so helpless.
“Henry,” I said this without realizing it. “Although our fake relationship is over, why don’t we remain as good friends?”
“Will it work out?”
“Of course.”
Henry smiled.
“Do you like it a lot?” Let’s make a joke about his grin.
“It’s good that we can keep in touch, but…” Henry gave his answer with his head down. “I’m just happy there’s still some hope left.”
He was very adorable at this moment. I had to suppress the urge to hug him. However, I was in a state where no one could accept me.
My heart left with Randolph.
He died more than 10 years ago.
My memories of him became remnants of a time long past, and the beautiful feelings I experienced then were buried deep within.
Nevertheless, what remained in my chest was like a barren wasteland. Of course, I couldn’t afford to leave myself to the uncertain feeling that was love. Even if someone gave me love without asking for anything in return, I would one day hurt that person. Wouldn’t it be more like an act of deception to discuss love in such a situation?
I smiled bitterly.
Anyway, I’ve done my job because the demon Eddie disappeared from Henry’s body.
“I think it’s time for me to leave,” I said, standing up.
***
Emily stood up with a slight wobble, and Henry naturally helped her.
Then, he stepped back awkwardly and said, “I won’t keep you any longer.”
“Thank you, Henry.” Emily looked back at him one more time and smiled. “See you soon.”
She left the room. Even after she disappeared, Henry couldn’t take his eyes off the door for a long time.
“…”
The faint scent of violets on the back of her hand, the feeling of her skin, soft as a newborn baby’s, and the memory of her warmth couldn’t leave his head.
“Ha…” He sighed and regained his composure. When he turned to the side, he saw his reflection in the mirror.
Henry staggered toward it. His sturdy physique and rugged hands and feet were inherited from his grandfather. Henry’s eyes and face, which resembled his father during his youth, had excellent features.
He looked at himself in the mirror and said, “…It’s ugly.”
The tear stains left on his cheeks made him look less masculine. Henry grinned at himself like that. As soon as his lips distorted, his impression gradually changed.
After a while.
“It’s not so bad.”
With a slightly lower and husky voice than before, he muttered in a strange dialect only used in the slums. Henry, or Hyde rather, licked his lips. As if he was sorry to have let Emily go.
“It’s pathetic I ended up only kissing the back of her hand.”
For Hyde, she was no different from a benefactor. Not only did she drive out his father’s ghost who was trying to take over Jekyll’s body…
“The one who will protect you listens to me quite well.”
She didn’t know when Henry was Hyde. If there was one thing for certain.
“Why don’t you accept the unfamiliar desire at the bottom of your heart as it is?”
Henry Langham’s unconscious desire as Hyde.
Thanks to Emily’s words, it was easier to deal with the “Jekyll” ego. Now it seemed Jekyll and him could maintain a fairly good relationship. Unlike in the past, he had to fight with that guy who didn’t want to give up, so he had to change bodies whenever he needed it.
In the end, everything worked out as an opportunity.
Edward Hyde, Henry Jekyll’s biological father. His consciousness transferred to his young son’s body. It was a bloody act that turned someone into an evil spirit after death, and he didn’t leave Jekyll’s side. In his reflection, Hyde’s expression resembled Edward Hyde in his youth.
“Thank you very much for letting me be born… You bastard of a father.”
Part of Henry’s legacy from his trashy, biological father was a stunningly beautiful appearance. Isn’t the existence of this Hyde, who backstabbed others while looking pretty, also part of my legacy?
Henry Jekyll Langham had a childhood that everyone would call unfortunate. A boy who lost his mother at an early age was used by his father and suffered because of his relatives. It would be strange if there wasn’t darkness in this child’s mind. Meanwhile, Edward Hyde’s consciousness, which entered the boy’s head and tried to control him, played a role in awakening the boy’s darkness.
Henry’s second self, “Hyde,” was born that way. It was the only way out for a young boy trapped in the old-fashioned principles of morality.
“Henry, a man like you is a disgrace to your family! How could such a thing be the child of our Arya?”
Baron Wilfred Langham, Arya’s eldest brother and someone of the Langham family, would insult the boy whenever he saw him. When Henry hid in the corner of the attic to cry and comfort his wounded heart, Hyde came out and took over the boy’s body.
“Argh! W-Who put a mouse on my dinner plate?”
Compared to the crime he committed, he gave Henry the least amount of reason to vent out. There was another incident.
During Henry’s time at private school, a student spread rumors about Henry’s birth and slandered him. While “Jekyll” pulled himself together by memorizing prayers in his room, “Hyde” immediately found the student and made him pay.
…In the manner of ruining his mouth, of course.
“H-Hey… Henry, please… I’m sorry. I made a mistake…”
“Didn’t you smile and ignore me when I begged for you to stop?”
Henry’s, or Hyde’s rather, eyes showed the clear intent to kill. His classmates realized what a true predator was.
“Since the tables have turned… I guess you’re sad that nothing else can be done.” When he expressed his anger, he was smiling as if he were really happy.
Thanks to this, Henry Langham’s school life was much easier than before.
…Even though he didn’t know the real reason.
