I Lied to the Male Lead with My Pinky Finger on the Line

 

 

Clyde lay on the bed, listening to the conversation between the siblings.

 

He hadn’t intentionally eavesdropped. It was just that his other senses had been blocked, leaving his hearing much more sensitive than before.

 

At first, he didn’t know Ruby’s true identity, and later, she had denied being the daughter of Rojasis, so he hadn’t fully realized it

 

The fact that Ruby was originally of such noble status that he could never have imagined.

 

Her nonchalant attitude even after knowing he had a demon blood mixed in him and despite their immense difference in status, she treated him as a friend.

 

She had just done it now as well. Every word she exchanged with her brother while arguing had been so heartwarming that it made his chest flutter.

 

‘Why… why do you go to such lengths for someone like me?’

 

That question, which he had pondered countless times over the past seven years, remained unanswered.

 

Why did Ruby go to such great lengths for his sake?

 

Just like back then, he still had no clue.

 

He sensed Ruby entering the room, and he felt her approach the bed.

 

The sounds of wetting a towel and wringing it out followed in succession.

 

Due to his lost sense of touch, he couldn’t feel it, but he could hear the sound of Ruby wiping him with a towel.

 

He wanted to thank Ruby, but for some reason, his words wouldn’t come out.

 

Clyde just lay there, allowing Ruby to take care of him.

 

After a while, the sound of the towel moving ceased, indicating that she had finished wiping him.

 

Then, after a rustling of the bedsheet near his face, Clyde heard Ruby let out a soft sigh very close to him.

 

Clyde instinctively realized that Ruby was lying next to him.

 

“…I know it’s hard, but just hang in there.”

 

Ruby whispered in a faint voice.

 

In an instant, a heavy emotion swirled in his chest.

 

The fact that he couldn’t see Ruby, couldn’t feel her, couldn’t hold her, was suddenly overwhelmingly painful to bear.

 

He thought he had already given up and accepted it.

 

He had thought that losing his senses wouldn’t matter. After all, Ruby had told him not to desire her, not to want her, because she didn’t want him to.

 

So he had steeled himself for the impending ‘end’ much faster than he had expected.

 

He had prepared himself to leave Ruby behind somehow.

 

Because he didn’t want to make Ruby sad because of him. That was the one thing he absolutely hated…

 

But once again, Ruby was trying to save him.

 

‘…Why, Ruby?’ 

 

Every time you do that, the hope I’ve abandoned suddenly rises and I can’t help but desire you again.

 

I can’t help but want what you don’t permit, what I shouldn’t want…

 

After a moment, the steady sound of Ruby’s breathing began to reach his ears.

 

The sound of it made him smile.

 

Even in this hell, Clyde was happy. The fact was both sad and sweet.

 

* * * * *

 

The next day, I woke up to the sunlight seeping through the curtains.

 

After checking on Clyde’s condition sleeping beside me, I carefully slipped out of bed so as not to wake him.

 

As I opened the bedroom door and stepped out, Tess approached.

 

“You’re awake, Miss.”

 

“Tess. When did you get here? You didn’t come last night, did you?”

 

“What? No, I just arrived now after receiving the call from Lord Aslan.”

 

“Aslan, is he here?”

 

As soon as I asked Tess that question, I saw Aslan entering through the entrance.

 

“Are you awake, Eila?”

 

“…….”

 

Aslan had a slightly stoic expression, but he didn’t look significantly different from usual.

 

“…Where did you sleep last night?”

 

“On the living room couch.”

 

“Wasn’t it a bit small for Brother Aslan’s height?”

 

“No, it was fine. I’ve slept on even smaller chairs before.”

 

Since becoming a professor, Aslan had spent nights at the academy several times. He was undoubtedly referring to those times.

 

At that moment, the grand entrance door swung wide open, and two burly servants were carrying a bed.

 

My eyes widened in surprise.

 

“What’s that?”

 

“We can’t sleep uncomfortably all the time. Neither can I, nor can you.”

 

What the servants had brought in wasn’t just a bed. They had moved everything from the sofa, side table, and even the dressing table to the bathtub. It was as if they were relocating all the comforts of daily life in the house.

 

When I looked at Aslan with a bewildered expression, he just shrugged.

 

“It’s just temporary. Don’t worry, we’ll get rid of it when we’re done.”

 

“…….”

 

“Let’s have a meal first. I asked them to prepare something at home.”

 

In response to Aslan’s words, Tess quickly said, “Miss, I’ll escort you to the dining room.”

 

There was a lot I wanted to say, but in the end I decided not to.

 

I sighed and followed Tess.

* * * * *

 

After finishing the meal and returning to the bedroom, Clyde was also awake.

 

When I tried to feed him the bread I had dipped in soup, he shook his head to refuse.

 

“I can eat on my own.”

 

“What? But, in your current state…”

 

“I can do it.”

 

His expression was composed, but a strong determination could be felt.

 

‘Could he have overheard the conversation I had with Aslan yesterday?’ 

 

It felt like a turmoil in my chest. The thought that Clyde might really be avoiding me because of that was so upsetting that I could hardly bear it.

 

“Ah, yes, Sapphire.”

 

“…Miss Eila.”

 

“Hurry up.”

 

“…….”

 

Clyde stiffened and kept his mouth shut, then slowly did as he was told.

 

“Don’t try to swallow it quickly; chew it slowly and thoroughly before swallowing. You’ll have a difficult day ahead, so you need to properly replenish your energy.”

 

I said it with determination.

 

“Okay, ah.”

 

“…….”

 

Clyde opened his mouth again.

 

Before long, Viscount Doanne arrived. He seemed surprised by the transformed appearance of the mansion, which had become somewhat messy overnight.

 

“Viscount Doanne, did you rest well last night?”

 

“Oh, yes. I rested well.”

 

“Well then, please take care of us today as well.”

 

I bowed politely to Viscount Doanne. There was a momentary awkwardness on his face, but he soon nodded.

 

Work has begun again. Aslan was present today as well, observing the process.

 

Aslan saw Clyde’s face up close for the first time. His eyes narrowed. He couldn’t take his eyes off him for a moment.

 

‘…What is it? Could it be that Aslan has fallen for Clyde’s beauty?’ 

 

In fact, even so, it’s not strange because Clyde, who turned into a woman, was breathtakingly beautiful.

 

The slight frown on her face from enduring the burden of breaking the curse only added to her beauty.

 

Since Aslan and my other brothers had never shown much interest in women, this was the first time anyone had captured his attention for such a long time.

 

Consequently, it was difficult to read his thoughts from his expression alone.

 

‘What if he really has fallen for him…?’

 

If that were truly the case, it would be obviously impossible love.

 

Moreover, unnecessarily digging deeper could lead to discovering that Sapphire wasn’t a real woman at all.

 

Feeling uneasy, I glanced at Aslan.

 

* * * * *

 

“What was her name again?”

 

It was after Viscount Doanne had left that night.

 

We were having a late snack instead of dinner when Aslan suddenly asked.

 

“…Huh?”

 

“Your friend. What’s her name?”

 

My heart skipped a beat, wondering if he had figured it out.

 

“… Sapphire, why?”

 

“Is that her first name? What about her last name?”

 

“She doesn’t have a last name. Just Sapphire.”

 

“…No last name? Is that an alias?”

 

“I don’t know. She introduced herself as Sapphire from the beginning.”

 

Upon hearing my response, Aslan began tapping the table lightly.

 

“When did she start living in Bellum?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“…Where is she from?”

 

“I don’t know that either. I didn’t ask.”

 

“…….”

 

“She didn’t seem to like talking about herself. She’s not one to talk much in the first place.”

 

I added an explanation.

 

Answering on the spot would only increase the chances of creating contradictions.  It was best to make up for it later.

 

“…But why are you asking about this? Could it be that you’ve fallen for her?”

 

Aslan was lost in thought and then looked at me with a suspicious expression, seemingly questioning his own ears.

 

“…What?”

 

“You’ve been staring at Sapphire all day, and now you’re digging into her background.”

 

“What are you talking about? That’s ridiculous.”

 

Aslan scrunched up his face as if he had just chewed on a bug.

 

“No?”

 

“Of course not. Don’t say absurd things, Eila.”

 

“…What absurd things? Isn’t it rude to say something like that to such an extraordinary beauty?”

 

If he hadn’t fallen for her, then that was a relief, but being shut down like that left me feeling oddly uncomfortable.