I barely remembered how I managed to eat the rest of the meal that followed.
It was like I couldn’t even tell if the food was going into my mouth or my nose.
I stumbled into bed with a heavy stomach, but sleep was nowhere to be found.
That night, after tossing and turning for hours, I finally threw off the blankets and sat up in frustration.
‘Sigh… I’m so restless.’
I had expected that things would unfold differently from the original story after I possessed Eloise’s body, but I didn’t expect a major event like this to happen so soon.
I glanced out the window and noticed the pitch-black sky, with the moon hanging there all alone.
Watching the serene blue light fill the quiet room, I climbed out of bed. Maybe some fresh air on the terrace would help clear my chaotic thoughts.
I grabbed the shawl that Vivi had draped over the chair earlier that morning, urging me to wear it, and cautiously peeked my head out of the bedroom.
‘Is Ian asleep?’
I had kicked him out onto the living room sofa, but now that night had fallen, I couldn’t help but think about him.
Trying to be as quiet as possible, I tiptoed toward the sofa.
“…He really is asleep.”
Ian was lying on his side on the sofa, covered with a single blanket.
Though the sofa wasn’t too small for one person, compared to the spacious king-sized bed I had just rolled out of, I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.
Still, it’s a relief he’s sleeping well.
If he hadn’t been, I would’ve felt even more guilty.
I watched him from a distance before slowly approaching the sofa.
Crouching quietly in front of him, I studied his sleeping face.
‘He really is handsome…’
The shadows cast by his long eyelashes danced faintly on his cheeks. His profile, illuminated by the pale light of the moon, was simply stunning. His straight nose and strikingly red lips were as perfectly sculpted as if carved by a master artist.
‘How can someone be this good-looking even with their eyes closed?’
If there was indeed a god who created this world, I was certain they had put extra effort into crafting Ian’s appearance.
I didn’t realize how long I had been staring at him until—
“I didn’t know you had a hobby of watching people sleep,”
“Ahhh!”
I let out a yelp and fell backward in shock. Ian’s sharp, azure eyes were open and staring right at me.
“W-Weren’t you asleep?”
“I was. I woke up because I heard someone,” he replied, his voice calm, unlike mine, which was still shaky from the surprise.
‘Right, this guy was known to be the lightest sleeper in the entire continent.’
As the son of the empress, Ian had grown up plagued by assassination attempts.
As a result, he had developed a habit of never fully relaxing, even in sleep, waking at the slightest sound—like leaves rustling.
He looked at me, sitting clumsily on the floor, and asked,
“Did you have something to say?”
“Well… that is…”
I rolled my eyes, searching for an appropriate answer.
I couldn’t very well say, ‘I felt bad for kicking you out of the bedroom, but then I saw you sleeping and was struck by how ridiculously handsome you looked, so I ended up just staring at you,’ could I?
With a delayed response, I awkwardly forced a smile.
“I just couldn’t sleep. Haha… I should probably go back to bed now.”
I started to get up awkwardly, but Ian was faster. He stood up before me and said, “Then let’s get some fresh air.”
“Sorry?”
“You said you couldn’t sleep. And thanks to someone, I’m fully awake now, too.”
Before I could even process what was happening, he was already standing, looking down at me.
“I’m suggesting we go catch some sea breeze since I know you like it.”
“…Are you seriously suggesting we go outside at this hour?”
My tone was filled with disbelief, but Ian glanced out the window and said casually,
“The moon is bright, the weather seems fine, and I don’t think you’ll get swept away by any waves.”
“No, that’s not the issue… It’s dangerous out there with no lights. How would we even see the path?”
Wouldn’t it just be better to go back to sleep?
But Ian didn’t seem to care, as he draped his coat over his shoulders and
nonchalantly replied,
“It’s fine. I have a solution.”
What solution?
Ian looked me up and down as I stood there uncertainly and said,
“Change your clothes and come back. The night air by the sea can be chilly.”
W-What?
❖ ❖ ❖
When I came out after hurriedly changing my clothes, there was someone else in the living room besides Ian.
It was Kyle, his red hair half sticking up, looking like he had been dragged out of bed.
“Sir, isn’t this a bit much? I worked all morning, hauling over ten people, ten horses, and four carriages. Then I spent the rest of the day unpacking everything, and I just lay down to sleep. But now, in the middle of the night, you’re dragging me out here again? What about my work-life balance… Oh, Duchess!”
Kyle, mid-rant at Ian, suddenly noticed me and quickly bowed his head politely.
“…Yes, nice to see you, Kyle.”
“Ah, I’m glad to see you too. Now, sir, are you really serious about this?”
Kyle raised his head and looked at Ian with a disgruntled expression.
“You’re the only boss I know who would show up out of nowhere and demand a beach setup at this hour. If this keeps up, I’ll just—just hand in my resigna…”
“I’ll double your quarterly bonus.”
“…resign, who would do such a thing? No, of course not! I’ll get everything ready in no time. Who else could do it but me? I’m Ian Cloud’s most loyal personal secretary, Kyle Elzeir, after all!”
Kyle, grinning widely, drew a magic circle with a simple gesture.
For a moment, a white and blue light shimmered, and in the blink of an eye, we found ourselves standing in the middle of a night beach. The salty wind tousled my hair, which I hadn’t fully tied back.
‘Wow, this is possible.’
I looked up and saw the cliff high above us, where the villa we had just been standing in was now a distant speck.
But Kyle didn’t stop there. A few steps away, he conjured a small cabana with flowing curtains, a tea table, plush sofas, and soft lighting.
I quietly marveled as all of these things appeared on the sandy beach in the blink of an eye.
‘He sure does know how to work for his money.’
His attitude had shifted remarkably quickly.
“Well then, enjoy yourselves. You two look great together. Of course, dates are best at dawn. Call me when you’re done with your date.”
Kyle gave us a thumbs-up, then, unlike his entrance, he bowed politely and disappeared.
At that moment, I started to understand why Kyle hadn’t been fired and remained such a loyal subordinate to Ian. Ian, who would summon his underlings in the middle of the night, and Kyle, who swore loyalty at the mere promise of money—they were two of a kind.
Meanwhile, Ian, who didn’t even bat an eye after using someone’s labor like that, casually gestured to a chair for me.
“Have a seat.”
“Uh… sure.”
I wasn’t sure if I should admire Ian for romantically setting up a cabana at this hour or pity Kyle’s tragic work-life balance. With those conflicting thoughts, I awkwardly sat down.
The sound of the waves crashing in the darkness was clear.
Swoosh.
Ian seemed to have come just to ‘catch some fresh air,’ sitting beside me, resting his chin on his hand, staring out at the sea. I kept glancing at him before breaking the silence.
“Uh… so, about the schedule for heading to the academy… what was it again?”
“In a month.”
“Ah… Have you ever been to the academy before?”
“No, I haven’t.”
His tone was mechanical, and he didn’t even look at me.
‘How do I bring this up?’
I wanted to probe about Diana, but I didn’t want to directly mention her name.
As I was mulling it over, Ian turned his head to look at me.
“You seem like you have something to say, so go ahead.”
“Was it that obvious?”
“You’ve been glancing at me constantly. Anyone who didn’t notice would have to be a fool, wouldn’t they?”
This guy is annoyingly sharp…
I cleared my throat, silently cursing him.
“Well, I just thought that since you’ve got a lot of connections, maybe you’d know
someone at the academy.”
Ian frowned slightly, then nodded a beat later.
“There is someone.”
That ‘someone’ was definitely Diana. I could feel my mouth going dry.
Meanwhile, Ian glanced at me briefly before turning his gaze back to the sea.
“But we won’t cross paths. I don’t plan on meeting them.”
“…Why not? You know them, right? What if they ask to meet?”
At my hesitant question, he tilted his head slightly.
His azure eyes, softly reflecting the dim light, stared at me for a moment.
Swoosh.
The sound of the waves filled the silence before he spoke.
“We’re not that close.”
♧♧♧
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