Episode 31

“Huh…”

The suppressed sobbing suddenly burst out.

“It’s cheating.”

To say such a thing.

Someone like me could be clueless and self-satisfied.

However, contrary to my thoughts, I asked with a sweet trembling voice.

“Really… do you think so?”

“What?”

“That I helped Edwin…”

“Well, how should I think? Thanks to you, we didn’t have to deal with that bastard S… Velnom.”

Edwin, who shrugged his shoulders and replied, suddenly narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t ever intervene like that recklessly again. What were you thinking, trying to chew out an adult much bigger than you?”

“That Sven… he was about to hit Edwin.”

“Am I like you? I haven’t shed a drop of blood on my head.”

“Hm. If blood gets on your head, you die…”

“Stop talking nonsense, ah, try it.”

Ignoring my mumbling, Edwin suddenly ordered me to open my mouth.

“Ah…?”

“Louder.”

Reflexively, I opened my mouth wider, and he firmly grasped my cheek, peering deep into my mouth.

“Uuung. Euhkureo (embarrassing)….”

“Don’t move your tongue and stay still.”

“Eeing….”

Was it because he was too close?

Although Tara had meticulously brushed my teeth before bedtime, for some reason, I kept squirming out of embarrassment.

‘It feels like playing doctor that kids do…’

Honestly, it didn’t seem like anything would change just because Edwin saw it.

But his worried face.

His warm gaze reaching me.

I struggled to contain my squirming body because I liked it.

After thoroughly examining my mouth more carefully than expected, Edwin released my cheek.

“Now, close it.”

“Uung….”

“And wipe your saliva.”

“Ew!”

I wiped my lips with the sleeve of my pajamas.

But there was no dampness.

“What! Did you not drool?”

“You’re believing that again.”

With a sneer, Edwin smirked.

“If Dr. Gordon comes tomorrow, make sure to show him where you’re shaking.”

“Okay!”

“But, what’s with that rag-like thing?”

That moment.

Edwin’s gaze, which had been straightening his bent waist, shifted and landed on something.

On the table next to the bed.

“A hairband…!”

The muddy-colored, frayed lace didn’t quite fit the elegant interior of the room.

Whether he didn’t like it, Edwin frowned.

“The one you were wearing just now, right?”

“Uung….”

“Why are you still keeping that?”

“It’s mine! I need it!”

Before he could grab the headband, I quickly snatched it up.

And as I held it tightly in my arms, the furrow on Edwin’s forehead deepened.

“…Is that the only hairband you have? It’s useless now anyway, so what’s the point of keeping it?”

“Well, even so… It didn’t break, so it’s fine…”

“You’re something else…”

Edwin stared at me as if he couldn’t believe it.

‘Am I being too sentimental?’

Keeping such a trivial item and clinging to it like this.

But there was no other choice.

He might not understand, but to me, even this small object meant a lot.

I realized it only after living a life worse than that of a human, locked in the underground dungeon of the palace.

How much was given to an orphan from the Duke’s estate.

So, while I’m here, I won’t take anything prepared for me lightly.

Making such a determination.

“…Then let’s exchange it with this.”

Edwin, who had been silently staring at me, suddenly took something out of his pocket and handed it to me.

“Uh…”

The faint moonlight streaming in through the open window touched it, scattering like silver dust.

I gazed at it as it sparkled brilliantly.

“T-This is…”

It was a tiara.

Custom-made for a child, it was tiny and cute like a toy tiara. But the jewels densely embedded in the crown-shaped frame made it impossible to easily predict its value.

“W-Why do you have this…”

Alternating between the extremely expensive-looking tiara and Edwin, I was bewildered.

In that moment,

“As expected, something like this doesn’t suit you.”

Edwin gently placed it on my head as he spoke.

I was taken aback.

“S-Something that doesn’t suit me…”

“You’re now a part of Calios. Forget all your memories and actions from living in the temple until now.”

“…”

“If you’re ignored from now on, it’s the same as Calios being ignored.”

In a brief pause, Edwin smoothly took the tiara from my hand.

“Ah…!”

But I reached out too late.

Swish!

Without hesitation, Edwin threw it out the window.

I murmured in dismay, “My tiara…”

“Why keep something that doesn’t hold good memories? What if it triggers nightmares?”

His words made sense.

Though I didn’t know if it would trigger nightmares, it had broken due to something bad anyway.

“But, on the other hand, isn’t it like a medal for me? After all, it’s a trace of me saving you.”

Unable to tear my gaze away from the window, Edwin sighed and forcibly turned my head.

“I’ll buy you hundreds of better ones, so don’t cling to sentimentality.”

“But…”

“Don’t you like the tiara? Should I just throw that away too?”

“N-No?!”

I hastily covered the tiara with both hands at his words.

“Don’t take it! It’s mine!”

“Yeah, so just take care of it instead of giving unnecessary meaning to something worthless.”

He had gone so far as to say that clinging to the tiara would become more ridiculous.

‘…Edwin has liked money since he was young.’

As I processed this new information,

“Now lie down.”

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

Afraid Edwin might snatch it away and throw it, I remained lying down with the tiara still tightly covered.

He then pulled the blanket up meticulously, covering me up to my neck, and even patted it down.

“Close your eyes and sleep.”

“Mm…”

I closed my eyes as he said, but sleep seemed impossible.

“Treating me like a baby…”

Honestly, it was embarrassing and humiliating.

But…

‘So what?’

After all, Edwin wouldn’t even dream of finding a grown woman in this body.

Rationalizing it like that, I savored his tenderness, unsure when it would be offered to me again.

‘…It feels so good.’

After receiving his comfort in silence for a while, I finally spoke up.

“…Edwin.”

“I told you to close your eyes.”

“No… umm.”

In response to the intimidating tone that sounded as if my eyes were about to open, I pursed my lips and cautiously replied.

“Why.”

“Mm, just because.”

I gazed at his insolent face endlessly.

Just because, Edwin.

What happened to my heart?

Have there been no pains since then?

Misunderstandings of betrayal have been cleared up, and happiness has returned, right?

There were so many things I wanted to ask.

But I couldn’t ask anything.

Instead, I asked another thing I had been curious about.

“Belze’s sponsorship…”

“…”

“Why are you suddenly asking about that?”

I thought I wouldn’t be able to see him for a while after returning to the temple.

Why was the sponsorship decided the very next day?

“…Even if you ask for Joshua’s healing, I didn’t expect to live in the dukedom so soon.”

It was too early compared to my previous life, and it was too short a time to prove the effectiveness of my healing power on Joshua.

Moreover, I didn’t immediately heal external wounds like Diana did.

“But why…”

It was an unexpected question, and the hand patting the blanket on top of me stopped.

Edwin looked down at me with a strange expression.

“…Didn’t you hear it from my father?”

“Mm…”

There was no chance to ask.

Before leaving the temple, I fell asleep as if fainting, and when I woke up…

‘It was dynamic.’

On the first day at the duke’s mansion.

Reflecting on the long day, I blinked my eyes.

Suddenly, Edwin chuckled.

“I feel sleepy.”

“…Huh?”

I didn’t immediately understand his words.

‘..sleepy? What?’

As I looked at him with a perplexed expression, Edwin suddenly made a mischievous face.

“I liked your eyes.”

“…”

“I said I wanted them to my father.”

“W-What…”

I couldn’t immediately understand what he was saying.

But why.

The reason my face turned bright red, as if it were about to burst.

“Blink blink… So pretty.”

“Belze want’s this!”

Suddenly, a faint memory passed through my mind.

It was the gibberish Edwin muttered when we first met in my past life.

“But this time, he didn’t say anything like that…”

So, there was no reason for him to jokingly say something similar now.

I rolled my trembling eyes around, pondering carefully, and cautiously asked.

“Um, is it not disgusting?”

“What do you mean?”

“My eyes…”

Just a moment ago, everything was fine.

But suddenly, I couldn’t bring myself to meet his gaze.

I lowered my eyes as much as possible and mumbled.

“It’s like blood… It’s creepy and gives me goosebumps…”

“Anyway, your eyes are beautiful. Unlucky girl.”

“Can’t you get rid of those creepy eyes?!”

“Belze’s eyes aren’t creepy, are they? They just look like they have blood in them, so…”

Many people told me.

If I say I wasn’t hurt, it’s a lie.

Nevertheless, I used to walk around confidently and boldly.

But for some reason, I couldn’t do that in front of Edwin.

It was then.

“Who said that?”

“Hmm?”

“Look at me.”

At the sound, I reflexively raised my lowered eyes.

And just as I was about to lower them again, realizing, “Ah, wait!”

“Your eyes are sparkling and pretty, why?”

I hesitated, looking up at him.

“Me… really?”

“Yeah.”

“Edwin likes red eyes, huh.”

As I chewed on this new information, I finally decided.

“That…”

“…”

“Can I have one…”

“What…”

Edwin burst into laughter as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Why are you suddenly asking for this?”

“Huh…?”

In that moment, everything went dark.

He covered my eyes with his palm as I hesitated to speak.

“Stop the nonsense and go to sleep.”

“…”

“You’ll grow faster if you sleep early.”

Feeling the warmth enveloping my eyes, I felt relieved.

‘I don’t want him to take my eyes, right? Thank goodness.’

When I was locked in the Imperial Palace dungeon, the Second Prince often wanted to take my eyes out.

Because they looked unique and had collector’s value or something.

But fortunately, before he could execute that plan, Edwin rescued me.

‘Indeed, Edwin and that Second Prince psycho are on different levels.’

Of course, I would willingly give them to him if he wanted them.

But judging from his expression before covering my eyes, that wasn’t the case.

“I said stop laughing and go to sleep.”

When I frowned as a laugh escaped me for no reason, Edwin spoke seriously again.

“Okay.”

“…”

“You know I’m not a child. I’m all grown up. An adult.”

“Yeah. I suppose so.”

“But it’s true…”

I pleaded with my fingers crossed.

I had mustered the courage to confess, but I didn’t seem convincing at all.

As I pursed my lips, Edwin, who had been chuckling, stopped laughing and replied solemnly.

“Got it.”

“…”

“Since you’re not a child, go to sleep quickly.”

“Hmm…”

Only then did I feel somewhat relieved.

‘Will he believe me?’

He might not believe me right away, but seeing how maturely I acted, Edwin would eventually trust me.

Thinking that way, sleep poured over me like a lie.

“Sleep well, Belze.”

Edwin whispered like a dream.

You too, Edwin.

I wanted to reply like that.

But I couldn’t be sure if I said it properly.

Until I fell into a deep sleep without any dreams or nightmares.

The warm sensation covering my eyes didn’t disappear.