Chapter 2
“What are you doing? Let’s go.”
“……”
“Are you refusing?”
Dedrick hesitated before getting up, knowing full well that refusal would only provoke a barrage of insults from him.
I prepared to follow Dedrick out of the room as well. Though I couldn’t stay outside the wardrobe for long…
‘Still, I should be able to manage for about an hour, right?’
If there were wardrobes in the dining room, I could have traveled there directly and observed from inside. But there were no wardrobes in the dining room.
Seriously, wardrobes should be a mandatory feature in every room. Even the dining hall could use one as decoration!
As I stepped out of the wardrobe, Dedrick flinched.
“Follow me.”
On the other hand, Somerset, who couldn’t see me, wore a broad smile.
Was he really looking forward to poisoning his younger brother?
“You little bastard.”
I let out a harsh insult, causing Dedrick’s shoulders to twitch.
Yes, I know I sound scary.
I wanted to pat his shoulder to comfort him, but seeing how frightened he was, I pretended to fan myself and spoke instead.
“It’s not poison meant to kill you.”
No matter how reckless Somerset was, he wouldn’t outright kill him. After all, Dedrick was still a member of the Blackwood family.
Somerset was just a brat desperate to torment Dedrick, the half-brother he hated so much.
He couldn’t stand that Dedrick, who had no allies or support, was chosen as a candidate for succession by the Duke.
“He’s just trying to make you suffer. But it’ll still hurt a lot if you eat it, so don’t.”
“……”
Dedrick gave no reply, staring straight ahead as he silently followed Somerset.
“Why won’t you answer me?”
“……”
“Oh, right. You can’t answer out loud right now.”
If he talked to me, he’d be labeled insane. How could he respond in such a situation?
“It’s going to be delicious, so eat every last bite,” Somerset said with a grin, clearly enjoying his little scheme.
“No, don’t eat it. Got it?”
“……”
‘Don’t listen to that bastard!’
Dedrick tried his best not to look back at the girl trailing behind him.
Her long gray hair dragged along the floor, and her loose clothes hid her arms and legs, making her movements look strange. Despite appearing to be about his age, she had a surprisingly sharp tongue.
“Want me to trip him? Just nod your head, and I’ll take care of it,” she whispered mischievously.
She seemed to enjoy teasing and playing tricks, yet…
‘She can leave the wardrobe?’
The realization surprised him, though he quickly shook it off.
‘She was already outside the wardrobe when we first met. It must be possible for her to move around.’
What puzzled him more was how she had returned to his wardrobe.
There were so many things he wanted to ask, but fear held his tongue.
“You just need to nod,” she murmured wistfully.
Dedrick unconsciously straightened his neck, keeping his gaze firmly ahead.
“Should I force you to nod?”
Her ominous muttering made Dedrick cautiously brought his hands up to cover his neck.
What a strange monster!
“That’s it! That thick piece of meat with the sauce on it—no matter how tempting it looks, don’t eat it. Got it?”
Standing next to Dedrick, I glared at him intently.
“Sure, it looks juicy enough to burst in your mouth, but don’t even think about eating it. Tsk.” I said firmly, but I couldn’t help swallowing hard.
The smell of the steak filled my nose, and for the first time in a while, I realized I was feeling hungry.
“……”
Hesitant, Dedrick poked at the salad on his plate with a fork and began eating it instead, just like I had told him.
‘At least he’s listening.’
Dedrick was a kind-hearted, gentle boy in his younger days, so it made sense that he would listen.
‘And that’s why he was so helpless against the wardrobe monster back then.’
As pity welled up within me, Somerset’s irritated voice broke the silence.
“You’re not eating the steak? I went through all the trouble of preparing it for you.”
“……”
When Dedrick hesitated, Somerset raised an eyebrow.
“The sauce is poisoned. But if you don’t eat it, he’ll keep pestering you. So just pretend to eat the part without sauce, then act like you’re in pain and roll around.”
That should shut Somerset up. His goal was to see Dedrick suffer anyway.
I crouched down beside Dedrick’s chair, hiding beneath the table to get closer.
“Just give him what he wants and then get out of here. It’s better than actually being in pain!”
“……”
“You don’t have to endure everything. If you’re hurt, it’s okay to say so.”
I looked at him sympathetically and gently poked the back of his hand with my finger.
Dedrick flinched sharply.
After hesitating for a long time, staring at the steak with his fork in hand, Dedrick finally cut off a piece of the meat without sauce, and put it in his mouth, and began to chew it slowly.
“Now, collapse from the chair! Fall all the way to the ground, clutch your stomach, and curl up!”
“Do it!”
Dedrick hesitated for a moment, then dropped his fork and flopped to the ground with a groan, just as I had instructed.
“Hey, are you alright?”
There wasn’t a hint of concern in Somerset’s voice as he asked, laughing.
“Follow exactly what I say. ‘I’m sorry, sir. My stomach hurts too much… Can I leave first?'”
“S-Sorry, s-sir. My stomach hurts too much…”
Before he could even finish speaking, Somerset waved his hand dismissively.
“Yeah, go on. Honestly, trying to eat with you is making me sick.”
Now that Dedrick had fallen over and was writhing in pain, Somerset had no more business with him.
Dedrick, stumbled as he got up, and made his way out. Before the door closed, Somerset spoke loudly to his servant, making sure Dedrick could hear.
“Throw all that stuff away. The chair and the table too. It’s too filthy to use.”
I quietly followed behind Dedrick as he walked out. After all, Dedrick was destined to become the master of Blackwood, and Somerset would eventually be crushed under his feet. So I looked at him with concern, hoping he could endure just a little longer.
“Your stomach’s okay, right? You didn’t eat even a little bit of that sauce earlier, did you?”
He stubbornly kept his mouth shut.
Well, it probably wasn’t easy for him to open up to a wardrobe monster, of all things.
As I hurriedly followed after Dedrick, who was walking a bit faster than usual, we eventually reached his room.
He sat down straight away at his desk and opened a book.
‘So diligent.’
I sidled up next to him and peeked over. His pen didn’t stop moving.
The notebook was filled with difficult characters I’d never seen before, and my head started spinning just looking at it.
I had no idea writing could look this messy. Rubbing my eyes, I spoke to him sincerely.
“You’re working hard.”
“……”
“Tell me if your stomach hurts, okay? I’ll go get you some medicine.”
“……”
“Fine, you don’t have to say anything. I can tell just by watching you.”
I was staring intently at Dedrick, wondering if he’d break into a cold sweat or show any signs of pain, when—
Shwoop!
Suddenly, my body was pulled into the wardrobe.
“Mm.”
I wasn’t that surprised.
When I stayed outside the wardrobe for too long, I would often get forcibly summoned back like this.
‘Wardrobe monsters belong in wardrobes, after all.’
I brushed it off casually and was about to open the wardrobe door when—
Clunk.
There was a sound of something getting stuck, and the door wouldn’t open.
“Huh? Dedrick! The door’s not opening!”
“……”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“I’m in here!”
“……”
No way…
Did this little brat lock it on purpose?!
