Chapter 021: The Closet Monster
I was still learning how to read, so I couldn’t make out everything. But as I pieced together the letters written in a straight line, it looked like a name.
“Lil… Lian? No, Liliana?”
“No!”
Dedrick, startled, reached out to grab the paper in my hand, but I quickly pulled my arm back.
I looked up at him with a mischievous grin as his face turned red.
“Is this my name? Are you giving me a name?”
“Uh, well…”
He scratched his neck, avoiding my persistent gaze.
He really was trying to name me! The thought made me unexpectedly happy.
“Are these name ideas?”
“Wait! Don’t look at it yet! It’s not ready!”
“Why not? I’ll just take a quick look and give it back!”
“But you can’t even read yet!”
“Still! If I keep staring at it, I might figure it out!”
“Pfft… No, no, absolutely not!”
As I tried to stand up to escape Dedrick’s grasp, my leg got tangled, and I stumbled.
Dedrick quickly caught me before I fell.
“Ugh!”
“Ack!”
My view flipped, and before I knew it, I was lying on top of Dedrick.
The paper slipped from my hand and fluttered down as Dedrick, looking pale, quickly sat up to check on me.
“Are you okay?”
That’s what I should be asking you!
Dedrick had fallen backward without protecting himself to shield me.
“I’m fine, but are you okay, Dedrick? What about your head?”
I gently patted the back of his head when the door suddenly opened, and Perez’s voice, sounding a bit gloomy, entered the room.
“Dedrick, unfortunately, I’ll have to leave first thing tomorrow…”
Perez stopped mid-sentence and looked at Dedrick.
…No, was he looking at me?
That’s impossible, right? He couldn’t suddenly see me after all this time.
“…What’s this?”
What’s what?
“Dedrick, are you okay? Let’s get up before he gets suspicious.”
Just as Dedrick was about to remove his hands from me, Perez shouted.
“Ahhhh!”
“Whoa! What’s wrong with you?”
Why did he yell all of a sudden?
“Is he acting weird because of some strange news?”
“My mother isn’t strange.”
“…?”
“…?”
Dedrick and I exchanged confused glances, not understanding what Perez was talking about.
Then Perez stepped further into the room and pointed directly at me.
“Who is that horned girl?”
“…You can see me?”
“I can.”
…Why?
A tense silence filled the room. Slowly, I shifted to hide in Dedrick’s arms.
Dedrick wrapped himself protectively around me, trying to shield me.
How could Perez see me now after all this time?
“Dedrick, should I knock him out?”
“Are you really saying that when I can hear you?”
“Not only can he see me, but he can hear me too.”
“You just asked me if I could see you a moment ago.”
“Dedrick, did we do anything unusual?”
Perez answered all my questions, but I only focused on Dedrick. Dedrick, meanwhile, seemed oddly pleased, though he tried to hide it.
Perez, unfazed by my rudeness, cautiously took a step closer.
“Could you explain this to me?”
Dedrick and I exchanged looks. We decided it was best to stand up.
As we moved apart and got to our feet, Perez’s eyes widened.
“Where did the horned girl go?”
“…?”
“…?”
Dedrick and I looked at each other in confusion.
“You can’t see me?”
Perez didn’t reply.
“There must be some condition,” I said, thinking hard. What had we done differently?
“Maybe it’s…”
Then it hit me.
“Contact!”
I grabbed Dedrick’s hand.
When I looked at Perez again, he was staring directly at me.
So that was it!
“You can only see me if we’re touching!” I exclaimed, squeezing Dedrick’s hand.
Until now, it had just been the two of us, so we hadn’t realized this. We’d been careful not to touch each other in public to avoid looking unnatural, but in hindsight, that had been a good thing. If the Duchess or her children had discovered my identity, things would’ve gotten messy.
Perez, still confused, spoke again.
“My eyes must be playing tricks on me. I see her one moment, and she’s gone the next.”
“Ah!” His words made everything clear.
The condition for him seeing me was direct contact.
Dedrick held my hand tightly as we moved to the sofa. Facing Perez, Dedrick carefully explained as I had instructed him.
“This girl… is the Closet Monster.”
“…A monster?”
I pointed to my horns so he could clearly see them.
“Here, my horns.”
“Still, calling you a monster…”
He gave me a strange look.
What about me isn’t monstrous?
The most effective way to irritate someone is to stop talking in the middle of a sentence.
I quietly asked Dedrick in his ear,
“Am I ugly?”
“No, you’re beautiful.”
He immediately denied it, locking eyes with me. Then he added with a firm and sincere tone,
“Truly.”
“…Th-thank you.”
I stammered, surprised by how genuine he was.
Realizing what he had just said, Dedrick scratched his cheek and avoided my gaze. His neck flushed a deep red.
Perez, who had been watching us with a curious expression, cautiously asked,
“Are you two…?”
“We’re just friends. But, Your Highness, I apologize for my earlier rudeness.”
Still holding Dedrick’s hand, I clasped both hands together, bowed politely, and apologized.
I didn’t want Dedrick’s reputation to change because of me.
“I’ll be more careful with my words in the future.”
Perez looked impressed by my respectful attitude and muttered,
“A monster, yet so polite. Did you teach her that?”
“No, she’s always been well-mannered and kind.”
“Really, if it weren’t for the horns, there wouldn’t be any difference from a human. No, she’s even more mysterious…”
He stared at me intently, almost uncomfortably.
At that moment, Dedrick let go of my hand.
“She’s gone now, Dedrick.”
“It seemed like Your Highness was too distracted to focus on the conversation.”
“Ah, my apologies.”
Perez chuckled awkwardly and carefully shifted the topic.
“So, why is this monster here?”
“She appeared in my wardrobe one day. I don’t know why.”
“She doesn’t cause you any harm?”
“As you can see…”
Perez nodded in agreement.
“She doesn’t have the face to deceive anyone.”
What does that even mean?
I touched my face instinctively.
“…That’s all I know. I haven’t known her for long either.”
“And the girl doesn’t know why she’s here?”
Dedrick nodded.
Then he stood up and looked directly at the prince.
“Your Highness, I apologize for the request, but please keep today’s events a secret.”
Dedrick bowed respectfully.
“As you know, I’m treated as an outcast by my family. This girl is very precious to me. Please, don’t try to get rid of her—just pretend you didn’t see her.”
“Dedrick…”
Am I really that precious to him?
I felt a wave of emotion.
Still, stand up straight! You’re making me feel bad for you.
Perez looked surprised by Dedrick’s earnest plea, but his expression quickly changed as if he had an idea.
“That won’t be difficult. But there’s a condition.”
A condition?
“If it’s something ridiculous, don’t agree. If he insists, we’ll spread rumors about him acting strangely.”
We’ll make him infamous as a crazy prince if needed.
Dedrick gave a small smile at my bold comment.
“What did she just say?”
Nothing; it’s not something you need to worry about.
Since I wasn’t touching Dedrick, I didn’t bother hiding my expression.
