Chapter 61
I was staring blankly out the window, wasting time, when suddenly, footsteps echoed in the hallway.
The hesitant footsteps stopped and started repeatedly.
Then, from around the corner, a familiar red head cautiously peeked out.
“Is that Eugene?”
Did he come to see Didi?
But Didi is really busy right now.
Since Eugene had no one to guide him, he just wandered around, looking lost.
‘Where is the servant who brought him? Why is he alone? Should I help him?’
But how could I help?
I was wondering what to do when the dining room door suddenly swung open, and Dedrick stepped out.
He was holding a fork, with a juicy steak.
“Didi, are you done talking…? Mmph!”
Before I could react, Dedrick quickly shoved the steak into my mouth and whispered,
“Why did you take so long? I was waiting. Come inside quickly. I saved some for Mary.”
As the tender steak melted in my mouth, I shook my head while chewing.
Then, after swallowing, I pointed at Eugene, who was still standing far away.
“If you’re done talking with Ebony, why don’t you spend some time with Eugene? He came all the way here to see you.”
Without even glancing at Eugene, Dedrick whispered back,
“…Just eat a little more, okay?”
Then he casually wiped the steak sauce from my lips and licked it off his own fingers.
I was so startled by his natural gesture that I jumped up from my seat, only to hear Ebony’s voice.
“Lord Dedrick? Is someone outside?”
He answered smoothly.
“Yes, Eugene is here. I’ll bring him in.”
Then, he gestured for me to go inside.
I awkwardly stood beside his chair as Dedrick went to get Eugene.
Ebony welcomed him warmly.
“Oh, welcome!”
“Uh, h-hello.”
Dedrick spoke to Ebony.
“Eugene hasn’t eaten yet, so I thought he could join us.”
“Of course! Have a seat!”
Ebony readily agreed, and they prepared a meal for Eugene as well.
Once the atmosphere settled down, the three resumed their conversation.
Ebony led most of the discussion, but unlike before, Dedrick didn’t seem very interested.
To be honest, he was too busy sneaking me food to pay attention. It seemed like he really wanted me to eat a lot.
After chewing and swallowing another mouthful of steak, I hurriedly whispered,
“Enough! What if someone notices? I’m fine, so stop giving me more.”
At that moment, Dedrick deliberately dropped his fork.
Clang!
“Oh, excuse me. Please, continue your conversation.”
As he apologized naturally, he leaned toward me and whispered in my ear,
“No one will notice.”
Then, he smiled gently and picked up his fork.
“……”
I was left speechless, feeling oddly warm in my cheeks.
After dinner, the three of them went out for a night walk in the garden. Dedrick mostly talked with Eugene, but Ebony skillfully kept pulling the conversation toward her.
Whoosh!
I was following behind them when I suddenly found myself moved to a wardrobe.
I debated whether to return to Dedrick, but before I could decide, someone entered the empty room without permission.
“Marilyn, are you here?”
It was Perez.
I knocked on the wardrobe twice to signal my presence.
Knock, knock.
“Good. I have something to discuss. Come to my room.”
Didi would take some time to return, right?
He probably wouldn’t notice if I stepped away for a bit.
“If you’re here, take my hand. Otherwise, I can’t be sure you’re really there.”
“Do I really have to hold your hand?”
Perez added, as if he heard my grumbling.
“If you grab my clothes, someone might notice. But a hand is different.”
“Ugh… I don’t want to.”
But he was the boss, and I had no choice. So, reluctantly, I took his hand.
Perez seemed satisfied and firmly held mine in return.
“Let’s go.”
Holding his hand, I quietly followed him to his room.
Once inside, he locked the door and pulled out paper and a pen.
“Two nights ago, you were worried about my health.”
I wouldn’t say I was worried exactly.
“As you suspected, I haven’t been feeling well these past few days.”
Of course.
It was because Perez had fallen into a trap set by the First Prince and a concubine. Since they had repeatedly failed to kill him, they placed a cursed doll in his bedroom, gradually worsening his health. It wasn’t meant to kill him outright—if it had such a strong intent, Perez’s side would have discovered it immediately. This doll was just meant to weaken him slightly over time. Since nothing else was working, in the original story, the Empress eventually sent him away under the pretext of studying abroad.
‘But it’s better if Perez doesn’t leave.’
Not only would the Empress struggle in his absence, with the concubine’s faction aiming to take advantage, but the biggest reason was Dedrick. Having Perez around was much better for Dedrick.
“My health was getting worse by the day, but since we couldn’t find the cause, I was planning to go abroad to recover.”
“I figured as much.”
“My mother suspected that my condition was due to the wicked schemes of the concubine, but since she couldn’t find any proof…”
His eyes flashed as he stared into the air.
“That’s when you came to me. You told me to check under my bed. So, I immediately contacted my mother and secretly asked her to investigate.”
“Did she find anything?”
Perez tapped the desk slowly before answering.
“There was a cursed doll under my bed.”
“I knew it!”
But that alone wouldn’t be enough to get rid of the concubine. She would probably cut ties with the evidence and escape from the blame.
“The culprit must be the first prince’s mother, Greta Artes. But she’s cunning and sly. She’ll sacrifice someone else and slip away. His Majesty favors her, so he’ll turn a blind eye even if he knows.”
“Are you sure it’s okay to tell me all this?”
As I listened in disbelief, he suddenly reached out his hand toward me. Though hesitant, I placed my hand on his palm.
The moment I did, he pulled me closer.
“Ah!”
Now, we were face-to-face, just inches apart. His eyes were now locked onto mine.
“If I had moved a little, we would’ve kissed!”
I tried to calm my pounding heart and pull away, but he didn’t let go.
“Even though you’re this close, I can’t feel your breath at all. It’s fascinating.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Perez’s voice deepened, filling the room.
As if this was the real topic he wanted to discuss, his gaze turned cold.
“How did you know there was a cursed doll under my bed? Aren’t you supposed to be unable to leave this place?”
I freed my hand to answer him. He let go easily.
Now that my hands were free, I quickly scribbled on the paper.
[I just know. I can sense things related to Dedrick. But only those, not everything. And it happens very, very rarely!]
“Your writing is a mess. Haven’t you studied at all in the past two days?”
“Ughhhh!”
I screamed and pounded his shoulder in frustration.
The writing system here was so difficult that even the letters I already knew often ended up wrong.
But this guy always pointed it out every time we met!
He chuckled but seemed to understand my message, nodding.
“Since you’re such a special existence, I guess I have no choice but to believe it.”
It was fortunate that I was some kind of mysterious being.
If I were just a regular noble, I could’ve easily been mistaken for one of the concubine’s spies.
But since the situation was unusual, Perez seemed to accept it.
There was no other logical explanation.
“If you can see things related to Dedrick, does that mean this case could have affected him in some way?”
[I don’t know the details.]
I quickly wrote before he could think too deeply.
[So, what about my request?]
“I’ll accept it.”
“Yes!”
[Since I saved your life, is it free?]
“Of course, it’s free. But not completely.”
Here we go again.
He was acting like a strict teacher.
I glanced at the red-marked paper before placing a jewel from my horn onto the desk.
[Take care of it.]
“Heh. Afraid I’ll scold you if you write too much?”
Yeah, I am! So what?
[Earrings.]
“Alright, alright. Look forward to it.”
[No rush.]
Because I planned to give those earrings to Dedrick when he became an adult! As a celebration for leaving the Herba Academy!
