Chapter 13
Still behind a shade of violet.
However, every time I blinked, scattered hints of golden light seemed to appear.
I couldn’t determine if it was the color of my irises or the bedroom lighting reflecting in my eyes.
“Well, surprised?”
Unable to offer any response as I was engrossed in the reflection in the mirror, Laches gently released his hold on my chin that he had been fidgeting with.
“I’ll go back.”
“…What?”
The simmering anxiety evaporated into uselessness in the face of Laches’ succinct statement.
He was always someone who pushed things in his favor. Therefore, naturally, I thought he would go through with it until the end this time as well.
Laches cleanly gave up and began tidying up the wine bottle and glass.
“Feeling a bit tipsy, I’ll probably sleep well.”
Laches lightly greeted and turned away without hesitation, He seemed truly ready to leave the bedroom.
“…Really, are you leaving?”
At the soft murmur, Laches abruptly halted his steps. He turned his head back with a sly smile.
“Disappointed? Well then, should I sleep here? But the bed seems too narrow for me to sleep comfortably, Is that okay with you?”
As Laches finished speaking, a dangerous imagination of both of them lying in that cramped bed, embracing each other, flashed through my mind.
It was a perilous thought.
To have such lascivious thoughts in front of a person was embarrassing. My face flushed with heat.
“Don’t imagine me in that narrow bed, I can’t sleep peacefully in such cramped spaces.”
“What a strange thing to say…!”
“I mentioned that my sleeping habits are peculiar, Did you imagine something strange?”
I had revealed what I had imagined until I was caught, Unable to hide my rising embarrassment, I tightly closed my eyes and shook my head.
Above my head, a hearty laughter resonated.
“Good night, Your Grace…”
I greeted him, implying that he should please leave, and Rachis burst into a hearty laugh.
“Sleep well.”
A sweet fragrance permeated through his parted lips, Then the door opened and closed.
Even after he left, the sweet scent lingered in the bedroom as if it would suffocate me.
My cheeks burned hot,I took a deep breath and turned toward the window.
Reflected in the window, my irises had turned golden without me realizing.
“I was almost in big trouble if he had been a little later…”
It was fortunate that he didn’t insist and just left.
After taking the prepared medicine, I opened the window to cool my heated face.
“Have I ever experienced such comfort before?”
Even if I had come back to life, I had never once enjoyed a comfortable day.
I had waited, confined, not knowing when I would die, I was tormented by the compulsion to survive every moment.
“Maybe this is better.”
Living under the alias of Nirielle Yeong-ae, just a maid working in the northern castle.
It might be more comfortable to live this way, hiding my true identity, Since no one knows who I am, there’s no one to kill me.
Certainly, when I read the memories of debating whether Laches should have killed Reperentia, I was shocked, But that was it. He still treated me as the maid Leah, and he willingly showed kindness to Leah, enough to offer burdensome gifts.
‘If I live like this, maybe I can survive.’
The cool breeze outside cooled the heat rising within the narrow room.
At that moment, someone hastily walking with suspicious body language came into view.
“…Détor?”
Although his face was not clearly visible in the darkness, I could tell, It had been a long time since I had been with Detor.
Even if I didn’t want to know, I could tell by his gestures and steps alone.
‘But where is he going at this late hour?’
It seemed like he was holding something in his hand, but I couldn’t make out what it was.
It was not proper for a guest to wander around the mansion at such a late hour.
Detor could not be unaware of such etiquette. Seeing that Delia was not with him, it didn’t seem like a romantic stroll for the couple.
“Detor wouldn’t come here to do anything good….”
Detor usually harbored feelings of inferiority towards Laches. Even when we met earlier, it was clear he still felt jealous when Delia showed interest in Laches.
Detor, who harbored such feelings, wouldn’t have good intentions in rummaging around Laches’ mansion.
“…You still haven’t come to your senses, huh.”
Dettor always harbored a sense of inferiority towards Laches. Even when they met earlier, his jealousy was evident as he showed off with a feigned attitude when Delia displayed interest in Laches.
However, Dettor had no intention of rummaging through Laches’s mansion for good reasons.
“…You still haven’t come to your senses.”
I quietly closed the open window, observing his malicious back.
In this newly awakened life, I had sought much revenge.
But that didn’t mean forgiveness was in order in this current life.
I stepped out of the bedroom, wearing a thin robe.
Laches strolled through the quiet corridor, The faint scent of the wine she had just sipped lingered with each breath.
Simultaneously, the face of the person she had shared the wine with came to mind.
“I feel like taming a wild animal with strong instincts…”
The image of the eyes gleaming after a sip, and the constant fidgeting during the conversation, kept replaying in her mind.
“Next time, should I feed her something she probably hasn’t tried before?”
What could it be? Most likely, she had tried almost every dish while at the Nirel mansion. Something not found in the capital, exclusive to the northern regions. And something so delicious that it would make her smile involuntarily…
“…Who’s there?”
Laches, lost in joyful thoughts as he tapped his chin while walking, suddenly came to a halt. He coldly stared behind the circular pillar in the corridor, his face devoid of warmth, like someone unfamiliar with the concept of warmth.
It was a simple and short question, “Who are you?”
But the pressure was so intense that Delia, trembling, revealed herself immediately.
“I, I, I’m Delia, Your Grace.”
The atmosphere was completely different from when she was first welcomed at the mansion. Even if it was a face similar but not the same person, the atmosphere had changed entirely.
Delia forced a shaky smile, wrapping her trembling arms around herself.
“Why are you here?”
However, the response she received was colder than expected. Delia shrank under the much chillier tone than she had anticipated.
“Surprised, aren’t you? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you…”
Despite the piercing gaze, the Guardian of the North was beautiful. Wearing a perfectly buttoned shirt, he sat in the study, reading a book, exuding a charm incomparable to other men in the capital.
“If you stay here alone, it must be lonely…”
A perfectly fitted shirt accentuating his figure, with a few undone buttons, had a certain allure. The thought that with just a few gestures, he could reveal the hidden monster beneath the thin fabric made her heart tremble.
“I came to talk with Your Grace. Earlier, you seemed busy, not at dinner either… Are you occupied?”
In a dress unsuitable for the season, Delia stood out, as if the dress was her weapon. Seeing her like that, Laeches involuntarily frowned.
“I mentioned I would be out for a while, and Dettore went for a walk. He’ll be back later, so I have plenty of time now.
Laches couldn’t hear Delia’s nonsense. Regardless of what she did or wore, or even if she undressed in front of him, Laches was not interested. He stood tall, indifferent to Delia’s empty chatter, His curiosity about why this woman was here persisted despite her continuous babbling.
“It wasn’t like this before.”
Why had things changed? The image of the woman who sipped wine thoughtfully, causing many of his actions and responses to alter, crossed his mind. With different choices, the situation naturally evolved.
“Even Count de Bertie changed his routine, going for a walk.”
One variable was bringing about entirely different outcomes.
“…It’s really annoying.”
Look at this, Merely recalling it once, and it stubbornly lingered in his mind. As if trying to brush her away, Laches swept his hair back.
Just a passing thought.
“What? What’s annoying about…?”
“Get lost.”
With the question answered, Laches was unhesitant. As if there was no value in standing there any longer, he turned away from Delia, cutting her words with a harsh curse.
Surprised by the firm rejection, Delia was flustered. In the capital, men had always been infatuated with her, giving her attention with just a glance or a touch. Such sharp reactions and vulgar curses from a man were a first, leaving her bewildered.
Being the only legitimate heir of the honored guardian family in the empire, she was used to such treatment, but Delia remained oblivious to such knowledge.
“Even the street ruffians don’t talk to me like that!”
“Am I then a more despicable gangster than him?”
Delia shivered, whether from the cold, shame, or fear, she couldn’t discern. For some unknown reason, she found herself staring at the retreating back of Laches.
“I’m a guest here!”
An anguished voice shattered the silence of the quiet northern surroundings.
“I asked for guidance, you refused, and you didn’t join me for a meal! It seems like there’s a misunderstanding… I was going to thank you for letting me stay as a guest with proper courtesy!”
“Like that?”
Laches scoffed without even glancing at Delia, Unable to contain her wounded pride, Delia bit her lower lip hard.
“I have someone I’m about to marry, you know? Don’t get any wrong ideas!”
With a jaw-dropping lie, Laches half-turned his body. Then, unable to suppress his anger, he mocked Delia, who was bravely confronting him.
“Stole the fiancé of your dead friend?”
“…!! How could you say such a malicious thing…!”
“Malicious? Me?”
Laches couldn’t contain his laughter, Covered his mouth with his hand, he chuckled softly.
“Is the person who snatched away a friend’s fiancé without remorse malicious, or is it me, who pointed out that fact, malicious?”
“…!! Please show some courtesy! I am from the Pallow family…”
“Well said. If you’re an uninvited guest, behave accordingly, Lady Pallow.”
Laches tightened his jaw, glaring at Delia with a fierce gaze.
“Do not forget where you are shouting right now.”
The Castle of Biollentus.
And the sole ruler of this castle.
Upon meeting the insane gaze with no trace of mercy, Delia keenly realized the presence.
“Now that you know, be silent and behave respectfully when I address you. I also want to act gentlemanly.”
Despite reluctantly letting down her guard and even sharing a drink, there was no way to escape again.
“As soon as the carriage repairs are finished, return. Even if you find something here, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Even if you discover a dead friend.
As Laeces was about to turn away, swallowing back the heated words on the tip of his tongue, Delia followed his gaze outside the window, What was there outside?
“….”
He forcefully turned his head to look outside the corridor window, Was there anything outside?
Delia also looked out the window following his gaze. There was nothing but silence outside.
“Jegiral.”
However, Laches’ face, looking towards the territories far to the north and south, was different. His face, clenched so tightly that the veins stood out, distorted fiercely.
“You’ve really stirred up trouble.”
Delia’s legs trembled as she gasped for breath, feeling as if the air was being sucked out of her. With nowhere to turn, she eventually slumped into her seat, devoid of any strength.
Laches turned his head, his piercing gaze fierce. Delia covered her mouth with trembling hands.
It was the feeling that Laches gave off, as if he might kill her right there, that made Delia shake.
“It seems like the person you’re going to marry has caused some trouble. What should we do?”
“Wh-what!”
Startled by the low scratchy sound, Delia hiccupped, barely holding back tears.
Laches, with an indifferent look as if looking at something useless, opened the window and shouted to the knights standing guard below.
“Assemble everyone right now, There’s a horde of monsters coming from the north.”
The knights quickly moved at Laches’ command, accustomed to preparing for monster invasions.
“M-m-monsters?”
But Delia was not accustomed, Faced with the word she had only read in books and heard in rumors, Delia was shocked, her ears ringing in disbelief.
“Now, now you said monsters?! Monsters are coming here now?! Then, what do I do? Where do I hide?!”
“Do you see a hiding place here? Survive on your own.”
Chilled to the bone by Laches’ cold demeanor, tears welled up in Delia’s eyes.
“When I came to the north, I should have expected this much.”
Laches moved on, leaving Delia behind, Lights flickered in the dark Violethorn Castle, and the sounds of awakened knights rushing around could be heard.
“Is she scared too?” Laches wondered.
His steps were unhindered, and they even quickened, eventually turning into a run.
“Milord! Where are you going? The castle gate is this way!”
“Oh, just a moment, Wait for me.”
Laches, waving his hand dismissively at those searching for him, hastily headed towards the room of the woman he had shared wine with not long ago.
“I shouldn’t let that woman die again….”
Attempting to rationalize to himself, Laches raised his hand and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
A polite double knock.
Without waiting for a response, Laches forcefully opened the door.
“The demons are invading, We need to find a safe place right now…”
The bedroom was devoid of warmth, Reparentia was nowhere to be found.
