TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 109
On the way back home.
The Young Lady sitting in Fairy Unit 1 was nodding off as sleepiness swept over her. Her head, which had been bobbing back and forth like the pendulum of an alarm clock, suddenly dipped down with a big motion, and with a sharp “Eeeek!” she let out an intense scream, shivering as she turned around.
“Did you call me?”
“No.”
“…Strange. It feels like the Demon King of Drowsiness is pushing my head down.”
“It’s just your imagination.”
“Hmm.”
The Young Lady nodded, acknowledging the nonsense she had just uttered.
A date with just the two of us.
Watching an entertaining theater play.
Indulging in some luxury at a tailor shop.
Even though we got into a scuffle with a beggar on the street, it felt like a meaningful time.
The path back to the estate was as uneventful as always, but the long rows of roadside trees and the subtle light from the street lamps seemed to feel more sentimental than usual today.
They looked a little prettier.
I wished this time could last longer.
The Young Lady’s frazzled white hair reflecting under the street lamps looked unusually beautiful today.
Sitting in her wheelchair, the Young Lady shook her head side to side to fight off drowsiness and lightly patted her cheeks with her hands.
“Mnyah… I’m sleepy.”
“Please take a short nap. I’ll wake you up when we arrive.”
“No. Ricardo said drowsy driving could be the end of me.”
“It’s fine since I’m the one driving.”
“Is that so?”
The Young Lady nodded slightly and said she’d pay the driving fee in chocolates, flashing a pleasant smile.
Had we walked another ten minutes or so?
Lulled by the quiet atmosphere, the Young Lady, who had been trying to sleep, tilted her head slightly and looked at me.
“Ricardo.”
“Yes.”
“About today’s theater play. What did you think?”
“It was good.”
“Don’t just say that. Be specific. Like how you learned to give me more chocolates or to never take them away.”
“Hmm… Well, I did think that for your healthy diet, I should reduce your chocolate intake.”
“Eeeek…!”
The sulking Young Lady clenched her fist and threatened me. Watching her hand, which looked like Gomtangi reaching out with her front paw, I gently flicked her forehead and replied, “You’re too slow.”
“Ack!”
Smiling brightly, I said.
“It’s a joke.”
Then, in a calm voice, I quietly gave the Young Lady the answer she wanted.
“Hmm… I thought I should treat you better in the future.”
“Why?”
“To avoid getting hit?”
“Eeeek! What kind of answer is that!”
“Puhaha! It’s a joke. What about you, Young Lady?”
The Young Lady turned her head away sharply and grumbled. Mumbling “You always joke around,” she pouted her lips before letting out a small “Hmm…” and speaking.
“I thought… I don’t want to be apart from Ricardo.”
My face flushed hot.
Because I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. The Young Lady’s sudden and unexpected words made me cover the smile blooming on my lips with my palm as I asked in a trembling voice.
“What is this? Flirting?”
“Flirting?”
“Are you trying to seduce me?”
“No!”
Clenching her fists and waving her hands wildly, the Young Lady shouted in dismay.
“I said it because I want to live a long, healthy life with Ricardo. Eat less picky, and also… because the person in the play was so pitiful. I thought I should be kind if Ricardo is to live long.”
“Oh… If you show me that three more times, I might just fall for you.”
“That’s not it.”
The Young Lady, her face as red as a tomato, let out a sigh.
“Fool.”
“You’re an idiot, Young Lady.”
“Sea anemone.”
“Sea urchin.”
“Puhaha!”
Exchanging somewhat childish banter for adults, we made our way back to the estate.
The date seemed to be quite successful.
*
Half-asleep from exhaustion, the Young Lady sat in her wheelchair, nodding off.
To be exact, she was sleeping.
“Snooore…”
“Miss?”
“Mnyah…”
“We’ve arrived. You need to pay.”
“Ricardo will do it…”
“Geez…”
Even pulling her cheek didn’t wake her. Thinking I’d settle the driving fee with some snacks later, I gently let go of her stretched-out cheek.
Perhaps because it was late in the evening, the estate was quiet. The bustling servants had long since gone home, and the Head of the Household, Rosanna, and Kyle were nowhere to be seen in the living room, likely already in bed.
In the seemingly deserted and silent atmosphere, I let out a small sigh and carefully picked up the soundly sleeping Young Lady.
‘She’s so light.’
How someone with such a small body could eat so much… It was fascinating.
“Mmm… Chocolate.”
The Young Lady, who seemed to have severed ties with the word ‘worry,’ looked like a certain Princess who fainted after eating an apple.
I briefly wondered if a Prince’s kiss could wake her, but since I wasn’t a Prince, I decided to refrain.
“She sleeps well.”
Once asleep, the Young Lady was hard to wake. She fell into such a deep sleep that she wouldn’t notice even if someone carried her away, snoring all the while.
Having had a busy schedule today, the Young Lady’s drool was soaking the sleeve of my clothes.
“Snooore…”
Looking at the Young Lady’s face, I whispered softly.
“Good night.”
My steps up the stairs were as quiet as could be. Lifting my toes to avoid making even the slightest sound, I moved carefully, as if handling fragile glass artwork, worried the Young Lady might wake.
Slowly climbing the stairs, I eventually arrived in front of the Young Lady’s room door.
[The Most Beautiful ‘Olivia’s Room’]
-Bite if woken.
-Curse if loud.
-If you understand, scram.
Seeing the terrifying sign written by the Young Lady during her adolescence, a small laugh escaped me.
“Oh, how scary. Isn’t that right?”
“Mnyah… Hungry.”
“Seems like it.”
-Creak.
After carefully opening the door.
I gently laid the Young Lady on the soft bed.
Pink curtains and a bed.
Though seemingly far from anything cute, the Villainess actually had a hobby of collecting adorable things like pink and teddy bears.
Only, if there was one flaw.
There were teddy bears biting onto human arms, which made it hard to call them cute dolls, or crocodile dolls baring menacing teeth.
Still, it was undeniable that she liked cute things. Smiling faintly, I moved the Young Lady’s attachment doll to the corner of the bed and carefully laid her down.
A brief moment passed as I admired the Young Lady’s face as she snored.
As her soft, even breaths filled the air, I cautiously sat by her bedside and brushed her hair back.
“Please moderate your flirting. My heart can’t take it.”
“Did you plan to kill me with a heart attack after saying you wanted to live together for a long time?”
“Honestly…”
With a bitter eye smile, I placed my hand on the Young Lady’s legs and burned circuits in my mind.
“You’re a fool.”
[As a cost for using ‘Rehabilitation’s Touch’ on a ‘subject corrupted by Dark Magic,’ 1% of Vitality is consumed.]
Vitality consumed: 6%
Remaining Vitality: 94%
[When Vitality falls below -90%, the consumption rate triples.]
Along with the cold warning, I felt the metallic scent of bloodstains at the edge of my lips. I did my best not to cough up the red liquid rising in my throat, but the tearing pain in my chest forced me to cover my mouth with my hand as I coughed.
“Cough… Cough…!”
No matter how many times I experienced this, I never got used to it.
It felt like my life was shortening little by little.
Though there were no direct side effects on my body, the pain felt as if something fundamental was twisting inside me. I let out a deep sigh.
“Ha… Damn…”
Even so, I didn’t mind.
Like Theatrical Boy in the play, simply watching over her was the only thing I could do for the Young Lady, as repayment for saving my life when I was a child.
And because I could shyly flirt about my unrequited love.
Suppressing the pain in my chest with shallow breaths, I smiled.
Someday.
Someday, I hoped I could walk alongside the Young Lady, and that this cowardly me could muster the courage. With that hope, I smiled.
As the uncontrollable pain spread throughout my entire body and a small groan threatened to escape my lips.
-Creak.
The firmly closed Young Lady’s room door opened, and the familiar figure of The Man began to appear through the crack.
Even in pajamas, the intense aura emanating from him was overwhelming.
I had thought he would be asleep.
This was all due to my carelessness. I couldn’t lift my head. If I had been a little more cautious, if I had locked the door, I could have avoided this situation…
But it was already too late for regrets.
Coughing up blood.
And placing my hand on the Young Lady’s legs—this scene looked strange even to me.
The Man spoke in a low voice, addressing me, who was flustered.
“What are you doing?”
As the cold voice reached my ears, chills ran down my spine.
The coughing turned into a raspy, metallic sound, and The Man’s expression grew even colder as he watched.
I murmured as I looked at The Man.
“Ah… I’m in trouble.”
This was the next Head of the Family, Desmond, who had previously warned me not to act carelessly.
Kyle.
He was glaring at me with a fierce expression.
“Remove your hand immediately.”