TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 123
‘Show me.’
Olivia murmured in the darkened space.
‘I said, show me….’
What happened after that.
What she had done.
What she had done after the long viewing ended with the faint smile of the vanished Ricardo. Olivia, who hadn’t seen the end of the story, shouted.
Olivia grabbed the Blue Window that was left alone in front of her and screamed, asking it to show her the future after that, to show her at least the effort she made to save Ricardo no matter what.
‘I said, show me…!’
‘You can at least show me some effort. You can at least tell me what I did…’
“Why do you only show me Ricardo’s pain…!”
Olivia felt wronged.
Every time, the Blue Window only showed Ricardo sacrificing himself, never showing her own reflection of remorse, only showing a future where Ricardo suffered, which made Olivia’s heart heavy.
If at least it showed her a regretful appearance, her heart wouldn’t have hurt this much.
It felt so ugly and foolish that she only realized the meaning of goodbye after Ricardo had died like a fool.
Even though Olivia knew her thoughts were selfish, she pleaded with the Blue Window.
‘Please, just once…’
Just once, Olivia knelt in the dark space and cried, asking it to show her a reflection of her repentance.
‘Please…’
Ricardo’s faint smile kept lingering in her mind.
She was scared, terrified that Ricardo would disappear the moment she opened her eyes.
So.
She begged to know the end of the story.
She even screamed at the Blue Window to show her a future where she was the one suffering instead.
[The viewing session ends.]
As always, the Blue Window didn’t grant her wish.
***
5 a.m., the Young Lady’s Room.
Waking up earlier than usual, I cautiously stopped in front of the Young Lady’s Room Door, where she was likely sleeping soundly.
The reason for my visit was simple.
She probably left the window open while sleeping.
As always, the Young Lady, who sleeps with the window open, never listens to my warnings, so it was certain she had done it again.
Every time I told her she’d catch a cold, she’d make the rather scientific excuse, “If I don’t open the window, I’ll suffocate and die.” I couldn’t win against her logic.
‘Now that you mention it, that makes sense,’ I’d think and let it slide. That’s how easily swayed I, the Butler, was.
Quietly, I tiptoed and opened the Young Lady’s Room Door.
“Knock knock, may I come in?”
-…
“No one’s here. Then I’ll proceed with unauthorized entry.”
Inside the room, the Young Lady was sleeping soundly. Exhausted from taking care of me all night, she lay with her hands neatly placed on her stomach, breathing evenly as if she were a corpse in a coffin.
‘Sleep well.’
In her sleeping state, the Young Lady looked prettier than an Angel in heaven. It felt nice to have such a pleasant sight early in the dawn.
As I reached out to the partly open window, her trembling voice softly brushed past my ears.
“Show me…!”
-Flinch.
The Young Lady’s eyes were closed.
It seemed she was sleep-talking, repeatedly asking to be shown something.
Not knowing what she wanted to see, my mind wandered to rather indecent thoughts. Shaking my head, I finished closing the window.
“Show me…”
“I don’t know what it is, but no.”
“Please… show me.”
The sleeping Young Lady looked incredibly uneasy.
“Ugh…”
Furrowing her brows and looking as though she might cry any moment, the Young Lady muttered in her sleep while cold sweat kept dripping from her forehead, as if she were having a bad nightmare.
‘What’s wrong with her.’
Worried she might have caught my cold, I cautiously placed my hand on her forehead, but her temperature was perfectly normal.
‘No fever.’
The time was now 5:30 a.m.
Perhaps because I had recovered, my body felt refreshed. The splitting headache was gone, and my energy was returning to normal.
Now that I could resume my Butler duties, the Young Lady was stuck in a nightmare.
‘I can’t do anything about dreams.’
Being born human, I couldn’t perform the dream care that only an incubus could, which felt a bit regretful.
To become a perfect Butler, I’d have to be reborn first.
‘Crazy bastard.’
I laughed at myself for having such pointless thoughts. I felt like I had truly become a Butler.
Was it about ten minutes of silly thinking?
Tears began to flow from the corners of the Young Lady’s eyes.
“I’m sorry…”
What was she apologizing for?
Was it because she wasn’t a succubus?
The Young Lady, who already exuded more allure than a succubus, offered no comfort with her apology.
I stretched her plump, soft cheeks as I fell into thought.
The tender sensation at my fingertips made me feel a strong urge to nibble, but as a proper Butler, I made the difficult decision to hold back.
Waking the soundly sleeping Young Lady just because of a whim wasn’t the right thing to do.
Besides.
If I woke her now, I wouldn’t be able to touch her cheeks anymore, which would be disappointing.
I stretched her cheeks sideways with a Pleasant Smile.
“What are you apologizing for? If it’s for sleeping without a blanket, then yes, that’s wrong.”
I pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and stroked her hair.
“Other than that, there’s nothing to apologize for.”
Indeed, I thought there was nothing as amusing as watching the sleeping Young Lady. With her mouth shut, she looked like an Angel.
White hair and pale skin.
And a ridiculously full chest.
Hmm… maybe that last part doesn’t count?
Anyway, with her mouth closed, the Young Lady resembled a foul-tempered tsundere Angel, so I didn’t think spending time like this was bad.
“So, what should I make for breakfast today?”
I didn’t like seeing the Young Lady cry.
Just.
There didn’t seem to be a reason for it.
***
Suddenly.
The Young Lady, who had been crying for a while, stared blankly at the ceiling with Empty Eyes. With a gaze full of complex Emotions, she let out a Deep Sigh that felt like the ground might cave in.
‘Hmm…’
The usual Air Raid Alarm wasn’t heard. The patriot who worried about the Empire’s Safety every morning seemed to think today’s Empire was secure. There was no noisy morning greeting.
Instead, she was concerned about someone else’s safety.
“Ricardo…”
What is this?
‘This kind of Flirting makes a Butler’s heart race.’
Truly, there was no better Villainess when it came to playing with people’s hearts.
“Ricardo…”
With her eyelids gently parting, the Young Lady was looking for me.
Seemingly unaware of my presence beside her, she tearfully called my name in a hoarse Voice.
“Where are you…?”
It seemed like she had a Nightmare.
Not a Nightmare involving Ghosts, but one related to me, the Young Lady seemed to have dreamt through the long night.
Did she dream that I abandoned her? Or perhaps a dream where I died?
The Young Lady’s expression was filled with sadness.
Even though I knew such thoughts were wrong, my heart seemed to race because the first words she uttered after waking from the Nightmare were my name.
“I’m sorry…”
The Young Lady’s shoulders were trembling delicately.
“I’m sorry, so come back quickly… okay?”
I placed my hand on the Young Lady’s head. As my fingertips touched her soft, fluffy hair, the trembling in her shoulders began to subside.
Chicken-Droplet Tears trickled down the Young Lady’s cheeks, soaking her pillow.
“Huh…?”
The Young Lady’s eyes were quivering. Perhaps startled by my unexpected presence, her trembling pupils began to dart around busily in search of me.
To the right.
To the left.
And then, her gaze met mine as I sat by her bedside.
In the Young Lady’s trembling eyes, as if she had seen a Ghost, my figure was reflected.
Slowly, little by little. Though my figure was obscured behind the curtains, the Young Lady stared at me without blinking, as if she was determined not to forget this sight.
Toward such a Young Lady, I offered a Gentle Smile and placed my hand on her forehead.
“Did you have a Nightmare?”
“…”
“What kind of Nightmare made you cry so much? I was worried you might collapse from dehydration, Young Lady.”
Biting her lip, the Young Lady repeatedly clenched and unclenched her Fist. As though she had something to say, her small Fist opened and closed over and over.
“You know… Ricardo.”
“Yes.”
“I…”
“Yes, you, Young Lady.”
“I missed Ricardo so much.”
I covered the Young Lady’s eyes with my hand, avoiding her gaze. My face felt hot. I wasn’t used to sudden advances from a Silver-Haired Beauty.
“Young Lady. How many times have I told you? This kind of Flirting makes a Butler’s…”
The Young Lady interrupted me with a trembling Voice.
“When I opened my eyes, I was afraid Ricardo wouldn’t be there…”
Like a Young Child waking up and looking for their Mother, the Young Lady spoke to me in a sorrowful Voice.
“I was afraid Ricardo would leave me.”
“Why would I abandon you, Young Lady? I still have Unpaid Salary to collect, and it’s fun spending time with you.”
“But still…”
The Young Lady mumbled as if upset.
“There’s nothing I can do for you.”
Naturally, I pinched the Young Lady’s cheek. Her tear-streaked cheeks were damp.
“You can take your time and do things later. If you stop being Picky with food, eat fewer snacks, and curse less, that would be more than enough for me.”
The Young Lady’s tear-soaked cheeks didn’t feel as pleasant to touch as they did when she wasn’t crying.
So.
“Don’t cry.”
I hoped she wouldn’t cry.
“Crying won’t get you more Chocolate.”
The Young Lady’s eyes glistened with moisture. As though she still had more tears left to shed, she sniffled continuously, her shoulders trembling.
Wiping away the endless tears with her Sleeve, I smiled.
“Stop crying. If you cry more, you won’t even be able to open your eyes.”
“But… but… Ricardo…”
“It’s okay. I’m right here.”
The Young Lady sniffled loudly and looked at me.
“Don’t get sick.”
“Yes.”
“You have to stay healthy every day.”
“Where would you find someone as healthy as me… Oh. Well, I guess not. I was sick yesterday, so maybe I’m a little fragile.”
“Don’t be Picky with food.”
“That’s something you should work on, Young Lady.”
“Just listen…!”
The Young Lady grumbled at me in frustration. They say laughing while crying causes horns to grow in sensitive areas, but I held back the silly Joke I was about to make, covering my mouth.
Now was the time to listen to the Young Lady.
“I’ll be quiet.”
Still sobbing, the Young Lady murmured softly.
“And if you say you’re not sick again this time… I’ll really sulk.”
“Yes, I promise.”
“It’s a Promise.”
The Young Lady extended her tear-soaked hand toward me. Though it had a bit of Runny Nose on it and looked slightly off-putting, I thought comforting a Young Lady who had a Nightmare was worth it.
I placed a stamp on her finger and nodded.
“Yes.”
As the atmosphere grew warmer.
The Young Lady, who had stopped crying, sat up and glared at me.
“Ricardo.”
“Yes.”
In a Cold Voice, the Young Lady spoke.
“Take it off.”
“?”
“I’m going to check if you’re really not sick.”
“I’ll sue you for Sexual Harassment.”
“Eeeek…! Take it off!”
Covering myself shyly, I spoke with a mischievous smile.
“No.”