Chapter 74
“Why are you doing that?”
Tession asked, still smiling faintly.
Cynthia stared blankly at him for a long moment before finally forcing out a shaky voice.
“Why are you drinking that…?”
“It’d be a waste otherwise.”
“I didn’t know the Duke valued milk so much.”
At her words, Tession burst out laughing again.
Seeing him laugh at anything she said, Cynthia realized he was in quite a good mood today.
Thank goodness! If he falls asleep in a good mood, the chances of having a nightmare drop dramatically…!
Feeling a quiet sense of satisfaction, she was about to relax when Tession tilted his head slightly.
“But did you know?”
“Know what?”
“You’ve got milk on you too.”
He pointed toward the corner of her lips. Cynthia quickly raised her hand and began scrubbing at her mouth. Ugh! How careless of me!
“Th-there, is it gone?”
“No.”
“Then… here? This spot?”
“No.”
Cynthia rubbed her lips again in confusion. Where? Where on earth is it?
“I’ll wipe it for you.”
“Huh…?”
Before she could react, he rose from his seat. His face closed the distance in an instant.
Huh?
Before she could even process what was happening, something soft brushed her lips.
Wha—?
Cynthia’s eyes flew wide open.
Tession’s tongue slowly traced her lips before he pulled back, sitting down again as if nothing had happened.
Wait. W-what just happened?
“…What did you just do?”
“I wiped off the milk from your lips.”
Tession replied as casually as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“That’s not what I mean—why did you… use your tongue?”
“It’d be a waste.”
He smiled playfully and licked his own lips. Cynthia’s face flamed red in an instant, her mind spinning as she finally processed what had just happened.
…Kyaaah! That sly fox!
She’d forgotten that Tession had awakened a strange side of himself. She’d let her guard down without realizing it…!
“Your expression is funny, Cynthia.”
“It’s your fault, Duke!”
“Is it? Well then, shall we go to bed?”
“B-bed…?”
Watching how naturally he changed the subject, Cynthia froze up again. Tession simply shrugged.
“I’m getting sleepy now. You’ve arranged the bed and even given me milk—what else is left to do?”
“Oh, right…”
She’d nearly forgotten why she came here in the first place.
Shaking her head, Cynthia stood up.
“No, nothing else. Come on, get into bed. I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”
With a satisfied smile, Tession walked ahead, lifted the blanket on the wide bed, slipped under it, and naturally made space beside him.
Cynthia froze in place.
“…Am I supposed to lie down too?”
“Where else would you stay?”
“Um… in that chair…”
She pointed toward the chair by the bedside table.
Tession’s face dimmed slightly.
“Oh…”
“If I lie next to you, you might feel uncomfortable. Should I dim the lights a little? Try lying down and looking at the ceiling.”
She turned away and fiddled with the light switch on the table. As she did, Tession suddenly spoke up.
“Once… before I lost my sight completely.”
“Yes?”
The sudden story made Cynthia look up.
Tession adjusted his posture, resting his head comfortably on the pillow she had fixed for him.
“My mother used to watch over me while I fell asleep. When my vision was fading, I was terrified of the darkness. I couldn’t fall asleep easily.”
“Oh…”
“Those were confusing days. Even during the day, everything looked dark. I’d wake from dreams, but there was never any light.”
Staring up at the high ceiling, his violet eyes reflected a quiet loneliness.
Cynthia stayed silent, listening closely.
“When I cried out of fear—afraid to sleep or wake—Mother would lie beside me, pat my back, and whisper, ‘It’s still night. You can sleep more.’ Or sometimes, ‘Do you hear the birds? Morning’s come. Shall we get up and wash?’ Things like that.”
“…”
“Then I’d snuggle into her arms like a spoiled child. Only then, she—who was always so strict—would hold me tight and pretend not to notice. I suppose that memory came back to me just now.”
“Duke Tession…”
Hearing about his childhood and his mother made Cynthia’s heart ache.
In the original novel, he’d always been depicted as calm and mature—but behind that, there had been such a fragile side.
Lowering her brows, she gazed at him softly. How much pain and fear had he endured? It wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t see…
Tession turned slightly toward her and smiled faintly.
“You don’t have to come close. Just watching from a distance will be enough. Like back then, I’ll sleep peacefully. I probably won’t have nightmares either.”
“…”
“Don’t make the lights too dark. When you leave after I fall asleep, you might not see where you’re going.”
Cynthia silently watched him.
Tession slowly closed his eyes.
“Good night, Cynthia.”
“W-wait!”
Startled, Cynthia stood up. Tession opened his eyes again to look at her.
After a brief moment of hesitation, she moved toward the bed and lifted the blanket.
“I’ll… stay with you until you fall asleep!”
“Really?”
“But—when I think you’re asleep and try to go back to my room, I might make noise and wake you up. Then all this effort will go to waste.”
“That’s fine.”
Tession smiled broadly and opened the blanket wider for her.
Unable to refuse, Cynthia slipped in awkwardly beside him. Ah—it’s warm…
“Thank you, Cynthia,” Tession said softly, shifting closer.
W-well, it’s only for tonight. And I might never see him again after this… I just want to help heal his trauma before I leave.
Cynthia rationalized to herself and turned to face him.
“Should I pat you to sleep?”
“Yes.”
Oh—he actually said yes?
Blinking, she raised her hand and gently patted his abdomen. The firm muscles beneath her palm felt strangely solid.
“Is that comfortable?”
“Yes. I’d like it if you did this every night.”
Every night…
Hearing that small, sincere wish made Cynthia’s heart sink.
Now that she thought about it—what should she do?
She had vaguely planned to start over somewhere new, but after nearly being killed, her future felt uncertain.
She hadn’t even earned much money from pretending to be a fake noblewoman, as the contract promised. Her old home was gone, and her entanglement with the Baileys had almost cost her life.
And now… she didn’t even know how long she’d remain in this novel’s world—or if she’d ever return home.
What am I supposed to do here now?
As Tession looked at her darkened expression, he spoke again.
“Cynthia, I’d like you to stay here at the ducal estate—with me.”
“…What?”
“I want to be with you every day.”
“…”
Cynthia stared at him silently.
It seemed Tession had grown deeply attached to her—the one who restored his sight. He’d even said earlier that he was afraid he’d go blind again if she weren’t around…
But if that’s the case, won’t he be even more hurt when I leave?
Biting her lower lip, Cynthia’s mind grew heavy.
She’d originally watched over Elizabeth, the novel’s heroine, to find a way out of this world. But with Elizabeth dead—and now tangled up with the story’s main characters—her future was more uncertain than ever.
At the very least… was there really no way to find out how she ended up here?
