CHAPTER 42…..
“It was still fun. I even heard a lot of things for the first time.”
Stories like her father’s old nickname were the sort of thing she would never hear directly from him.
Father looked so lively for the first time in ages.
At first, Dante had been visibly tense, but once the Duke and Duchess of Brimstone approached him with genuine warmth, he relaxed.
Of course, the one who had undergone the most significant change was the Duke of Brimstone.
Perhaps it was because he’d lost his bet with Linaria, but it seemed he’d been reflecting a great deal lately after some harsh criticism.
He no longer treated Dante as the shameless man who had stolen away the little sister he’d doted on.
Though it did seem like he was intentionally avoiding the topic of Mother.
Still, it wasn’t as if she’d gotten nothing out of it.
Linaria thought back to what had happened just minutes earlier.
When she was alone with her father, she hadn’t felt it, but with more people around, the liveliness of the gathering had made it a genuinely pleasant time for her as well.
“Though you, Young Master, may have heard all of it before.”
“Don’t tell me they were talking about my parents’ dating days?”
Auguste shook his head dramatically, as if to say “of course.”
“If it’s that story, then I’ve been hearing it since I first learned to walk. No—probably since before I was even born.”
Linaria chuckled.
Seeing her smile gave Auguste the confidence to finally say what he’d been wanting to.
“But why don’t you call me anything?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean ‘big brother.’ You call Father ‘uncle,’ so why am I just ‘Young Master’?”
“I’ll consider it.”
“Until when? I am your cousin, you know. Ah, I’m hurt. I clearly have a younger cousin, but you treat me more like a stranger.”
In the end, Linaria gave in with a sigh.
“Fine. Big brother. Happy now?”
“Wow! I’ve got a little sister now!”
Auguste threw both arms into the air and cheered, as if the title were the greatest gift in the world.
Watching him act so childishly delighted made her smile faintly—until she suddenly felt a gaze on her.
When she looked up, she saw a familiar face.
Kaas?
It seemed she’d glimpsed him through the window…
But in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
Ugh…
Linaria felt the hangover hitting her belatedly.
Her head felt like it would split.
Judging from the darkness around her, she hadn’t slept long and had woken in the middle of the night.
But—
Where am I?
This wasn’t her bedroom.
It felt familiar, yet somehow strange.
As she slowly took in her surroundings, she realized—it was Kaas’s room.
“…?”
That alone startled her.
Then she turned her head and saw Kaas’s face right beside her, fast asleep.
“…??”
Utter confusion.
Linaria froze.
Don’t tell me I…?
Had she made some terrible mistake?
Her still-groggy mind was sluggish, but she desperately tried to recall what had happened before she fell asleep.
I talked with Auguste, then went back to the manor.
After that, she’d seen the Duchess sober up and seen the family off.
Since being appointed as her knight, Kaas had been officially staying in the adjoining room.
But other than when she’d summoned him to fetch the Duchess, she hadn’t kept him by her side.
He could handle preparing for the night on his own.
That was what she’d thought as she hurried back to her room.
Wait. Did I actually go into my room back then?
She was certain she had—her own bedroom.
She had been drinking, but not so much that she couldn’t walk straight.
…Then why?
No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out why she’d be in Kaas’s bed.
It was too much for her brain to process at once.
Even so, she knew she needed to get back to her own room, so she sat up.
She thought she was moving briskly, but in truth she spent more than half the time just staring blankly.
After sitting there for ten whole minutes, she suddenly felt a gaze on her and turned her head.
Their eyes met.
Kaas was awake.
In the dark, his eyes gleamed brightly.
Ah. He wasn’t actually lying next to me.
She came to the realization rather slowly.
Kaas had spent the night sitting on the floor, leaning his head against the bed.
In her dazed state, she had assumed he’d been lying beside her.
Was it because of me?
She reached out and tugged him toward her.
He allowed himself to be pulled, ending up lying beside her.
“Sleep in the bed.”
Just those few words seemed to make him relax, losing the wary edge he’d been holding.
“The floor’s fine.”
“No, it’s not. I’m going to check from now on to make sure you sleep properly.”
Even in her hazy state, she knew that sounded ridiculous.
Ah, but why am I…
…here?
She was about to voice the fundamental question when—
Click.
The door opened quietly, and a familiar voice spoke.
“Cleaning’s fini—… Miss?”
It was Anna.
Sounding flustered, she quickly stepped closer.
“Are you awake? How much do you remember?”
“What do you mean, ‘how much’?”
Anna flinched.
“I’m sorry. I misspoke. You must be uncomfortable sleeping here.”
It seemed Anna knew exactly why Linaria was in Kaas’s bed.
“Shall we go back to your room?”
But she didn’t seem willing to explain. She only asked in a gentle, friendly tone.
Though it felt odd, Anna was someone Linaria trusted.
There was no need to doubt her.
Linaria nodded blankly and began to get up from the bed.
She swayed—
—and would have fallen forward if Kaas hadn’t caught her in his arms.
Being suddenly lifted made her feel strangely light and comfortable.
Like a child.
Maybe that was why—
—she did something she would never normally dream of: she rubbed her face against his neck.
Kaas almost hugged her back tightly without thinking.
Fortunately, only his back stiffened with tension.
“Miss, you can just forget everything that happened tonight and get a good rest.”
Back in her bedroom, Linaria nodded from where she lay.
She was about to close her eyes when a familiar scent tickled her nose.
They smell the same.
Kaas smelled of blood.
And oddly enough, Anna seemed to carry the same thick scent.
“Anna.”
“Yes, Miss.”
She reached out and touched Anna’s hair, enjoying the feel of the brown strands slipping through her fingers.
A faint smile formed on her lips.
“You mustn’t die before I do.”
“…Of course. Naturally.”
Her words were slightly slurred with sleep, but Anna seemed to understand perfectly.
“You’re sleepy, aren’t you? Please rest.”
“Mhm… mm.”
With that, Linaria drifted into a deep slumber.
Even after confirming the steady rise and fall of her chest, Anna stood there for a long while, staring at her face.
“She’s completely asleep.”
Anna whispered softly.
“Tonight was close. Those assassins… barging in like that. I suppose showing up without warning is what makes them assassins, but you were walking down the hallway at the time, Miss.”
“…”
“Thanks to that, I was relieved. Just for tonight, I’ll admit it.”
“Is this normal for her?”
“That’s…”
Anna was about to answer when—
Rustle—
Linaria, who had been asleep moments before, sat up.
Startled, Anna hastily began to explain.
“Miss, did that man wake you up with his talking? I should have told him to be quiet—”
Her words cut off.
Linaria’s eyes were open, but her crimson irises were unfocused.
As if she hadn’t heard Anna at all, she expressionlessly got out of bed and began walking away.
“Guess it’s twice tonight since she woke up in the middle.”
With every step, her white negligee fluttered like a mirage.
Moving as if it were routine, Anna followed like a shadow.
Step, step.
There was still a puddle of blood in the hallway that hadn’t been fully cleaned.
Linaria stepped right into it without hesitation.
“Oh dear. I should have cleaned the corridor too.”
Anna muttered in mild dismay.
But it was too late now—wherever Linaria walked, she left red footprints behind.
After some time, she stopped in front of a window.
At a glance, it seemed she was gazing out at the moonlight streaming in.
She looked almost lonely.
“You asked if this was normal for her?”
Somnambulism.
A condition where the body moves while the mind sleeps.
Right now, Linaria was in that state.
