Late at dawn.
“Gasp!”
Luzbel had barely fallen asleep when he woke at the same moment he dreamed a nightmare. His rough breathing echoed in the silent bedroom, and his entire body was soaked in cold sweat.
“…Ha.”
After confirming that there was nothing around him, Luzbel let out a deep sigh.
Again. Aisha had appeared in his dream again today.
Aisha, who resented him so deeply, just before her death.
The dream always showed the same ending. Aisha, unchanged, ultimately met her death, and he himself followed after her.
Because it was such a familiar nightmare, Luzbel treated it as nothing serious. Of course, no matter how many times he dreamed it, he never grew used to the nightmare itself, but he had become accustomed to this situation.
Perhaps if Aisha hadn’t changed, and he himself hadn’t changed, they would have met the same end as in his nightmare.
It was so vivid that it even felt like a prophetic dream.
“…”
After having such a dream, his mood sank heavily, making it unbearable. Luzbel ran his hand through his sweat-soaked hair and rubbed his tired eyes.
After taking a sip of the water beside the bed and looking outside the window, it was still before dawn.
But he didn’t think he could fall asleep again, so he slowly raised himself up.
And so, today as well, Luzbel began his day a little early.
“You are awake?”
After washing and stepping outside, his physician, who had been waiting as if he expected this, immediately stood up and checked Luzbel’s condition.
“It seems you were barely able to sleep again today.”
“…”
“Did you have a nightmare?”
“I did.”
In fact, for the past two years, Luzbel hadn’t taken the medicine prescribed by his physician.
He endured the sleeplessness as it was, believing it was punishment for having made Aisha suffer. It was only natural that Monet had been so frustrated.
He began taking the medicine after the journey to the Capital.
Unlike the nightmares he always had, he had confirmed that Aisha was living happily, and he had Jeron.
Of course, despite that, the nightmares still tormented Luzbel relentlessly, but the physician viewed his willingness to improve positively.
Even though his symptoms hadn’t actually improved.
“I will prescribe a little more medicine.”
“Do so.”
Luzbel spoke with a weary expression.
Even as he said it, he didn’t seem expectant.
However, although Luzbel couldn’t sleep at night and lived constantly in nightmares, there was one time when he was able to fall asleep.
***
Edith faced Luzbel, who looked tired again today, as if he had barely slept.
He seemed psychologically unstable, and it appeared to have manifested as severe insomnia.
“Are you alright? You look very tired.”
“I am fine.”
She was worried, but she felt relieved that he seemed to fall asleep during the day. Although she did wonder why it happened specifically when he was with her.
“…Your Grace.”
“…”
After noticing that Luzbel often fell asleep when he was with her after meals, Edith began visiting his office under the pretense of tea time.
And today was no different.
Not long after saying he was fine, Luzbel’s head drooped, and he fell asleep.
“This is incredible.”
Even Monet, who had been watching from behind, said so in admiration.
“That is true. Does my voice have some kind of sleep-inducing effect?”
Even Edith found it fascinating.
In any case, after gently laying the sleeping Luzbel down more comfortably, she sipped the rest of her tea.
She had realized that he fell asleep when she was present only a few days ago.
She had only come to his office to increase the time he spent with Jeron, but Luzbel had fallen asleep.
At the time, she had been a little dumbfounded, but thinking back, even when Luzbel had first come to find Edith, he had fallen asleep just like that, which made her wonder what this was.
However, according to Monet, Luzbel suffered from insomnia.
He had never seen him sleep at night, and naturally, the same was true during the day, but for some reason, he seemed to fall asleep in front of her.
She had wondered why he always looked so tired, and realized it was because he couldn’t sleep, so after that, she began visiting him every day.
Previously, she had thought it would be fine once he fell asleep and left, but he woke up after not even ten minutes.
Because of that, Edith stayed by his side until Luzbel could sleep sufficiently.
And so, for about four days now, she had been watching over him as he slept.
“I am always grateful.”
“It is nothing.”
Luzbel was sensitive, but when he fell asleep while Edith was present, he didn’t wake easily even when they spoke like this.
Because of that, Monet liked Edith even more.
This strange phenomenon was known not only to Jeron but also to most of the servants and knights.
When a person couldn’t sleep, they naturally became sensitive, but these days, thanks to Edith, he was able to sleep deeply for an hour or two, and his temperament had softened somewhat compared to before.
“Why can His Grace only sleep when Edith is here?”
“I am curious too.”
Monet, Edith, and Jeron only found it puzzling because they knew how dry and devoid of emotion the relationship between the two was, but the servants didn’t see it that way.
“Hm, then should I stay beside Luzbel while he sleeps at night?”
“Pardon?”
“What?”
“You just called him Luzbel…”
“Me? Did I?”
Because she had always spoken casually about him in her mind, his name had slipped out naturally.
Edith feigned ignorance, pretending not to know, but Jeron had heard it too.
“That is right, I speak casually about His Grace in my head. Not just casually. I even curse at him. In my head, what can I not do?”
To prevent the situation from becoming strange, Edith admitted it honestly.
“Ah, I was just surprised. No one has ever spoken so casually about His Grace.”
Monet trailed off, then changed the subject.
“Anyway, you were saying you want to enter his bedroom?”
“Well, if it is alright.”
“I do not think His Grace would allow it.”
“…What if I go in secretly?”
“Secretly? I do not think that would work either. His senses are extremely sharp, so the fact that he can even fall asleep like this now is already astonishing.”
“At least ask him.”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
If possible, she wanted Luzbel to sleep more comfortably.
***
“You are awake?”
Luzbel startled awake and muttered in a voice filled with self-reproach.
“Again?”
“Yes. Again. By the way, you really wake up the moment the Young Lady leaves.”
The warmly lingering air in the office revealed that someone had been there just moments ago. Luzbel let out a sigh, thinking that he himself didn’t know why this was happening.
But one thing was certain. When Edith was present, he didn’t have nightmares and could sleep well.
Even the physician said he didn’t know the reason.
Still, he cautiously added that perhaps it was because he felt at ease with the Young Lady.
“…At ease.”
He had never felt at ease with anyone.
At most, Monet, who always stayed by his side, was someone he allowed near him.
Was Edith someone he felt at ease with?
Thinking about it, he had allowed her close faster than he usually did. But whether he truly felt at ease, that didn’t seem quite right either.
In any case, Luzbel, who had slept well again thanks to her, raised his body, unable to hide his confusion at the disappearance of his usual headache.
“Kya-haha—”
At that moment, laughter rang loudly from outside.
When he stood up and approached the window, he saw Edith and Jeron playing in the garden.
“Look at this!”
Whatever was so fun, their laughter didn’t stop, and the maids also watched the two with gentle expressions, smiling softly.
Thinking about it, when was the last time House Valencia had such a soft atmosphere?
“…Haha.”
Thinking that, Luzbel unknowingly let out a smile as he watched Edith and Jeron, unaware that Monet was looking at him with a rather surprised expression.
“Your Grace. There is something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
He asked without taking his eyes off the outside, and Monet answered.
“Lady Edith says she wishes to enter Your Grace’s bedroom. Since you cannot sleep well, it seems she wants to help you sleep.”
“…What?”
Luzbel asked in disbelief, then let out a scoff.
No matter what, he couldn’t use a noble lady as his sleeping aid. Above all, what would happen if someone saw her coming and going from his bedroom every night?
“The Young Lady has a good character. She worries about you a lot.”
“Tell her there is no need.”
“I expected you would say that.”
From the beginning, Luzbel firmly believed that the reason he was able to fall asleep during the day wasn’t because of Edith, but because of the medicine prescribed by the physician.
In truth, he didn’t think it was entirely because of the medicine, but if it wasn’t, then it would mean he truly felt at ease with Edith, and that made even less sense to him.
“Your Grace.”
“What?”
“Do you truly believe the medicine is effective?”
“…That is why I’m able to sleep.”
“What kind of medicine makes you sleepy only during the day?”
“I don’t know that either. The physician said he would change the prescription, so we will know if we observe it.”
“But…”
“Enough with the useless talk.”
Realizing that Monet was trying to somehow connect him and Edith, Luzbel cut him off even more firmly.
Monet still looked uneasy, but Luzbel confirmed that Edith and Jeron had already disappeared from outside the window and sat down to resume his work.
At that moment, one of the maids approached cautiously.
“…Your Grace.”
“What is it?”
“I have brewed more tea, in case you might need it.”
The teacup that Edith had likely used remained exactly where it was.
Had it not been cleared yet?
“…No need. You may clear the cup in front.”
“Yes.”
The maid quickly picked up the teacup Edith had used, then lifted the saucer it had been resting on.
As she did, the saucer tilted slightly, and the tea leaves placed on it fell onto the table.
“…Hm.”
Seeing the fallen tea leaves, Luzbel was suddenly reminded of Aisha.
Back when she had been gentle due to her split personality, Aisha had always placed the tea leaves on the saucer like this.
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
The maid, who had been wiping the table, raised her head quickly.
“…Is it normal for someone to remove the tea leaves like that when drinking black tea?”
Even when Aisha had done it, he had thought it was unusual but let it pass. Now that Edith was also removing the tea leaves, he wondered if such a trend had formed without him realizing it.
“No, it is the first time I have seen it as well.”
The maid who had been temporarily hired while he was in the Capital was saying that drinking tea this way wasn’t common.
“The first time?”
“Yes. Usually, people wait for the tea leaves to settle before drinking.”
Luzbel quietly looked at the tea leaves, then answered that he understood, and the maid quickly cleared the teacup and stepped back.
‘It must be a coincidence.’
Even if it wasn’t common, the tea leaves could still be bothersome.
