<CHAPTER 46>
We Are Dating, Right?
“Huff!”
“Young Master! Have you regained consciousness?”
Cain suddenly opened his eyes and looked around.
“Where is this….”
It was Cain’s room.
“Why am I here?”
“A passerby saw you collapsed on the roadside and brought you here, Young Master.”
Cain frowned.
He did not know exactly what had happened, but one thing was certain.
I survived!
The joy of surviving lasted only a moment before Cain recalled what had happened right before he lost consciousness.
That wretched Ehilie dared to toy with me!
Cain ground his teeth.
Ehilie had once trembled in fear and begged forgiveness whenever he merely raised his hand.
The fact that he had been played by such a trivial younger sister wounded his pride.
I won’t let this slide!
Unable to suppress his boiling rage, Cain jumped to his feet.
“Y-Young Master? Where are you going?”
“Shut up and stay quiet!”
Cain strode quickly toward the Count’s office.
“Father!”
The Count, who had been working, frowned when he saw Cain standing there with messy hair and wearing only pajamas.
“What disgraceful behavior is this!”
Recently, Cain had been recklessly causing trouble.
He had already fallen out of favor with his father, the Count, quite some time ago.
Yet, foolishly, he still had not realized it.
Startled by the harsh reprimand, Cain flinched.
Only then did he realize the state he was in.
But this was no time to worry about mere etiquette.
“Father, that’s not important! I discovered something incredible! That woman Ehilie….”
At that moment, the air froze.
The instant he spoke Ehilie’s name, the shadow cast in the room writhed and rose like a living creature.
At the same time, the Count’s face began to rot.
His skin melted like slime, and where his eyes should have been there were only large empty holes.
“Huaaaak!”
Cain fell backward in shock.
“What did Ehilie do?”
The Count’s voice sounded like metal scraping against metal in Cain’s ears.
“Aaaah! A demon! S-Save me!”
Cain screamed while crawling backward.
“Young Master!”
The butler waiting outside rushed in, startled.
“What is wrong, Young Master?”
“A demon! There’s a demon over there!”
Cain trembled and pointed at the Count.
But only Cain saw the grotesque form.
To everyone else, the Count looked completely normal.
“Young Master, please calm down! That is the Count.”
“Huaa—n-no! L-Look at that! Ehilie, this is all that woman’s doing! She summoned the Demon King…!”
Cain could not finish his words.
This time, the butler’s face turned black and rotted.
That was not all.
Dark red blood began dripping down the walls.
The sun visible through the window turned into a demon’s eye and mocked him.
“Aaaaah!”
“Yoooung Masteeer. Pleeease cooome tooo your seeenses.”
“Caaain, whaaat ooon eeeearth iiiis wrooong wiiith yooou.”
Now the voices of the Count and the butler were twisted beyond recognition.
“G-Get away! Stay away from me, you monsters!”
This was a curse.
Ehilie cursed me!
Cain ran away with a pale face.
“Ha… Capture Cain and lock him in his room!”
The Count’s voice came from behind him.
But Cain, who had lost his sanity, believed the demon was imitating his father’s voice and ran without looking back.
He ran with all his strength.
But there was no way he could escape trained knights.
The knights soon caught him.
To Cain, they looked like monstrous beasts trying to devour him.
“Huff, huff! L-Let go! Someone help me!”
Cain screamed loudly enough to shake the hallway, but it was useless.
He was dragged into his room.
Bang! Bang!
“Open this right now! You filthy demons!”
Cain pounded on the door like a madman.
Eventually, exhausted, he collapsed.
Then he crouched in a corner of the room and chewed on his fingernails.
This is all because of Ehilie. If it weren’t for that woman Ehilie!
No matter how much Cain screamed, no one listened to him.
Outside the door, the Count listened to his son’s screams and shook his head with a miserable expression.
To him, his son simply looked like a pitiful patient who had gone mad.
“Do not let that boy out until he regains his senses.”
“Yes, understood!”
Following the Count’s order, Cain was locked in his room.
A black crow that had been watching the commotion from outside the window suddenly flapped its wings and flew into the sky.
***
“…So that is what happened. He will not regain his senses for a while.”
Herond reported the condition of Cain that he had personally confirmed.
The reason Cain had ended up like that was because Redemberg had placed a curse on him.
The moment he spoke the name “Ehilie,” objects would distort and the people around him would appear as demons.
Now that he had gone mad, no one would listen to his words anymore.
Redemberg smiled with satisfaction.
As expected, his scheme had been perfect.
***
A storm had passed.
But inside Ehilie’s heart, the storm was still raging.
Does this mean Rek and I are dating now?
It was good that she had finally confessed her feelings to Rek.
But immediately afterward, they had to go rescue Gabriel.
They had not been able to talk properly.
Since then, peaceful daily life had continued.
The problem was that she had never heard a clear answer from Rek.
Rek was still kind.
But he had always been kind before, so nothing about their relationship seemed different.
This won’t do. I need to make our relationship clear!
It was not difficult.
She simply needed to hear him say that they were lovers.
After lunch, during their usual time drinking tea together.
Ehilie finally asked him.
“Rek.”
“Yes, Ehilie.”
“Well… we….”
“We are dating, right?”
That single sentence was all she needed to say.
But the moment she saw his gentle face, her lips strangely refused to move.
“Th-that we….”
Dating, dating!
“A-Actually, don’t you think the bed is a little small?”
That was not it!
Ehilie laughed awkwardly and kept rambling.
“Since we sleep together, it feels a little cramped. I was thinking maybe we should change to a bigger bed. What do you think, Rek?”
“I like it the way it is.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. Thanks to that, I can stay closer to Emilie a little longer. Honestly, it could even be smaller and I would not mind.”
Ehilie’s face flushed bright red.
How can he say something like that so casually? Isn’t he embarrassed?
Embarrassed, she awkwardly cleared her throat.
After thinking for a moment, Rek spoke again.
“However, if it is uncomfortable for you, Ehilie, I will order a new one.”
“N-No, that’s not necessary.”
Ehilie finally steadied her breathing.
Alright.
Now she would really ask.
“Instead, there’s something I want to ask.”
“Yes, Ehilie.”
We are dating, right?
Why was it so embarrassing to say?
Still hesitating, Ehilie suddenly thought of something.
Right. I don’t have to ask it so directly!
“What kind of person am I to you, Rek?”
If he thinks we are dating, he will obviously say I’m his girlfriend!
It was a perfect question.
“You are someone precious and lovely.”
A sudden piece of flirting.
Once again, Ehilie did not get the answer she wanted.
It was even sweeter than what she expected.
But the problem was that Rek had always been very direct about expressing his feelings.
He had been saying things like that all along.
In the end, Ehilie failed to hear the answer she wanted.
Another day passed like that.
“Sigh.”
Ehilie lay on the bed waiting for him and let out a long sigh.
She felt frustrated.
They lived in the same house.
They ate together.
They slept together.
They even had affectionate conversations that made her heart flutter.
If that was not a relationship, then what was?
Still, I want to confirm it properly….
What was something that only lovers could do?
Something difficult for people who were just in a vague stage of flirting.
“Ah, that’s it!”
Ehilie suddenly jumped up and opened the wardrobe.
Inside were many clothes Rek had bought for Emilie to wear while staying here.
Among them were some rather short pajamas.
One was a mini silk slip dress that faintly revealed the skin underneath.
With a determined expression, Ehilie changed into the dress and stood in front of the mirror.
In the mirror, her slender shoulders and the curve of her chest were barely covered.
Was it too much?
Not just a little.
It was far too much.
This might not be a good idea!
Just as she was about to change clothes again—
Click.
The door opened.
Startled, Ehilie quickly dove under the blanket.
“Y-You’re already done washing?”
Rek looked at Ehilie, who was peeking out with only her face visible, with a puzzled expression.
Embarrassed, Ehilie quickly made an excuse.
“The room felt a little cold.”
“Is that so? I will ask Herond to increase the heating.”
“N-No, that’s not necessary! I feel better now that I’m under the blanket!”
In truth, far from being cold, her body felt so hot that she was almost sweating.
“Ah. I should go wash up now.”
“Did you not already wash, Ehilie?”
“I-I did, but I sweated a little. The room felt warm.”
“Did you not just say it was cold?”
“Uh, yes, it was cold, but since I’m under the blanket now it’s hot!”
Ehilie laughed awkwardly and slowly climbed down from the bed.
Of course, she kept the blanket tightly wrapped around her body.
As she hurried across the room, her foot caught on the long hem of the blanket.
She stumbled forward.
Just as Ehilie was about to fall, Rek quickly caught her.
“You must be careful.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Relieved in Rek’s strong arms, Ehilie soon realized something.
The blanket she had been holding slipped from her grasp.
The appearance she had been hiding was revealed completely.
