Chapter 34
Lou had come because he was told to, but now he was standing in front of the open door of the room, unable to move.
“Is it really okay to go in?”
He knew Lily wouldn’t really mind if he entered, given her personality, but he still hesitated without her permission.
After a few passing maids asked him what he was doing, Lou finally stepped into the room cautiously.
“…….”
He just stared at the scene in front of him. Lily was lying on the bed by the window, her long blonde hair loose, sleeping peacefully.
Lou looked around, then buried his face in one hand. Just like in the carriage, all he could see was how pretty Lily looked while sleeping.
Usually, Lily talked nonsense constantly, so he could follow conversations, but seeing her asleep left him no choice but to quietly watch her face.
He leaned his head against the doorframe, hiding his flushed face.
“This is driving me crazy…”
After muttering to himself for a while, Lou tiptoed closer to Lily, trying to make no sound. Up close, he could see her face even more clearly. The sunlight on her blonde hair made it impossible for him to look away.
“Why am I like this?”
He muttered to himself, blaming himself, and then shook his head, realizing it was partly because of Deriksha.
“If I hadn’t talked to Deriksha, I could have just gone on as usual without thinking about her.”
He thought about blaming Deriksha for a moment, then laughed bitterly at his own foolishness. Even without her, he would have eventually realized his feelings. Without noticing, his emotions toward Lily had grown too strong.
Lou kept staring at the sleeping Lily with a gentle smile on his face.
“Lily.”
His soft voice sounded like a smile. Seeing her golden eyelashes flutter slightly, Lou knelt and met her gaze on the bed.
“Wake up, Lily.”
He said her name again, right in front of her. Lily remained asleep.
“…Hey.”
He called her once more, slightly louder this time. Still, she didn’t move.
“Hey, wake up.”
She still didn’t wake. Lou finally stopped smiling and realized the seriousness of the situation.
“Please… wake up.”
Lou’s tired voice came from right beside me. What’s going on? I rubbed my eyes and slowly sat up.
Lou was slouched on the bed, leaning on his elbows. I yawned and muttered,
“Who would wake up if you wake them like that?”
The usually weak-looking Lou now had a sharp glare.
“Do you know how many times I called you?”
“You were speaking so quietly, how was I supposed to hear?”
“I shouted… no, wait…”
Lou shook his head and sat on the chair beside the bed.
Why is he even here?
Half-awake, I asked Lou,
“Why did you come?”
“Do you know what time it is?”
I looked up at the clock. It was past noon, and for a moment, I thought the clock was broken, but judging by Lou’s expression, it wasn’t.
“…I’m late.”
“This isn’t just being late.”
I missed Deriksha…
I thought about my friend who always woke me up. I didn’t expect to sleep until the afternoon with no one to wake me.
Lou crossed his arms and asked irritably,
“How can you sleep until now? Did you stay up late yesterday?”
“Yes… I was reading…”
I lowered my head, feeling guilty. The book I had left unfinished yesterday was still on the pillow. Lou noticed it and picked it up.
“What are you reading?”
“A romance novel. It’s about a commoner girl falling in love with a nobleman, that kind of story.”
Lou paused while flipping through the pages. Without looking up, he asked quietly,
“…You like that kind of story?”
“Well… I watch fiction for the fun, not realism.”
I yawned and answered casually. I thought Lou would brush it off too, but he surprisingly spoke seriously.
“Why not realistic?”
“…?”
I didn’t expect him to argue over something like this. I blinked and looked at him.
“…Nothing.”
What’s wrong with him?
He flipped the page again. Judging by his light flicking, he probably wasn’t actually reading.
“If you want, I can lend it to you.”
“I won’t read it.”
Lou closed the book and put it back in its place. I wondered why he was suddenly sulking after such a normal conversation.
“Let’s go have lunch.”
Lou got up. I followed him off the bed, watching his back.
“What a lovely lunch, Lily. Did you sleep well?”
The duchess greeted me warmly. Seeing her so kind toward a maid who overslept made me feel guilty, and I lowered my head.
“You slept too long, so we already finished eating. We’ll prepare a fresh meal for you two.”
The duchess signaled the staff. I noticed that no one looked annoyed, even though they had to make another meal for a sleeping maid.
I silently promised to wake up earlier tomorrow and took a sip of the freshly served soup.
“What will you do today?”
The duchess asked with a smile. I thought for a moment and answered,
“First… I’ll learn some work from Jena.”
Even though it was the same maid work, the new place meant there was a lot to learn. The duchess’s eyes widened.
“Work?”
“…Yes?”
“Why work here? You don’t need to. Just rest.”
Wait, I came to work…
Her casual tone confused me. Lou didn’t seem to care and kept eating.
I forced a small smile.
“But… I get paid more, so I can’t just do nothing.”
“Then why not be my conversation partner? He’s grumpy and not fun to talk to.”
The duchess pointed at Lou. Speaking like that while he was right in front of her… I wanted to learn her confidence.
I could tease him, but never that boldly in front of him. Lou didn’t react, so used to her tone that he seemed unfazed. I felt a bit sympathetic.
“Oh, or you could run to the market. We’re out of ingredients for dinner.”
“Yes, I’ll go.”
I agreed immediately. Doing errands was easier on my mind than just resting.
At that moment, a firm voice interrupted.
“No.”
We both looked at Lou. He didn’t take his eyes off the meat he was cutting.
“She’d get lost if she went alone.”
Why say that? I glared at him, annoyed. The duchess laughed.
“Then you can go with her. Show her the village while you’re at it.”
Lou nodded eagerly, and I looked at him, dumbfounded.
The market wasn’t far from the mansion. Between the wooden houses, it stretched like the towns in an RPG game I’d played.
Compared to the lively streets near the duke’s mansion, this place finally looked more like a fantasy setting.
The market was crowded. Nervous, I grabbed Lou’s sleeve.
“Why?”
“I’m afraid of losing you…”
If we got separated in the crowd, I’d be lost for sure. Lou glanced at my hand and asked,
“…Should I hold it?”
It didn’t matter who held whose hand, so I nodded and extended mine. But instead of a firm grip, Lou held my wrist lightly.
“…Hold it tighter. This is useless.”
“….”
He shook his head weakly. How does he swing a sword with this kind of strength?
Frustrated, I pulled my hand away and grabbed it properly.
“Let’s go like this.”
“…Seriously?”
Lou looked at me blankly. Now there was no reason to worry about rank. I tugged his hand slightly, and he finally started walking. I couldn’t stop laughing at how he kept glancing at our joined hands.
“Embarrassed?”
“No.”
He answered immediately, but it was clearly a lie. I noticed his ears were bright red.
What should I do with this pure young master?
I asked him with a teasing smile,
“When you date someone, you’ll do even more. Why be embarrassed about this?”
“…Who would I date?”
He blinked, caught off guard.
“Your future fiancée?”
“…Ah.”
Lou turned his gaze away and scratched his cheek. What was he thinking? I laughed quietly at the odd conversation.
“I won’t get engaged.”
“Right. No one would propose until Master Odin is engaged first.”
“…I just won’t.”
“…Live alone?”
After trying to avoid the villain route, why is he heading for the same ending as the original story?
Lou shook his head. The topic kept changing naturally due to the messy surroundings. I answered him while looking for a fruit store.
“Have you ever dated?”
“Hmm, maybe.”
I answered vaguely. In the original story, Lily was engaged to Chris, so she must have had some experience. Thinking about it, I nodded.
“Yes, I have.”
“….”
For some reason, Lou held my hand a little tighter.
“Have you ever held hands?”
“…?”
I stopped looking for the store and stared at him. Lou’s face showed both embarrassment and regret.
“…Probably even kissed?”
I didn’t know until what age they stayed engaged, but kids these days give quick kisses, so it was just a guess.
“Shouldn’t have asked…”
Lou muttered sadly. I really had no idea where this conversation was going.
