Volume 6 Chapter 41 The Invited Room
I fell into something like a black puddle, wrapped in dark, murky water.
I couldn't tell which way was up or down, and it felt like I was drifting in the night sea.
It was as if I was swimming in the water, but I didn't feel any suffocation.
I swam through the warm water clinging to my skin and popped my head out into a bright place. It might have just been an illusion.
When I opened my eyes, I realized I was sitting on a red sofa in a white room.
In front of the fluffy sofa, there was a golden table.
Outside the window, a fiery sunset spread out.
Is night approaching? I still felt like it was daytime, but it seemed quite a bit of time had passed without me noticing.
"...Hello, Ms. Lydia. Welcome to Edelstein."
A cool and gentle voice reminded me of a quiet winter morning.
I turned to look in the direction of the voice.
There was a kitchen against the wall of the room.
The good smell of coffee wafted through the white room.
Sir Ciel was pouring hot water into a glass dripper with a slender pot.
I could hear the sound of coffee dripping into the dripper.
Normally, I would think this was a very cozy space, but I felt a sense of discomfort with both Sir Ciel's gentle voice and the nice aroma of coffee.
"Sir Ciel...!"
Sir Ciel wasn't wearing the black robe of Saintwise but something like a white garment.
When he wore the Saintwise robe, he felt like a mage, but in the white garment, his beauty and the sparkling jewels in his hair made him look even more mysterious than usual.
Standing in the white room with the sunset streaming in, Sir Ciel was so beautiful that it caught my eye.
I wonder if seeing something beautiful makes me feel a little scared.
Right now, Sir Ciel's voice was different from the one that always reassured me.
He called me Ms. Lydia by name.
But──.
"You've come this far. Are you hurt? Your clothes are dirty. Shall I get you a change?"
When Sir Ciel snapped his fingers, the dress that had gotten messy and dirty from running and falling in the airship instantly transformed into a new one.
It was a white dress, decorated with delicate lace and ribbons.
It looked a bit like what Rosamia and her mom from Gem's People wore when we met in town.
"Beautiful, Ms. Lydia. It suits you very well."
Sir Ciel complimented me as he poured coffee into a cup.
I felt scared.
I had to run away.
I was separated from Eir-Eir, Ms. Famine, and my dad, and now I was all alone.
Being alone felt lonely.
The person in front of me was Sir Ciel, but it didn't feel like he was really Sir Ciel.
(But I... came to help Sir Ciel, right?)
I had come all the way to the castle in Edelstein looking for Sir Ciel.
If he invited me, then maybe this was a chance.
A chance to shove fried horse mackerel into Sir Ciel's mouth.
Just like I summoned the concept of shrimp tempura onigiri during the chaos at the Great Temple, if I could summon the concept of fried horse mackerel and force it into Sir Ciel's mouth, it should break the curse that Eirnelys has over him.
"...Sir Ciel, I've missed you."
I said with a smile on my face.
Even though the current Sir Ciel didn't feel like the real Sir Ciel, I decided to pretend I was fooled.
I didn't know why Eirnelys had called me here, but I would look for an opportunity to help Sir Ciel.
I wasn't sure what to do after that, but I had to do what I could.
"I missed you too."
Sir Ciel said as he placed the coffee cup on the table.
"Please, Ms. Lydia. You must be tired, right? You've been through a lot of scary things. I had instructed the monsters to attack anyone but you, but they're not very smart and don't listen to what I say. It's quite troublesome."
Sir Ciel sat down next to the sofa.
The scent of coffee mixed with a floral fragrance that felt like spring.
I tried to pull the red shawl closer to hide my scared heart.
It was something Sir Ciel gave me on a snowy day.
But maybe because I changed into a white dress, the red shawl was gone.
Even though it was a gift from Sir Ciel, it felt like I didn't remember it.
(After all, it's different)
They're good at mimicking Sir Ciel's way of speaking, expressions, and gestures, but inside, it's someone else.
Someone is pretending to be Sir Ciel.
They look the same, but the inside is different.
I can't believe that this different person is Sir Ciel.
Deep inside, a flame of anger ignited.
To take over his body and pretend to be Sir Ciel, calling me "Ms. Lydia" and saying "I missed you."
It felt like something precious inside me was being trampled on.
I almost let my discomfort show on my face, but I reminded myself.
For now, I'll keep pretending to be fooled.
"You're not Gem's People, but you won't take my life. Please stay by my side. I'm happy you came this far, risking danger for me."
"Sir Ciel..."
"Ms. Lydia, from now on, we'll always be together. I won't let you go. I wanted you so badly."
Sir Ciel's palm touched my cheek.
His translucent red eyes were staring straight at me.
His loving and secretive whisper made my eardrums tremble, and my heart skipped a beat.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)