51 - How to Escape the Reverse Harem Cliché
Chapter 51
“……Laila?”
Perhaps finding it strange that I, who should have retorted and stepped forward by now, remained silent, Aiden lowered his head to look at me and then scowled.
He then looked flustered and fidgeted. He stomped his feet, hesitated, then approached me again, extending his hand and retracting it several times.
“Laila. A-are you angry?”
“I’m not angry. It’s just that……”
“Um… Laila, but your Guiding… it’s leaking out. Can you stop it…?”
As I fell into confusion, unable to contain my emotions, my Guiding was unintentionally seeping out.
Startled, I tried to hide my Guiding, but the faint traces that remained clung to me, leaving a subtle warmth all over my body.
“Wait. Just a moment, Laila. Don’t do that, come here.”
Aiden, who watched me thrash and shake my body, knowing it wouldn’t help, let out a hollow laugh.
Then, he beckoned me over, pulled me into his embrace, and began to suck away the remaining Guiding.
“……”
“……”
Unlike Valerian or Evan, who had rushed at me ferociously, Aiden absorbed my Guiding with considerable restraint.
“Damn it. This is annoying.”
……But why are you suddenly annoyed? I don’t understand the reason.
His high nose rubbed against my neck, and he muttered curses for a long time.
However, the atmosphere had significantly softened compared to a moment ago. The tense standoff, where we had been bickering and sharpening our edges, had stopped, and due to the Guiding, all negative emotions had vanished.
Is this the intended function of Guiding?
And is this a common occurrence between an Esper and a Guide? Are Aiden and I, not siblings, but embracing each other as Guide and Esper?
Suddenly, it felt like I had made a decision in my subconscious. Perhaps Aiden and I could no longer remain as close siblings.
In this world, we were merely Guide and Esper. The bond of loving siblings had already been broken when I protected Aiden from the fire incident.
This was an unavoidable cliché.
“……”
“……”
In the space where only the sound of breathing filled the silence, a considerable tension lingered.
The tension, which felt like it would last forever, was shattered in an instant by the growing noise from outside the tent.
I was the first to snap back to reality and called out to Aiden.
“Um… Aiden. If you can’t feel the Guiding energy anymore, can you let go now?”
“Huh? Ah, uh… yeah.”
Aiden, who had been creaking like a robot, detached himself from me with a hint of regret.
Since I couldn’t feel the remaining Guiding energy, which was like residue, he just looked around nervously, causing Aiden to burst into a laugh like a chuckle.
“I absorbed it all, it’s gone now.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. But Laila, you need to be careful from now on. It seems you still can’t control it perfectly.”
Though I didn’t want to admit it, I had no choice but to nod.
Despite my efforts to train, I had lost control for just a brief moment of confusion.
Would things have been better if I had taken classes like Basic Guiding Studies? If so, something like Valerian’s Berserk situation might not have happened.
“Laila.”
“Huh?”
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
“It’s nothing. It wasn’t important.”
“So. Do you have anything else to say to me? We haven’t finished talking yet.”
I thought the topic would naturally shift, but he was surprisingly stubborn about this.
In the end, I conceded. Nodding, I agreed to speak honestly, and he led me to where his sleeping bag was and sat me down.
“Whatever Laila says, I will believe and listen, so you can say anything. And I will never tell anyone else.”
“I understand. But before that, could you relay a message to Lena and my servants? They’ll be waiting for me.”
“Sure. I’ll call another Esper from a different affiliation to handle it. Wait a moment.”
After speaking, Aiden briefly left the tent.
During that time, I pondered how much of the story I should tell Aiden.
It would be best not to mention the investigation into the drug. If Aiden noticed I was digging too deep, he would become suspicious of me instead.
As I was engrossed in my thoughts, suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the tent.
Just in case, I covered my head with Valerian’s coat, which I was holding, and hid behind a table in the corner.
As I stayed like this, I suddenly felt pathetic and let out a hollow laugh. It was absurd that I, who had done nothing wrong, had to be someone to be avoided simply because I was a Guide.
“Wait! Don’t just barge in…!”
Ignoring Aiden’s annoyance, Evan, using his ability, burst into the tent.
Evan, who was rummaging through the tent with a grim expression, found me curled up in the corner and let out a long sigh. Then, he strode over, bent down, and offered me his hand.
“Let’s go somewhere else for a moment, Laila.”
“Suddenly? Why?”
“……”
“Evan. Did something happen?”
Gone was his confident expression from earlier; deep worry now etched Evan’s face.
Instinctively sensing that something had happened, I didn’t take the hand he offered. Unlike usual, his hand was bare, and I felt that if I took it, he would use his ability to read my mind.
At my reaction, he let out a hollow laugh, but his expression seemed tinged with disappointment, making me feel awkward.
“Do you think I would read Laila’s mind without permission?”
“……That’s not it.”
“And now that my rank has increased, I can read your mind just by making eye contact, without holding hands.”
“……”
“I haven’t been reading your mind since earlier. I won’t use my ability without your permission. Laila, you dislike that, don’t you?”
That’s right… He knew better than anyone that I didn’t particularly like Espers.
Scratching the back of my head in embarrassment, I reluctantly took his hand and crawled out from under the table.
“Do you remember what was added to our contract? We agreed to make eye contact when we talk.”
“Ah… yes. We did.”
“I want to keep that promise, so I won’t use my ability on you. And……”
Evan paused, about to say something more, and I, busy tidying Valerian’s coat, turned to look at him.
Unlike when we reunited, his face was full of fatigue, his spirit greatly diminished.
I had seen him arguing with Aiden earlier, but was there something else going on? My anxiety only piled up.
“……I’m afraid of reading your mind.”
“What?”
My eyes widened at his sudden words.
If it’s about fear, I’m more afraid. I’m constantly worried that Evan might find out I’m a transmigrator.
“I’m always holding you back.”
“……”
“I’m afraid you might resent me, even a little.”
I couldn’t find a suitable response and closed my mouth.
Honestly, everything had gone awry because of Evan, so it was hard not to resent him. I’m only human.
But to some extent, it was my fault, so I was about to accept reality and nod, saying it was okay.
“And if you see this, Laila will resent me again.”
With those words, Evan presented something he had been holding. I stared intently at what lay on his large palm, and only then did I realize what it was.
“Lena?!”
What Evan handed me was a shattered jeweled necklace and a broken pendant.
The shattered necklace was the gift I had enclosed with the letter I sent to Rowen a few days ago, and the broken pendant was Lena’s gift, bought that same day.
“Is it okay for me to receive this?”
I had acted like a child, delighted by Lena’s expression as she bit her lip upon receiving the simple pendant.
It was just a few days ago that I smiled, thinking I could buy her a hundred more pendants for the child who had become my family.
“Why do you have this……”
“……”
“Evan, I’m asking why you have this.”
“They said it was brought from House Olivite.”
The answer came from the entrance of the tent.
Aiden, who had been listening to our conversation from outside, sighed and entered, explaining in place of the speechless Evan.
“We sent Espers to scout the Tene River, but your servants were not there.”
“……What?”
“It seems House Olivite kidnapped them.”
My pupils shook violently, and I lost my bearings. I gasped at Aiden’s words and froze, dropping Valerian’s coat.
“H-how? No… No, why? Why Lena… More importantly, Rowen? Did something happen to Rowen too?!”
“Derman is fine. They were attacked while traveling by carriage, but thankfully, Marquis Derman and his guards were with him, so he is safe. He said he is resting at his estate now.”
Evan, who had calmed down, steadied me as I panicked and met my eyes.
Following him, Aiden approached and murmured to me like an incantation. Breathe, Laila. Breathe slowly with me. Following his signal, I slowly breathed and regained my composure. Then, I immediately asked for their whereabouts.
“Where are they? Where is the person who brought this?”
“Laila. Please calm down first.”
“They are my servants.”
“Laila. They are trying to get a hold of your leash.”
“Then are you telling me to just leave them be?”
I looked at Evan with a disappointed expression.
It was natural for him to look at me with incomprehension. To them, it probably looked like I was going to cause trouble to save mere servants, ordinary people from their perspective.
“They already know you are the Guide who guided me. So they are using you to control me.”
“……”
“Laila. House Olivite was my family’s, so I know them better than anyone. Don’t you know why my Guiding hits rock bottom every day?”
