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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Visitor
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Yugen looked utterly baffled.

“Tied up? Why?”

“Well… don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not that you’re a bad person, but.”

I confessed that Yugen was a terribly restless sleeper, and because of that, I wouldn’t be able to sleep next to him as things were.

“…I see. I didn’t know.”

Yugen replied with a blank face, but for some reason, the brief silence that followed felt heavy with shock.

He really must not have known about his own sleeping habits.

“I almost always sleep alone. In a private tent. My comrades never said anything.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay! It’s not like you can control how you sleep. It’s not your fault!”

“…Thank you.”

“Hey, don’t thank me.”

“You can tie me up as much as you want.”

“Um, I know I suggested it, but are you really okay with that? It must be uncomfortable to fall asleep while tied up.”

“It’s fine. It’s not like my life is in danger.”

Did Yugen need to be in a life-threatening situation to not be fine?

His words were a fresh reminder of just how harsh a life he had led.

In any case, with the man’s approval secured, it was time to get ready for bed in earnest.

“Are you dressed?”

“Yes.”

While I had my back turned, Yugen changed into the sleepwear he’d brought and climbed onto the bed.

“Tie me up.”

He then meekly held out his wrists to me.

“R-Right.”

In this rather embarrassing situation, I flusteredly bound his wrists with the rope.

But this turned out to be a more difficult task than I’d expected. I’d never tied anyone up with a rope in my life, so how was I supposed to know what to do?

“…Is this right?”

As I predictably fumbled with the rope, Yugen offered some advice.

“More like this.”

“Oh, you’re right. You’re good at this, Yugen.”

“I have to restrain people sometimes.”

…Why would a mercenary need to restrain people? I felt like I’d get a scary answer, so I decided not to ask.

“There, all done!”

Thirty minutes later, after finishing the job, I exclaimed with satisfaction.

“How is it? Can you move?”

Yugen, now lying on the bed with his hands and feet bound, wiggled his limbs before answering.

“A little. But I can’t make any big movements.”

“A little movement is fine. I’m not a particularly light sleeper.”

“That’s a relief.”

“If your body gets too numb while you’re sleeping or you need to use the restroom, just wake me up.”

I brandished the dagger Charlotte always carried for self-defense.

“I tied it pretty tight, so it won’t be easy to undo by hand, but if it comes to it, we can just cut the ropes with this.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

“I should be the one thanking you. I’m grateful you readily agreed to my request, even though it must be uncomfortable.”

“In the first place… I’m the one imposing on you.”

The atmosphere was heartwarming, one you could call truly wholesome. It was a world away from yesterday, when my nerves were stretched taut trying to figure out Raynerd’s intentions.

Thinking that tonight would pass smoothly, I inwardly cheered and pulled the covers over Yugen.

“Get a good night’s sleep, as much as you haven’t been able to.”

“You too. But this is a little strange.”

“What is?”

“The rope. It was in your room. There isn’t one in mine.”

I was about to ask, ‘What about the rope?’ but I snapped my mouth shut, realizing my mistake.

From Yugen’s perspective, I wasn’t supposed to know the reason for his visit until he told me himself today.

And yet, a rope had appeared from my desk drawer.

In other words, Yugen had accepted me as a peculiar person who always kept a rope in her room.

‘Maybe in a storage shed, but people don’t usually keep rope in their rooms.’

Just in case, I cautiously studied Yugen’s expression.

Thankfully, there wasn’t a shred of suspicion in the eyes that stared back at me.

“Ah, the rope?”

I said, feigning composure.

“I had to use it for something in here a while ago, and I just left it in the drawer when I was done.”

“I see.”

No further questions followed, and I let out a silent sigh of relief.

‘That was close.’

If it had been Raynerd instead of Yugen, he would have pried, asking specifically what I used the rope for.

He might have even reached the truth that he wasn’t the only one afflicted by the bed’s curse.

If that happened, there was no telling where things would go.

‘Jayden is one thing, but…’

In the novel, Yugen and Raynerd did not get along. And then there was Kirie, who, due to his profession, was the most likely to uncover clues about the curse.

What if Yugen and Raynerd started growling at each other and a sword fight broke out in my room?

Or what if Kirie, with Raynerd’s ample support, discovered the truth that I was deeply connected to the curse?

‘No! Absolutely not!’

The ominous thought made me shudder.

I had agonized over this issue several times today alone, but each time I reached the same conclusion: hide it for now.

What if I get caught? I could probably just make up some excuse about being scared they’d suspect me if four people were entangled in a curse. It would work out somehow.

‘Anyway, I have to be careful.’

I was reminded once again that while the Yugen from the novel had a naive side, he was by no means a foolish character.

He possessed animal-like instincts and an unconventional way of thinking, which often allowed him to show flashes of sharpness.

He was not someone to be underestimated.

“Charlotte.”

Yugen’s puzzled voice suddenly cut through the air, pulling me back to reality.

“What are you doing? Not sleeping?”

“Ah, right. Just a second. I’ll go turn off the light.”

It was then. *Knock, knock, knock.* A rapid knock on the door stopped me in my tracks.

Someone was knocking on my bedroom door.

“Sister, Sister. Are you there?”

Before I could even figure out who was outside, I heard Jayden’s voice.

At the same time, I saw Yugen fidget at the appearance of an unexpected third party.

Without making a sound, he used only his eyes to ask me what he should do.

I pressed a finger to my lips, looked at Yugen, and then asked Jayden through the door.

“What is it at this hour? Is there a fire?”

“Ah, you’re awake.”

“I was just about to get into bed.”

“I apologize, but could you open the door? I have something urgent to discuss.”

What was this really about? I racked my brain, but I couldn’t think of a single reason.

It hadn’t even been a week since Jayden last slept in my bed. It was too soon for him to come to me because his insomnia had flared up.

“Sister? Is it perhaps difficult for you to open the door?”

Meanwhile, Jayden continued to press me.

From the sound of it, he wasn’t about to back down even if I told him we could talk tomorrow.

I had no choice. I gestured for Yugen to stay put, then cracked the door open just enough for Jayden to see only my face.

“What is it? I’m dead tired.”

Jayden, also in his sleepwear, came into view.

He lowered his voice, his face quite serious.

“Is everything alright?”

“Everything is perfectly fine.”

“That’s a relief, but…”

“What’s wrong? At least tell me why.”

“Actually, I think I saw something.”

“Something?”

Jayden hesitated before speaking.

“I was thinking of taking a walk before bed, so I was circling the mansion when I happened to look out the window and…”

“And…?”

“The bushes in the garden were rustling unnaturally. Something passed by.”

“Wasn’t it an animal? There’s that cat the servants sometimes feed.”

“No. It was dark, so I couldn’t see clearly, but the faint shape I saw was much larger than a cat’s.”

I was almost certain. What Jayden saw was, in all likelihood, Yugen.

He must have gotten lucky, but to have spotted the Mercenary King moving stealthily… What sharp eyes he had, for all the wrong reasons.

“I went outside to check, but there were no tracks left.”

“Then maybe you just saw wrong?”

“That’s possible, but I have a bad feeling, so I’m checking inside the mansion. Mainly the areas adjacent to where I saw it.”

“You’re working hard. Go on and check the other places. It doesn’t seem like it came toward my room.”

“That’s a relief. But just in case, I’ll check the terrace before I go.”

“What? No. Why there?”

“It could be hiding on the terrace. It’s dangerous, so I’ll go check.”

“No, there’s nothing there. I looked.”

“How can you be so sure? It could have snuck in while you were getting ready for bed.”

“I said there’s nothing. Go away now.”

I tried to close the door, but Jayden was faster, sticking his foot in to block it.

“Why are you being so persistent!”

“You’re the one who’s been acting strange, you know? You seem oddly on edge.”

“On edge? What are you talking about?”

“Besides, the Sister I know would have been too lazy and just told me to hurry up, check, and get lost.”

Since the real Charlotte would have probably done just that, I couldn’t think of a rebuttal.

“Don’t tell me.”

As we struggled with the door between us, Jayden’s gaze suddenly sharpened.

“Is someone in there? Are you being threatened right now?”

Jayden truly had a vivid imagination.

“No!”

“Then why are you trying so hard to keep me from coming in?”

Because on my bed lies a handsome man with a naive expression, bound hand and foot with rope. And on top of that, I have a reputation for being a wicked villainess.

From an objective point of view, this situation was an undeniable crime scene. I was the perverted perpetrator, and Yugen was the poor victim!

Even if I explained that it was consensual and my explanation was accepted, that would be a problem in its own right.

‘I can see it now.’

Jayden’s cold glare directed at me, the expressions the rest of my family would make when they found out.

“Don’t come in!”

I summoned every last bit of my strength to prevent that worst-case scenario, but…

“Sister!”

*Bang!* I was no match for Jayden, who had decided to open the door regardless of my permission.

As soon as he entered the room, Jayden pulled me behind him and drew his sword.

Then, as Jayden took in the scene inside the bedroom, his eyes flew wide open.