-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: A Restless Night
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In the silence, the sound of Yugen's deep breathing was clear.
*He's not a still sleeper, is he?*
I was still in the same spot where I'd fallen asleep, but Yugen had moved over to my side.
"Mmm."
He shifted once, and our bodies pressed together. The feel of his solid muscles against my right forearm...
*Aaaah!* A silent scream escaped me.
*I take back what I thought about not being nervous!*
Nervous? I'm practically dying of it. But it's a pleasant sort of tension. Unlike with the Crown Prince.
Plus, Yugen has a pretty face. Charlotte's eyelashes are quite long, but Yugen's were just as long. No, maybe even longer?
I read somewhere that camels evolved to have long eyelashes to protect their eyes from desert sand and harsh winds. I don't know for sure, but maybe it's similar for him, being a descendant of a desert tribe?
I took the time to appreciate his looks at my leisure. Considering how I'd stared blankly at the Crown Prince's face yesterday, I'm definitely a sucker for a handsome face.
Oh, gods, you must have sent me to this world for this very moment. I'm sorry for cursing you out, saying I'd been dropped into a romance fantasy world only to be endlessly criticized with none of the typical protagonist developments.
Just as I, feeling infinitely generous, offered a prayer of thanks to a god I wasn't even sure existed, Yugen began to move closer toward me.
He was practically hugging me now. And still, he didn't stop moving.
Oh my, we only just met today, we can't be doing this... No, I mean, we physically can't. There's no more room for me to back away.
"Ah!"
I, who had been clinging precariously to the edge of the bed, finally fell to the floor. A dull ache spread through my body.
"Oof, my back."
Clutching my back, I stood up and glared at the still soundly sleeping Yugen. This guy, someone fell out of bed because of him, and he's sleeping just fine.
No, it's fine. It can happen. How can anyone be perfect? Yugen is exceptionally talented, has a good personality, and his face and body are beyond question.
"A flaw like this just makes him more human. It's fine, it's fine. I can just go back to sleep."
I looked at the spot I'd vacated, now fully occupied by Yugen, and went to the other side of the bed. Let's just get back to sleep instead of drooling over a sleeping person.
However, things did not go as I expected. Before long, Yugen began his advance from the far side of the bed toward me again.
"...You have some very dramatic sleeping habits."
In the end, I had no choice but to move to the other side of the bed once more, hoping this would be the last time.
As I'd hoped, that was the last time Yugen rolled toward me in his sleep. Instead...
"It's heavy!"
I shot up and pushed Yugen's leg off my lower body. The man had started sleeping diagonally, making it inevitable that our bodies would overlap.
"Patience, be patient."
A surge of annoyance rose in me, but seeing Yugen sleeping with such an angelic face softened it. I'll just sleep at an angle too, so we don't overlap.
To put it simply, my solution had little effect. Because Yugen went beyond sleeping diagonally and started rotating a full 360 degrees.
I had to keep moving, only managing to catch short catnaps. Finally, blinking my dry, sleepless eyes, I decided to change my way of thinking.
*I take back everything good I thought about him...*
How can a person be like that? Is he actually awake and doing this on purpose just to mess with me?
And so, after a night of deep sleep for one and sleeplessness for the other, morning arrived.
There may be people in the world who can go a day or two without sleep and be perfectly fine, but I'm not one of them. I am not!
Even when I was studying for exams, I made sure to sleep every single day. I was the type of student who would rather cleanly give up on finals or midterms than pull an all-nighter to cram.
Is this punishment? The punishment dealt by those who suffered from terrible insomnia because of the comment I left.
But, come on, did I know things would turn out like this when I posted that comment? Why is this happening to me? It's so unfair. So unfair.
As my sleep-deprived brain spiraled into extreme thoughts, Yugen spoke.
"Did you sleep well?"
*Did I sleep well?* The guy who wouldn't wake up for the life of him when I tried to wake him now opens his eyes as soon as morning comes.
When I didn't answer, Yugen came closer and looked down at me as I lay there.
"You don't look well."
In contrast to me, Yugen's complexion was noticeably better than yesterday, thanks to a good night's sleep for the first time in a while. His face was practically glowing... he really was handsome.
"Are you sick?"
His careful voice was laced with concern. His eyebrows drooped. My eyes must be playing tricks on me, because Yugen started to look like a big puppy.
*Don't get soft!*
Wasn't it this face that made me turn back every time I tried to leave the bed during the night? Whenever I got up to go to the sofa, Yugen would flinch as if having a nightmare.
It seems that even if he's already asleep, the moment I leave, it stops being my bed. That damn curse, it's so meticulous.
Although it wasn't intentional, Yugen's sleeping habits tormented me all night. I have every right to complain.
"Yugen."
"Yes?"
"So, um."
"Should I get you some medicine?"
"It's not that..."
"I've seen it a lot. People die easily."
"Huh?"
"You have to say something right away when you're sick."
Yugen squeezed my hand, but he controlled his strength so it didn't hurt. His hand was covered in scars and calluses, as if reflecting a life full of hardship.
I cleared my throat and then spoke.
"I'm not sick at all. I'm fine, so don't worry."
"But your complexion."
"I said I'm fine."
I can't bring myself to say it! How can I complain when he's making such a sad story with that adorable face?
*So what if I missed a little sleep? Yugen suffered from insomnia for months because of my comment.*
*Sob*, my Yugen deserves a lifetime of happiness. Even if he doesn't get chosen by the female lead, is love everything in life? The second male lead can be happy too!
I patted Yugen's hand.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, for the first time in a long while."
He looked at my bed with an almost enchanted expression.
"I like this bed. Give it to me."
I wanted to give it to him, but the problem couldn't be solved just by taking the bed.
"I'm sorry, but I can't."
"...Really?"
"How about some cookies instead? Wait a minute. I should still have some cookies I stashed away."
Charlotte avoided sweets to manage her weight, so I naturally became self-conscious about it. Whenever I tried to eat something, the maids would stare at me with wide eyes.
Suddenly, Yugen's eyes sharpened as he stared at the door.
"Someone's coming."
I glanced at the clock and saw it was time for the maids to wake me. I hurriedly pushed Yugen.
"Hide! No. It's better if you just leave!"
"What about the cookies?"
"This is not the time to be asking for cookies!"
Yugen looked disappointed but darted out onto the terrace like an arrow.
"Thanks. See you again."
He said his farewell and leaped down. Without making a single sound upon landing, he instantly hid himself among the garden trees.
"'See you again'..."
He's a noble, so we might run into each other at a large banquet someday. But I have no intention of resuming my social activities and plan to leave the capital as soon as possible.
Besides, now that the curse on the bed is broken, will there be any reason for us to meet again?
"Still. It would be nice to run into him by chance."
I muttered. As long as the circumstances aren't like they are now, there's nothing wrong with meeting a character I like.
A few days later, I had no idea that I would come to regret these words I'd muttered to myself.
***
Seeing me sitting at the breakfast table, Marchioness Lindsi asked with concern.
"You look terrible. Didn't you sleep well?"
"No, I couldn't seem to fall asleep."
"I'd imagine so. With your personality, how could you sleep after what happened?"
She was talking about Sir George and the pickpocket. It was clear that George had looked down on me and planned the crime. The Marchioness seemed to think my pride had been deeply wounded because of it.
*...But I couldn't sleep because of someone else.*
I swallowed the truth and let the Marchioness misunderstand.
"Holding onto your anger will make you sick. The culprit has been caught, so just forget about it."
Marquis Lindsi chimed in from the side.
"That's right! Why don't you go to a tea party or something for a change of pace?"
"But I'm under confinement, aren't I?"
"I heard from the chief of security that it was all thanks to you that George was revealed as an accomplice. They said you used your wits to draw out a statement from the pickpocket."
"That's an overstatement. It was thanks to Lord Mont."
It seems the security chief was just flattering the Marquis to get on his good side.
"Still, the fact that you didn't cause a scene and calmly called for security is something."
"I only did what was expected of me."
Marquis Lindsi's eyes welled up with tears.
"Charlotte, you've really matured. To make such a sensible remark..."
Perhaps because the original Charlotte lived so recklessly, I get praised just for acting normally. Should I be happy about this, or sad?
"In any case, with the way you are now, I think it's fine to lift your confinement. You have, in fact, been very quiet for the past few months."
The Marquis hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"I'm starting to wonder if I've been too hard on you all this time. You're such a soft-hearted child."
"Father."
For the first time in a while, a warm atmosphere filled the dining room of House Lindsi. I appreciated the sentiment, but when they act like this, it's hard to refuse their suggestions.
The truth is I just like being at home, but the Marquis seems to think I'm pitiful. He called the butler and asked.
"Have any invitations arrived for Charlotte recently?"
All invitations that came for me during my confinement were handled by the butler. At first, he would ask me how to reply to each one, but since I didn't know who anyone was and it was a bother, I just left it all to him.
"There are a few."
"Bring them here. My dear, why don't you take this opportunity to see the friends you haven't been able to meet?"
"My lord, however..."
"What is it?"
"It is not an invitation, but a flower basket arrived for the young lady this morning. I believe I must report it, considering who sent it."
A flower basket? I naturally perked up at the butler's words. Jayden, also curious, glanced toward the butler.
"Who sent it?"
The butler replied to the Marquis's question.
"It is from the famous great mage, Kirie."
