While Others Became Female Leads In Romantic Fantasy Novels, I Became A Closet Monster
Chapter 30
I glared at Somerset and rotated my arms in a wide circle. I was warming up in earnest before giving him a proper lesson.
This punk is just as scared of ghosts as Axel.
The moment anything supernatural happened, he would run away without looking back.
So, I’m going to use that to punish him even more severely than usual.
Monsters were supposed to be beings that instilled fear in humans, after all.
If that fear was intense enough, it would leave a trauma.
I intended to gift Somerset with exactly that kind of trauma this time.
Looks like Joanna has left.
After confirming she was gone, I first lightly flicked the switch in the foyer.
The bright entrance was instantly swallowed by darkness.
“Wh-what?”
I heard Somerset’s startled voice, and I flicked the light back on.
As if trying to hide the fact that he had been momentarily frightened, he vented his anger on the servants who weren’t even there.
“Don’t you people manage the lights properly?!”
He huffed and puffed as he climbed the stairs.
“It’s all because of that brat. Ever since he started hanging around, nothing has gone right!”
By “that brat,” he was 100% referring to Dedrick.
As usual, he was a master at blaming others.
When Somerset stepped into the hallway, I turned off the lights again.
Whoosh.
The hallway was immediately submerged in darkness.
“Have the lamps gone mad?! My mood is already rotten enough, why is this happening?!”
His irritable voice echoed through the pitch-black corridor. There wasn’t a single servant in the hallway today, leaving the empty space in heavy silence.
I waited patiently in the dark until Somerset grew tense.
When there was no sign of the lights coming back on, his trembling voice finally drifted out, just as expected.
“Wh-why… why won’t they turn back on…?”
I immediately turned on a light in a corner a short distance away from Somerset.
Flicker.
Somerset flinched and stepped back in panic as the light turned on as if it had understood his words.
Watching Somerset remain wary of the quietly lit lamp, I suddenly grabbed a vase and hurled it.
“Aaaah!”
I turned off the light again and then turned on one even closer to Somerset.
As the presence drew nearer, Somerset stared straight ahead, frozen with a face full of terror.
This time, I violently shook the stand where a porcelain piece was placed.
Rattle, rattle!
“Wh-what are you?!”
Crash!
I pushed the stand over, shattering the porcelain, and turned off the light again. By now, Somerset was on the verge of tears.
“T-turn the lights on this instant! What do you think you’re doing?! Is anyone there?!”
Servants who heard that shouting would be coming up soon.
I prepared for the climax.
Finally, I turned on the light directly above where Somerset was standing. Somerset gasped, his entire body trembling violently.
“H-hieek!”
This time, I shook a frame hanging on the wall vigorously before dropping it right in front of him.
“M-M-Mommy…!”
Overcome with terror, Somerset collapsed onto his rear.
“Look at him calling for Delaney even now.”
Tsking my tongue, I looked around before delivering the finishing blow. I could hear the sound of servants rushing over, startled by Somerset’s screams.
Okay. Good timing.
I smiled gloomily at Somerset.
“One last shot left.”
Since you hurt Didi’s head, you should get a taste of it too.
I clenched my fist and struck Somerset’s forehead with all my might.
Thwack!
“Urgh!”
With a satisfying hitting sound, Somerset fainted right then and there. But perhaps the terror had outweighed the pain; as he lost consciousness, he ended up letting go of something else he shouldn’t have.
Trickle…
A dark stain began to spread across his trousers.
“Ack! The smell!”
I pinched my nose and turned on all the lights in the hallway. Just then, the servants arrived and looked around in confusion, trying to grasp the situation.
“Wh-what is this smell?”
“Isn’t that Young Master Somerset?”
A maid who saw Somerset fainted and soiled covered her mouth with her hand.
“Did the Young Master… just wet himself?”
“Shh! Be quiet! If word of this gets out, we’re the ones who’ll be finished for not attending to him properly!”
“But he really did wet himself. At the Young Master’s age…”
“I said be quiet!”
They hurriedly picked Somerset up and left the scene.
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I spoke up refreshingly.
“I did a truly wonderful job again today.”
Actually, maybe I have more talent for pretending to be a ghost than a monster?
I turned around excitedly, only to come face-to-face with Dedrick, who was staring at me with wide, round eyes.
I was so startled that I let out a scream. Seeing him equally surprised, I hurriedly blurted out a nonsensical excuse.
“I-I was defending the honor of monsters.”
Dedrick looked bewildered by the sudden remark, but my mouth, once opened, wouldn’t stop.
“Uh, I mean, monsters have to periodically traumatize humans.”
“…Really?”
Strangely, lies didn’t come easily when I stood before Dedrick.
Perhaps it was because he was so easy to fool that I felt a pang of guilt.
This is the first time he’s seen me like this, so he must have been very shocked.
What if he thinks I’m a monster that harms people?
While I was sweating and seriously contemplating how to escape this situation, Dedrick glanced over my shoulder.
There, he saw a servant quickly disappearing while carrying Somerset on their back.
Unconsciously, I stood on my tiptoes to block Dedrick’s view.
Watching me do that, he faintly curled the corners of his mouth and stepped closer to whisper to me.
“Let’s go to the room first. It’s dangerous here.”
Fortunately, he didn’t seem angry, nor was there any sign of fear.
His voice was gentle, as it always was.
I let out a small sigh of relief and replied with a forced brightness.
I immediately followed close behind Dedrick.
Seeing Dedrick limping, my nose felt tingly again, but I held it in.
Following him, we quickly arrived at the room.
He opened the door and stepped aside for me.
As I willingly went in first, he locked the door. Then, he gave an awkward smile and offered an excuse.
“I thought it would be better to keep the door locked tight from now on.”
Though Somerset would probably just break the door down anyway…
Dedrick carefully led me toward the sofa and sat down.
His blue eyes looking at me wavered with two different emotions. He seemed to hold some sort of expectation, yet a hint of anxiety was visible as well.
Why is he anxious?
Do you think I’m going to knock you out with a ghost commotion too?
No way. Why on earth would I knock Didi out?
That kind of thing was strictly reserved for punks like Somerset.
I spoke up quickly.
“I would never do that to Didi!”
I mean it!
At my sudden confession, his eyes widened in surprise before he let out a small laugh.
“You seem to observe people well, yet sometimes you appear quite clumsy.”
“It’s my greatest strength and weakness.”
“No, you have no weaknesses. I even like that about you.”
This little boy…
He had become much more comfortable expressing his feelings.
Honesty was good. It was a positive change.
“You read the anxiety, didn’t you? From me.”
“Mhm.”
“I’m not anxious because I’m afraid you’ll hurt me. I wouldn’t mind even if you stabbed me with a sword.”
“That is something you should mind…”
A Dedrick who hadn’t turned dark was such a softie.
No matter how well I treated him, if he were betrayed like that, he should be burning with a desire for revenge, yet he said he wouldn’t even mind.
It seemed he needed a bit of mental training.
“I would never do that, but if I ever betray you, you have to punish me twice as hard. I told you. If someone does something to you, you have to pay them back double. That’s how it should be.”
He neither agreed nor disagreed, simply smiling. Then, his lips parted as he cautiously began to speak.
“The reason I’m anxious is… because I was worried that you did that to my brother not for me, but for someone else…”
“Someone else? Who would I do that for besides you?”
There’s no one else I want to care for but Didi.
When I tilted my head in confusion, the anxiety in his blue eyes vanished into thin air.
Narrowing his lovely eyes, he took my hands in his and blushed.
“Joanna Primrose… I thought you felt sorry for her.”
“Feeling sorry is one thing. Even if I don’t pay her any mind, there are plenty of people who will care for her. Even if that weren’t the case, I only have eyes for Didi.”
I’m a single-minded person, so I only look straight ahead.
“Then it’s true you did it for me?”
“Uh, well…”
It was true, but…
For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to answer readily.
I turned Somerset into a bed-wetter for you!
Saying that was a bit…
It wasn’t like I’d done something grand, anyway.
“…Is it not?”
His shoulders slumped as if he were disappointed.
Oh, whatever. I just answered honestly.
“It’s true, I did it for you. It’s annoying for him to be the only one perfectly fine! When Didi is hurt and in pain like this… I hate that you’re the only one suffering.”
I spoke gloomily while looking at him, covered in wounds.
Only then did life return to his face.
Dedrick pinched and fiddled with my cheek, being careful not to hurt me.
“Why are you doing that?”
“…It’s soft.”
“Because I’m a closet monster.”
“Haha…”
Letting out a small laugh, Dedrick said to me.
“Closet monsters are soft, have horns, and are warm.”
Then I lightly gripped his index finger.
“You’re not disappointed, right? Even if you are, there’s nothing I can do. This is just the kind of monster I am.”
For a moment, Dedrick tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.
“Why would I ever be disappointed in you?”
“I knocked a person out. I’m not just a kind monster like Didi thinks.”
“You did it all for me.”
I nodded my head enthusiastically.
That’s right. Everything I do is for Dedrick.
It might be a burden, but deal with it!
“I’m happy.”
Only then did I smile in relief. Dedrick stroked my hair and asked softly.
“Were you nervous?”
“Very! I didn’t want to show you that side of me, but I got caught…”
My heart was thumping like crazy.
“I won’t be disappointed in you, nor will I get angry. So I hope you won’t feel so discouraged.”
“How do you even say such pretty things?”
At my words filled with sincerity, Dedrick burst into laughter.
Now I can take revenge legally.
Hehe.
Behind Dedrick’s back, I let out a very sinister laugh.
