Episode 43

Those madmen who throw money at ridiculous people are no different.

Raiden closed his eyes.

The events of the day felt like they had just happened.

“Th-thank you for helping me…”

His voice was unbelievably sweet. The sensation, blocked by a single piece of cloth, was vivid.

I thought I knew him well, but the Chase I met in the forest felt unfamiliar. As if someone had cast a spell on my eyes.

His red lips parted, revealing a beautiful, clear voice.

His softly falling hair brushed against my body. My gaze followed the ends of his hair to his glass-like transparent neckline. It looked as if red paint had been dropped on his white skin.

His body trembled with tension, appearing incredibly fragile.

The moment our eyes met, a strange sensation dominated my body. My waist felt stiff.

Ah, this could be dangerous.

Raiden opened his eyes. The white bandage he had tied around Chase’s neck was still there.

The clothes he wore were mine. This room where he slept soundly was mine. The bandage around his neck was also mine.

Everything was mine.

Am I committing a sin?

If not…

Are you committing a sin?

He chuckled as if he were mad.

The small ripple on the calm surface had now become a huge wave. That wave choked Raiden.

He fell endlessly into a bottomless pit. And he suddenly thought he might never escape from it.

But all of this didn’t seem so bad.

Maybe I’m truly mad.

His already wretched life, even if the end of the fall was an abyss, it didn’t matter.

Raiden propped his arms and faced him. The face he saw when opening and closing his eyes looked pleasing.

You said I was a good person, so you couldn’t be a liar. If you really were a liar, I wished you hadn’t been caught by me.

There was one more exception for him, who hated lies more than anything in the world.

* * *

I woke up again in the early morning. I rubbed my sore back and opened my eyes with difficulty. But at that moment, I saw Raiden sleeping in front of me.

Raiden’s face was too close as he slept soundly. I forgot about my aching back and held my breath.

Raiden didn’t make a sound. His sharp nose cast a shadow in the moonlight. Afraid that my breathing might wake him, I held my breath and straightened my back.

I didn’t remember when I fell asleep. The teapot, which had been steaming, was already cold.

“You said you weren’t sleepy…”

Well, lately, Raiden seemed to have trouble sleeping.

But sleeping while slumped over the table isn’t good. As proof, my back hurt too much right now.

I approached him carefully. I felt sorry to wake him up, but the night was still long. It would be better to sleep comfortably in bed and greet the morning refreshed.

“…Your Grace.”

Even though I called him in a very small voice, Raiden recognized my voice and slowly opened his eyes.

But he still looked dreamy, as if he were still in a dream. He blinked his eyes.

The world was still quiet, and the night was dark.

When our eyes met, it felt like Raiden and I were the only ones left in the world.

It felt like I was floating in the air because I couldn’t hear any sound. Could it be that this situation was a dream?

I blinked my hazy eyes again. It wasn’t a dream. I was standing by him to wake him up.

I spoke carefully.

“…Please sleep comfortably in bed.”

Raiden seemed unaware that he had fallen asleep.

“No.”

“Your Grace…?”

Leaving only the word “No,” Raiden closed his eyes again. He seemed to fall into an even deeper sleep than before, as I could hear his steady breathing.

If that was the case, I thought I should at least bring a pillow for his head.

Just as I took a step, Raiden, who hadn’t really been asleep, grabbed my hand as I tried to walk away.

“You said you’d stay by my side.”

When did he wake up? I looked at Raiden in bewilderment.

“Hiccup!”

At that moment, a silly hiccup came out. I hastily covered my mouth with the back of my hand.

But Raiden, without saying anything, led me to his bed.

“Your Grace?”

He forced me onto the bed.

Is he still not fully awake? As I hurriedly tried to get off the bed, Raiden covered my eyes with his large hand.

“Sleep.”

“…Here?”

“Don’t tell me you want a lullaby too?”

…It seemed he still thought he was in a dream. I decided to wait until Raiden fell asleep before leaving.

When I became quiet, his hand, which had covered my eyes, moved down to my shoulder. He patted my shoulder as if he were really trying to put me to sleep.

The next time I opened my eyes, it was late in the morning. Raiden was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

The events of last time felt like a dream. Did I really dream? All the memories were hazy. Thinking about what happened yesterday made me feel like I was floating in the sky.

“Chase?”

But the memories were accurate, except for the fact that I was quite dazed.

“Chase!”

Roel’s voice brought me back to reality.

“Senior?”

“Chase, you look very tired…”

Roel sighed softly. I gave a sheepish smile.

“What’s up?”

In response to my question, Roel pulled out a note from his pocket.

“Mr. Harmott asked me to give this to you.”

Although I didn’t open the note, I had a rough idea of what it might contain.

After parting with Roel, I carefully opened the note and found that my guess was correct.

[Chase, there’s an outfit I’d like you to wear. If possible, please visit the shop this weekend.

– Harmott

P.S. Come to the room on the 3rd floor, Chloe’s room.]

* * *

“Excuse me…”

As I carefully opened the door to the boutique, I felt everyone’s eyes on me. But since Harmott had already informed them, a staff member approached me.

“Are you Chase?”

“Ah, yes!”

She gave a kind smile.

“The Master will be here soon. You can either wait on the third floor or look around the boutique while you wait.”

Of course, I preferred to go to the third floor first.

“I’ll go to the third floor first.”

“Then I’ll prepare some tea for you shortly.”

I took a deep breath and walked slowly. I pressed the button for the elevator and waited quietly.

Soon, with a ding, the elevator doors opened. Just as I was about to get in without thinking, I heard a familiar voice.

“It’s been a while, Chase.”

It was Countess Howarth. She saw me and gave a faint smile. Then she nodded slightly to the staff member who was pressing the elevator buttons.

It meant for them to leave.

“Which floor are you going to?”

“The third floor.”

“What a coincidence, I have to go to the third floor as well.”

That’s a lie. I saw the elevator come down from the third floor.

But I nodded and got into the elevator.

“By the way, do you know who won our last bet?”

“You lost money because of me, Madam.”

I answered in a barely audible voice, and the Countess opened her mouth.

“I thought so too. It’s been a while since I lost such a large sum of money.”

“…I’m sorry.”

I bowed my head deeply and apologized, but Countess Howarth spoke indifferently.

“No, there’s no need to apologize. I didn’t lose any money.”

“What?”

I looked up, thinking I had misheard, and the Countess glanced down at me.

“You delivered a handkerchief to Lord Rubenstein, didn’t you?”

“…”

I unconsciously furrowed my brows.

She took a cigarette out of her cigarette case and put it in her mouth. Then she tossed me a lighter. Awkwardly catching the lighter, I hurriedly lit it and brought the flame to the end of her cigarette.

Blowing out a puff of smoke, the Countess spoke.

“Lord Rubenstein said he received the handkerchief well and sent me a bouquet in return. He’s a man who knows women’s needs.”

Countess Howarth tilted her head slightly.

“You won, Marie.”

As she spoke, the elevator doors opened. Her lips, painted with red lipstick, curled slightly. She stepped out of the elevator with the click-clack of her heels.

Unlike the first and second floors, the third floor of the boutique had a long corridor right from the elevator. Like a hotel, there were several rooms along the corridor.

The third floor was decorated in green, just like the exterior of the boutique, which was built with green bricks.

I hurriedly moved.

Countess Howarth’s destination was also the same as mine. She opened Chloe’s door with familiarity and went inside.

Chloe’s room was a bit messy. The Countess entered the cluttered room and plopped down on the sofa in the center.

She carelessly knocked the ash off her cigarette into an ashtray and then looked at me.

“I should give you the reward I promised. Thanks to you, I also received a large sum of money.”

I carefully sat down on the sofa in front of her.

“If there’s anything you know, please tell me.”

Perhaps my voice sounded a bit desperate, as the Countess appeared to contemplate for a moment.