Ch.35Chapter 35 – A Wrong Encounter

“Will you open the door while I’m still being nice?”

“…What?”

“I saw everything in there.”

As I stare wide-eyed at the violently shaking door, I hear that voice.

“Before I break down the door, it would be better to open it willingly.”

“………”

“Just so you know, I’m armed right now. You know what that means?”

In other words, don’t resist and just open the door quietly.

‘…Who is it?’

From the cold voice coming from behind the door, it was nearly impossible to identify the attacker.

To begin with, there were quite a few people who held grudges against Adler.

Maybe it’s one of my ex-girlfriends who attack me almost every day?

‘Wait, but I’m in disguise right now.’

While thinking about how to handle this, I suddenly remembered that I was currently disguised.

That means there’s no reason for me to be targeted as Issac Adler.

‘…Did my disguise come undone?’

I wondered if my disguise had briefly failed at some point, but thinking back, that wasn’t the case.

I clearly remember feeling relieved to be temporarily free from the cold or shining gazes that usually fixated on me.

And decisively, my reflection in the mirror still shows my crooked lips.

‘Then why on earth…’

“Creak… crack…”

Thanks to that, I was momentarily dazed, but when an ominous sound started coming from the doorknob, I snapped back to reality.

‘…Perhaps I’ve accumulated quite a bit of bad karma even in this form.’

None other than as “Issac Adler’s” alternate identity.

A normal person would have managed their reputation, but with Adler, there’s a possibility he went around doing even more outrageous things under this alternate identity.

Though it’s hard to believe, the fact that an unidentified assailant has come looking for me just from briefly showing my appearance leaves no room for doubt.

“Creak… crack…”

So, how do I get out of this damn situation?

‘I have no choice.’

After racking my brain as quickly as possible, I soon reached one conclusion.

‘I have to undo my disguise.’

It’s a simple solution.

If this disguised appearance is being targeted by someone, I can just undo the disguise and return to being Issac Adler.

Of course, revealing my true appearance in the middle of an opium den is practically suicidal.

I’ll show my true form briefly to the woman looking for me, and once the misunderstanding is cleared and she leaves, I can disguise myself again.

“…Meow?”

If things seem dangerous, I can always use Lady Clay, who’s still hanging onto my hand sucking blood.

“Tssssss…”

“Look, I don’t know what this is about.”

After making my calculations, I quickly undid my transformation and slightly opened the door.

“”………….””

Soon after, I couldn’t help but regret that choice.

“…Miss Watson?”

Because the identity of the attacker who had been pounding on the door was none other than Rachel Watson, with a pale expression.

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“W-why are you here?”

When Adler opened the door and spoke in a surprised voice, Watson’s gaze grew even colder.

“…That’s what I should be asking.”

Then, she quietly took out a gun from her chest and pointed it at Adler.

“Why are you in the room where Neville was?”

“…What?”

“Are you pretending not to know? Neville Saint-Clair. Someone very precious to me.”

As Adler backed away with his hands raised, his pupils began to tremble quietly.

“So you do have something to hide…?”

“No, I…”

Not missing that small change, Watson pressed the gun against his chest and began to interrogate him sharply.

“Don’t try to deny it. I saw it clearly with my own eyes from below the building.”

“What did you… see?”

“A man who couldn’t be found anywhere in London for a month, standing at the window of this room.”

Upon hearing those words, Adler unconsciously wore a blank expression.

“He looked in bad shape too. Even though I was right below, he just stared down with vacant eyes.”

“……….”

“But when someone entered the room from behind, he closed the window in a panic?”

As she spoke, Watson closed the door.

“Tell me the truth, Issac Adler.”

“Well…”

“What on earth did you do to my Neville…”

Then, exuding a menacing aura, she grabbed Adler by the collar.

“…Oh.”

Her line of sight caught the window connecting to the river behind Adler.

“Click… creak…”

The window, rumored to make bodies impossible to find if someone fell through it, was wide open and fluttering in the wind.

“No way?”

As soon as she realized this, Watson hurriedly moved toward it while still pointing her gun at Adler.

“Surely not…”

In her eyes was reflected the windowsill covered in blood.

“…………”

Of course, the reason the window was open was because Adler had opened it to threaten Lady Clay sealed in the ring, and the blood on the windowsill was from Lady Clay’s blood-sucking, who was now hiding under the bed.

“Issac Adler…”

But in Watson’s mind, unaware of the circumstances, one conclusion was forming.

“…Did you kill him?”

The horrifying fact that Issac Adler had pushed Neville Saint-Clair, whom she had been searching for so desperately, out the window after a fight.

“Was this the threat you made to me back then?”

“No. You’re misunderstanding.”

Watson’s hand holding the gun began to tremble.

“Is this what it was?”

“Miss Watson. Let me explain…”

And the next moment.

“…Ugh!?”

In an instant, Adler was grabbed by the collar and thrown onto the bed.

“Click…”

Rachel Watson, who had mounted him, was pointing a gun at him with tears in her eyes.

“Our meeting was trivial, and the time we knew each other was short.”

“Urgh…”

“But to me, it was nothing short of destiny.”

He tried to push away her hand, but Adler soon realized it was impossible.

His inherently weak body couldn’t overcome the strength of Watson, who was a former military doctor.

“Do you even know that I was planning to confess to him on the 21st?”

Nor could he use his vampire abilities or Lady Joanne Clay.

No matter how much he controlled his strength, it was clear that if he engaged in combat with the excited Rachel Watson, she would suffer serious injuries.

“…You wouldn’t know.”

But if he just stayed still, he was in a life-or-death situation where he’d end up with a bullet hole in his head.

“You piece of trash.”

“……..”

In such a crisis, the only option available to Issac Adler was once again just one.

‘It’s all or nothing.’

“Someone like you really…”

“Wait!!”

As Adler, who had finished his thought, desperately stretched his hand forward, Rachel Watson paused with her finger on the trigger.

“…I’m sorry for deceiving you, Rachel.”

“What?”

Not missing that brief opening, Adler hurriedly rubbed his mouth with the blanket and began to whisper in a low voice.

“But I had no choice.”

And the next moment.

“…….!”

His lips, crooked in a shape familiar to Watson.

“T-that shape…”

“Rustle, rub…”

Thanks to her stunned expression, Adler hurriedly covered his face with the blanket and pretended to rub it.

“Hmm, ahem.”

And a moment later.

“…Ta-da.”

Issac, who had somehow returned to the appearance of Neville Saint-Clair whom Watson had been searching for, spread his arms with an awkward smile and muttered.

“It was me all along.”

A heavy silence began to fill the room.

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“What is this supposed to be?”

“…It’s me, Neville Saint-Clair.”

“Liar.”

After staring down at the face she had been searching for so desperately, Watson eventually muttered in a cold voice.

“Someone like you couldn’t possibly be Neville.”

“…Then let’s send a telegram.”

Despite the chilling voice making his spine tingle, Issac Adler maintained his composure and whispered.

“What?”

“The contact network that Miss Rachel engraved on my hand.”

“……….!”

Watson’s pupils began to tremble finely upon hearing those words.

“How do you…”

“Because I am Neville Saint-Clair, of course.”

Meanwhile, Adler gently held Watson’s arm that was gripping his collar and whispered.

“Would you like to send one?”

After grinding her teeth for a while, Watson took out a portable typewriter from her pocket while still pointing the gun at him.

“Click… clack…”

And the typing sound began to echo in the room that had become quiet as a mouse.

“Whirr…”

“This can’t be…”

The moment the sound ended, a message began to appear on Adler’s palm.

“Is it really you?”

“Do you believe me now?”

Rachel Watson lowered her gun with a shocked expression after seeing the message she had sent appear on his palm.

“…So you were Issac Adler?”

“No, no, that’s not possible.”

Hearing the trembling voice that escaped her lips, Adler’s eyes lit up as he began his story.

“Issac Adler is my junior.”

“What?”

For the sake of the only route that could get him out of this crisis.

“…Did I ever mention that I once worked in a theater troupe?”

“Now that you mention it… you did mention it a few times…”

As Watson nodded slowly, recalling the memory, Adler continued with a winning smile.

“Adler, who was unknown then, was a newcomer there.”

“R-really?”

“In fact, the disguise magic he uses, I taught him for free. Hahaha…”

Scratching his head and laughing, Adler checked the expression of Watson, who was wearing a blank face.

“Anyway, as I continued to teach him because he was hardworking and talented, we became quite close.”

“Ah…”

“Even now, I remain on good enough terms with him to readily grant personal favors.”

Then, Adler cleared his throat briefly.

“But recently, he asked me for a favor.”

“A favor?”

“Yes, he asked me to stand in for him for a month.”

After thinking for a moment, he resumed his story with a serious expression.

“It was a simple job of periodically receiving certain items from the opium den.”

“……….”

“Of course, he couldn’t do it himself. If a famous actor entered this place, it would cause an unfortunate scandal.”

At this, Watson’s expression began to harden.

“But I had disguised myself as him a few times while teaching him for several years.”

“So…”

“I just had to come as myself and only disguise myself as Adler inside the room.”

Checking her reaction again, Adler continued his explanation with a slightly tense expression.

“Anyway, today was the last day, but I never expected to see Miss Watson as soon as I opened the window…”

“……..”

“I wasn’t even disguised as Adler at that point. And to make matters worse, the courier arrived just then…”

“Are you insane?”

But before he could finish, Watson’s cold voice cut in.

“Don’t you see the blood on the windowsill? This is a place where people die at the slightest provocation.”

“…I know.”

“Then why on earth…!”

She was about to raise her voice but closed her eyes tightly and swallowed her anger.

“…I’m disappointed.”

Then, she looked at Adler with eyes that had grown cold.

“For the past month, I’ve been anxiously waiting and praying for you after you cut off contact.”

“…Miss Rachel.”

“And the reason for the silence was to help a lowlife scoundrel with his crimes.”

After saying that, Watson got up from her position.

“…I can’t stand the sight of you.”

And she quietly began to walk toward the exit.

“Rachel.”

Adler, sitting on the bed, desperately grabbed her arm.

“Let go.”

She glanced at him coldly and muttered.

“I didn’t know you were this kind of person…”

“…But I had no choice.”

Adler, who had caught her again, quietly reached his hand under the bed.

“To prepare this as quickly as possible.”

“…Meow!?”

Then, he pressed down hard on the stomach of Lady Clay, who was lying flat.

“That is…?”

A moment later, when he pulled out a ring with a sparkling red jewel, Watson’s eyes widened.

“On the 21st, I noticed what you were planning to confess to me.”

Carefully taking her hand, Adler averted his gaze.

“But you know.”

A blush appeared on his cheeks.

“How could I let the woman I love confess to me directly?”

And the next moment, the ring that had sealed Lady Clay began to slowly slide onto Watson’s ring finger.

“…So I looked for an engagement ring, but it was far beyond my salary.”

“………”

“But I didn’t want to give you a cheap ring for something that happens only once in a lifetime.”

After pushing the ring all the way in, Adler muttered in a low voice.

“So I kept it a secret and took Adler’s request…”

Then, he knelt on the bed.

“I think my thinking was too short-sighted.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I didn’t consider you enough.”

Watson’s eyes, which had been blankly listening to Adler until then, began to shake violently.

“I’m sorry, Rachel.”

Meanwhile, Adler bowed his head and offered a sincere apology to Watson.

“…Perhaps you’ve already lost your feelings for me because of my foolish actions.”

After keeping his head bowed for a while, he gently took the hand of Watson who was standing in front of him.

“But I really want to say this.”

Then, looking up at her with an awkward smile.

“…I like you, Rachel.”

“………”

“Will you be engaged to me?”

As those words ended, a different kind of silence began to fill the room.

[London Lady: Completed 1 fraudulent marriage with Watson.]

[Progress: 20%->70%]

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A few minutes later.

“………..”

Sharlotte Holmes, who had been pacing in front of the room where Watson and Adler were in a daze, soon realized that the door wasn’t locked.

‘…Alright.’

After sweating nervously with her hand on the doorknob for a while, she finally decided to trust the two and slightly opened the door.

‘Just because they’re alone in a room doesn’t mean they have that kind of relationship, that would be stupid…’

But less than a second after opening the door, Sharlotte’s precise brain came to a complete stop.

“Creak… creak…”

Because her only friend Watson and Adler were sharing bodily fluids on the bed, with their hands and navels pressed together.

“…Hey, you two?”