episode_0090

When I opened my eyes in the middle of the night, I was startled to see Amelia’s face right in front of me.

The distance was long enough to clearly feel the slow breathing characteristic of a sleeping person.

For a moment, I thought I might have been too defenseless, but perhaps that was because I still recognized myself as a man.

A same-sex friend I’ve known for over 10 years.

He is a friend who has even been tasked with protecting his path for 10 years. They are so close that it seems strange to others that he even thinks about what to do with himself, so it is not strange for him to act like this.

If he had even thought about that in the first place, he wouldn’t have let me into his room and let me sleep.

… … What kind of expression will Amelia make if I break that taboo?

Just like this, if you wrap your hands around Amelia’s waist, press your body against her, and steal her lips.

Will Amelia look at me with a betrayed expression?

Will he stare at me with sharp eyes and tears at the corners of his eyes and pour out words of resentment?

… … .

I stepped back.

Amelia’s breath moved away from me.

Although I like Amelia, it’s not right to think like that. Getting excited by imagining things like that about someone I like… … Not some kind of adolescent boy.

Maybe she was really influenced by the hormones in her body as she entered her late teens. Although she had the body of a girl, the being inside was a man, so she must have gotten excited by seeing someone she liked.

I barely took my eyes off the sight seen through the wide chest of Amelia’s clothes and sat up.

“Phew… … .”

I exhaled and washed my face dry.

“… … .”

When my composure returned, I was lost in thought for a moment.

So, why did I wake up?

The body from Delki City, which was healthy enough to seem excessive, was different in many ways from the body I used before. My body, which had been consumed by alcohol and cigarettes since I was a college student, had not yet reached middle age, but was starting to creak little by little.

But this body didn’t have those parts, so I could eat well and sleep well whenever I wanted to. If I fell asleep in the middle of the night, I wouldn’t wake up without any reason.

That doesn’t mean you can carry yourself when you fall asleep. I don’t know if this is a feeling unique to Delki City people, but the reason I wake up is when something ‘out of the ordinary’ happens.

The last time I woke up, there was a blanket on my face.

I turned my gaze and looked at Pori’s house by the window, and Pori was sleeping happily in a basket with various nuts piled on top of a thick blanket.

The sight of him holding an unripened walnut was like something out of a children’s book, so a smile came to my face without me knowing.

Anyway, then the reason I woke up today is not because of Pori.

I got up from the bed and walked carefully so as not to wake Amelia.

I picked up my sword, which was propped up against the bed, and walked slowly to the door.

Then I put my ear to the door and listened to the sounds outside.

“… … .”

Squeak.

A faint sound was heard through the door.

If the market floor were a crowded place like a wooden city, I wouldn’t have been able to show the skill of distinguishing people based on that alone. In fact, when I chased after Adele, I didn’t realize that Adele was hiding, and in the ballroom, I didn’t realize that the crown prince was approaching. .

The crown prince approached with auras wrapped around his body.

But this house is very quiet right now. There is no reason why a nobleman’s mansion wouldn’t be quiet in the middle of the night.

The lights were on in the hallway, and employees were often walking around, but if you experience that every day, you get used to it. At least I know that employees don’t walk in the hallway at this time. I’ve already woken up a few times. .

… … However, that didn’t mean he didn’t know this trick.

I opened the door without saying a word.

“… … Brother?”

And then I called the person beyond.

“Oh, are you awake? I’m sorry.”

My brother, who was in front of the door, turned to me and said.

“What’s going on?”

I asked, looking at Brother Harvey. It seemed like he wasn’t looking for me or Amelia. His head was looking towards me, and his body was now slightly turned towards me, but he had been walking down the hallway just a moment ago.

I stuck my head out between the doors and looked in the direction my brother was heading, but all I could see was a straight hallway. In the distance, there was a long window up and down. There were lace curtains, but they weren’t specifically there to block out the sunlight.

There were a few rooms over there, but they were all empty. My brother chose the room at the end of this hallway to stay, so there was no need to go there.

“Oh, that’s right.”

hmm.

In response to my question, my brother was about to say something, but closed his mouth. He thought for a moment with his hand on his chin, then shrugged his shoulders and looked at me again.

“I’ll tell you about that during the day.”

“… … Is this something we can’t talk about now?”

“No, I think it would be better for the Grand Duchess to know.”

“… … .”

I looked up at my brother.

The eyes looking down at me seemed like it was no big deal, no different from my usual older brother. I didn’t feel any special emotions.

But I also knew that my brother was not the type to say things like that in vain.

In the novel, he was extremely shy, so he kept his mouth shut most of the time, and was frustratingly inflexible, but because of that, every word he said was truthful.

“I think I need to find out more clearly. I think it would be better to sleep again today and talk tomorrow.”

“… … Okay.”

My brother spoke quite firmly, so I eventually nodded.

“Okay, sleep well.”

“Have a good night to you too, brother.”

It looked like he wasn’t planning on sleeping today, but I said hello and closed the door.

And then went back to bed.

Amelia was still sleeping soundly in the bed.

The posture changed a little. Amelia, who had been lying on her side facing me, was now turning her body slightly and looking at the ceiling.

The lower body was still lying on its side, so even though the blanket was covered from the waist down, the body was fully exposed.

… … .

So, you’re saying you found something strange inside the mansion?

Okay, then.

I climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged.

And he placed the sword on his lap.

My brother told me to go to bed, and if he had said that, it would have meant that it wasn’t dangerous… …

Just in case.

Still, isn’t it my mission to protect Amelia?

*

I was sure that Amelia would be worried if she found out that I had been guarding the road all night, so I put the sword back in its original place and lay down next to her before she woke up.

I waited until Amelia opened her eyes, and when she got up and changed clothes, I acted as if I had woken up at that time.

It wasn’t that hard. If I was in a condition where I would have collapsed just because I slept a little less, I would have been sick in bed when I was running around the forest as a child.

When I finished getting ready and went downstairs, my brother came out first and was waiting for me.

“Did you feel comfortable last night, Grand Duchess?”

“Yes, of course. Did you feel comfortable, Harvey?”

Amelia naturally accepted her brother’s greeting, but—

“I have something to tell you about that story.”

My brother put his elbows on his knees and spoke with a serious expression.

“Yes?”

Amelia blinked and looked at me.

It was embarrassing to receive a greeting like that that other people would have accepted as normal.

… … Nature doesn’t lie. It’s been a while.

“Actually, I took a walk around this area before coming to this mansion yesterday—”

“… … .”

“… … .”

No, has it been since then?

It hasn’t been since I came here.

My brother seemed a little embarrassed when he saw us just staring at him.

“No, of course, I do not doubt the Archdukes who have supported this mansion. I know very well that the Archdukes have always treated our family with sincerity, but threats can come from anywhere at any time.”

“Ah.”

Amelia, who had heard the story up to that point, nodded.

Certainly, it may have seemed that way from the older brother’s perspective as he was dealing with an enemy that could appear at any time and from anywhere.

“Your love for your younger brother is really deep.”

“Ex.”

“… … I will take it as a compliment.”

“Ex.”

No, just deny it a little!

He told me to lose in a sparring match with Prince Evan, but then he asks why he can’t lie!

“Once again, I apologize for acting suspiciously. This has become like an occupational disease… … .”

“… … .”

I wanted to refute what my brother said right away, but since he said that, I couldn’t even say anything.

… … The reason I am able to live comfortably here is all thanks to my family.