TNDOBM 18

Chapter 18

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

He waved his hands and glossed over it, but she hadn’t asked because she didn’t hear his muttering. It was purely because his words were so baffling.

*’Nothing, my foot. I heard everything.’*

Unfortunately, she wasn’t the kind of novel heroine who couldn’t hear things muttered right in front of her.

*’…Well. I guess that means Plan D is proceeding well.’*

Cecilia decided to deliberately ignore her prospective lover’s peculiar preferences.

So she saw nothing—not Lien’s furtive glances as he tucked the handkerchief back into his chest, not his flushed, deeply satisfied smile as he put it away.

Whether he knew of her efforts or not, Lien, who had returned to his usual state, turned toward the door.

“Then I’ll go get us something to drink.”

“Alright.”

As soon as his broad back disappeared, Cecilia plopped down onto the sofa with a thud.

By nature, electronic devices whose batteries had died should conserve power.

Without even lifting her head, she rolled her eyes to check the time.

The practice had run longer than she thought; lunchtime had already passed.

*’Maybe I was more tired because I was hungry.’*

Having found a reason for her unsteadiness, Cecilia suddenly remembered the basket she’d left on a corner of the desk.

*’Come to think of it, Melanie packed me some snacks.’*

Melanie, who had been worried about her exhausted master, had insisted she not skip meals and prepared it for her.

The rattan basket would contain appetizing egg sandwiches and a drink made from blended strawberries.

*’The weather’s nice, so I should ask if he wants to have lunch together in the garden.’*

Gathering her depleted motivation and the basket, Cecilia left the room with some effort.

*’Is Lien in the kitchen?’*

She didn’t remember the kitchen’s location, but it was probably somewhere on the first floor. Guessing so, Cecilia marched straight ahead.

Only her footsteps echoed softly in the silent corridor.

It would have been nice if she could ask for directions, but just like when she’d first arrived at the mansion, not a single servant was in sight.

Instead, brooms moved across various parts of the house on their own, sweeping, and rags squeakily wiped the windows.

*’It’s just like a haunted house.’*

After his identity was discovered, he no longer hid the magic engraved throughout the house.

The first time she saw a feather duster floating against gravity, she’d been so surprised she’d felt like offering condolences to Newton.

Now quite accustomed to the sight, Cecilia looked around.

According to her memory, turning the corner should lead to the lobby connected to the entrance, but she was still in the middle of a corridor.

*’Was it a right turn?’*

Perhaps because she’d always been guided by Lien each time, she’d unexpectedly become lost.

One small relief was that the corridor looked familiar.

*’I think this is the place he showed me when he gave me a tour of the mansion on the first day.’*

She seemed to recall him saying the room with the dark wooden door was the bedroom.

Lien’s bedroom.

A sinister curiosity flickered for a moment, but she had enough common sense not to invade someone’s personal space.

Ending her brief internal conflict, Cecilia resumed walking, trying to act as if she hadn’t noticed anything.

But she soon stopped short.

Because right next to the bedroom, there was a room that was obviously suspicious to anyone.

A narrow door that seemed only half the size of the bedroom door. And a strange engraving on the doorknob that looked like a magic circle.

Moreover, the squiggly letters within the engraving were moving as if floating on water.

*’Is this some kind of secret room?’*

Just as Cecilia, who had finally thrown common sense out the window, reached her hand toward the doorknob—

A large hand covered hers.

“I think it’s best not to enter this room. It’s not tidy.”

Following the black half-glove that barely covered the back of her hand, she slowly raised her gaze.

Standing behind her like a wall, Lien was there, and she hadn’t noticed when he’d approached.

Feeling caught like a child doing something wrong, Cecilia quickly let go of the doorknob.

“Sorry. The engraving was so fascinating that I ended up examining it…”

Cecilia deliberately apologized, pretending to be sullen. As expected, Lien looked quite flustered and hurriedly shook his head.

“Ah, no! It’s just that this place is like a storage room, so I was embarrassed to show you…”

*’Do people usually lock up a room that’s practically a storage room? And with magic, at that?’*

Just before he’d caught her, she’d tried turning the doorknob, but it hadn’t budged.

There was no keyhole either, so it was probably locked with magic.

But everyone has a space where they hide things they want to keep from others, right?

She thought of the diary hidden in the bottom drawer of her desk, the poetry she’d written during her days raising a Black Flame Dragon, and the R-19 novels she’d slowly accumulated.

*’Okay. Let’s drop the interest right now.’*

She didn’t want to kill Lien with embarrassment.

“Still, I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.”

“No! Aside from this place, you’re welcome to go anywhere in the mansion. Ah, would you like to see the bedroom right next door?”

The bedroom.

The battle between reason and instinct was very short.

It had only been five seconds since she said she’d be careful. Cecilia readily accepted his offer.

“If you don’t mind.”

Since he was offering to show her his most private space first, there was no reason to refuse.

“I don’t mind at all. Though I’m a little embarrassed because there’s nothing much to see.”

Following along behind him, Cecilia soon realized his words weren’t just empty pleasantries.

Inside the spacious room, only a large bed sat alone, like a lone sailboat on a vast sea.

“Wow, there really… isn’t much.”

A murmur that could have been admiration or lament escaped her.

The only interior decoration was a thick blackout curtain that didn’t match the room.

“The room seems so empty—why don’t you fill it with some furniture?”

“Well, actually, I rarely sleep in the bedroom.”

“Pardon? Then where do you sleep?”

“Usually on the sofa in the practice room, or on the cot in the lab.”

“The lab?”

*’I feel like I just heard a word that triggers trauma.’*

When Cecilia asked back with a dubious look, Lien’s eyes sparkled.

“Yes. It’s in the basement—shall I show you?”

“No, I don’t really want to see that place.”

Cecilia shook her head very quickly and firmly.

Memories of sleeping in short naps on a cot in a corner of the lab, pushing aside a cluttered experimental table and covered with a thin blanket, conducting experiments on a two-hour cycle, had come flooding back.

Just recalling it made her want to go home, like a conditioned reflex.

Feeling even more exhausted, Cecilia left the bedroom without hesitation.

“Since I’ve seen everything, I’ll be heading back for today.”

Her plan to have lunch together had just been scrapped.

Judging by the state of things, it seemed she should donate to him rather than share a meal.

“Here, these are sandwiches and juice—you eat them, Lien.”

“Pardon?”

Lien, who had taken the basket somewhat bewilderedly, blinked his large eyes.

“…Did you prepare this for me?”

It wasn’t exactly that, but Cecilia nodded vaguely anyway.

Since it was a gift for him, the meaning was the same, wasn’t it?

“It seems too precious to eat.”

“Still, don’t let it spoil. Make sure you eat it.”

“Yes!”

Lien hugged the basket with one arm, as if he’d just received a priceless treasure.

Seeing him happier than she’d expected made her feel a tiny pang of guilt.

*Hmph.* Cecilia cleared her throat softly and spoke.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

“I’ll escort you to the estate.”

It was an unnecessary offer since it was just next door.

But whenever they had lessons at his mansion, Lien always escorted her all the way to the Weberdin main gate.

“Alright.”

Cecilia placed her hand on his arm, as she was used to doing.

Thanks to the host, she was able to reach the entrance hall without getting lost again.

Just as she was about to leave the mansion, something occurred to her and she let out an “Ah!”

“By the way, because of the relief festival and the celebrations, guests have been coming and going frequently these past few days. The main gate will be noisy, so it might be better to go around through the back gate.”

“So that’s why the area near the mansion has been more crowded than usual.”

It was enough commotion to wake her up every morning, so Lien must have noticed too.

“It’s the biggest event held in Weberdin, and apparently it’s always like this around this time. They say the festival itself is enormous too… Lien, have you ever been to this kind of festival?”

“Yes. But it was so long ago that I don’t remember it well.”

At that moment, a good idea she’d put aside for a while flashed through her mind.

“So, here’s the thing. If you have time tomorrow, would you like to go to the festival with me?”