CH 83

Episode 83: Goodnight and Go (I)

“…You’re going to sleep here?!”

How could I let you sleep here when you say it with that kind of expression, Heinrich?

It’s like a naughtly person with a lot of schemes.

I wondered why he was drinking milk tea quietly like an adult cat, it must have been because he was thinking about that.

Heinrich’s eyes drooped.

“I mean, I came here alone. I don’t know anything about this town.”

“…What about your servants? I mean you’ve become an archduke, but you’re traveling alone?”

‘Oh Heinrich, unexpectedly, you don’t know how to spend money?’

He must have the wealth to drag a thousand people behind him, like the Pied Piper.

I felt a little sad.

“As soon as I found out that Sister was here, I came in a hurry without bringing anyone.”

“…….”

“I missed you…”

Seeing the sullen puppy-like face, I realized.

I still love that face.

Actually, I had been feeling this for a while, but Heinrich had become an adult with a lot more of his old self than I thought.

I loved, cherished, and cheered passionately for his happiness…

Just like that 11-year-old boy.

It was a little strange.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him, like Sislin.’

Though the feeling of being with Sislin and the feeling of being with Heinrich were quite different.

Sislin was kind of…

He was so different that I was nervous and uncomfortable.

When we were together, my nerves were all over the place.

I looked at the gloomy Heinrich, and spoke quite calmly.

“It’s strange that you came all the way here without a carriage.”

‘I’ll have to check.’

Even if I remember the Heinrich of the past, I couldn’t give in to him blindly.

Fortunately, I was maintaining a certain degree of objectivity toward Heinrich (Heinrich was not a good character in the first place).

“Sister?!”

I jumped up and opened the window.

“…….”

And I examined the outside carefully.

Was there a carriage, or was there anyone waiting?

By the way…

‘There really isn’t.’

Then, how did he get here? The moment I was thinking so.

‘Heinrich is a genius wizard.’

Even if I didn’t ask him what method he used, it seemed okay.

The greatest wizard on the continent could use any method.

Heinrich rolled his eyes and smiled.

“See, nothing?”

I crossed my arms and sat down on a chair.

“Still, you can’t sleep here. If you came without a carriage, then you can go without a carriage, right?”

“Where can I go at night?”

“…….”

“You’re really too mean.”

I was shaken, but it was time to be determined.

“It’s hard to let you sleep here.”

‘I still don’t know how you’ve changed since then.’

Heinrich narrowed his eyes and moved to my side with a slightly distressed face.

“Then I’ll sit next to you. I want to be as close to Sister as possible.”

I chuckled in spite of myself. The table was small anyway, so there’s not a big difference.

But Heinrich looked serious.

I thought he was a little cute inwardly, but I purposely pretended to be cold.

“Eat some cookies.”

“Yes…”

Heinrich ate a cookie with a slightly gloomy face.

‘Huhu, you made the same face as you did when you were young.’

‘You still look like a baby.’

I asked while holding back my laughter.

“By the way, Heinri. How did you know I was here?”

“Secret.”

“Yes? Do you have a secret? I’m sad~”

“Why?”

Heinrich’s eyes slowly changed. He asked, twisting his lips.

“Why do you want to know?”

“……!”

The glint of apparent madness chilled me.

‘No, I don’t think it’s the usual.’

‘I don’t really want to know.’

In 10 years, even the mountains and rivers would change, so he could keep 100,000 secrets from me. Of course.

“No.”

I quickly shook my head.

“I’ll tell you if you have any questions, Sister. Anything.”

A beautiful man with a conspicuous face raised his red lips and smiled softly.

I desperately wanted to change the subject.

“Come to think of it, now…… Should I call you ‘Grand Duke’?”

“What are you talking about.”

Heinrich narrowed her eyes with a look of disgust on his face.

“It’s been a while since I became the Grand Duke, so it’s awkward for someone to call me that.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. Even in the Imperial Palace, there are people who don’t use honorifics and talk to me comfortably, like Marquis Vimotes. I think it’s because he’s my stepfather’s friend.”

Heinrich smiled brightly like an angel.

‘Oh my God, you’re kind, like a pushover.’

Still, if he’s a grand duke, he could be treated a little bit because of his high status.

He was now a member of noble society.

‘Don’t tell me, because he grew up in the Forest as a child, he doesn’t know how he should be treated?’

‘My baby… How are you going to live in such a difficult world?’

The fact that he was described as ‘arrogant and rude’ in the original was a misunderstanding. In that case, it was a plotline by the author.

“Just be comfortable with me, Sister. Yes?”

Heinrich rubbed his face on my shoulder like a puppy.

“I’m Heinrich, has Sister forgotten the Heinri that you loved?”

“Haha, okay. Okay.”

I ended up laughing like I used to.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

In the dark night.

Noah found an unfamiliar carriage.

From the splendid exterior, it was evident it was a noble’s carriage, but for some reason it was parked in a corner where no one could see it.

‘Wow, I’ve never seen such an expensive carriage.’

Noah blinked his water-colored eyes and watched the carriage while hiding.

Soon after, a man got off from inside.

He was holding a telecommunication sphere.

The man with brown hair and black eyes, although not glamorous, gave the impression of being loyal and prudent, somehow noble.

“Yes, Grand Duke. It’s Duncan.”

“…….”

For a brief moment, he seemed to hear a voice over the communicator.

“I will do as you command.”

Finally, the call was disconnected.

Duncan took something out of his arms (Noah didn’t know, but it was a magic tool) and activated it.

Then, tuk, tuk-tuk—

Raindrops began to fall from the sky.

Shwua-a-ahh— The rain quickly turned into heavy rain. Noah started running home to escape the rain.

Then suddenly Noah felt strange, and he stopped walking.

After a few steps, he couldn’t feel the raindrops anymore, as though the earlier rain he felt was a lie.

Noah’s water-colored eyes twinkled as he looked up at the sky.

“…Really, it’s amazing.”

As if the dark clouds were cut out with scissors and arranged, it was raining only on ‘one area’.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

“Oh? it’s raining.”

I went to the window and looked out worriedly.

There was leftover ‘cream bread’ on the table.

1 hour before—

It had been brought out as a gift by Heinrich (I was startled when a large loaf of bread came out of a tiny pouch).

“Sister liked cream buns. So I bought it.”

I burst into laughter.

“Heinrich, who gives bread to a bakery owner? It’s really funny.”

Heinrich scratched the back of the head and said he should have bought some jewelry instead.

But I was happy. I liked how Heinrich remembered what I liked, and bread was always welcomed by a bread lover.

In addition, he said that it was difficult to find the store that supplied bread to the Forest and airlifted it.

It tasted just like the bread I remembered.

The two of us enjoyed talking about the past and ate the bread until our stomachs were full.

Then we talked about the stories of the past.

Memories of the Forest…

While talking, I felt as if the 10-year gap was slowly collapsing.

But when the atmosphere was ripe, it suddenly started to rain.

“Heinrich, where are you going?”

“I looked around because the picture on the second floor was amazing.”

Coming down the stairs, Heinrich smiled harmlessly. Then he suddenly looked out the window.

“It’s raining.”

Heinrich lowered his eyebrows and said,

“I must have been here too long. Sister, I’ll see you again soon.”

“…Uh?”

“Today was really fun.”

Heinrich picked up the jacket he had taken off, then he walked to the door.

“Hey, Heinrich.”

I called him and stopped him.

“…….”

Heinrich stood tall, stopped in his place, and took a deep breath.

I pressed my lips together.

It’s raining at this late hour.

He came alone without a carriage and had nowhere to go, he said… 

‘Heinrich is especially weak on rainy days.’

He was sensitive since childhood, and he hated being hit by the rain.

In the end…

“Would you like to sleep in my house?”

“…….”

If Annette could see what expression Heinrich was making right now, she would have taken that statement back right away.

Heinrich turned and said, changing his expression.

“…Then shall I?”

After a couple of hours—

In the ripening hours of dawn.

It rained all the time outside the window. As if squeezing the sky and soaking the entire dark earth.

I was asleep in my bed.

Believing the same would be true of Heinrich, who was staying in an empty room on the third floor.

Tachak—

I woke up to the sound of the door opening and the hinges creaking.

First of all, the sound of rain falling down incessantly pierced my ears terribly.

“……!”

I suddenly looked at the door and was surprised.

Heinrich was there.

Damp shirt and hair, and eyes that were languidly out of focus.

He looked a little sick.

If it was not the case…

Then he looked oddly dazzling.

“…Heinrich?”

Broad shoulders and slender body leaned against the doorway.

Every time he let out a hot breath, the beautifully carved collarbone and the clean, boyish, pure white neckline were revealed.

“Sister…”

Heinrich opened his red lips that were like a bad fruit.

And he whispered.

Like a dreamer who lived only on a young lady’s nightmares and pleasures, with a terribly seductive voice.

“…Can’t I sleep here too?”