CH 84

From a young age, he had a sensitive personality.

During a night of thunder when lightning strikes and rain falls like a downpour, he would have nightmares and sweat.

Then I would give Heinrich a side of my bed and pat him all night long, singing lullabies.

I remembered it all.

Still drowsy in sleep—

“…Are you sick?”

As I rubbed my eyes and lifted my head, Heinrich, who was at the door, shook his head.

“No…”

“Come here, Heinrich.”

As soon as permission fell, Heinrich cautiously walked inside.

When I gestured for him to bow down with my hand, he quietly squatted down in front of the bed and put his forehead on it.

I realized he had a slight fever when I touched his forehead. Very faint.

Seeing that his shirt and hair were wet, he seemed to be sweating.

I sighed quietly. It was obvious.

“Did you wake up from another nightmare and can’t sleep?”

“…….”

“How old are you, but you still have nightmares and can’t sleep?”

Heinrich looked a little shaky.

‘You really didn’t grow much.’

‘What am I going to do with you, Heinrich?’

Back then, I left with a lot of worries because of these aspects.

‘Do you have the same childlike habits?’

Heinrich crouched down at my bedside.

He certainly looked pretty tall, being over 180cm, but when he lowered his body, it felt like the size of Noah with a little excess.

“…I’ll be right next to you in a little while, Sister.”

Heinrich looked at the wall and leaned his head against it.

Dun, dun.

Then thunder roared loudly. Hmmm, I could see Heinrich’s body hardening.

Without realizing it, I laughed out loud.

“…What a baby, baby.”

Heinrich looked genuinely angry for a moment.

“Sister, why am I a baby? I grew this tall. I’m even the richest and most powerful ‘man’. I’m probably the number one groom in the empire.”

“Yes, yes~”

I smiled as I answered dryly.

What did you do while you were growing up, Heinri?

Even now, it was still a mystery how he became a grand duke when he could be defeated by thunder.

I shook my head and gave up one side of the bed, tapping with the palm of my hand.

“Come up.”

For a second, there was a gleam in Heinrich’s eyes.

His white teeth were slightly exposed as he straightened his face like he could not smile openly.

“…Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

If possible, I would just pretend I don’t know, but in fact, I actually remembered everything.

When he was young, on days when he had a low fever like this, he used to persevere by saying that he was okay, but then the fever would rise so much that he would get very sick.

‘I was worried that he wasn’t better even after I used all the fever reducers.’

He had a sensitive body, so there was no suitable medicine.

Surprisingly, Heinrich didn’t usually have minor illnesses, but was very ill once he got sick.

How much did I stomp my feet back then… The 12-year-old Annette was very upset.

…I wished I was the one who was sick instead.

It occurred to me how much I liked Heinrich.

“It’s because you’re not okay. If you keep doing that next to me, I won’t be able to sleep.”

“Okay.”

‘Is it because it’s been a while and it’s awkward?’

The tip of his ear that was lying next to me was a little red.

Heinrich lay down, clutching the blanket with his large hands and closing his eyes.

‘Cute.’

I smiled and patted his back.

“Heinrich, you’ve been very hard to take care of since you were little.”

“…….”

The handsome face lying face to face with me quietly opened his eyes.

Now that I looked at it, the color of his eyes seems darker than before.

It became stronger and more profound.

It was still shining beautifully and arrogantly.

“You liked me like that.”

“Right.”

I graciously admitted it.

“I liked taking care of you, Heinrich.”

“…….”

“When you are happy, I’ll feel happy for no reason.”

Such was the existence of the ‘favorite’.

He didn’t know.

Still, wouldn’t my efforts for Heinrich’s happiness be quite successful?

“That’s why I loved how you became so wealthy, Professor of Magic Tools, and even a Grand Duke.”

“What? Pfft.”

“Really.”

How pitiful you were in the original work I know.

I narrowed my eyes and said,

“…Honestly, I raised you very well.”

“That’s right, Sister.”

Heinrich’s expression mirrored mine.

We looked at each other and laughed like children for a moment. Like a long time ago.

Heinrich whispered, in case I was really sleeping.

“Sister, sing the lullaby.”

“Hey, didn’t you say you’ve grown up?”

“…I really wanted to hear it. Every time it rained, I kept thinking of it all night long.”

“…….”

“When I couldn’t sleep, I tried to fall asleep while thinking of Sister’s voice.”

I felt a little sorry for him, and said as I brushed his soft silver hair.

“I’ll sing it for you.”

I was still weak to Heinrich.

The lullaby of the dawn resounded softly.

Tock, tock.

With a hand that gently pats the shoulder in a certain rhythm.

The sound of rain and all the noises in the world were buried in that song and disappeared.

There was only stark peace in the room.

Soon, the singing voice subsided and the hand that touched Heinrich stopped.

Perfect silence filled the room.

“…….”

Heinrich’s long eyelashes were heard quietly at that moment.

He stroked Annette’s cheek with a long finger.

She was sleeping soundly.

‘You don’t know.’

‘How much I missed your face.’

‘If I wake up after meeting you hundreds of times, thousands of times in my dreams…’

‘That cold reality without you.’

‘That has been my nightmare all this time, Annette.’

“Sister, come on…?”

“…….”

Annette was silent, as if in a deep sleep.

He felt a constant exhalation of breath.

It was thrilling to know that this was real, that she was really there in front of his nose.

His dark eyes, as if swallowing the deep dawn, grew deeper and denser while capturing her image.

Heinrich groaned lowly, as if holding back his urge, and closed his eyes.

The moonlight shone sinfully on his beautiful face.

Ah.

He loved this moment so much that he wanted to remain like this.

‘I’d be happy to die like that.’

When he opened his eyes again, they were eyes stained with obsession and madness.

“…….”

Heinrich engraved each part of her face into his retinas.

‘…You don’t know anything.’

‘You’ve already been punished and sent to hell, Annette.’

‘I will never let you go for the rest of my life.’

The savage eyes gleamed happily.

Without a doubt, she gently put the pitiful and endearing him into her bed.

“Sister, don’t be so naive.”

He whispered in her ear.

“I…”

His voice deepened like the devil’s.

“What do you think I’m going to do?”

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

The same night.

Sislin’s aide, Owin, was watching the rain outside the window.

Rain was pouring down on only one area.

It was an artificially created dark cloud.

‘It’s obvious whose work this is.’

There was only one person in this world who could make something like that.

—Heinrich Hyacinth.

Still, Sislin had already instructed him to follow Heinrich’s path.

‘How the hell did he expect that?’

His master, Sislin, already knew that Heinrich would arrive at Bayonaire.

Although he had been by his side for a very long time, there were many times when he still had no idea how far Sislin expected and knew.

‘Anyway, report.’

Owin stepped away from the window and walked into the old mansion.

He wanted to choose a more comfortable and luxurious mansion, but he didn’t want Sislin to stand out.

Tok tok. Owin knocked.

“Come in.”

Only after permission had been granted from the inside did Owin enter.

Sislin was lying on the bed.

He seemed to be sweating quite a bit.

‘He must be suffering again.’

Thanks to the Crevasse, he obtained the most powerful abilities, but the side effects were severe.

If he takes medicine, he would become confused, and if he doesn’t take it, his senses would run so high that it would be difficult to get dressed.

Tonight seemed to be a painful night without any medication.

Sadly, he was used to it now.

“Say it.”

His master, who was lying face down with his huge and wide back exposed, gave an order without raising his head.

With each painful breath, the fine muscles and bones that were tightly attached along the deep vertebral line vibrated slightly.

—When will that madness disappear?

‘I should report it quickly and go.’

Owin lowered his head, bowed politely to his master, and opened his mouth.

“As I said before, Grand Duke Heinrich has arrived at Bayonaire today.”

“You did say.”

‘Shall I just report it till here?’

After a slight pause, Sislin asked again.

In a deep, cracked voice.

“Where is he now?”

“T-That is…”

As if sensing hesitation, Sislin raised his sweaty face and looked at him.

Blood-red eyes that were sharply forged.

Owin carefully spit out the truth.

“Tonight… It seems that he is staying ‘in’ Annette’s house.”

At that moment, Owin saw it clearly. The way his master’s eyes turned slightly.