Episode 15: Someone Came in the Middle of the Night
Today was exhausting with so many things happening…
At night, in my own bedroom, I was sprawled on the bed, fully embracing the pull of gravity.
The silence of the room after so long was almost painful.
It felt like ages since I’d slept alone.
I’d been sleeping with Ati every night lately.
Not since the day I arrived at this house.
Gazing at the flickering gas lantern by the bedside, I reflected on the day’s events.
Ati was going to have another nanny. Of course, I intended to stay by her side tonight as well, but after talking with Maggie—
It was suggested that I should let the other nanny see Ati’s sleeping face once in a while, so I sheepishly backed down.
What could I say to that…? It’s true, isn’t it? If I monopolized Ati’s sleeping face? I’d feel bad, wouldn’t I? Because she’s the world’s treasure, right? A treasure should be shared by everyone.
Oops. Ati’s cuteness is an undeniable fact, so let’s put that aside.
There’s also the matter of the person who tried to hurt Ati.
I can’t even guess who it could be.
In the original Otome Game, the flow of the story suggested it was the tutor, Samuel, and the Head Nanny, Maggie.
But, seeing their attitudes today, it feels different.
Maybe it wasn’t them who instigated it, but they just took advantage of something someone else did?
If that’s the case…
Then there’s someone else who would benefit from Ati being injured.
One possibility is the Marquis. He might have wanted to solidify Ati and Eric’s engagement and secure the connection with the Duke’s family. Also, the possibility that he thinks it will be good for Ati is not zero.
But, wait a minute?
Suddenly, it occurred to me.
If Ati were injured…
Wouldn’t it be pointless if she died?
When a person gets full-body burns, it can lead to death in the worst-case scenario. Ati is still small, so her surface area is small too. One wrong move and she’d be engulfed in flames. Can you control such a delicate balance by “dropping a lantern from above”? Do you think that’s possible?
—Could it be that they were trying to kill Ati from the start, and she just happened to survive?
Eh. If that’s the case, it’s even more serious.
Someone tried to kill Ati.
But, if that’s the case… if it was someone in this mansion, I don’t understand why they’d cause an incident at the Andreu Estate. If they’re from this house, wouldn’t they have more opportunities when Ati is here?
Someone from the Andreu Estate, or a third party?
Ah, the range of suspects is widening.
It seems difficult to investigate this alone.
If only there was someone who could cooperate with me—
At that moment, that annoying monocle suddenly popped into my head.
I erased it. I erased it immediately. I banished it from my mind in an instant.
The tutor, Samuel.
Certainly, today, he asked for my cooperation to protect Ati.
But, that doesn’t mean I know if he’s really an ally.
He’s the guy who suddenly hurled abuse at me, you know? Forget being careless, what about him as a person?
—No, in this case, putting aside my personal likes and dislikes…
Should I cooperate if our interests align for the time being?
If he’s an enemy… I see. Conversely, being close to him would make it easier to grasp his movements.
Maybe I should try getting a little closer.
And if I determine that he’s a dangerous element, then—
Click…
I faintly heard the sound of a door opening. It was opened very quietly, so it was a very faint sound, but it caught my ear because the room was silent.
Who is it?
I was lying on the bed with my back to the door.
So I can’t see it.
Damn it.
I always leave the door unlocked when I sleep with Ati, so I forgot to lock it out of habit.
To enter my room so quietly in the dead of night…
An intruder, or an assassin?
Because if they had business with me, they would knock on the door.
There’s no reason not to knock, other than to approach me without waking me up.
I quietly reached for the knife I had hidden under my pillow.
The intruder is walking towards me, muffling their footsteps.
Slow, deliberate steps.
I don’t feel any murderous intent.
This guy is quite skilled.
I’ll pretend to be asleep.
My heart is pounding. Calm down, I mustn’t let them sense my tension.
The presence came right next to the bed.
The sound disappears.
What are they doing? Are they waiting for an opening?
Softly—
My hair moved.
Now!!
I grabbed the hand that was touching my hair and pulled with all my might.
“Uwah!”
The intruder cried out.
The moment I saw their body, I entangled my legs with theirs, dragged them onto the bed, and straddled them.
Then, I thrust the knife towards their neck.
—No, I can’t!
I stopped myself in the nick of time.
And, I took another look at the face of the person I was straddling.
“Marquis-sama… what are you doing?”
I asked in an astonished voice, with the knife still pointed at his neck.
The one lying on the bed with a surprised look was none other than the master of this house, Marquis Karamanlis.
“What am I doing? That’s my line,”
The Marquis looked up at me with an expression of astonishment that rivaled mine, and gently moved the knife away from his neck with his hand.
“If someone sneaks into my room, I’m going to think they’re an assassin or something.”
“Have you been living such a violent life…?”
I thought about it when asked. No? I haven’t, but isn’t being vigilant even when sleeping what a knight does? Well, I’m not a knight, though. But, you know, these are skills that are good to have.
“Well, that’s beside the point.”
I changed the subject because I couldn’t argue back.
I lifted my body to get off the Marquis.
“I almost hurt you. Really… what on earth are you doing at this late hour—”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
The Marquis grabbed my waist, stopping me from moving.
Eh. What?
While I was doing that, the Marquis’s hand reached out, one hand on my cheek, the other on my collar.
I reflexively—
Slap
I knocked his hand away.
“…What are you doing?”
“Ah, sorry. It was involuntary.”
Reflexively.
I also freed my waist, so I gracefully got off the bed.
The Marquis, with a somewhat subtle expression, lay on the bed and glared up at me.
“I was surprised. What’s wrong? Especially on a day like this.”
How insensitive can this man be, on a day when Ati is sick?
But the Marquis, contrary to expectations, sulked.
“…Isn’t this the only day I can?”
Huh? What does that mean?
“Isn’t this one of the only days you don’t sleep with Ati?”
Ah… that’s true.
Eh.
Wait a minute?
Then
“Marquis-sama, aren’t you afraid of my body?”
You can get in the mood looking at this scarred, twisted body?
When I said that, the Marquis averted his gaze from me slightly. Then, he touched his mouth as if he was having a little trouble saying it.
“Honestly, I was a little surprised. The scars were more extensive than I had heard.
But—as I said at the beginning, I didn’t marry you just to have my child.”
Ah, I think he said something like that.
But, well, usually you’d say that, right? You’d hide the fact that your only purpose is my body and children, right?
No, even if I was told clearly from the beginning, “I just want a child,” I’d find it refreshing and like him.
Could it be—
“Marquis-sama, are you into… the bizarre?”
No, it’s sad to say it myself, but. I’m proud of this body, but of course I know that it’s not the norm in the world.
Usually, it’s considered a virtue for a woman to be without scars. That something pure is beautiful. Screw those values, though.
The Marquis is still looking at the wall, his mouth mumbling.
Then, as if he had made up his mind, he looked at my face.
“No. It’s because you’re… Sergios’s sister.”
Again, that name popped up in an unexpected place.
I was completely caught off guard and stiffened.