Chapter 21
“Are you alright?”
When she wasn’t alright, he had covered her mouth to stop her from speaking, so it was annoying that he was asking now, so late. As she looked up at him with eyes full of sorrow, he stroked her back with a composed demeanor.
“I said, I didn’t want….”
“Because it hurt?”
His gentle tone, like he was soothing a sulking lover, made her inadvertently let out what sounded like a childish complaint. Feeling as if all her pent-up resentment was about to pour out, Esdel bit her lip hard.
“That’s part of it, and also….”
“Also?”
“…Don’t ask when you know everything.”
Esdel tried to get off his lap, but her drained limbs wouldn’t move as she wished. As a second-best option, she hung her head low and just fidgeted with her fingers.
Theodore buttoned up her shirt and then picked up the cloak that had fallen to the floor, wrapping it snugly around her. By the time Esdel’s eyes widened, she had already become a large cocoon.
He gently brushed her earlobe, which had turned red as always.
“Isn’t it about time you got used to this?”
“…You never touched… below there before….”
“Did I not?”
Theodore asked back nonchalantly, then conceded that he supposed that might have been the case. His indifferent attitude wounded her pride. At the same time, a competitive desire to shatter this man’s splendid mask welled up inside her.
The carriage came to a stop. Theodore lifted Esdel just as he had been holding her and walked into the inn. Since she didn’t have the strength to walk on her own two feet anyway, Esdel accepted her situation with a resigned face.
The twins must have been in the middle of dinner, as they were sitting at a table in the first-floor dining area and flinched upon seeing the two. Then they showed the courtesy of averting their gazes. Paying them no mind, Theodore ascended the stairs without any sign of haste.
She thought she should have just pretended to be asleep and kept her eyes closed, but it was too late for regrets.
The moment her body touched the bed, Esdel unwrapped the cloak that had been uncomfortably encasing her. Theodore took the cloak and her outer clothes from her and hung them up with his own.
She wanted to wash up. Her body, which had frozen and then thawed, felt sluggish. Esdel tried to get up from the bed, but Theodore stopped her. He gently held her shoulders and asked.
“It would be better for you to lie down a little longer.”
“I think I can walk now….”
“I know. It’s just that I’m being overly worried. Please be careful, just for tonight.”
When Esdel hesitated without agreeing, Theodore added another word. Please. There was nothing subservient about it, but the word was enough to make her feel his concern.
Since he’d put it that way, it was hard to refuse, so Esdel reluctantly nodded.
Theodore sat on the edge of the bed and said.
“It usually takes about three or four months for The Unknown to fully settle. Until then, seizures can occur depending on the Awakened’s condition.”
“…You mean something like what happened today could happen again.”
“It should be fine as long as you remain conscious.”
“Conscious?”
“It means you should avoid things like getting excessively drunk, fainting, or receiving a major shock.”
Esdel mulled over Theodore’s answer and nodded.
“Is it like this for all other Awakeneds? I’ve never heard that I should be careful because I’ve only recently awakened.”
“Your case is a little different. Because I intervened in your awakening, your body needs a little more time to adjust. To put it nicely, you could think of it as extending the adjustment period to alleviate the pain.”
“I see. So it was a choice between hurting intensely for a short time, or hurting mildly for a long time.”
The attempt to lessen the pain had, in the end, come back to haunt Esdel herself.
Instead of regretting the irreversible, she fumbled in her pocket and took out the note she had received earlier. According to what the mayor had said during the day, the group that sent this note was highly likely to be the ‘rioters.’
If I take into account the information the twins found, I could probably sketch out a rough outline of what’s happening within the Republic.
“Theodore. If you’re not going to let me get up, then please call Prince and Cess here. There’s something we need to talk about.”
👑🏰
Esdel, having changed, greeted her companions wearing a gown over her pajamas. Prince looked at Esdel lying in bed with a worried expression.
“Esdel, are you hurt somewhere?”
“No. I’m just a little tired.”
“…Come to think of it, this is your first mission, isn’t it, Esdel? You probably haven’t even recovered from the journey, and we made you go see the mayor.”
Esdel replied to Prince that she was fine and turned her head towards Cess. She was already sitting squarely at the table. It was truly strange how they could look so alike yet have such different auras.
Having spent the past few days with the twins, whether she liked it or not, the aversion she had felt when she first met them had diluted somewhat. Cess was quick in judgment and decision-making, while Prince was cautious and sociable. All in all, they made a pretty good team.
When Esdel shared what the mayor had said, the twins pointed out the parts that overlapped with the information they had.
Cess, with her chin propped on the table, said.
“First, it seems to be true that someone escaped the Caldea Research Institute three months ago. They said the guards were searching the streets all night back then.”
Prince, who was listening, also nodded.
“Also, I’m not sure if they’re rioters… but it seems correct that some kind of force is gathering within the Republic. It would be hard for them to avoid capture for this long unless someone is systematically hiding them.”
Having heard that much, Esdel showed the two the note. When she explained that she received it from a boy she ran into on her way back from the city hall, Cess frowned.
“I can’t tell if it’s an invitation or a trap.”
“Even so, we can’t just not go.”
Esdel said firmly.
This was as much as they could find out from a surface-level investigation. The people of the Republic, led by the mayor, and the unidentified people referred to as rioters. They would have to dig deeper into these two factions to find out the whole story.
Acting this passively would ruin even things that could have worked out. Considering this man still hadn’t forgotten the person he loved even though she died a long time ago, she must have been an extraordinary woman. It was unlikely that Theodore would have made the first move, so that woman must have had a formidable personality.
‘So I have to try harder. So that even when he looks at my face, which they say resembles hers, he’ll only think of me.’
“I’m ready now.”
“Thank you.”
“No, it was nothing.”
The sound of the horse’s hooves pawing at the ground was loud. For a while after, the two of them, while conscious of each other’s presence, did not exchange words, only occasional glances. Then, Theodore quietly broke the silence.
“Are you not upset that I didn’t tell you beforehand?”
Esdel realized he was talking about the sponsorship of the Caldea Research Institute.
“Not really. I figured you had your reasons.”
“You are being unusually generous today.”
Hearing this, Esdel smiled faintly.
“If we were to walk side by side, we would look like a loving married couple or lovers. Especially since we even matched the color of our outfits. Don’t you think?”
“I suppose so. Even more so since you so kindly attended to my attire.”
Theodore replied smoothly, then added.
“Judging by your demeanor alone, one would think you were going on a date, not going to meet a stranger who could be friend or foe.”
The words he added were particularly ticklish. He probably meant it in the sense that remaining as a kind and affectionate couple would seem more suitable for an undercover investigation, but Esdel felt a bit embarrassed, wondering if she had seemed that excited. Still, she decided to be more brazen. Being shy and reserved didn’t seem to be an effective method with this man.
“I hope the day that becomes a reality comes soon.”
Looking at the man who was laughing lightly, Esdel gathered her dress and prepared to get off. The sign for Rapel House began to appear outside the carriage.
👑🏰
Esdel, holding Theodore’s hand, stepped out of the carriage and carefully set foot inside Rapel House. Even if there was a party scheduled for this evening, 5 o’clock was still early. A woman organizing a deck of cards and a man busily stacking a champagne tower were the only people inside.
It may be this quiet now, but by the time we finish our conversation and leave, the party will be in full swing.
It was just as Esdel was wondering where she had to go to meet the sender of the note. A voice called to them from above.
“This way.”
Turning her head in the direction of the sound, she saw a woman in a black dress.
The woman, leaning against the second-floor railing, was wearing a white pearl necklace. With her hair beautifully braided up, she blended into the scenery of this social club. The corners of her lips were pulled up in a charming smile, but her hands were clenched, perhaps from nervousness.
“Would you come up? I’ve prepared a place.”
Esdel went up the stairs with Theodore. The woman moved at a slow pace so they could follow and entered a room in a corner of the second floor. Once everyone was inside the room, the woman locked the door.
“Nice to meet you. You’re Sir Esdel, right? I’m Vivian. Feel free to call me Vivi. And the gentleman behind you… is he a knight?”
“He’s my fiancé.”
“I see. A pleasure to meet you.”
Vivian nodded with a simple acknowledgment and then turned her gaze back to Esdel. She didn’t seem to have much interest in a companion she hadn’t invited.
It was surprising. One would think she’d be concerned about someone other than the person she requested showing up, and even if not, most people couldn’t tear their eyes away from the handsome man’s face.
As Esdel sat at the table, Vivian brought out a bottle of wine. The woman spoke about herself as if it were nothing of consequence.
“I am the lover of Director Mares of the Caldea Research Institute. I was also the one who delivered the note to you yesterday… and I also helped a few Awakeneds escape from the institute three months ago. Oh, and I was the one who sent the tip to the Salvation Knights.”
“…That’s a lot of information I didn’t expect to hear upon our first meeting.”
Esdel’s brow furrowed slightly.
Before they had even properly started talking, the woman had dropped bombshell after bombshell of information. A conversation is a two-way street. To give out so much information meant she was confident she would get just as much in return.
