Chapter 27
When Adi opened their eyes, they saw a familiar ceiling above. White, with decorations. Yet somehow it felt strange.
Adi’s room was rectangular, but this room was square. An unfamiliar ceiling?
Adi sat up. Their body felt light. Their clothes hadn’t been changed. Though clammy with sweat, their physical condition felt remarkably good.
But where was this? Adi surveyed their surroundings. Nothing suitable as a weapon. But they hadn’t found the hidden dagger—the blade tucked against their inner thigh was still there. Gripping the dagger, Adi opened the door and stepped out.
This was an unfamiliar bedroom.
Red hair lay against white bedding.
For a moment, Adi felt relieved. There was someone they knew. But the size wasn’t what they remembered. Though the red hair was familiar, the length and overall build were completely different from the Duke’s.
“Your Grace?”
No response.
Adi approached the bed.
The man sleeping with closed eyes wasn’t the Duke.
As Adi drew the dagger from its sheath, the man opened his eyes. Seeing the blade before him, he grabbed Adi’s wrist and pulled them onto the bed, pinning them down.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Was his face similar to the Duke’s? Hard to tell. He had a long beard. His build and voice were completely different. His strength was even enough that Adi couldn’t break free.
Though their technique and endurance might match a man’s, raw strength was harder to overcome. They couldn’t counter this force pinning their hand. Though physical conditions were unavoidable, Adi thought their reflexes might be different and tried to raise their knee, but that too was pinned. The man looked at Adi in bewilderment.
“Adi Grimaldi.”
“…Who are you?”
“What?”
The man questioned. Just then, perhaps hearing the commotion inside, a servant opened the door and entered.
“Your Grace?”
The servant stopped, seeing the man. Then, looking at the person pinned beneath him, called out, “Sir Adrian Grimaldi?”
“What is this…”
The servant stammered, clutching the door, neither advancing nor retreating.
“Y-Your Grace, is that you?”
“What are you talking about?”
The man said, pushing his hair back. It fell forward again, covering his face. Bothersome. As he pushed it back again, he paused. Then looked down at his own hand.
“What is this.”
Yuls stared quietly at his lengthened hair falling before his eyes and at his hands.
His hair and nails, like his growth, had been stunted. His lengthened nails looked almost beast-like.
“My hands.”
“Your Grace!”
Yuls looked down at Adi. Adi was equally bewildered. Surely Duke Woodpecker was…
“You.”
A thirteen-year-old boy.
“What have you done?”
But the man before them now was an adult. He looked much taller than Adi.
“Gavin! Billy! Ivan!”
The servant quickly ran out calling for other servants. Roy, who happened to be in the reception room, rushed over to the servant’s calls—though his name wasn’t among them—thinking he might be more helpful than a servant if something was wrong.
However, arriving at the bedroom, Roy realized he wouldn’t be of help.
Roy’s eyes fell on Adi sitting on the bed and the red-haired man standing beside them. And the Duke of Woodpecker whom he wished to serve was nowhere to be seen.
If anything, only the red-haired, bearded man’s eyes resembled the Duke’s. But the Duke, that body…
“…Your Grace?”
“M-mirror! A mirror, Your Grace!”
The servant brought a mirror nearly as tall as their upper body and held it before Yuls. The muslin nightclothes looked ready to burst. Adi, still unable to grasp the situation, looked at Yuls and said, “Your Grace…”
Looking in the mirror, Yuls spoke. “Is that why you drew your blade?”
“Did you think I was someone else?”
“…”
Anyone would think that. If the Duke had grown, if the curse had been nullified, it would be joyous news, but it made no sense for someone to grow about ten years overnight.
“My face remains.”
How could he say his face remained when it was covered in such thick beard?
“First I need to trim this beard and nails.”
The Duke said.
“Joel, call Bert. Bring clothes while you’re at it. Your clothes… would be too small. Better to have something larger.”
Saying this while examining Adi, Yuls apparently decided those clothes wouldn’t fit and said to Roy, “Sorry, but I’ll need to borrow some clothes.” Roy nodded and left the bedroom.
“Adi, get off the bed and sit in the chair.”
Adi looked at Yuls with confusion.
“Let’s talk about what’s happening.”
Why with me…?
As Adi wondered this, Bert, who had already arrived, shouted “Your Grace!” Though the man before Bert’s eyes was not the Yuls Woodpecker they knew but rather a large bear-like man with long beard, hair, and nails, Bert embraced him tightly.
“I knew you would grow like this. You truly resemble the late Duke!”
Bert’s voice was thick with tears. Now there were two bear-like men…
Adi watched the embracing pair with uncertainty about what to do. Fortunately, a page soon entered carrying water and shaving implements.
* * *
The long nails were cut and trimmed. After the beard was snipped away with scissors, the shaving began.
It was Adi’s first time seeing someone being shaved. The foam spread on his face and the skin becoming smooth with each pass of the blade was fascinating. It seemed remarkable that the skin wasn’t cut.
After shaving, the Duke’s face still retained a youthful quality. Rather than twenty-six, he looked perhaps eighteen or nineteen.
Like the last image of Adrian that Adrina remembered, still in that ambiguous state between boy and young man.
“…”
“Not fully grown yet.”
“But this is more than enough to work with.”
Bert said. The servants and Bert seemed unsurprised by the Duke’s appearance. Perhaps because he resembled the late Duke. But for Adi and Roy, who didn’t know about that, the Duke’s grown form felt strange.
“Roy, the clothes?”
“Here, Your Grace.”
Roy handed over his clothes. Just trousers and a chemise. After dressing, the Duke frowned at the slightly short trouser legs. The chemise was fine.
“We plan to cancel all upcoming appointments, but Lady Connolly insists on meeting no matter what…”
“Cancel the dinner appointment and suggest tea time instead. Between 3 and 4 PM.”
“The tailor will come around 10. They plan to make 30 suits fitted to Your Grace’s build, and about 50 more of the same cut to be made in the territory.”
“Change the territory order to 10 suits. I might grow more.”
“Understood. Then we’ll finish with 40 suits total.”
“And get some clothes I can wear right now. These are too uncomfortable to wear long.”
“Yes, understood.”
“…”
Roy pressed his already closed lips tighter. Adi also stood silently beside him.
“How does your body feel?”
“It’s strange having a different eye level after just one day. My muscles are stiff. Bones ache too.”
“Growing pains. Joel will help with that.”
“Right.”
Yuls answered. For someone claiming it felt strange, he moved as naturally as if he’d grown steadily into this body. He didn’t bump into anything and seemed used to looking down at people.
Arms crossed, discussing with the servant, Yuls noticed the stares and looked at Adi and Roy, then called Bert and said something. The content wasn’t audible. Bert nodded and approached them, calling “Adi, Roy.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll handle guard duty this morning—no, today. You both rest today. Roy, you must have had it rough too.”
Roy nodded, looking somewhat dazed.
“We’ll discuss the future guard schedule tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, understood.”
“And Adi.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m glad you’ve recovered safely.”
“…”
For a moment, Adi didn’t know how to react. While recovering health was fortunate, did people normally say such things to others? Was Bert originally such a caring person?
No one had ever said such things to them. Because no one ever had, Adi had never said such things to others either. If they had known such words were acceptable…
“…Yes, thank you.”
Adrian, I would have said such things to you too.
Lilina
Waaaiting