Chapter 6
“Really? You trust me?”
What incredible luck!
Moved by the fact that Blake believed me so easily, my round eyes sparkled.
“You get only one chance. If it turns out to be a lie, you won’t escape death.”
As if to convince me he wasn’t joking, a brief flash of killing intent flickered through his usually bored gaze before disappearing.
But I was already bouncing around as if I might leap straight into the sky.
“Mm-hm! Won’t escape death!”
“…Don’t repeat everything I say.”
“Mm-hm! Yay!”
“…What a crazy teddy bear.”
Max, can you see this?
Your master may be on sabbatical, but she’s still alive and surviving in the human world!
There was still plenty I needed to accomplish before I could return to where I belonged, but this alone was a huge achievement.
My ears perked up proudly.
Things were going unbelievably well.
I had thought persuading Blake would be the hardest part, but he had given me a chance surprisingly easily.
For someone who’s supposed to be the novel’s villain and second male lead, he’s almost disappointingly careless.
To be honest, he didn’t seem to have much expectation—or hostility, for that matter. He looked like someone who naturally assumed there was no way I could make him sleep.
But unlike what he thought, putting him to sleep wasn’t completely impossible.
If I can just replenish a little more magic power, I can definitely cast a spell to ease the curse.
A curse could only be completely broken by the person who cast it.
However, weakening a curse was possible if one knew the proper spell.
The problem is that hardly anyone knows it.
The spell to alleviate a curse was extraordinarily difficult, an ancient formula occasionally found in old, musty books that were nearly impossible to decipher.
On top of that, it required sacrificing one’s own innate magical power to temporarily weaken another person’s curse.
Naturally, for human mages who borrowed mana from various sources, it was practically impossible.
But I can do it. Hehe.
As a witch—and a Great Witch at that—once my magical power recovered, I could accomplish it with a simple activation phrase.
So then.
What did I need to do now?
Stick to Blake like glue!
That way I could restore my magic power, meet his expectations, and eventually return to my original form.
And getting a front-row seat to the events of the original novel is a pretty nice bonus too. Ahem.
The reality that had seemed hopelessly awful only moments ago suddenly didn’t feel so bad.
A grin slipped onto my face.
“Commander! Even if you’re tired, isn’t this decision far too impulsive?”
“Rain, don’t tell anyone else about this either. I’ll handle the investigation myself from now on.”
“But—”
Rain, who had been staring at me with wary eyes, stepped forward again, clearly intending to talk Blake out of it.
But once again, he never got to finish.
“Blake! So this is where you were!”
A cheerful, familiar voice called his name as the terrace door burst open.
At the same moment, I flopped face-first onto the floor.
“Leah?”
At the sound of her name, a woman with brown hair practically threw herself into Blake’s arms.
“I’ve missed you! Do you know how long it’s been?”
That woman!
The moment I saw the woman in Blake’s embrace, a wave of emotion washed over me.
It’s the heroine! The actual protagonist of this novel!
Her name was Leah Everett.
The beloved youngest daughter of Count Everett and Blake’s longtime childhood friend.
Of course the heroine would be gorgeous!
Leah Everett possessed exactly the sort of beauty one would expect from a female lead.
Her light brown hair, soft as if diluted with water, was braided neatly down her back, and her flowing silk dress exposed the graceful line of her neck.
But what drew the eye most was her golden gaze.
Eyes so brilliant they looked as though every gold bar in the Halloway cellar had been melted down and poured into them.
And those dazzling eyes were fixed solely on Blake.
“Blake, I was worried you wouldn’t come to my birthday banquet. You got my letter, didn’t you? Did you rush all the way here as soon as you received it?”
Blake gently removed Leah from his arms and shook his head.
“I wouldn’t say I rushed.”
What did he just say?
That was completely missing the point.
At a moment like this, he should’ve said he flew here because he missed her.
That’s not the answer!
I nearly shouted.
If only this Lady Vivian—a self-proclaimed romance novel expert—had been consulted, I could’ve supplied the perfect response!
(Though Max always clicked his tongue whenever I came up with better romantic lines than the actual protagonists.)
For example:
- “Of course. I missed you so much my heart nearly stopped.”
- “Yes. Every moment apart from you was hell. But I’d gladly throw myself into that hell if it meant seeing you.”
- “Leah, if you insist on asking the obvious, then yes. I’d tell you a hundred times over. For you, I’d run here barefoot if I had to.”
Any one of those would’ve been the correct answer, you romance idiot!
But I swallowed the words.
Instead, I pressed my paws against the ground and slowly scooted closer to Blake.
Ugh… stop getting worked up and focus on staying near Blake.
Forget the romance disaster. My life came first.
If he decided to test me tonight, I’d need enough magical power to cast the spell.
Rain’s eyes widened as he watched me move.
Well, what did he expect?
Blake had literally threatened to kill me if I failed. Of course I’d work hard to survive.
Leah was so focused on Blake that she didn’t seem to notice me at all.
“I was really hoping you’d come. I’m so glad you did. No one even told me you were here. Clara said she saw you heading toward the terrace earlier.”
“Yeah.”
“Honestly. You came all this way and didn’t even show your face. You actually made me come looking for you?”
“You found me, didn’t you?”
“Fine, I’ll let that slide! Anyway, Blake—where’s my present? We haven’t seen each other in five years. You must’ve brought me something.”
“A present?”
“Yes!”
The moment she said that, Rain shot Blake a blazing look from behind.
The expression practically screamed:
See?! Everyone cares about presents!
I could almost hear it.
More importantly, though…
Ugh, this is exhausting.
With these short little limbs, even a bit of movement left me breathless.
Finally reaching Blake’s long legs, I collapsed against them with a relieved sigh.
Whew. Much better.
Perhaps he felt the sudden thwap against his leg, because Blake’s amethyst eyes wandered aimlessly before lowering to where I was clinging to him.
“…”
“…”
A brief silence followed.
His stare landed squarely on me.
What are you doing?
That seemed to be the question in his eyes.
Feeling awkward, I looked away.
What an intense stare.
Still, I had to look out for my own survival.
As I pretended not to notice him, a startled voice rang out.
“Oh my. What’s this?”
Following Blake’s gaze, Leah finally noticed me stuck to his leg and tilted her head.
“…Good question. Since when was this thing attached to me?”
I’d worked so hard to sneak closer to him without being noticed.
Yet somehow everyone’s attention had shifted to me.
“Is this my present?”
Leah’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
And suddenly I remembered why Blake had originally bought this teddy bear.
Right. He bought it as a birthday gift for Leah!
Rain had strongly objected to it, but judging from Leah’s reaction, she clearly liked it.
Then… wasn’t it possible Blake would simply give me to her as originally planned?
No. No, no, no.
That absolutely could not happen!
Without a shred of dignity, I tightened my grip around Blake’s leg.
I felt him flinch slightly.
“When did you prepare something like this? And why is it attached to you? If it’s supposed to do that, it’s absolutely adorable!”
Already convinced I was her gift, Leah cheerfully held out her hands toward Blake.
“Go on. I’ll pretend I haven’t seen it. Hand over my present.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and extended her arms.
Even now, she looked every bit the lovable heroine.
I couldn’t help staring.
She was Blake’s tragic, unrequited love in the original story.
The same woman for whom he eventually sacrificed his life.
If it were for Leah, Blake would have no problem giving me away.
But Blake.
You just promised me a chance.
Don’t forget that. Okay? Okay?!
Anxiety twisted in my chest as I waited for his decision.
Was this how the bottles of wine in the cabinet felt while waiting to be chosen?
If so, I owed every bottle an apology.
Wines, I’m sorry.
From now on, I’ll pick you more evenly.
My thoughts tangled together in nervous confusion.
The few seconds that passed felt like an eternity.
Then—
“No.”
The word that came from Blake’s mouth was completely unexpected.
His slow, measured voice echoed quietly across the terrace.
