Chapter 7
“Hm? What did you say, Blake?”
Blake gently lifted me up as I naturally clung to his leg.
The touch was surprisingly gentle, and I found myself staring at him blankly. (Of course, I was still doing a flawless job pretending to be a stuffed animal.)
“This isn’t your gift, so no.”
“Uh… oh? I-I see… okay.”
Apparently it was an answer Lea had never expected. She awkwardly took a step back.
Then, curiosity getting the better of her again, she suddenly leaned forward and asked,
“Then what is that teddy bear? There’s no way it belongs to you, Blake.”
“……”
“……?”
The longer he remained silent, the more Lea’s expression changed.
First she frowned suspiciously, then smiled as if she was absolutely certain the answer couldn’t possibly be what she was thinking.
“Come on. No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like something that suits you.”
“Is that so?”
Blake answered indifferently and stared down at me.
“Yeah. Seriously, tell me. Who are you planning to give it to?”
She had a point.
The combination really didn’t fit.
Blake, known as the greatest swordsman in all of Casdonia, and this tiny, shabby teddy bear.
Anyone who saw me in Blake’s hands would never believe I belonged to him.
‘Is he going to call me trash?’
Even Rain had said earlier that I looked like little more than garbage.
Even though I knew this wasn’t my real form, I still felt strangely down. I stared blankly into space, forcing my eyes wide open.
Meanwhile, those violet eyes slowly swept over me.
As if he were trying to read my expression.
Then his languid gaze shifted back to Lea.
“I’m not giving it to anyone. It’s mine.”
The indifferent reply pierced my ears.
***
My heart is pounding!
Being carried out of a banquet hall by a handsome man was far more enjoyable than anything I had imagined.
‘Lea’s expression earlier was priceless.’
She looked like she’d just seen the craziest person alive.
But was it really okay to leave that kind of impression on your crush?
The carriage rattled along a smooth road lined with rows of plane trees on both sides.
I was on my way to the LeBlanc estate, where Blake lived.
Together with the gloomy-looking handsome man seated beside me.
I’d dreamed of situations like this from novels before, but I never imagined I’d be experiencing it as a teddy bear.
Sigh. Life really never makes anything easy.
A wave of concern about my situation quickly welled up inside me.
But I wasn’t the type to be discouraged by something like that!
“Come to think of it, isn’t this actually pretty lucky? I get to meet such a handsome guy, ride comfortably in a carriage, and sleep in a cozy house.”
“…What are you babbling about?”
“There are plenty of things in the world that are much harder and more exhausting than this. Getting overly disappointed or overly excited about every little thing takes way too much energy.”
Clatter.
Blake, who seemed to have been silently listening, shot me an annoyed look and suddenly threw open the carriage window.
“Waaah! So refreshing!”
The cool breeze that rushed in instantly delighted me, and I immediately scooted right up next to him.
Blake looked horrified and slammed the window shut again.
Tch. I just wanted some fresh air.
Since getting into the carriage, Blake hadn’t said much of anything.
It was as though he had absolutely no questions for me.
Normally, once someone learned I was a witch, they’d be full of curiosity and suspicion.
They’d want to ask a hundred things.
I wouldn’t have minded answering them.
‘At least I’ve figured out one thing: Blake has a very unusual personality.’
I frowned as I studied his dark profile.
Unlike young men who dreamed of bright futures and shining possibilities, there wasn’t even a trace of hope or curiosity in him.
Maybe “old man trapped in a young body” would describe him best.
“Blake. What should I call you?”
“Don’t.”
“How about Old Man?”
“I just came up with that nickname.”
“……”
The slight twitch of his dark eyebrow clearly showed his displeasure.
Hmm. Guess he didn’t like that one.
Then I’d need another idea.
A nickname that matched his handsome face, rude personality, and gloomy aura…
“Ah! How about Rude Dragon?”
For the first time, he genuinely frowned.
I had been quoting Max’s comment that Blake was as ill-tempered as a black dragon.
Apparently that wasn’t a hit either.
“…Then how about Charger?”
“……”
“Ah, maybe people don’t use that word here? The reason is related to why I followed you. Whenever I’m near you, my depleted magic power fills up really fast. You’re basically a magical recharging device. Plus, your handsome face is a feast for my tired eyes, so it works on multiple levels. What do you think? Not bad, right?”
“Be quiet.”
The single sentence clearly meant stop talking.
I pouted.
“But I need something to call you.”
“Stop bothering me and just call me Blake. At least until I die.”
“Then I can really call you Blake?!”
I shouted in delight.
Blake simply closed his eyes without answering.
I never expected us to become this close so quickly.
Among witches, it was an unspoken rule to use nicknames until you became close.
Names carried power, and using them carelessly was considered rude.
Back in the day, Max used to call me The Drunkard of the West.
That culture had become second nature to me.
So Blake giving me permission to use his name made me genuinely happy.
“Great! Then, Blake, I’ll allow you to use my name too. Call me Vivian!”
“……”
Again, there was no response.
But I was getting used to that.
Blake was the type of person whose thoughts showed even when he said nothing.
He acted as though he were ignoring me, but the fact that he didn’t explicitly refuse meant he had accepted.
“Blake LeBlanc. We’ve properly introduced ourselves and decided what to call each other, so let’s get along!”
I held out my fluffy paw for a handshake.
He remained motionless, eyes closed, as though asleep.
But I was perfectly capable of handling things myself.
I placed my stubby paw on top of his large, slender hand.
The moment our hands touched, energy surged through my entire body.
“Yep. I really should’ve called you High-Speed Charger.”
“Take your hand off.”
“Okay.”
About an hour passed as I continued observing him.
At the end of a road illuminated by orange streetlamps, a pitch-black mansion slowly came into view.
‘…Is that the castle of a black dragon? Why is it so dark?’
It felt completely different from Holloway Castle, whose golden decorations glittered so brightly they were almost blinding.
Not a single rounded corner could be found.
The mansion was all sharp angles and rigid rectangles.
And the gate in front was covered in spikes.
Whoever designed this place had absolutely terrible taste.
There wasn’t a shred of dreams or hope in sight.
The carriage gradually slowed, signaling our arrival.
With a strange screeching noise, the gate opened and the carriage rolled to a stop before the entrance.
“We’ve arrived, Young Master.”
The carriage door opened.
Blake lightly grabbed my arm and stepped out.
Without the slightest hesitation, he strode straight into the mansion that looked more like an underground dungeon than a home.
Dangling from his hand, I was carried all the way to a room.
Then he casually tossed me onto a sofa.
Without offering any instructions or warnings whatsoever, he immediately turned around and left.
…Huh?
“Blake!”
Bang.
Just like that, I was abandoned alone in the dark room.
Several hours passed.
“Yaaawn. It is nice getting so much rest.”
I sprawled across the sofa as though it were my own house.
“That’s one unusual charger.”
Normally, after making a deal, wouldn’t people immediately ask me to try lifting the curse?
That’s how it usually went in novels.
If it were me, I would’ve demanded they try right away.
But Blake showed no sign of returning.
‘Didn’t he want to sleep?’
He had readily given me the opportunity, yet he clearly seemed uninterested in me.
Had years of insomnia and curses worn him down so much that he’d lost all expectations and desire to live?
Even so, he must have brought me here because some tiny sliver of hope remained.
‘If that’s true, he could trust me a little more, couldn’t he?’
I desperately wanted to grab the socially awkward, taciturn Blake and force him into a long conversation.
But that didn’t seem possible right now.
‘Then I’ll find something I can do instead!’
Maybe I should get familiar with this room while waiting for him to return.
The moment I had that thought—
A light knock came from outside the door.
Knock. Knock.
Ooh! Is that Blake?
I started to run toward the door in excitement.
Then I suddenly stopped.
Wait a second.
Why would Blake knock before entering his own room?
That made absolutely no sense.
“Uh, then…”
Who could it be?
The realization only flashed through my mind for a moment.
“Brother, are you in there?”
After the youthful voice spoke, silence lingered briefly.
Then the door slowly creaked open.
