Chapter 8
Emergency.
A complete emergency, Blake!
A crisis had arrived out of nowhere while I was letting my guard down, and I bit my lip hard.
“Brother?”
What do I do?!
The moment I noticed the sound of the door opening, I threw myself behind the office desk and flattened myself on the floor.
I had barely hidden when the door opened.
Peeking with one eye, I saw a round silver-haired head poke through the doorway.
“Brother! I came because I wanted to say hello…”
The child muttered quietly. Then, as if gathering his courage, he pushed the door open wider and tiptoed inside.
“Isn’t he here…?”
As he looked around, his silver hair reflected the light streaming through the doorway.
The moment I saw that shining silver hair, I immediately recognized him.
It’s Aaron LeBlanc!
As he approached the desk, I could see his face clearly.
Small, round violet eyes and chubby cheeks.
A boy who looked exactly how I imagined Blake must have looked as a child.
In the original novel, he was introduced as the younger brother of the male supporting lead. He was the one who felt the most sorrow as his older brother gradually fell into despair.
After Blake died, I think it was mentioned that Aaron became the next head of the LeBlanc family.
He, too, had a tragically unhappy story.
A child suffering from a curse who lost the brother he loved and ended up becoming the family head all alone.
Children should grow up as children. That’s the happiest way to live.
Fortunately, Aaron didn’t notice me. Letting out a small sigh, he plopped down on the sofa.
“Brother must be busy again…”
As he fiddled with his fingers and muttered to himself, silence settled over the room.
Tick. Tock.
The only sound was the clock.
A long time passed before Aaron spoke again.
“…Tomorrow I’m going to the monastery to pray. I wanted to greet you before I left.”
Naturally, there was no answer.
Blake wasn’t in the room.
But Aaron didn’t seem to mind and continued speaking quietly.
“The truth is… that’s just an excuse. I haven’t seen you for so long that I wanted to make sure you’re healthy.”
“…”
No way.
Was it even legal to be this pitiful?
Even knowing Blake wasn’t there, Aaron’s monologue continued.
Look at those drooping shoulders…
I swallowed the sympathy welling up inside me.
I have to endure it. Just endure it…
“No matter how hard it is for me to sleep, whenever I’m with you, Brother, the long nights don’t feel scary…”
Ah, I couldn’t take it anymore.
As a kind-hearted bear—or rather, the Great Witch of the West—I couldn’t just ignore a child like this.
Sorry, Blake.
This is your fault for not specifically telling me to stay hidden.
And it’s also Aaron’s fault for being too adorable.
Careful not to be seen, I crept on tiptoe and crawled underneath the bed.
Then, in the deepest and most majestic voice I could manage, I called out to him.
“Aaron LeBlanc.”
Startled by his name suddenly being called, Aaron jumped to his feet.
“…W-Who are you?”
Watching the shocked child, I grinned mischievously.
Ah, I used to do this to scare Max sometimes.
“I am your guardian angel!”
“…”
An awkward silence followed.
Ahem. Maybe he wasn’t young enough to believe in guardian angels.
I think Aaron was around thirteen when the original story started.
Which meant he was thirteen right now.
Still practically a baby.
Though, admittedly, I knew absolutely nothing about what children that age actually thought.
Still.
Confidence was everything.
So I shouted again.
“I am your guardian angel!”
“…Liar.”
“Huh?”
“You’re lying! I don’t know who you are, but I’ll call a servant right now. Reveal yourself!”
“Tsk, tsk. I told you, I’m your guardian angel. There’s nothing about you I don’t know.”
“T-That’s impossible! Angels don’t exist!”
“Nothing is impossible. Let’s see… You love and cherish your brother very much. And, oh? You have trouble sleeping. In fact, except when you were very young, you’ve never really slept properly.”
“…Hmph. Even stupid young nobles know that.”
Smart kid.
Just as expected of Blake’s younger brother.
Impressed by Aaron’s sharpness, I clicked my tongue softly and searched my memory for something else.
Something from Aaron LeBlanc’s story in the original novel.
Ah. Before the curse manifested, Blake used to put him to sleep, and he missed those days terribly.
It had appeared in one of the flashback scenes near the end of the novel.
Clearing my throat dramatically, I continued.
“You miss the days when your brother would read books to you and help you fall asleep, don’t you, Aaron?”
It was the sort of thing few people would know.
Aaron’s eyes widened.
“…What? A-Are you really an angel?”
“I told you I am.”
After doubting me the entire time, Aaron hesitated.
Then he looked around to make sure nobody was there.
Slowly clasping his hands together, he adopted a solemn posture.
“Then… please grant my wish!”
With a thud, Aaron dropped to his knees and cried out earnestly.
“A wish?”
“Yes! If you’re really a guardian angel, can’t you grant at least one of my wishes?”
“Uh… um, of course I can!”
I hadn’t expected that.
Though caught off guard, I answered confidently.
As if he’d been waiting for it, Aaron immediately stated his wish.
“Please help my brother get a good night’s sleep. Even if it’s just for one day.”
“…Huh?”
The uncertain response slipped out before I could stop it.
Aaron’s expression dimmed slightly.
“Is… is that impossible? To be honest, Brother is the one I’m most worried about in our family. At this rate… he might never smile again.”
Other than the rare occasions when he smiles at me, he never shows any expression.
Closing his eyes tightly, Aaron made his wish.
“So please… help my brother sleep! That’s all I want.”
“…You’re such a good kid.”
How could he love his brother so much?
Even while suffering from the curse himself.
His first concern was Blake.
“Is it impossible?”
“Impossible? Of course not! I’m the guardian angel born from Blake’s love for you.”
Naturally I could do it.
Besides, helping your brother sleep was already my destiny.
“A guardian angel born because Brother loves me…”
Aaron stood up from the sofa, clearly moved.
Then he walked over to the window.
And shouted at the top of his lungs.
“All right, Guardian Angel! Then I’ll trust you! And I, Aaron LeBlanc, second son of House LeBlanc, swear I will never forget this kindness!”
His determined voice echoed throughout the room.
“So please keep your promise. Because if this doesn’t work… I won’t have anywhere left to rely on.”
After Aaron left, I found myself dwelling on those final words for a long time.
The way he stood proudly with his back straight.
The way he spoke sharply, yet couldn’t hide the desperation in his eyes.
“Damn it… Why are all the kids in this family such little old men?”
That small child, who couldn’t even take care of his own sleep because he was too worried about others…
The sincerity of his affection kept stabbing painfully at my heart.
***
A full day passed after Aaron left.
“…So you’re telling me it’s already been a whole day since I was abandoned here?”
Still, my time alone had been productive.
The previous night, fired up with determination, I had discovered something important.
While inhabiting this teddy bear, unlike when I was in my original form, my magic wasn’t leaking away.
Normally, during a sabbatical, I can’t gather magic at all. How strange.
The teddy bear seemed to be locking away my magic securely.
This bear definitely had something special about it.
“Hmm… no idea.”
Since I couldn’t figure it out right now, I’d worry about it later.
For now, I wanted more rest.
I had stayed awake all night waiting for Blake to return, and I was exhausted.
“This bed is amaaaazing.”
If there was one thing I loved most after spending the entire previous day exploring the room, it was this bed.
The bed was so huge I could probably do five forward rolls across it.
Kicking my feet while sprawled on top of it, I smiled contentedly.
Maybe being small wasn’t so bad.
Lying there comfortably felt like heaven.
Yaaawn… Come to think of it, there was something I forgot to tell Blake. What was it…?
Ah. Right.
The sleep spell only worked if I was holding the person’s hand tightly.
It wasn’t because I had any strange ulterior motives.
That was simply how the spell worked.
Long ago, a witch mother had created the spell to put her child to sleep, so physical contact was part of the activation process.
Of course, for someone like me—whose magic recharged at incredible speed whenever I touched Blake—it was the perfect spell.
But would Blake understand?
How could I explain it without making him uncomfortable?
My vision kept blurring and clearing.
I couldn’t fall asleep.
If Blake came back, I needed to be ready.
Maybe I should practice the spell.
The spell itself wasn’t difficult.
“Snore-loo, snooo…”
The activation phrase was embarrassingly childish because it was such an old spell.
(And for the record, I didn’t invent it.)
Anyway, to stay awake and get used to saying the ridiculous words, I kept repeating the spell under my breath.
“Snore-loo, snooo. Snore-loo, snooo.”
“Snore-loo… snooo…”
“Snooo… snooo…”
That night, I had a dream.
A breathtakingly handsome man, beautiful as an angel descended from the moon, gently held my hand and whispered:
“You crazy teddy bear…”
Desperate not to let go of his hand, I struggled and continued chanting.
“Snore-loo, snooo…”
And then, early the next morning—
A crushing embrace nearly suffocated me, forcing my eyes open.
“Mmngh?”
When I looked up, a stunningly handsome man with pure silver hair was asleep while holding me tightly in his arms.
