"Haah…"
Lena returned to her room after finishing her tasks.
"…Did I expect too much?"
Lena had carried dinner to the guest room, filled with anticipation.
Eating together was slightly uncomfortable, but she found it surprisingly pleasant to have a calm meal with him.
However, when she entered the guest room, the woman who had accompanied him was already there.
The woman's name was Viola.
"…I heard she's the hero's sister."
Lena didn't know the exact reason why the hero had disappeared.
Even now, her access to information is severely limited.
From what little she had heard, Lena deduced that Viola was one of the main culprits behind the hero's disappearance.
But that was all in the past.
"Judging by how casually she is with him, it doesn't seem like she's being forced to stay…"
Lena, who had brought the food, had no choice but to stand by and watch the two eat.
As she stood beside them, Lena felt jealousy for the first time.
'Because of that woman…'
She resented Viola, who had suddenly taken the seat that should have been hers.
Though her mood was unsettled, Lena tried her best not to show it and waited quietly by their side.
As she listened to their conversation, Lena nearly lost her composure.
"Suho, when are we going back?"
"Hmm… Maybe in three days?"
"…"
She had known they wouldn't stay here for long.
But hearing the exact date made her feel hollow inside.
Her eyes fell on the book placed on the table.
She had been happy to receive the book, but the man had simply walked into the guest room indifferently.
To Lena, who had visited the library earlier, the book seemed like one that should have been kept in the archives of the Feron Duchy.
Originally, she had planned to just wander around and avoid doing anything that could get her in trouble.
But she couldn't just ignore that book.
It was one of the records about Feron IV.
Though it was only a fragment of the recorded history, containing only political records, Lena could vividly feel her father's presence as she read through the dry, emotionless entries.
Lena carefully caressed the book.
"…Tomorrow, I'll thank him."
Lena left her room and headed to the supervisor to get her usual dose of sleep herbs.
Her tasks for the day were done, but the noble children were still bustling about.
Lena moved cautiously to avoid drawing their attention.
She felt guilty for ignoring the children but didn't want to disrupt the emotions she had received from the man until tonight.
However, what she heard from the supervisor was shocking.
"I'm sorry, but I can't give you any sleep herbs for a while."
"Did… Did I do something wrong…?"
"No. The higher-ups suddenly demanded all of them, so I had no choice but to hand them over."
"Ah…"
Lena felt relieved but also began to feel uneasy.
Without the sleep herbs, she might not be able to sleep through the night, which could affect her work the next day.
"And they took all the strong sleeping pills too, so there's nothing left. I'll let you know when more come in. You can go now."
"…Understood. Thank you."
Lena politely bid farewell and headed back to her quarters.
Her steps weren't entirely heavy as she walked.
'Maybe this feeling will help me sleep?'
Lena grabbed a cup of honey water just in case.
She thought it might help her sleep a little before bed.
When she arrived at the dormitory building, a group of people was grumbling and chatting near the entrance.
They were noblewomen.
Unfortunately, the entrance was completely blocked.
'I'll just move aside. It's rude to eavesdrop.'
As she thought this and tried to move to another spot, a conversation caught her attention.
-"What is this?! I've been getting scolded for days now!"
-"It's really tough without Lena de Feron."
-"But why are we being called like this?"
Lena knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but she couldn't move her feet.
-"I heard there's a man among the recent visitors whom she's serving as an attendant."
-"If he's close to demons, he might have parasites or something. Disgusting…"
Lena clenched her teeth and shut her eyes tightly.
She was angry.
'He's a much better person than any of you…'
Lena felt a surge of anger toward these women who were badmouthing the one person who had treated her kindly here.
To Lena, the man who calmly gave her a sense of relief was far nobler than these women who only flattered her to her face.
-"Ah! I heard something the other day. That man is apparently so impressive that even the Demon King bows to him!"
-"Really?! How can we approach him?"
-"Me too, me too! If he's a human man, I'm confident I can win him over in five minutes!"
Lena eavesdropped from behind the dormitory building until the women finally left.
When their gossip faded, Lena looked down at her own body.
'…He probably wouldn't like someone like me.'
Lena had never really evaluated her appearance as a woman.
Her palms were calloused from wielding swords and spears countless times, and her tall stature made some men uncomfortable.
Her height of about 172 cm, which might have been considered striking in the modern world where Suho lived, was considered tall in the Illunia continent.
But she didn't particularly care for men's compliments.
She had always longed for her father's praise.
On the rare days when her father praised her, she was so happy she could barely sleep.
But until now, there had been no one here to support her like her father had.
When her colleagues here compliment her, it only makes her feel miserable.
Suddenly, Lena found herself wanting to receive praise from the man she had come to rely on.
But she quickly snapped out of it.
"Haah… What am I thinking…? Let's go in."
Feeling gloomy, she checked that the entrance was clear and carefully made her way to her bedroom.
When she arrived, the sun was setting outside.
It was almost time for the nightly headcount.
Lena went from room to room on the first floor, knocking on doors and briefly chatting with the children living there.
They all greeted her with smiles.
'…They're so kind when they're in front of me.'
She occasionally noticed the men's gazes lingering on her but chose to ignore them.
Finally, Lena knocked on Berius's door.
Knock, knock, knock!
As soon as she knocked, a boy about half her height burst out.
"Lady Lena!"
"Did you work hard today?"
Lena subtly brushed off Berius's enthusiasm and asked.
Berius began rambling about what had happened today.
The pattern was simple.
They made him do strange things, he resisted, and then he got scolded.
That was it.
"Those guys… They treated me even worse because you weren't around, Lady Lena!"
"…You've had a tough day. I'll need you to keep the key again today."
"L-Lady Lena! Th-The key is… Huh? Lady Lena?"
"I'll leave it to you. Well then…"
Not wanting to hear any more from Berius, Lena habitually handed him the key and returned to her room.
Lena hung her head and smiled bitterly.
"Right… I'm the one who ruined that child… It's my fault…"
Blaming herself, she headed to the wardrobe.
As she changed into her nightgown, she suddenly remembered.
"Ah… Today's key…"
There was no reason to give the key to Berius since she didn't have any sleep potion anyway.
She had handed it over out of habit, trying to avoid Berius's complaints.
"…It'll be fine."
Lena figured she wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, so it wasn't a big deal.
She put on a loose, one-piece nightgown and headed to the dining table.
Without the sleep potion, she would normally have been too anxious to sleep.
But Lena's gaze fell on something that made her smile.
"…Should I finish reading it?"
It was the book containing her father's records, with no due date for return.
She lit the candle on the table and carefully turned the pages.
The content on each parchment page wasn't much.
It simply recorded what duties Feron IV had performed on certain days and what orders he had given.
But Lena stared at the open page for a long time, lost in reminiscence.
"Father… I'm sorry I couldn't keep my last promise."
Unable to tear her eyes away from the page, Lena rubbed her reddened eyes and closed the book.
"…I'll read more later."
She was starting to feel drowsy.
The emotions of regret and the euphoria of sleepiness flowed through her veins simultaneously.
Lena swept her pink hair to the side and blew out the candle burning on the table.
She carefully moved through the darkened room and lay down on the bed.
She drank the honey water she had brought earlier and placed the cup under the bed.
As sleepiness gradually washed over her, Lena murmured.
"…Thank you."
***
Creak!
'…Huh?'
Lena woke up to the sudden sound of metal scraping.
'Berius?'
Thud, thud, thud!
Lena immediately recognized the sound of footsteps.
'…It's not him.'
The heavy footsteps sounded more like those of an adult.
She instantly sharpened her senses, her nerves on high alert.
Having overheard the men's gossip recently, Lena became certain of their intentions.
'I can't believe they'd actually do something like this… But if I cause a scene now…'
If she subdued the intruder here, it wouldn't be a problem.
But what if she failed?
The thought of causing a commotion and not being able to subdue the man made her uneasy.
'I can subdue him once he gets close.'
Lena decided to wait until he got closer, then subdue him and give him a stern warning.
She planned to make sure he'd never even think of doing something like this again.
But then the man's voice reached her ears, and Lena's tension melted away.
"…Sleep well."
"…."
'Wh-What? That voice is definitely….'
Thinking she must have misheard, Lena quietly listened again to confirm the intruder's voice.
As she listened, the man suddenly got into her blanket.
'W-Wait a minute!'
Lena was flustered but couldn't bring herself to act rashly.
'Should I grab him now?'
She was confident she could subdue him in an instant.
'No, I-I'll wait until I'm sure….'
For now, Lena decided to listen to the man's voice again and didn't resist.
Lena was utterly confused.
A stranger had intruded.
But instead of doing the lewd things she had imagined, he began to hug her.
'What is he doing? Why is he…?'
As Lena was bewildered, the intruder pulled her head into his hands and said.
"Haah… You're really beautiful."
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.
🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹
Thanks for being awesome! ❤️