Chapter 7
"Hmm? What was that, Blake?"
Blake gently picked me up as I hung naturally from his leg.
His touch was so surprisingly tender that I stared at him blankly. (Of course, I was also doing a stellar job of pretending to be a doll.)
"I said it’s not a gift for you, so it won’t do."
"Oh, oh? I-I see... alright."
Lea stepped back, looking awkward as if she hadn't expected that answer at all.
Then, seemingly curious again, she leaned in and asked.
"Then what is this teddy bear? It’s not like it could be yours, Blake."
"…"
"…?"
As the silence stretched on without a reply, Lea’s expression shifted through a variety of emotions.
She furrowed her brows as if suspicious, then smiled as if absolutely certain it couldn't be his.
"Hey, no matter how I look at it, Blake, that doesn't seem like something that suits you, does it?"
"Is that so?"
Blake, who had answered indifferently, stared straight down at me.
"Yeah. Be honest with me. Who are you planning to give it to?"
True. It was a truly mismatched combination.
A small, trivial teddy bear, so unlike his reputation as the man called the finest sword in Casdonia.
If anyone saw me in Blake’s hand, they would never believe I belonged to him.
'Is he going to call me trash?'
Rain had called me a teddy bear that was practically trash earlier, after all.
Even though I knew this wasn't my true form, I felt unnecessarily troubled, so I squeezed my eyes shut and stared into the void.
During that time, his violet eyes slowly scanned me. As if he were trying to read my expression.
Soon, his languid gaze slowly turned back to Lea.
"I’m not giving it to anyone. It’s mine."
The answer, delivered in a deadpan tone, burrowed into my ears.
***
My heart-pounding life!
Being carried out of the banquet hall by a handsome human man was far more enjoyable than anything I had imagined.
'Lea’s expression earlier was truly something.'
She looked like she had just seen the craziest person alive.
But is it really okay to have that kind of image in front of my unrequited love?
The rattling carriage sped smoothly along a flat road lined with plane trees on both sides.
I was on my way to the Leblanc estate, where Blake lived.
With a gloomy-looking handsome man sitting right next to me!
I had dreamed of situations like this in a novel, but I never imagined I’d be in the form of a teddy bear.
Sigh, life is never easy. Today is such a long day.
My heart churned, and anxiety about my situation seemed to well up.
But I’m not the type to be easily discouraged by things like this!
"Come to think of it, how lucky am I? I get to meet a flower boy like you, ride a carriage in comfort, and go to a cozy house to sleep."
"…What are you babbling about?"
"There are many things in the world much harder and more exhausting than this. Getting overly disappointed or overly excited about every little thing is just a waste of energy."
Clunk.
Blake, who seemed to be listening to me in silence, glared at me as if I were noisy and abruptly threw the window open.
"Wow, refreshing!"
However, as soon as I got excited by the cool breeze blowing in and clung tightly to him, he looked disgusted and slammed the window shut again.
Tch, I wanted to get some air.
Blake hadn't said a single word since we got into the carriage.
He acted as if he didn't have a single question about me.
Usually, after revealing my identity as a witch, one would have so many questions and suspicions that they’d want to ask everything.
I wouldn't mind if he grilled me on this and that.
'At least I know for sure that Blake has a peculiar personality.'
I frowned while admiring his dark profile, which showed no curiosity or will to live.
It was a completely different atmosphere from the young men who dreamed of a sparkling, beautiful youth and a hopeful future.
An "old soul," would that be the right way to put it?
"Blake. What should I call you?"
"Don't call me anything."
"How about 'Old Soul'? It’s a nickname I just thought of."
"…"
His thick eyebrows twitched, signaling that he was displeased.
Hmm, do you not like it?
Then let’s think of the next one.
A nickname that fits perfectly with the bluntness and dark aura that make his handsome appearance such a waste…
"Ah! How about 'Sassy Dragon'?"
As if it were a nickname he’d never heard before, he scrunched up his face and wrinkled his nose properly this time.
I was quoting Max, who said he was as ill-tempered as a black dragon.
I guess that wasn't it either.
"…Or 'Charger'!"
"…."
"Ah, do you not use that word here? The reason I call you a charger is related to why I followed you. When I’m with you, my depleted mana fills up in no time. You’re like a kind of mana-replenishment device? Of course, your handsome face is a treat for my tired eyes, so it’s very appropriate in many ways. How is it? Don't you like it?"
"Be quiet."
At the single command to stop, I pouted my lips and went, "Tch."
"But I have to be able to call you something."
"Don't be annoying and just call me Blake. At least until you die."
"Then I’m allowed to call you Blake?!"
I shouted in delight, but Blake didn't even respond and just closed his eyes tightly.
To think we’d get close this quickly.
In the witch world, it was an unspoken rule to use nicknames until you became close.
Since a witch’s name held inherent power, it was considered rude to go around calling it out carelessly.
I was once called the "Western Drunkard" by Max.
Now that I was more accustomed to that culture, it was a very happy thing that Blake had permitted me to use his name.
"Great! Then, Blake. I’ll permit you to use my name too. Call me Vivian!"
"…."
There was no answer this time either, but I was getting used to that, too.
Blake was a person who revealed his inner thoughts clearly even without words.
I now knew that even if he seemed to ignore my request to call me Vivian, the fact that he didn't explicitly say he hated it meant he would do it.
"Aslan Leblanc. Since we’ve officially introduced ourselves and decided on what to call each other, let’s get along well!"
I held out my fluffy hand, but he remained motionless with his eyes closed, as if he had fallen asleep.
But, as I’m good at doing things on my own, I overlapped my stubby hand over his large, long one.
As soon as they touched, the charging began throughout my whole body.
"I really could have called you a high-speed charger."
"Take your hand off."
"Okay."
After traveling for about an hour while observing him like that.
At the end of the road, lit by orange streetlamps, a pitch-black mansion began to reveal itself little by little.
'…Is this the castle where a black dragon lives? Why is it so dark?'
It felt completely different from Holloway Castle, which was decorated with gold ornaments so flashy they were blinding.
An angular, rectangular mansion without a single rounded corner, and a front gate blocked by sharp, thorny spikes set up everywhere.
Whoever it is, they have the worst aesthetic sense.
It looks like there’s neither dream nor hope here….
As if to signal that we had almost arrived in the pitch-black darkness, the carriage’s speed gradually slowed.
With a strange, creaking sound, the gate opened and the carriage stopped in front of the entrance.
"We have arrived, Young Noble."
The carriage door opened, and Blake grabbed my arm slightly and got out.
He walked with no hesitation into the mansion, which felt like an underground dungeon from which one could never escape once inside.
Dangling from his hand, I arrived in the room and was tossed carelessly onto the sofa.
Then, without giving me any warnings or requests, he walked right out of the room.
…Huh?
"Blake!"
Bang.
Suddenly abandoned alone in the room, I was left behind in the pitch-black space.
Several hours passed just like that.
"Yawn, it’s nice to rest well, but."
Lying sprawled out as if it were my own sofa, I was killing time while being left to my own devices.
"My, what a peculiar charger."
Usually, if you’ve made a deal, wouldn't you be curious about my identity and ask me to try breaking the curse right away?
That’s how it is in most novels.
If it were me, I would have nagged them to do it right now, but Blake showed no signs of returning.
'Did he not want to sleep?'
Unlike how he readily gave me the chance, it was clearly evident that he had no interest in me.
Is he so exhausted from long-term insomnia and the curse that he’s lost all expectation and will to live?
But he must have brought me along because he wanted to grasp at even the slightest hope….
'If that’s the case, couldn't you trust me a little more?'
I had a burning desire to grab Blake, who seemed to have few words and a lack of social skills, and just chat with him.
But it seemed I couldn't do that for now.
'For now, let’s find something I can do!'
Should I try getting used to this room until Blake returns?
—No sooner had I thought that than a light knocking sound was heard from outside the room.
Knock, knock.
Oh! Thinking it might be Blake, I was about to run over in joy when I suddenly stopped in my tracks, struck by a question.
Wait a minute.
Why would Blake knock to enter his own room?
That made no sense.
"Oh, then…"
Who on earth is it?
The moment of realization that flashed through my head was brief.
"Brother, are you in there?"
After a moment of silence following the youthful voice, the door slowly creaked open.
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