ISGJV 28

Chapter 28

“I’m not going. I came here today because I’m planning to sleep here.”

Edmund was flustered by the sudden situation.

Depending on how one saw it, those words could be considered very fitting for the place they were spoken… and appropriate coming from the person who said them.

This was Edmund’s bedroom.

And the one who said it was his wife.

His wife.

Edmund suddenly realized just how unfamiliar and awkward that word still felt to him.

Yet the person he could now call by that title—Kasia—had already become someone familiar to him.

Someone whose absence felt wrong.

That gap lingered strangely deep in Edmund’s chest.

When his uncle forced him to marry a girl he chose from a loyal vassal family, Edmund had simply thought, So it’s finally come.

He thought his uncle had merely added another torturer and assassin to torment him.

At first, he doubted her and despised her.

So he tried hard to hurt her with cruel words.

Even so, Kasia never retreated. Instead, she drew closer…

She wrapped his wounds with a handkerchief.

She replaced poisoned meals with safe ones.

She taught Edmund knowledge and manners and—perhaps by coincidence—kept Willes close to him as well.

By now, it was impossible to treat Kasia with only suspicion and wariness.

He’d had no choice but to acknowledge it.

But then—

Even so!

No matter what, this is way too fast!

Edmund simply couldn’t keep up with Kasia’s “hurry, hurry” pace!

Right now, the little kitten in front of me was doing everything he could to show how young and inexperienced he was.

His buttons are misaligned, one row over.

Considering how obsessively neat Edmund usually was, he must have been startled when I barged in.

When I saw things like this, he looked like a proper thirteen-year-old kid, and it was oddly cute.

I strode forward.

The little kitten bristled and backed away.

But I was faster, and I immediately grabbed the wrongly buttoned part.

I popped the button open with a light flick.

Then—

“W-Wh-What are you doing?!”

He screamed and hopped around.

Why was he stuttering so much today?

Smiling brightly, I grabbed Edmund by the collar and unbuttoned the whole row cleanly.

“You buttoned it crooked. Last time, even your ribbon was messed up. You’re secretly bad at these things, aren’t you?”

Once I explained, the boy who had been flapping like a freshly caught fish calmed down.

Using the skills I’d honed looking after younger kids at the orphanage, I quickly rebuttoned Edmund’s shirt neatly.

“There. Now it fits nicely and looks good, right?”

“…”

Edmund’s face flushed red as he fidgeted, then he suddenly snapped back to his senses.

He yelled at me.

“A-Anyway, can’t you just leave already?!”

“I said I won’t!”

Face bright red and fuming, Edmund rushed toward the bedroom door as if to escape.

“Then I’m leaving!”

I quickly yanked him back by the nape of his neck.

“Where do you think you’re going! You can’t go out!”

“Ghk!”

If you go sleep alone and assassins show up, you’ll get seriously hurt!

Maidservants were still clinging around the open bedroom door, watching everything we were doing.

Good. Go ahead. Listen and report it all to the duke!

Tell him I’m bullying Edmund properly!

I practically threw Edmund onto the bed.

Then I planted my hands on my waist in front of him and, like a truly wicked villainess, declared:

“Hey, Edmund. Did you know something?”

“W-What?!”

For some reason, Edmund covered his body with both hands.

What? Did he think I was going to eat him or something?

Despite my innocent intentions, I had no choice but to say something cruel.

That way, news of what I said would reach the duke, and I could avoid suspicion.

“Do you know what the worst way to torment someone is?”

“How would I know something like that?!”

I smiled meaningfully.

“It’s… not letting them sleep.”

“…!”

Edmund’s pale face flushed bright red.

Ah, he’s mad again.

This child is in trouble if he lets people read him this easily.

When he grows up and becomes the duke, he can’t afford to have his inner thoughts exposed so quickly.

Well, that’s future Duke Edmund’s problem!

Right now, I only had one duty.

First of all, I have to keep the kid alive!

With both eyes intact, too.

I whipped my head around.

The cluster of maids whispering things like “She’s ruthless,” “How can she be that cruel?” all flinched.

“Alright, everyone get lost. Or do you want me to keep you awake too?”

They shrieked and scattered like the tide receding.

On their way back to their rooms, they’d definitely spread rumors all over the villa that I’d come to Edmund’s bedroom to torment him by not letting him sleep.

Of course, it’ll reach Willes too.

Since Willes had infiltrated here to protect Edmund, he would definitely stay nearby and prepare to respond.

Good! If it’s Willes, he’ll be a huge help when the assassin comes!

When I shut the door and returned to the bed—

A half-grown little kitten bristling with fur was curled up there.

Of course, that kitten was Edmund.

With his face scrunched up, still flushed with anger, he asked:

“W-What are you doing now?”

I shrugged and replied casually.

“Exactly what I said. I’m just not going to let you sleep.”

Whoosh!

The kid’s face turned even redder. He looked like he might explode.

And as promised, I followed through.

Edmund didn’t sleep that night. Strictly speaking, I made sure he didn’t.

Each time Edmund, who had retreated into a corner of the bed, finally couldn’t endure and started dozing off, I woke him.

At first, I shook him.

Then I banged a silver tray right next to his ear.

Then I tickled him to wake him.

Then I dabbed sour lemon juice under his eyes to wake him.

Like that, I successfully kept Edmund awake through the third day…

“You…”

With dark circles under his eyes, Edmund glared at me resentfully.

“…Were you seriously torturing me…?”

“…”

I didn’t even have the strength to deny it.

Because in order to keep Edmund awake, I hadn’t slept either!

I-I’m going to die. I’m so sleepy!

Sure, I slept a bit in the daytime, but I couldn’t rest properly because of work.

And since I couldn’t sleep at night at all, it was unbearable.

I nearly stabbed my nose with a fork while eating, and I even nodded off while walking.

But there was no other choice.

I don’t know exactly which day and what time the attack will happen!

That was the problem.

All I knew was that the assassination attempt would occur right before Edmund’s fourteenth birthday, around the new moon.

That he was asleep when the first attack came, and because of that he lost one eye.

And that he spent about a month injured in bed around his fourteenth birthday with only one eye.

In the original story, he met Willes only after that.

I do remember it said the night of the attack had almost no moon…!

But that alone was too vague.

So when I decided to stay on guard for several days around the new moon… we ended up spending several nights without sleeping.

I have to be cautious! The kid’s life is at stake! At the very least, one of Edmund’s eyes is on the line!

But after three days without sleep, both Edmund and I were reaching our limits.

“Just… kill me… instead…”

Leaving those words behind, Edmund collapsed asleep.

No, he fainted.

His pale cheeks made him look really young. He didn’t look thirteen anymore—more like around ten.

“Hey, wake up.”

I shook him, but he didn’t even budge.

He must’ve been so worn down that even the maids whispered about how cruel I was.

Thanks to that, other servants—and even the duke—would firmly believe that I’d been tormenting Edmund.

Which, honestly, helped me.

“Sigh.”

With dark circles under my eyes, I looked down at the pitiful, unconscious Edmund and sighed.

If I keep him awake like this, it’ll be a problem when the assassin really comes.

In the original, Edmund was attacked in his sleep, and even while injured, he killed the assassin alone.

As expected of a future final boss.

He’d been terrifying from the sprout stage.

But if he was this exhausted and sleep-deprived, he might not be able to respond properly when the assassin came.

I believed Willes would be nearby, but I couldn’t be certain.

In the end, there was only one solution.

I’ll stay awake alone. And when I sense the assassin coming, I’ll wake him immediately.

After the past few days, I’d become an expert at waking Edmund.

And finally, that night came.

While I endured with something as spicy as nuclear chicken seasoning smeared under my eyes, I heard something strange.

Clack, clack.

The sound of a key turning in the locked door.

“!”

I silently shook Edmund’s shoulder.

But whether he had completely passed out or was simply too exhausted, he didn’t move at all.

Clack!

The sound of the key clicking into place rang quietly. The doorknob began to turn!

I have to wake him up for real!

I raised my hand and swung with all my strength.

Smack!

The effect was… extremely certain!