IHLRD 11

Chapter 11

Flash.

I opened my eyes and rolled them around before lifting my upper body.

As expected, Nana was dozing off again.

Like clockwork, Nana would start nodding off at this exact time every day. And today was no different.

I slipped out of the wide-open glass case, grabbed onto the table leg, and slid down smoothly.

The carpet muffled any sound, not that I was heavy enough to make noise anyway.

Glancing at Nana bobbing her head like she was headbanging, I stealthily crept toward the door.

Thanks to the sunflower seed shell I had wedged in earlier, there was a tiny gap in the door.

I shoved my face through the gap. Once my head was out, the rest of my body followed easily.

‘I did it!’

Having made it out safely, I looked back and forth between the empty hallway and the room.

Ever since I nearly got eaten by Shioran, I had been plagued by nightmares.

I woke up screaming every night, and as a result, Dana and Nana had been handling me even more delicately.

Though I truly suffered from nightmares for four days, after about a week, I started pretending to still have them for the past three days.

It was all part of my plan to lower Nana’s guard, as she was the one in charge of me during the day.

Because I was going to escape this place!

After what happened with Shioran, the desire to get out of here had grown even stronger than before.

‘Sorry, Nana! You’re really kind, but I’ve gotta survive too!’

Leaving the nodding Nana behind at the door, I snuck out.

Most of the people here were nocturnal, and since I occasionally encountered others, I made sure to stay hidden in corners, evading their gaze smoothly, and easily made it to the garden.

Before I started exploring in earnest, I unwrapped the uncomfortable bandage on my foot.

It had only been a scrape from a rock, but Nana had cried while treating my leg like it was a life-or-death injury. Sorry, but I’d been faking it for a while—my leg had healed long ago.

‘Yup, looks fine.’

Even though I’d failed at transforming into a human, maybe because I was still a beastman, my recovery was ridiculously fast.

After checking my foot, I stretched my neck and looked around.

The first place I decided to scout was the garden. As for the mansion, as long as I avoided Wishid’s room, I could manage.

Hoping to find something like a snake hole in the garden, I took a step forward.

Luckily, the garden was empty, so I dashed ahead without hesitation.

I kept running, memorizing the shapes of peculiar-looking trees as landmarks.

After a while, I came to a stop in front of a small structure.

‘What is this place?’

It was barely the size of a single room. It was open on all sides with only pillars holding it up. When I got closer, it looked like some kind of shrine.

Drawn in like I was under a spell, I stepped inside and found an altar in the center of the empty space—with something resting on top of it.

‘Gasp! That’s…’

When I saw it, my eyes widened involuntarily.

* * *

The world is truly beautiful.

I realized that far too late.

Ah, the world is so dazzling.

“Sir Jjikjjik, did something happen?”

“No. Nothing in particular.”

“Then why have you been like that all day?”

“I don’t know. He’s been like that ever since he woke up last night. Did he hit his head or something?”

I hear everything, you adorable little lizards.

With a serene, gentle smile on my face, I turned to look at them.

Dana and Nana flinched as I stared at them while they openly whispered in front of me.

Even that was somehow endearing.

I chuckled warmly.

Some people say that peace of mind comes from the size of your bank account.

I completely agreed with that statement—one hundred, no, a thousand percent.

Regardless of their worried looks, I just kept grinning.

What I found on the altar last night was none other than a golden egg. A golden egg!

I tapped on it, even tried biting it.

I think one of my teeth got a little loose, but it didn’t matter. I saw the bite marks—it was real gold.

The only problem was that I had no place to hide it if I tried to steal it. So with tears in my eyes, I left the golden egg there. But I’ll take it right before escaping.

There was a light layer of dust on the altar, which meant no one had been there in ages.

‘Wait… wasn’t there something in the garden of Wishid’s mansion in the original story…?’

Eh, I can’t remember.

I’d long forgotten the original plot. My mind was already filled with thoughts of golden eggs.

How much would it be worth? It was the size of my body—it could probably feed me for life. How many boxes of raisins could I buy with it?

I was daydreaming blissfully when I suddenly remembered Wishid.

It was nice not having to see him, but I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

‘He’s not somewhere out there going berserk, is he?’

If it were inside the mansion like last time, fine. But if it happened outside, that would be a disaster.

Even though I didn’t know exactly how to calm his frenzy yet, I still felt more comfortable knowing he was inside the mansion.

But that didn’t mean I wanted to be near him.

Just as I was basking in the sunlight with my eyes closed, a shadow fell over me.

Did a cloud block the sun?

I thought little of it and reached for the sunflower seeds beside me.

But no matter how much I fumbled, I couldn’t grab them.

Dana had definitely piled a bunch of them here earlier.

Confused, I opened my eyes.

“Squeeeeeak!”

I was so shocked that I let out a loud shriek.

“So noisy…”

Wishid, looking even more haggard than the last time I saw him, muttered in a low voice.

My heart was racing and refused to calm down.

“Squeak!”

Wishid reached for the back of my neck.

His large hand came at me without warning, and I instinctively flinched and closed my eyes. It wasn’t that I thought he had ill intent—it was just pure instinct.

When nothing happened for a while, I cautiously opened my eyes to find Wishid gazing down at me.

“How do I hold Jjikjjik?”

His question was directed at Nana.

At some point, she had woken up and come over.

“Um, since Jjikjjik is prey-type, if someone like the Duke grabs his nape, it’s basically like being choked. So it’s better to let him climb onto your palm instead. Just hold your palm out—he’ll get on.”

“Hmm.”

Wishid, who had been quietly watching from the side, extended his hand toward me.

I gulped and glanced up at him.

Unfortunately, he was backlit, casting a shadow over his face, and his red eyes gleamed ominously. Tilting his head slightly, Wishid wiggled his fingers.

“Not getting on?”

Yes sir, I’m coming.

I quickly scampered onto his palm.

The view immediately rose sharply.

Even Nana’s perspective was high, but being in Wishid’s hand felt like I could touch the ceiling. It was terrifying.

‘But… where are we going?’

It was unsettling to be taken away so suddenly.

I peeked up at Wishid a few times, and we made eye contact.

I quickly averted my gaze and pretended I didn’t notice. In the meantime, he entered somewhere.

‘Ah—I didn’t see any of the surroundings!’

I’d been too busy watching his reactions to pay attention to where we were going.

Once I saw the thick sleeping pill fog filling the room, along with the overwhelming pheromones blurring my vision, I realized this was his room.

It was the same room where I had first met Wishid.

As I looked around the dim room again—

Thud.

“…?”

I blinked.

It took me a while to process what was happening.

So… Wishid was lying down on the bed with me in his arms.

‘…?’

My cheek was pressed right against his chest, and I could hear his heartbeat echoing in my ears.

Staring blankly up at him, I asked,

“Sque… squeak?”

‘What… is happening?’

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Wishid muttered as he pressed his fingers firmly against his temples.

“It’s bedtime.”

Wait, then why am I…?

“You sleep too.”

…Was he being serious?