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chapter 11
“Why do you keep staring at me?!”
After shouting that, he ducked behind a tree. The plump cheek sticking out slightly from the side of the trunk was flushed bright red.
Does he hate it that much when I look at him?
Ignoring Michael’s demand that she stop staring, Alice had continued to look at him—and he ended up hiding behind the tree like that.
It was a shame, but there was nothing she could do.
Not wanting to be disliked by Michael, Alice finally turned her gaze away, just as he had asked.
Freed from her burdensome stare, Michael cautiously peeked his face out again.
His green eyes captured Alice’s profile as she sat lost in thought.
Earlier, because Alice’s eyes had been following him so openly, he hadn’t dared to look back—but from the very beginning, all of his attention had been focused on her.
…I’ve never seen hair that golden and curly before.
She was like a small puppy from the neighboring house. Michael realized that her gaze had completely left him.
The color of her soul was unfamiliar too. Being able to see the colors of others’ souls, he had never once seen a soul that looked like a mixture of two or more colors.
Entranced by that strange soul color, he found himself staring at her without realizing it.
But soon, he clenched his lips tightly and glared at her.
What the heck.
Just a moment ago she looked like she’d die of happiness just from seeing him—yet now she was acting as though she’d never been interested in him at all.
“So annoying…”
With a sulky expression, Michael kicked the tree lightly with his small foot.
This was why he hated people taking an interest in him. Everyone acted as though they were deeply fascinated, but in the end, they quickly forgot him and stopped looking for him.
Unbidden, the image of invisible adults crossed his mind.
That girl named Alice didn’t seem any different from them.
“Michael!”
“Eek!”
Startled by the sudden voice calling his name, Michael let out a shrill scream and fell backward onto his bottom.
“Michael! Are you okay?”
“W-What?! You scared me!”
“I’m sorry. Did I startle you that badly?”
Michael puffed out his cheeks, his face burning red with embarrassment. Alice helped him up and carefully checked him all over to see if he was hurt.
Thankfully, aside from his dirty backside, there didn’t seem to be any injuries.
“Michael, I have a present for you.”
“A present?”
Michael’s eyes sparkled with curiosity at the word present.
“Ta-da!”
In her hands was a flower crown.
Spring had only just begun, and flowers were shyly poking their heads out. She had gathered and woven them into a ring.
It was the very first thing she had wanted to do the moment she saw Michael.
Since it was her first time making one, the result was—unsurprisingly—clumsy.
Well, whatever. It’s my first time.
She gently placed the crown on Michael’s head. He touched it, inspecting the crown resting there, and frowned.
“What is this? It’s weird.”
She couldn’t deny that. Alice answered honestly.
“It looks weird on its own, but when you wear it, Michael, you look like a fairy.”
Though he grumbled that it was strange, Michael didn’t throw the crown away.
Watching him, Alice mistakenly thought her flower-crown-making skills weren’t half bad.
In reality, it was disastrously shaped.
Still, satisfied that it at least resembled something, Alice smiled proudly.
I should make one for Edwin later too.
Much later, Evan returned after finishing his rounds and was deeply moved by the flower crown Alice gave him.
“Alice, is this for me?”
Nodding, Alice reached a conclusion about Evan.
Evan’s threshold for being emotionally moved was incredibly low.
“Yes. Try it on!”
Alice couldn’t contain her pounding heart. The crown was placed atop his neatly tied silver hair.
“Ah—so dazzling.”
“A-Alice…”
Evan’s face turned red. Seeing him flustered made Alice want to tease him even more.
“How selfish of you. What are we supposed to do if you’re the only one who’s handsome?”
“If you say things like that out loud…”
His face blazing, he glanced around nervously, worried someone might overhear.
Alice giggled at the sight. Fortunately, the crown suited Evan well—though honestly, even a burlap sack would’ve looked good on him.
“Alice, you’re very skilled with your hands.”
Though it was obvious he was trying to change the subject, Alice pretended not to notice and let it slide.
“Right? But I guess Michael didn’t like it very much.”
“Hmph.”
Michael sharply turned his head away.
“You should say thank you.”
“Huh? I’m supposed to thank you just for giving me this?”
Michael looked down at the crown in his hands with a bored expression.
“No, brother. You should be thanking me for accepting it.”
There was no malice or mockery on Michael’s face as he said that.
He looked as though he were simply stating an obvious fact. Evan sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead.
Judging by his expression, Michael must have been speaking like that for a long time now.
Alice immediately chimed in.
“That’s right! I’m grateful you didn’t throw it away!”
She meant it sincerely.
For someone with such a sharp aesthetic sense like Michael, the fact that he hadn’t tossed the crown aside was practically a miracle.
And if Evan scolded Michael here, things would only become more awkward for her.
Catching the look in Alice’s eyes, Evan had no choice but to close his mouth.
After looking back and forth between Alice and Michael, he let out a deep sigh.
“Hi.”
Unlocking the door, Alice approached Edwin while holding the flower crown she had made.
Thankfully, the plate was empty.
As usual, she checked Edwin’s condition.
The wounds that still hadn’t healed weighed on her heart. Having just come from seeing Michael made Edwin’s delayed treatment feel even more frustrating.
A vicious curse that can only be healed by holy power…
Curses were usually cast by mages or witches—but Edwin’s case was different.
His curse had existed from the moment he was born.
Since it was lifted early in the original story, there was little detailed explanation, leaving readers to speculate that it was related to the Esteban ducal family.
The basis for that theory was the family’s unusual affinity with mana.
Every member of the Esteban family was born with mana that ordinary people lacked.
However, the way they used that mana was peculiar.
They couldn’t manifest it like mages, but they could imbue objects with it.
Thanks to that, the Esteban family amassed great wealth by inventing magical tools.
But Edwin was different.
His mana drained life itself.
If he grasped a living being while holding mana in his hands, that being would have its life force instantly sucked away and die.
Was Edwin weaker or slower than ordinary people, then?
On the contrary—he was far superior.
Facing Edwin in combat was no different from charging into a battlefield without armor or weapons.
That was how demonic his power was.
Thankfully, until Michael awakened him, Edwin couldn’t use mana.
So who caused the two of them to meet in the original story?
Surprisingly, it was Alice—herself.
One day in the original story, a small incident occurred between Alice and Michael.
Unable to stand Alice’s cruelty toward the maids, Michael stepped forward to mediate.
Are you insane? There’s a limit to how crazy you can be. If you don’t want to die alone, cut it out.
Of course, he didn’t mediate gently.
Furious, Alice sneered at Michael.
Crazy, you say…? Then should a righteous doctor just stand by and watch a pitiful patient suffer?
She gave Michael an order.
From tomorrow on, instead of me, treat the poor wretch locked at the top of the tower.
Using the justification that doctors must treat patients, Alice pushed Michael toward the tower—while secretly planning to send an assassin there.
A doctor dying while treating a patient—what an honorable death! Hahaha!
She delighted in imagining Michael and Edwin dying together in the tower.
What she failed to consider was that once Edwin’s mana was unlocked by Michael’s holy power, there would be nothing left for him to fear.
If you call this some kind of bridge, then I guess it counts…
In grim BL novels, touching the protagonist as a villain side character was basically a death sentence.
Especially when the protagonist was a tyrant like Edwin.
In the original story, the moment his mana awakened, Edwin killed Karina first—then the duke and Alice, one after another.
Recalling the story made Alice feel her blood run cold.
In the end, she had caused her mother’s death—and then sacrificed her own life as well.
It would’ve made a perfect horror movie script.
“Today, I brought you a present.”
Remembering her fate, Alice handed the flower crown to Edwin with an awkward expression.
“…What’s this?”
“This is something you wear—like this.”
Alice gently placed the crown on Edwin’s head. Unlike the red one she’d made for Michael, this crown was woven from white flowers.
It contrasted beautifully with his pitch-black hair.
Edwin kept touching it, clearly intrigued.
As usual, Alice began chatting.
Thankfully, Edwin didn’t dislike listening to her.
She talked about how the vegetable soup she’d had that morning was delicious, how the parfait she ate as a snack was sweet and refreshing, how they should eat together next time.
They were trivial, rambling stories—but still.
Why is everything about food?
The topic was too monotonous. She pondered briefly.
Oh—Michael!
She began talking about the boy she’d met earlier.
But once she started, it turned into nothing but praise.
Cute when he’s angry, pretty even when he’s just standing still, surely not human but an angel, and so on.
Edwin, who had been quietly listening, finally reacted.
“…Michael?”
He blinked slowly as he murmured the name.
Alice smiled brightly and nodded.
“He’s Evan’s little brother. Pretty name, right?”
“…”
Edwin seemed to mull it over.
Alice couldn’t suppress her grin.
He’s already interested just from hearing the name.
But you’re both still children.
That fact was the most regrettable thing of all—for Alice.
She leaned in and whispered to Edwin as if sharing a secret.
“And he’s a boy.”
A boy. A boy.
Her words carried a hint of hidden intent, but Edwin didn’t seem to notice.
“Do you like him, Alice?”
The question she got was completely different from what she’d expected—but she answered honestly.
“Yeah. He’s so cute and pretty. It was like a baby angel descended from the sky. His cheeks are pale and soft, and his silver hair looks like threads spun from moonlight. Even his eyes are beautiful—sparkling emerald green…”
Without realizing it, Alice recalled Michael’s image and her cheeks flushed.
Michael was undoubtedly the cutest, most precious being in the world.
She failed to notice that Edwin’s gaze had grown slightly darker as she chattered on.
She was simply happy that Edwin was showing interest in someone for the first time—and even happier that it was Michael.
“…Do you like pretty things?”
“Well, is there anyone who doesn’t?”
Edwin considered her words, then nodded.
His gaze remained fixed on Alice’s face.
“What do I look like?”
He asked.
Alice tilted her head.
“You’ve never seen a mirror?”
“What’s a mirror?”
“Uh…”
Caught off guard, Alice froze.
She’d overheard the maids saying he’d been confined to the tower not long after being weaned—but still…
Did that mean Edwin didn’t even know what his own face looked like?
“Edwin… are you curious about how you look?”
“A little… Am I pretty?”
Edwin asked carefully.
