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Chapter 33
It was almost astonishing how quickly he was returning to his original self, despite having been trapped for two years. Haena had taken a long time. Besides the count, he seemed like someone carrying a deep personal wound, and opening up was incredibly difficult.
I observed the boss. His pale skin, hair covering half his face, beautiful honey-colored eyes slightly hidden behind large glasses, and bright red lips—all of it stood out as if he had never seen sunlight before.
I reached out and brushed my hand across his cheek. His hand, which had been writing formulas, froze, and he turned to look at me. We stared at each other silently, and I withdrew my hand and said,
“I’ll go outside and bring you the dawn, the morning, the afternoon, and the evening, and even night.”
He looked startled, as if he had heard something absurd.
“How are you going to do that?”
“Well, it’s afternoon now, right? I’ll bring it quickly, so wait!”
I hurried out of his room.
He turned his head, following the lingering image of Titian leaving excitedly.
“She’s bringing the afternoon,” he thought.
It was funny how casually she said something so unexpected and impossible—but the fact that she actually seemed like she might do it made him chuckle at himself.
How could anyone, not even a god, “bring the afternoon”?
He tried to refocus on his formulas, but his heart kept fluttering. Eventually, he leaned back in his chair, took off his glasses, and rested his arms over his eyes.
The events of recent days were a continuation of the life he thought he would never experience while being trapped for two years.
It had reached the point where keeping up with it was almost overwhelming.
For most people, it might have been ordinary, lively chaos—but for Zervant, it was a daily life he couldn’t have bought with any amount of money. He had wealth beyond measure, yet he couldn’t obtain the one thing he most desired.
It made him laugh, a hollow laugh, before he eventually gave up on everything. Joshua, Bielt, Danny, and the Eclipse guild hadn’t given up on him and clung on persistently.
But now, someone as proactive as Bielt had appeared for him. She wasn’t satisfied with just tossing out occasional comfort—she had endless curiosity. She chattered nonstop, and when quiet, she would even nod off beside him.
Her gentle, even breathing had gradually stopped being annoying. Her smiles made Zervant unconsciously smile along inside.
Her influence expanded: he left the room, walked down the hallway, and even entered other rooms. He still couldn’t see the outside world, but simply stepping out mattered. No matter how far he walked, he never grew tired.
This was what it felt like to move forward. Despite the darkness, he felt happy. His heart swelled with slightly bigger dreams. Could he step outside? Could he see the sky he thought he’d never see again?
After much hesitation, he finally grasped that hope—cruel and terrifying though it was.
Time passed. Suddenly, the door burst open with hurried footsteps. Zervant put his glasses back on. A faint scent of wind came from her as she stepped briskly toward him.
“Here!”
She thrust her body toward Zervant. He instinctively furrowed his brows. This child had fearlessly intruded into his territory time and time again.
“Breathe, boss! Smell the afternoon!”
Only then did he inhale. The warm air carried a subtle scent of grass. This time, Titian, holding his hand, placed her other hand atop her own head.
Warm.
Her midday sunlit hair gently melted the chill from his hands. Their eyes met, hers sparkling.
“How is it? The afternoon is warm, and there’s a slight breeze.”
“…It’s literally warm.”
“Can’t you feel the comfort of the afternoon?”
Veins bulged on the back of his hand as he touched her hair. He gritted his teeth, lowered his hand, and finally muttered,
“…Comfortable.”
Really.
“Right?”
Titian smiled brighter than I ever could.
“This is the afternoon. It’s generally quiet, the midday sun is gentle, the breeze is cool, with faint scents of grass and flowers mixed in. In this duke’s mansion.”
The more she spoke, the more vividly I could imagine the mansion in my mind. Even though I had been confined to the room and couldn’t observe it myself.
I could almost see the warm sunlight settling, the quiet surroundings, and the breeze carrying the scent of flowers and grass through the air. It felt like being there, truly warm.
“…Afternoon, huh.”
He moved his lips and spoke again.
“It’s afternoon, now.”
“Yes, afternoon. And, ta-da! I even brought soil.”
She took soil from her pocket. Still warm from the sun, rough to the touch.
“She really brought the afternoon.”
“Wait for the night, too.”
The air at night is different, after all.
Zervant’s eyes trembled with confusion as he watched Titian smile innocently.
Dawn, morning, afternoon, evening, night.
After climbing stairs tirelessly for three days, carrying all the air and scenery of each time for the boss, I had built up my stamina.
Maybe this kind of exercise isn’t so bad.
“Good morning, boss.”
In one corner of his room, the flowers, soil, and leaves I had brought over the days were stored in glass jars.
Even if he didn’t show it, my ideas had been quite good.
As I entered with satisfaction, he asked,
“Do you want to meet Terrance?”
“Huh? No.”
Why would I meet him?
“He’s handsome. Someone you like. You might even be able to talk to him.”
This conversation sounded familiar. It reminded me of a discussion with Bielt, who had insisted I meet the saint.
A friend is a friend.
“I like handsome men, but I don’t particularly want to talk to them. He’s the crown prince, after all. And I have a handsome man right in front of me.”
Personally, my gloomy, handsome boss is the best.
He rubbed his flushed neck and added,
“If you sit next to me, you’d see all his imperfections up close.”
“No, I don’t need to.”
Meet him alone, then.
I asked him,
“Are you too embarrassed to speak, like with the saint?”
“Embarrassed.”
Don’t be ridiculous. You don’t look embarrassed at all.
Sensing my gaze, the boss changed the subject.
“…It’s a bit awkward. Even talking to you is strange because I start thinking about talking to someone else, so… I don’t know.”
“Boss whining is cute… So, am I supposed to deliver messages for you?”
“You figure it out. I’ll pretend to whisper, and you pretend to understand and fight the crown prince for me.”
“You said he came to apologize. Fight?”
Wasn’t he reminiscing about the crown prince? Why is he a fighter now?
“Arms bend inward.”
“My arms bend toward the boss, so I’ll try my best. But what if he thinks I’m being rude?”
“He knows my condition well enough not to think that. I’ll forgive most rudeness; you’re my personal maid.”
“In that case… I’ll act out as much as I can.”
“If it’s fun, I might speak smoothly.”
“Yeah, right.”
“So, is the date set?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Five…”
“Five days later?”
“4, 3, 2, 1.”
Knock, knock.
“Boss, the crown prince is here.”
Five seconds later?! Perfect timing.
I stared at him in disbelief, and he grabbed my shoulder, bowed slightly, and let his eyes droop.
“Please take care of this…”
Seeing him slightly trembling when the crown prince arrived, I couldn’t say anything. I pinched the back of his hand and announced,
“The boss says to let you in!”
Yes, it’s better to go with the flow.
Since the saint is like that, Terrance might be different from the original story. I’ll observe carefully and subtly keep him away if it might harm the boss. I’ll play the loyal aide, skillfully guiding the boss.
Across the table, the male lead of this novel and the empire’s crown prince sat upright.
With his striking blond hair, blue eyes, and gentle handsome features, he smiled politely as our eyes met.
I expected him to be unsettled, given the saint’s state, but honestly, I was a little surprised. He showed no sign of it at all.
