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Chapter 09….
…How did this even happen?
I blinked slowly, watching Blake Leblanc breathe softly in his sleep.
But my panic only lasted for a moment.
Soon enough, I sent a silent thank-you to the heavens for gifting me such an incredible moment.
Now that I looked properly, the man in front of me was nothing short of a sculpted beauty.
Long eyelashes that looked like curtains shielding sunlight were the first thing that caught my eye, followed by his gently closed eyes beneath them.
Below that sat a straight, well-formed nose, and lips that curved faintly as if he were peacefully smiling.
Overall, he had a refined, pure, almost innocent kind of beauty.
Yesterday, his aura had been so dark that I thought his face would be sharp and intimidating too—but seeing him asleep…
“Pretty. He’s basically an angel.”
Yes, that word fit him perfectly.
To think someone like this was treated as a villain.
So what, did all the villains in the world freeze to death or something?
‘Or maybe the standards for villains in the human world are just different.’
Maybe extremely beautiful men are considered villains because they steal people’s hearts and run away?
Or maybe—
Because they’re so beautiful they blind people?
“Wow, you could sled down that nose bridge.”
Before I realized it, I reached out and gently stroked his straight nose—then suddenly froze.
Huh.
“…I’m turning into some creepy pervert, aren’t I? So that’s why he’s a villain!”
Yes, that must be it.
While I was admiring his face in silence, I soon tilted my head.
‘Wait… when did I even put Blake to sleep?’
I searched my memory carefully, but the last thing I recalled was struggling not to fall asleep alone last night while muttering spells.
There’s no way Blake fell asleep on his own…
Given his curse, I already knew he suffered from constant insomnia, and if he could sleep alone, he wouldn’t have needed to bring me here in the first place.
Or… was he pretending to sleep?
That was highly unlikely, but just in case, I reached my hand under his nose.
Then I lightly blocked one of his nostrils for about a minute.
His brows slowly furrowed, and then he shifted slightly with a faint “mmh…”
Hmm, so not that either.
He really was asleep.
Now that I confirmed it, a new question formed in my mind.
Then how did Blake fall asleep?
And… while holding me?
But thinking alone wouldn’t give me answers.
‘Maybe I accidentally held his hand in my sleep and cast the spell!’
In the end, I gave up trying to find a precise answer and moved on.
Whatever the case, the important thing was that he was asleep.
‘My mana has increased a lot, hasn’t it?’
It seemed all thanks to sleeping while hugging him.
Let’s see… I roughly estimated how much had filled up.
If I imagined my magic as an ocean…
‘It’s like going from an entire sea… to a puddle.’
It still wasn’t full, but the effect was undeniable.
If I stayed by Blake’s side like this and kept recharging steadily, I might eventually be able to use proper spells again—and maybe even find a portal soon.
I looked at the peacefully sleeping Blake with warm, affectionate eyes.
“Blake, you really are my savior, aren’t you?”
Even though the original novel, 〈The Lovely Savior〉, wasn’t actually written about you as the protagonist…
“…Ah.”
That whisper was barely audible—but when I turned my head, I saw violet eyes glowing faintly even in the morning light staring right at me.
Those slowly moving eyes shifted between me and the ceiling, trying to understand the situation.
Then, as if spring-loaded, he shot upright and rolled out of bed.
“W-what… why am I sleeping ri—”
“…Good morning! Nice morning!”
I rubbed my arms where his warmth had just been, and greeted him brightly.
Well, was it even morning?
Not a single ray of sunlight entered the room due to the thick blackout curtains.
“Ugh.”
Still, after such a good sleep, greeting the morning sun felt right.
It already felt strangely familiar after only a single day here.
I stepped down from the bed lightly and waved at him, who was still leaning against the wall staring blankly at me, then walked toward the curtains.
Rrrrip—
The curtains opened, and blinding sunlight flooded the room.
The weather is amazing today!
Since I was at it, I opened the window with a creak, and a spring breeze carrying the scent of life tickled my nose.
To think I was feeling this kind of wind somewhere other than the western desert.
It felt like a dream.
And I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
“…I was asleep.”
Blake Leblanc muttered in disbelief, still standing frozen for a long moment.
Then he slumped down onto the edge of the bed.
“Yeah, you slept really well. Thanks to that, I also slept comfortably. The bed is huge, I love it!”
“I clearly tried to throw you out of the bed… how did this—”
His messy bed hair stuck up adorably, and he looked around in confusion like he couldn’t process reality.
“Did I sprawl out too much? I’ll be careful next time.”
Though it probably wouldn’t have mattered much since I’m so small anyway.
“Next time, don’t just lie in my bed!”
Blake snapped.
“Don’t be so stingy, Blake. The bed is this big—what’s so hard about sharing it with a tiny bear doll like me?”
“That’s not what I mean.”
He took a slow breath, trying to regain his composure as our conversation drifted off track.
Wow, he really is handsome.
Even while frustrated, his slightly exhausted expression and the way he pressed his eyes made him look strangely decadent.
Seeing a handsome man in the morning really is a blessing.
“Did you… do it? Put me to sleep?”
“Huh?”
“I was going to throw you off the bed. But the moment I grabbed you, you said something—and then I… fell asleep.”
Ah, so that’s what happened.
Now understanding everything, I smiled confidently.
“I told you. I could put you to sleep.”
But he didn’t look satisfied at all. Instead, his gaze sharpened.
“Tell me how.”
My collar—just as I was leaning by the open window—was suddenly grabbed.
“Hey—let go!”
“Tell me how right now. What’s the method? No one has ever broken this curse. No amount of money, no ancient texts, no scammers—nothing worked. So how did you do it?”
Though I was being held rather ungracefully by the collar, I shrugged calmly and replied in a dignified voice.
“Because I am the Great Witch of the West, Vivian Halloway. I told you—I’m not an ordinary witch. I’m an extraordinary one.”
“You weren’t lying?”
“If I lie, I get it all returned to me. I don’t live like that.”
I had my own philosophy: don’t lie.
Lies breed more lies, and those lead to even more lies.
Something I once read said trust comes from consistency, communication, and…
“Most importantly, acting with sincerity. I won’t deceive you. Because I like you. Hey! What are you doing—don’t suddenly let go!”
I fell with a thud onto the floor, rubbing my sore backside and glaring at him—but he ignored me completely.
“So… you can keep putting me to sleep like this?”
“Cautious certainty is my policy, but if you don’t kick me out of this mansion and let me stay by your side, then yes, I can do it anytime.”
“…So you can put me to sleep today too?”
“Of course. Oh, but I have one request—if you give me wine, I can even make you take naps!”
Human-world wine must taste amazing.
While I was lost in thought, I noticed him hesitating, biting his lip as if he wanted to ask something more.
“What? More questions? I’m open to anything.”
“…I heard it earlier. You… you called me your gu… gu—”
“Gu… gu…?”
Watching him mimic a pigeon-like sound made me furrow my brows seriously.
He suddenly turned away, his face stiff.
“…Tell me why you called me your savior!”
Was it just me, or were his ears slightly red?
I looked at him calmly before explaining lightly.
“Oh, that! Well, because when you’re next to me, my power just surges. My mana gets restored.”
Still not looking at me, Blake narrowed his eyes.
“You’re saying I replenish your mana?”
“Exactly. I told you yesterday too, but I’ll explain again. You’re a mana-charging ability user. A ‘mana replenisher,’ if you want another term. Your power restores my magic. It’s extremely rare.”
“I’m not a mage or a witch. I don’t even know what an ability user is.”
I’m just…
He paused briefly, then said flatly:
“A cursed human.”
“But to me, you’re special.”
A brief silence fell.
And I watched something rare—Blake’s eyes widening slightly, then distorting, then trembling faintly.
His ears remained red, even while his face stayed expressionless.
