One Day, My Dad Disappeared - Chapter 24

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 24
“……I’ve lost my mind.”
Aidan strode into the carriage with uncharacteristic noise and buried his face in his thigh. His leg had been burning just moments ago, but now—inexplicably—his face burned far worse.
It wasn’t from the tea, of course. Not a drop of Black Tea had touched his face.
The moment Cynthia asked how he’d known she drank Awakening Tea during exam period, his heartbeat had begun thundering in his ears.
“What if she found out I’ve been thinking of her as my Rival?”
Driven by nothing but the obsession to win, he’d refused to leave the Library until she stepped out.
He’d always chosen the seat directly behind hers to watch what she studied.
Analyzing a Rival was natural, wasn’t it? The old saying held true: know your enemy and know yourself, and victory is assured.
So he’d confirmed which Problem Set Books she used during her absences and bought identical copies to work through them; he’d even tested one of her pens to check its writing feel, though the cheap thing had only made his fingers ache and he’d abandoned it soon enough.
During exam season she drank the tea every day, so he’d wondered if it somehow sharpened focus—he’d tried it once, then immediately rinsed his mouth with Black Tea and spat it out.
“Surely she didn’t catch everything?”
After three years at the Academy despite all that effort, he’d finished second to her every time—permanently runner-up. If she discovered that, he might well die of shame.
“Young master, is something wrong?”
His dutiful escort knocked on the carriage door. After meeting Aclo, his father had assigned him several guards.
“It’s nothing… no. Never mind.”
“Pardon?”
“I said it’s not nothing.”
Aidan lifted his head irritably.
“I spilled Black Tea on my trousers.”
“Are you hurt, sir? Is it a burn?”
“I’m fine now. But the clothes are soiled—bring me fresh trousers.”
“Yes, just a moment, sir.”
Aidan tilted his head back and closed his eyes briefly.
Still, the concern in those upturned eyes had been rather pleasant.
Like the loyalty of a devoted subordinate worried for his superior? Much like this escort, in fact.
‘Though now that I think on it, it does seem slightly different from that.’
An escort was, after all, his property—but Cynthia was something else entirely. A person he could never quite catch up to. Someone he could never defeat no matter how hard he strove.
Even when he cut his sleep to study more, he still couldn’t surpass her. Wasn’t this the very difference between Ordinary Talent and Genius?
Perhaps it was precisely because she seemed forever beyond reach that he felt this way.
“Inscrutable.”
He muttered, studying his thigh. The dark fabric hid the wetness well enough, but sitting in damp clothes left him uncomfortable.
“Blast this spilled Black Tea.”
It had cooled by now, no longer hot but cold against his skin. Aidan carefully wiped at the wet patch.
“A girl shouldn’t be touching a man’s thigh so…….”
He caught himself and closed his mouth, his ears burning hotter than before. He rubbed them self-consciously.
“Though she probably thought nothing of it.”
Of course not. He hadn’t either. So it was fine.
“Perfectly fine.”
“Sir?”
At the sudden voice, Aidan jumped and glanced aside. His escort had arrived without a sound.
The guard extended a bag and spoke.
“The trousers you requested, and I brought Ointment and Bandages as well, in case you’re uncomfortable. Shall I treat the wound?”
“No need. I’m not a child. I’ll handle it myself.”
“Understood, sir.”
Aidan carefully removed his wet trousers. Fortunately the wound wasn’t severe. Still, he applied the Ointment the escort had brought and wrapped it with Bandage—better safe than risk infection.
‘If I left it untreated and it worsened, I wonder how much she’d worry.’
He checked his fresh trousers for wrinkles once more, then made his way back to the Laboratory.
Thinking it through coldly, he and Cynthia had spent most of their Academy years in the Library together. So it wasn’t strange that he’d noticed her drinking Awakening Tea.
Anyone with a nose could tell from the scent alone whether it was premium Black Tea or cheap imitation—it was that simple.
If she asked how he knew, he could just deflect with that explanation.
And if she asked why he’d rushed out…….
‘I’ll say I went to change clothes. Obviously.’
A nobleman couldn’t continue sitting about in damp clothes undignified. His thoughts now ordered and settled, Aidan opened the Laboratory door without hesitation.
“Hmm.”
Silver hair gleaming in the sunlight dazzled his eyes. Her head tilted slightly to one side.
It was a habit she adopted when thinking hard—when stuck on a problem, Cynthia tilted her head to the right about twenty-five degrees, then caught her full lower lip between her teeth before rolling it inward. That lip-rolling habit appeared too when she had nothing to say or wanted to change the subject.
Each time friction revealed her reddened lips anew, Aidan felt his neck prickle while his gaze floundered, uncertain where to land.
But something felt wrong. By now she should have noticed his presence and spun around in surprise.
By now she should have opened those round eyes wide, blinked them, and complained about where he’d been.
What’s this? Why isn’t she saying anything? Could she be concentrating intensely on something?
Has she found a thread to pull on one of those equations that wouldn’t come together before?
Aidan held his breath, worried that even the faintest sound from him might shatter her concentration.
……
He realized something was wrong thirty minutes later.
Cynthia’s head had begun to nod downward in small jerks, and the hand holding her pen had gone completely still.
‘Surely she’s not asleep.’
I’d rushed out just now because someone was touching my thigh—and weren’t we in the middle of something rather important?
It was exasperating, though he had to admit it made sense. She’d been up all night.
“I should fetch the Awakening Tea.”
He disliked the stuff—a bitter concoction brewed for the sole purpose of keeping one awake, its exact ingredients a mystery, and he wouldn’t drink it on principle—but if Cynthia insisted it was the only way to stay alert, he had no choice.
He’d have to ask the kitchen staff to prepare something with a similar chemical profile to the Awakening Tea, but with a taste that wouldn’t make him want to throw up.
‘She certainly sleeps soundly.’
He should wake her.
But it seemed cruel when she was sleeping so deeply.
‘Won’t her neck ache at that angle?’
Sitting upright without even leaning on an arm—that had to hurt.
……
No, it definitely would hurt. If she woke up with neck pain, it might interfere with the experiment.
Aidan quietly pulled his chair beside hers, settling onto its edge so as not to disturb her.
A glance confirmed she was still fast asleep. He straightened his posture and leaned forward slightly until he felt the weight of her shoulder settle against him.
Gulp.
He swallowed hard. Of course, Aidan harbored no ulterior motives—none whatsoever. This was for the greater good. If she twisted her neck in sleep or cracked her forehead against the desk, it would set back the entire research effort. There was simply no helping it.
The Electrical Lamp she was working to develop would revolutionize the Empire itself, assuming they succeeded.
He tilted his gaze downward to study her face. The angle made it difficult to see clearly, but loose strands of hair drifted gently in the breeze.
Hmm.
Her hair stirred across her cheek, tickling her, and she shifted restlessly.
The hair was brushing her face, and yet—
……
—his own face felt warm.
Without a word, Aidan brushed the nape of his neck.
The Laboratory seemed warmer than usual today.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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