The Teddy Bear Sends the Insomniac Villain to Dreamland - Chapter 14

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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 14
Ronald’s pristine white mustache twitched with bewilderment.
‘A teddy bear? That was the cause of the commotion not long ago. But are you saying it belonged to the young master?’
He had no idea how much trouble he’d faced when the maids caused such a fuss while Edwin Crown Prince was visiting.
He’d soothed the maids, telling them they’d seen things because of sleep deprivation, and sent them away.
So the teddy bear actually existed, and rumors were spreading that it belonged to Blake? Why? Why?
Now that he thought about it, the past few days had been nothing but suspicious incidents.
Blake arriving with a bird’s nest perched on his head and then dashing out of the Reception Room while the Crown Prince was present—it was a sight he’d never witnessed before.
He stood still, his eyes rolling thoughtfully.
‘…A teddy bear.’
The keen instincts of an elderly butler who had served the Leblanc Duchy for over forty years suddenly sharpened.
A sensitive intuition that something was afoot.
“Good day, Ronald, sir.”
“Wait there.”
He urgently grabbed the arm of a servant who happened to pass by with a greeting.
“Those maids who said they saw the teddy bear—where are they?”
***
Unaware of the commotion stirring through the mansion, today held profound meaning for me.
“Wow, this flower is so beautiful!”
“….”
“Is it really okay for me to be here today? I always worked in the Study Room before.”
“Stop asking. I said it’s fine.”
“Can I climb up here?”
“If I told you not to, would you listen?”
Watching his expression grow cold as an icy wind swept through, I simply shrugged lightly.
“That’s a no.”
As I hopped up onto the flower bed, Blake answered dutifully.
He couldn’t hide his joy.
This morning, seized by some inexplicable impulse, Blake had returned with his work, scooped me up, and carried me to the Greenhouse.
‘So he was pretending not to notice when I said I was bored, but he was paying attention after all.’
Gazing around the glass Greenhouse flooded with bright sunlight, I felt an overwhelming urge to stroke Blake’s head in appreciation.
Blake sat beside the desk, a yellow lamp lit beside him, busily scribbling with his fountain pen.
I thought how well the silver glasses perched on his nose bridge suited his soft violet eyes, and I hopped onto a chair, sprawling out lazily.
The warmth was making me drowsy.
“By the way, Blake. You didn’t eat breakfast?”
“I never do.”
“I see. Then the closest person to you in this mansion is that white-mustached butler I saw recently?”
“White-mustached….”
Blake glanced at me with an exasperated expression and answered curtly.
“I have no close acquaintances.”
“What? How could that be? There’s no way I don’t have at least one close person!”
Living in this sprawling mansion, I thought it only natural that someone would have at least one particularly close companion, so I waited for his response, but he was too busy flipping through documents.
“I have a dragon butler named Max. I brought him here when I was young, and we’ve already spent over 250 years together. Now that I think about it, I suppose Max and I have quite a special relationship. He’s extremely fond of me.”
Of course, the latter part wasn’t something the person in question had said directly.
But I knew.
Despite all his nagging, he can’t function without me.
Thinking of my temperamental dragon, I swung my short legs back and forth.
“With Max gone, everything feels empty. Even though he was always complaining about having too much work, he supported me well from my side. Now that I’m trying to do everything alone, it feels awkward.”
His fountain pen, which had been moving without pause, came to an abrupt halt.
I shot him a hopeful glance, thinking he finally felt like conversing, but it was only momentary before he returned his focus to his work.
Ugh, how boring.
When bored, I might as well admire Blake’s face.
‘Hmm, he really is handsome.’
His sculpted features, perfectly suited to the role of a secondary male lead in a romance novel, were utterly captivating.
I suppose this is what they mean by being satisfied just from looking.
Moreover, perhaps because he’d slept well, the dark circles that had shadowed his eyes had faded considerably, making his beauty shine even brighter.
Hehe.
‘Eren, I’m doing my guardian angel role perfectly!’
I felt even more fulfilled imagining how delighted Eren would be when he returned from his prayers.
And whether it was due to his improved condition, Blake’s document-processing speed was nothing short of remarkable.
Works well, is handsome, is tall, has excellent abilities, and is even a war hero?
“That’s character design overload. Now I find it newly impressive that Lea Everett, the young lady who captured the heart of such an accomplished man, is so remarkable.”
“You know Lea Everett?”
It was practically a murmur, yet Blake, who had been silent all this time, suddenly asked.
Since it was about Lea, it seemed he’d opened his ears after all.
I nodded with my arms crossed.
“Of course! The place I crash-landed was Lea Everett’s birthday celebration, remember? I heard you and that blonde talking about it.”
“I see.”
“This is just a personal hobby of mine, but if you ever need romantic advice, just say the word.”
“There’s no need.”
Watching him refuse so bluntly, I couldn’t hide my sympathy.
Blake, you don’t realize you’re hopeless at romance.
Unable to conceal my sympathy, I offered sincere advice.
“I’m quite the romance expert, so you can trust me. I don’t lose in the romance department.”
“…You? How?”
“There are methods for everything.”
The claim of being an expert wasn’t a lie.
Before Max threw them all away, my room was completely packed with romance novels.
There was so much to learn from them.
Thinking about it now, I’m irritated all over again.
Max, that scoundrel—I’ll have to make sure he fills the bookshelf properly when he returns.
“Never mind. I don’t have the leisure to concern myself with such things.”
“But the blond one told you that Lea Everett is an important person to you, didn’t he?”
She was the original heroine, so she couldn’t possibly be unimportant to him.
Yet contrary to my expectations, Blake responded with indifference.
“Lea Everett and I are close friends. Why does everyone insist on pairing us together?”
His utterly disinterested demeanor made me wonder for a moment whether he truly harbored no feelings whatsoever for Lea.
‘Have I misremembered the novel’s plot?’
Just as I was about to ask if he was serious, unable to contain myself any longer—
Knock, knock.
A cheerful knocking echoed from outside the glass greenhouse.
“We have a visitor!”
As I sprang to my feet, Blake issued a warning.
“Pretend to be a doll.”
“Sure, sure.”
Unable to hide his skeptical gaze at my response, he gestured to me.
“Come here. Sit on my lap.”
Are you serious?
If I sit on your lap, won’t your dignity suffer even more?
Regarding his incomprehensible words with the look one gives a peculiar creature, I firmly declined.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to refuse. Your lap is far harder than a chair.”
“So you dislike it because of that?”
“Yes, I’ll just stay here.”
He set down the fountain pen he’d been holding onto the table with a sharp tap, his expression distinctly displeased.
Standing my ground as I met his steady gaze, I planted my hands firmly at my sides.
Knock, knock, knock!
The knocking sounded again, louder this time, accompanied by voices.
Yet Blake paid no attention to what was happening beyond the door, his expression showing clear displeasure as he regarded me with a slanted gaze.
“…Why make such a fuss when you could simply come?”
And it was precisely then.
As the door swung open, the unexpected visitor that appeared caused Blake’s languid eyes to narrow.
***
Behind the Mansion, in the Private Garden that only the Leblanc Duchy could use.
Ronald, standing before the transparent Greenhouse, was consumed with worry.
The sun had already reached its zenith, yet Blake was nowhere to be found in the Mansion.
He wondered if Blake had gone out for legion training early, but upon checking, today was a day without training.
Not in the Study Room, not in the dining hall, not in the library, not even in the bedroom. He was nowhere.
And so, to the last refuge.
At last, Ronald had arrived before the Greenhouse in the Garden.
Before the glass Greenhouse door where sunlight reflected brilliantly, he hesitated for a moment before drawing a deep breath.
He hardly expected Blake to be in a Greenhouse with such intense sunlight, yet if he wasn’t here either, today was a day when he absolutely had to see the young master.
‘I need to check.’
It was because of a task he had to complete.
The incident had begun with a rumor circulating among the servants days ago.
‘Are you the maid who spread the rumor that the young master carries a doll around?’
‘R-Ronald Advisor!’
‘Tell me truthfully. I’m not angry—I simply need to know if what you saw was real.’
The maid who recounted the situation in careful detail did not seem to be lying.
‘He picked up a brown bear doll and said… “I found it, my beloved bear doll.”‘
He had never attached the word “beloved” himself, but since he hadn’t asked Blake directly, there was no way to verify it.
Yet that account alone had dealt Ronald quite a considerable shock.

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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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