The Teddy Bear Sends the Insomniac Villain to Dreamland - Chapter 23
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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 23
How in the world did she end up here?
There wasn’t even a whisper of presence. What is this?
Flustered, I hastily gathered my mana to dispel the magic, but I couldn’t move under that piercing gaze.
“…I had no idea my maternal grandfather had returned alive.”
Rolling my eyes shamelessly, I greeted him in a solemn voice.
“Ah…ahem! It’s been a while, Blake. Come here and embrace your grandfather.”
“My maternal grandfather was someone who despised and looked down upon any grandchild of the Leblanc Family. He called them demonic creatures cursed with a terrible hex.”
Blake’s Maternal Grandfather.
Why on earth did he do such a thing?
I directed my resentment toward Blake’s maternal grandfather, who should have been resting peacefully buried in the earth by now.
I had hoped to organize the situation, but it was only becoming more chaotic.
“Should I ask my grandfather, who crawled back from the afterlife, to explain who these rats scurrying into my Operation Room are?”
The two people who saw Blake were trembling violently. Soon the papers they were holding scattered across the floor with a crash.
They were trade rights documents for the Border Trade Route bearing the name of the Thurman Baronial House.
The complex paperwork lay scattered on the ground like a slow-motion scene unfolding.
“Ah…”
The two intruders, caught red-handed at the scene, were completely frozen. They couldn’t even think of an excuse to offer.
A languid gaze fixed quietly on the documents rolling at their feet. Then he turned his head sharply.
“Get out.”
“…Yes, yes?”
“Are your ears blocked? I said get out of my sight this instant.”
“Ah, ah…”
The two people, not understanding what he meant, stood there dumbfounded for only a moment.
“Young Noblewoman, hurry!”
Her attendant, who came to her senses first, bent down and frantically gathered the documents.
Even as she did, the woman called Young Noblewoman couldn’t tear her eyes away from Blake.
“Why… if you realized what I came to take, why aren’t you saying anything?”
She seemed to want to ask why he was simply letting her go.
Listen, human lady. This isn’t the time for this.
Unaware of my growing anxiety, the woman questioned Blake again.
“Why? Why are you just letting me go?”
“Dissatisfied? If you’d prefer I kill you right here, I’d be happy to oblige.”
With an air that suggested he truly meant it, I was about to step in. The woman suddenly cried out.
“You’re not that kind of person! You’re a heartless, tearless monster, yet why are you telling me to take the trade rights documents? When our entire family died and our Territory’s people starved, you turned a blind eye! Why now…”
“I don’t need such things. Whether those scraps of paper exist or not, I don’t care if they’re burned as kindling right now.”
At his truly indifferent attitude, the woman’s eyes welled up.
“It’s truly precious to us. This trade rights document is the one important paper that can feed our Territory’s people.”
“Then take it with you.”
“…I cannot comprehend this.”
Blake Leblanc turned away sharply, as if he had nothing more to say to the speechless woman.
Fortunately, a Female Servant who had just finished gathering the documents grabbed the woman’s arm and pulled her along.
“We need to go. Yes? Let’s go, both of us.”
“….”
I was just beginning to feel relieved as I watched the two of them head toward the door.
Just before the door closed.
The woman’s eyes met mine, and she seemed to be asking something.
‘Is Blake Leblanc really not a bad person?’
Bang.
The door shut, and silence fell over the Operation Room.
Well, I didn’t even manage to answer her properly.
Still, just by planting such a question, she’d have the chance to reconsider Blake Leblanc.
That’s not a terrible outcome.
The intruder didn’t die, and I learned about Blake Leblanc’s reputation.
And I even obtained information related to the suspicious ‘Demonic Beast’ and ‘Prophecy’, didn’t I?
My self-satisfaction lasted only briefly.
“….”
I rolled my eyes around nervously.
Ugh, I can barely breathe.
The atmosphere is suffocating.
I was cautiously inching sideways, gauging Blake Leblanc’s mood as he stood silently with his back to me.
“Grandfather.”
“….”
“Where are you going?”
His eyes, which had been fixed on the portrait with the projection magic removed, slowly shifted to the side.
“Hm?”
The eyes I thought were looking at the portrait were actually fixed directly on me.
“Ah, aha ha ha….”
Even hidden in the shadows, he found me instantly.
Blake Leblanc really does have sharp instincts.
I laughed awkwardly and began slipping toward the exit, feeling his piercing gaze on my back.
I changed the subject by looking at the portrait.
“It seems Grandfather left without even saying goodbye. What a shame.”
“…I don’t even want to ask how you ended up here.”
“It’s fortunate you didn’t. The explanation would be rather long.”
How could I explain that I came out looking for the Bathhouse, happened to discover the intruders, and ended up impersonating Blake’s Maternal Grandfather while trying to stop them?
It was especially difficult to speak up since I’d just been scolded about not leaving in the first place.
Blake Leblanc was watching me quietly, his expression suggesting he had much to say but was restraining himself.
As I locked eyes with him in silent confrontation, a wave of hurt suddenly welled up inside me.
‘Now that I think about it, we fought this morning.’
What was I thinking, taking his side just because he’s handsome?
I suddenly felt wronged, remembering how I’d unconsciously defended him when those intruders asked if Blake Leblanc was a bad person.
Blake Leblanc would probably never know, even if he died and came back to life.
He’d never know how hard I fought for him.
“Thank me.”
“You cause trouble without any explanation and then have the audacity to act like this?”
“Don’t talk to me. I’m incredibly upset with you right now.”
“Ha. And who exactly should be angry here?”
“Don’t follow me!”
Blake Leblanc let out a short, exasperated sigh. Whether he cared or not, I spun around and moved my short legs forward.
I walked coldly ahead for quite some time, but Blake Leblanc neither grabbed me nor called me back.
‘What? Why isn’t he stopping me?’
I rolled my eyes sideways like a flounder to check behind me, but he seemed to have no intention of moving.
Even when I slowed my leisurely pace, he showed no sign of catching up.
Then I should just walk even slower than this.
From behind me, who was now moving almost like a turtle, I heard something like a stifled laugh.
I turned around wondering if he’d actually laughed, but his expression was perfectly calm, as if that were impossible.
The moment I turned my head forward again, my body suddenly lifted into the air.
“Yay!”
As if he’d been waiting for this, I naturally settled against his side and let out a joyful cheer.
I could comfortably return to my Bedroom like this, nestled in his arms.
Being upset with Blake Leblanc was one thing, and returning comfortably to my Bedroom was another matter entirely.
If I went back alone, I’d have to wander through the Corridor again and search for my Bedroom, so this way was far more convenient and pleasant.
“Stay still and let me carry you. I’ll take you to your Bedroom.”
“Okay. I could do it myself, but since it’s more comfortable when you carry me, I’ll allow it just this once.”
“With those short legs, you’d certainly manage.”
“Don’t mock me. These legs actually have an incredible advantage. I just found out today.”
“…What advantage?”
I shot him a look that begged him to ask, and he inquired as he left the room with me tucked against his side.
“My footsteps don’t make any sound! It must be because my soles are so soft and cushioned. It’s quite an advantage.”
….
“Thanks to that, I was able to follow those intruders without being detected. I used projection magic to hide my identity and talked with them without being found out.”
He strode through the empty Corridor with long legs, offering no response.
But I could tell he was listening to what I said.
“The invasion was wrong, but they had their circumstances. They readily handed over all those documents. Blake Leblanc, you surprised me.”
“Those trade rights were documents I was forced to take as spoils of victory anyway. So whether they steal them or not, I don’t care. They were that House’s property from the start. But I do have limits to tolerating foolish behavior.”
“So you knew they were coming to steal?”
….
Struck at his weak point, he fell silent once more.
Only then could I understand.
Blake Leblanc had known their true identities from the very beginning. That they were disguised as Female Servants in this Mansion, and that they would soon come to steal the trade rights.
‘I knew it all along.’
It was infuriating. If he knew, why hadn’t he even offered an explanation?
Before I knew it, we’d arrived at the Bedroom, and he gently set me down on the bed as he spoke.
“The one thing I overlooked was not realizing you’d wander through this Mansion so freely. I didn’t need to intervene, but because you were impersonating my Maternal Grandfather…”
“Why did you pretend not to know? You could have just said you were planning to return it. Those people were misunderstanding you.”
“Too troublesome.”
A response so characteristically Blake Leblanc. He yanked off his necktie, tossed it onto the sofa, and collapsed onto the bed.
“Blake, I’ve told you before—if you keep letting them misunderstand you out of laziness, what happens then? You killed the Demon Beast, saved me from the prophecy, and you don’t even get angry when all you receive is criticism?”
“You’ve heard quite the detailed account. Demon Beast, prophecy—it sounds strange coming from your lips. Let’s talk about something else.”
He slowly turned his head to meet my gaze. His expression was so utterly indifferent that my own frustration only deepened.
‘It’s hardly surprising that he can’t sleep. In this Leblanc Family! The vengeful spirits of those who died being exploited by the Leblancs must be cursing them all.’
The curse of the vengeful spirits who had died being exploited by the Leblancs, or so I’d heard.
I couldn’t tell if he’d grown accustomed to hearing such terrifying things, or if he simply didn’t care.
Even in the original story, he chose goodness in the end, leaving behind his unfortunate life.
“Everyone keeps calling you a villain.”
“What others say about me is none of your concern. That’s enough.”
I stared intently at his amethyst eyes as he drew a cold line, as if forbidding further discussion.
…Perhaps he wasn’t wrong.
It wasn’t my place to meddle. I was too busy finding my own path to survival.
But…
‘Blake Leblanc is already my contractual partner—we’re in the same boat.’
And I couldn’t bear to watch my precious partner live an unhappy life like in the original story.
That’s why I stepped in during the Social Club incident last time.
“No!”
At my loud exclamation, he flinched slightly.
“Listen to me carefully from now on. Partner.”
“…Partner?”
I clenched my small fists and pushed against his shoulders firmly, speaking each word with conviction.
“Anyone who calls you a villain from now on—just bring them to me.”
I’m currently maintaining a perfect winning record solving everything!
“What exactly are you going around doing?”
“Nothing special.”
Now that I think about it, I wonder if Molly is doing well?
….
Blake Leblanc seemed to have more to say, his lips moving slightly, but soon his expression shifted to one lacking the courage to ask further questions, and he clamped his mouth shut.
And that evening.
As Blake Leblanc passed through the Corridor, he found himself stopping abruptly at the sound of voices coming from somewhere.
A Female Servant was passionately insisting among the other servants that the true culprit in the Social Club female employee murder case was absolutely not the Young Master.
Only then could Blake Leblanc recall Vivian’s loud exclamation once more.
‘
―
I’m handling everything!’
My heartbeat suddenly thundered in my ears with an intensity that felt almost unnatural.
Blake Leblanc concealed his expression behind his palm and rose from his seat.
The tips of his ears flushed crimson as he hurried away.
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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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