The Teddy Bear Sends the Insomniac Villain to Dreamland - Chapter 59

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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 59
What? Why is he looking at me like that?
Ian’s piercing gaze grew deeper and more penetrating. For a moment, I felt unsettled by the sensation of being completely seen through.
Finally, he turned his eyes away and smiled.
“Blake Leblanc, I quite like this bear doll too.”
“…Is that so.”
“Yes. It seems like a very pretty doll.”
Blake Leblanc didn’t respond.
He could at least say something in return to a compliment like that!
I’ve heard plenty of times that I’m shabby and dirty, but it’s rare for someone to call me a pretty doll!
Unfortunately, Ian didn’t linger on the subject.
“Well then, let’s leave the doll talk at that! I have something else I wanted to discuss.”
“Something else?”
Blake Leblanc asked Ian in return, keeping a wary eye on Lea Everett as she continued to pace back and forth in front of me.
“It’s about the Magic Tower in connection with this Demon Beast incident. Do you have time to spare? I’d like to talk somewhere quiet.”
“Of course.”
The Demon Beast incident and the Magic Tower—this was definitely something I needed to hear.
“Let’s go to the Private Lounge. I’ve had a place prepared.”
Blake Leblanc was about to follow after Ian, who was leading the way.
A resounding announcement echoed through the Banquet Hall.
“His Imperial Majesty the Emperor and Her Imperial Majesty the Empress are entering.”
At the news that the Emperor and Empress had appeared in the Banquet Hall, Blake Leblanc’s eyes visibly hardened.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and waited for the Emperor and Empress. Only after they took their seats in the places of honor did the banquet resume.
Everyone except Ian and Blake Leblanc.
Feeling the Emperor’s gaze fixed upon us from a distance, Ian spoke first with a rigid expression.
“It seems I should go pay my respects to His Majesty.”
“I don’t particularly need to go.”
“You’re attending on behalf of the Leblanc Duchy? Do you want to fall out of favor with the Imperial Court?”
“Favor or disfavor, it matters not.”
“Blake Leblanc.”
Just as the two of them were prolonging their bickering, an unfamiliar voice came from beside us.
“Your Highness Ian, Lord Blake Leblanc. His Imperial Majesty the Emperor wishes to see you.”
It was the Emperor’s Advisor. The Advisor stepped back with a respectful demeanor, signaling that he would wait for the two of them.
“Will you still refuse to go?”
It was painfully obvious that Blake Leblanc was desperate not to go, but even he seemed unable to ignore a direct command from the Emperor.
“…This is why I hate banquets.”
He ran his hand irritably through his hair and glanced at me.
He seemed to be deliberating what to do with me, and the Advisor waiting beside us seized the moment to speak.
“His Imperial Majesty the Emperor also wishes to see your doll, my lord.”
“My doll?”
It was a cold voice that made even the seasoned Advisor flinch.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Ian looked at the Advisor with a troubled expression. It seemed he had sensed Blake’s mood deteriorating in real time.
“He specifically insisted that you attend.”
But the Emperor’s Advisor was no pushover either.
There was a subtle pressure—a warning not to dare ignore the Emperor’s words.
No matter how prestigious the Leblanc Family was, this banquet was being held in the Imperial Court.
Insulting the Imperial Court was grounds for criticism, regardless of the reason.
Whether he liked it or not, I quietly admired Blake’s furrowed brow.
Oh, he was furious.
The twitching movement of his eyebrows was far from ordinary.
【Could he actually refuse an imperial order?】
Even with his lips pressed firmly shut, I felt I’d already heard his answer.
He really was going to do it.
My high-speed charger was being unusually stubborn today.
I thought he’d been a bit more relaxed lately, but why did his wariness seem to have intensified?
He supposedly hated banquets, and it seemed to be true.
If I were in his position, I’d hate being forced to deal with someone I didn’t want to see either.
His hand gripping me had tightened slightly.
In any case, what mattered to me was only Blake’s feelings.
【Blake. Do what you want. You understand, right?】
Would he even listen to me?
Blake, who had been stubbornly staring ahead, finally turned to look at Lea Everett.
Then he handed me over to her.
Lea Everett and I stared at him with widened eyes, equally startled.
“Watch her for a moment.”
“Huh? Really? You’re trusting me with her? But…”
“I’ll be back soon.”
Unable to refuse the Emperor’s command, Blake’s choice was to entrust me to Lea Everett.
Though he looked thoroughly displeased about it.
Blake looked at me and spoke.
“You need to stay put and not wander off.”
“Got it.”
【Mm-hmm.】
Lea Everett and I answered simultaneously.
The flustered Advisor glanced between me and Blake, but deciding further persuasion was futile, he turned away.
And so Ian, Blake, and the Advisor headed toward the Emperor.
I was left alone with Lea Everett.
“What incredible luck!”
Lea Everett, who seemed very interested in me, carefully held me and examined me thoroughly.
“Blake’s funny too, you know. He actually brought a pretty dress for the teddy bear. Little bear, how did you manage to capture the heart of that prickly Blake who never listens to anyone?”
Lea Everett’s eyelashes fluttered as she leaned in and whispered to me.
“Huh? Tell me your secret too. Is it okay to be this cute?”
Her soft, cheerful voice was pleasant to hear. She glanced at Blake, who kept turning back to look at me, and murmured.
“He must really like you. I’ve never seen him act like that before.”
No! Blake likes you!
I wanted to send her a telepathic message right then and there. But strangely, I found myself hesitating.
A secret to capturing Blake’s heart?
In the past, I would have thought, “Blake’s long-time crush is really oblivious. He’s been pining for you all this time!” But now…
Now I wasn’t quite sure if Blake kept glancing over at me because of me, or because of Lea Everett.
Unaware of my conflicted feelings, Lea Everett wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace. She carried that same wonderful fragrance as always.
In her soft, elegant voice that brought peace to my heart, she murmured.
“It’s nice to see Blake becoming more human. It’s been a while.”
Watching her smile contentedly, I realized something unexpected.
‘Lea Everett seems far more interested in Blake than I thought.’
I’d assumed she only had eyes for Ian, but perhaps Blake might have a chance after all.
Would Blake be happy if he knew this?
Enjoying the now-familiar atmosphere of the Banquet Hall, I savored this intriguing situation.
I’d have to mention it to him when he returned.
Since he said he’d be back soon, I needed to wait quietly without causing any trouble.
But how wonderful it would be if the world always went according to my wishes.
While waiting for Ian and Blake, a problem arose.
“Where did this teddy bear come from?”
A man I’d never seen before suddenly thrust his head forward beside Lea Everett.
He wore a navy suit studded with rainbow-colored stars, and his eyes were shadowed and dark.
Startled by this unfamiliar face, Lea Everett gasped and stepped back.
“W-who are you?”
“Ah, I’m just so curious about where this doll came from.”
“First, tell me your name and family. It’s rude to approach us without even introducing yourself properly.”
The Mysterious Man kept repeating the same thing, so Lea Everett’s expression hardened and she hid me behind her.
Then the man’s complexion darkened instantly, and he began muttering to himself.
“I’ve been searching for so long… to think it was here. It was really good that I came to the mortal realm after all this time… Please give that to me.”
“W-what are you talking about! Stop saying ridiculous things. Who exactly are you?”
Then the man’s face became bewildered.
Rubbing his dark eyes, the man looked at me again and shook his head in disbelief.
“Why isn’t this ‘ours’? Of course it’s ours. It’s a precious and valuable treasure that we’ve been keeping for a very long time.”
Who is this man, really?
He looked suspicious at first glance.
‘Apart from those strange clothes that are different from the typical nobles attending the banquet…’
From the man’s barely audible muttering, I finally pinpointed the word that had been bothering me all along.
‘We.’
Why did he keep saying ‘we’?
The man was alone. There was no one with him, yet he kept using the word ‘we’.
Lea Everett, startled, soon found herself backing away with a hint of anger crossing her face.
The man then stepped forward again.
“Keep coming closer. I’ll call the guards.”
Even as she issued the threat, the man simply circled around Lea Everett and thrust his face toward me instead.
His eyes gleamed with a chilling, unsettling light.
Lea Everett retreated another step backward, desperate to escape those eyes that held a hint of madness.
Pushed toward the open Terrace, she glanced anxiously toward where Blake Leblanc stood, then bit her lip hard.
She clearly didn’t want to cause a commotion by calling the guards here.
It was Ian’s birthday banquet, after all.
And I couldn’t use magic here either.
I wanted to help Lea Everett in her distress, but using magic now seemed like a terrible choice.
Meanwhile, the man kept advancing.
That’s when he reached out his hand toward Lea Everett.
“Kyaaah!”
Startled, Lea Everett stumbled over the Terrace threshold.
With her scream, I watched the guards turn their attention toward us in what felt like slow motion.
“Ugh!”
In that instant, I nimbly grabbed the door handle and slammed it shut with force, and the man cried out in pain as his hand was caught.
Lea Everett, gripping the Terrace railing with both hands to steady herself, barely managed to keep from falling.
At the same moment, my body lifted into the air.
Realizing that Lea Everett had let go of me to regain her balance, she cried out.
“Bear doll!”
I was already plummeting beyond the Terrace into an endless fall.
‘…Nooooo!’
What do I do if she’s dropped me!
“Ah, seriously….”
With a dull thud, I fell and simply let my eyes close.

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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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