The Teddy Bear Sends the Insomniac Villain to Dreamland - Chapter 60

—————

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

—————

Chapter 60
The beauty of banquets in romance novels was that something dramatic always happened.
But being at the center of every incident was exhausting.
I cracked my eyes open and spotted Lea Everett peeking over the Third Floor Terrace railing, scanning the area in search of me.
‘Over here! Over here!’
I wanted to cry out with all my might, but I couldn’t speak, and besides…
I’d landed in the most secluded corner of the Garden, wedged between shrubs.
The bushes had grown thick and verdant with summer’s arrival, completely burying me beneath their foliage.
Calling out from here wouldn’t make me visible at all.
At least it seemed I hadn’t sustained any serious injuries.
These humans really do treat a bear doll however they please.
As I gazed upward in frustration, Lea Everett—who had been stamping her feet anxiously—suddenly bolted back into the Banquet Hall.
She must be going to fetch Blake because she couldn’t find me.
I hoped so. Come rescue me, would you?
I decided it was best to stay still and wait for him to arrive.
【Blake, I fell off the Terrace. Hurry. The location is…】
In the Royal Palace, where so many eyes were watching, moving carelessly could draw unwanted attention.
I was about to send a telepathic message when—
“Isn’t this the Leblanc Estate’s bear doll?”
A voice reached me before I could finish my thought.
Great. Who is it this time?
‘…The Edwin Crown Prince?’
What was he doing out here?
The unexpected figure flicked the cigar from his lips onto the ground, crushed it beneath his shoe, and began approaching.
So the Crown Prince smokes cigars.
Blake and Edwin Crown Prince looked nothing like their reputations suggested.
Blake had such a decadent air about him that one might assume he enjoyed cigars and alcohol, yet he never touched them.
Edwin, by contrast, had a soft and sweet appearance like cotton candy, yet he indulged in such things.
I didn’t think it was particularly bad or anything.
I simply had no real interest in him.
He was a handsome Crown Prince, certainly, but the only thing that truly captured my attention was the ring he wore.
‘Is he still wearing that ring?’
I tried to sneak a peek, but the Crown Prince had already drawn close. He frowned slightly as he looked down at me.
“Why are you here? How strange.”
You’re telling me. I feel the same way.
Edwin murmured as if responding to my unspoken words.
“I saw you in the Banquet Hall just moments ago. Did someone abandon you?”
No, they didn’t!
Blake didn’t abandon me—another accident happened, that’s all!
I was already feeling wronged enough as it was!
Is the Crown Prince of the Empire really this easy to encounter?
I can’t fathom why we keep meeting so frequently.
I desperately wished he would lose interest in me and leave.
‘…Ugh!’
My stomach suddenly churned.
‘This sensation is identical to when I met the Crown Prince last time….’
The mana within me erupted, enveloping my body. My head burned intensely.
I wondered if the mana stored in Arcanum had been released, but it hadn’t.
My body and the mana stored in Arcanum remained unchanged.
Then this time too, it was from the Crown Prince’s ring….
Before I could finish the thought, I sighed as I confirmed my elongated form.
“Ah….”
I’d transformed back to my true self again.
The moment the thought crossed my mind, my body sank heavily beneath the shrub.
The weight was drastically different from when I was a bear doll.
“Ow, ow, ow….”
I exhaled sharply as I felt the sharp twigs pricking my back.
Why does my body transform and revert without my permission?
And only when I encounter the Crown Prince.
What is that ring’s true nature?
I stared intently at his left hand. Then I realized something.
Wait, that’s not the important part.
I silently gazed up at the man standing before me.
His slightly enlarged sky-blue eyes were fixed on me.
Blink, blink.
His long eyelashes fluttered with his slow movements.
Watching him appear dazed and vacant, I hesitated for a moment.
What should I do? Knock him unconscious?
Or escape?
But would it be acceptable to knock out the Crown Prince in the Royal Palace?
This is absolutely maddening.
“…Ha-ha.”
I awkwardly laughed, hastily pushed myself up, and glanced around cautiously.
All right, this works. There’s no one nearby, so if I clean this up before the Crown Prince regains consciousness, I should be fine…
“…Oh.”
Damn it, this can’t happen!
I tried to use a teleportation spell to escape the area, but he suddenly grabbed my wrist.
Startled, I frowned as I looked at my captured wrist.
“Let go.”
I can’t use teleportation magic like this!
My identity had been exposed. And to the Crown Prince, no less.
Based on our previous encounter, Edwin Crown Prince clearly harbored animosity toward Blake Leblanc.
The hostility was unmistakable, and if he used my secret as leverage for blackmail…
It was painfully obvious that Blake would find himself in serious trouble.
‘I need to escape.’
I pushed myself up fully and tried to wrench my hand free.
Until Edwin looked at me and broke into a radiant smile.
“I finally found you.”
His beautiful eyes crinkled at the corners, like someone who had just discovered the world’s most precious gem.
Found me? Did that mean he’d been searching for me all this time?
No, surely not.
Why would he?
Despite witnessing a bear doll transform into a person, he showed no surprise whatsoever, continuing calmly.
“Our next meeting turned out to be today, after all.”
“….”
“I’ve been searching for quite some time. You never told me your name.”
“Wait. I told you to let go of that first.”
Right, I needed to retrieve my bear doll.
I quickly glanced at the doll that had fallen beside me. Edwin’s gaze followed mine toward it.
His eyes held a meaningful glint.
As if reading my thoughts, Edwin bent down and seized the bear doll.
“Ah, now I understand. I can even comprehend why I couldn’t find you until now.”
All the while, he kept my wrist firmly in his grip as he dangled the doll playfully.
This bastard.
I had thought him timid and fragile, not a bad person at heart.
But I needed to completely revise that earlier assessment.
Deliberately provoking someone like this—that’s just malicious!
I was growing irritated. I was also worried about Blake, who must be searching for me.
Should I use a different spell instead of teleportation?
Since I was in my true form, mana was draining from me in real time, but I felt I could still manage one escape spell.
What magic should I use?
While my mind raced, Edwin spoke in a gentle voice.
“I never imagined you were hiding inside the bear doll. Truly unexpected.”
“Listen, I’m genuinely angry now. Stop this and give it back.”
“Ahahaha!”
Then he suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Why is he laughing? This isn’t funny at all.
As I stared at him with an expressionless gaze, he began laughing even harder, clutching his stomach.
“Ah, my apologies. This is hilarious. I can’t remember the last time I laughed like this. Hahaha.”
Noticing my displeased expression, Edwin straightened up and spoke as though he were dying of amusement.
“To think we’d meet like this—it must be fate, don’t you think?”
“No.”
“I’m foolish. We already crossed paths at the Leblanc Mansion, yet I didn’t recognize you then.”
Of course she didn’t.
Who would ever imagine a witch hiding inside a teddy bear?
There was nothing to say in response. I roughly pulled my hand away from hers and extended it toward her instead.
“Give me back that bear doll while I’m asking nicely.”
“But it’s truly remarkable. You’re really not bothered at all?”
“By what?”
Why does she keep talking to me and refuse to return the bear doll?
Despite the irritation dripping from my voice, he grinned widely and spoke.
“It’s curious that you don’t bow your head or beg me to keep your secret, even though your identity has been exposed.”
“….”
I lifted my gaze to meet those sky-blue eyes.
The beautiful smile on his face betrayed the delight of someone who had found leverage.
This is truly absurd.
A hollow laugh escaped me. Seeing that unexpected laugh, his smile faltered slightly.
“Hey, Crown Prince.”
My quiet voice trembled with irritation and barely concealed anger for the first time in ages.
It had been a long while since I felt this way.
Between us, now silent, the Banquet Hall’s music drifted softly.
“So this is how you’ve lived your whole life.”
At my words cutting through the silence, his eyebrows twitched.
“Holding others’ weaknesses in your hands, playing with them like toys, delighting in the sight. Feeling superior when someone submits to you. Filling your self-worth from that. Isn’t that right?”
“….”
“But here’s the thing. I absolutely despise that kind of behavior.”
A crack appeared across Edwin’s beautiful face.
If you’re interested, you could simply express that interest.
Why must you twist it and express it so maliciously?
Watching him stiffen in real time, I brushed my hands off with an exasperated expression.
“If you want to spread the word about me to everyone, go ahead. But in return, you’ll never know my true identity for the rest of your life.”

—————

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

—————