The Teddy Bear Sends the Insomniac Villain to Dreamland - Chapter 61

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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 61
Edwin’s sky-blue eyes darkened, sinking into shadow. As if reflecting the dimming sky, streetlamps flickered on one by one throughout the Garden.
Beneath the amber glow, he swept his pink hair back roughly.
All warmth had drained from his face, leaving it cold and sharp—no longer beautiful, but cutting.
Some unnamed emotion—rage, perhaps—churned violently in his gaze as he stared at me.
After a long moment of silence, he murmured softly.
“To speak to the Crown Prince in such a manner… I wonder if I should call it courage or recklessness. How amusing.”
I frowned at the smile playing across his lips.
“You have a terrible habit of smiling when nothing’s funny.”
Edwin’s mouth trembled.
“As long as I remain in this kingdom, there is no one who can speak to me as you do.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll do what I can.”
….
I could have eased the tension with a smile and softer words, but I had no desire to.
I was irritated too.
Time was slipping away, and my mind grew anxious wondering if Blake would appear.
I sighed, watching him study my face intently.
“Hand over the bear plush. I don’t want to talk anymore.”
“You’re quite confident.”
“Yes. The brave ones are always the beautiful ones.”
My confidence wasn’t without reason.
What if Edwin truly revealed my identity to everyone else?
Honestly, I wasn’t worried about that at all.
After living for so long, one thing I’d naturally gained was the ability to read people.
From the moment we first met, Edwin had been curious about who I was.
Since I’d told him neither my name nor where I lived, he couldn’t have found me when I was still in doll form.
I didn’t know why he took such interest in me, but one thing was certain—he’d been searching for me all this time.
Just by looking at those eyes burning with curiosity, I could tell he wouldn’t breathe a word to anyone until he discovered my true identity.
And as if to prove my suspicion, the frozen Edwin exhaled a deflated breath.
“Hah. I’ve thought it since before, but you’re not an easy person to deal with.”
He stepped closer. The atmosphere had become noticeably more relaxed.
“First, I won’t tell anyone. I was surprised, but from the moment you used magic, I suspected you weren’t an ordinary person.”
“I’m not ordinary.”
“I won’t ask why you’ve come to spend time with Blake Leblanc either.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere.”
“Instead, I ask only one thing of you.”
“You’re persistent too.”
Knowing nothing came free, I nodded readily.
“What’s the request? Fair warning—don’t ask me to reveal my identity or become a spy for the Leblanc Family. Those are off the table.”
He smiled softly as I preemptively shut down the uncomfortable requests.
“I don’t do that sort of thing.”
“Then what?”
A sound came from near the Garden.
Was it Blake Leblanc?
My heart raced. I shuffled my feet impatiently, urging him to hurry, when he spoke slowly with an unexpected request.
“Please, let us remain acquaintances.”
…Was this man not quite right either?
For a Crown Prince of an entire nation, his request was remarkably modest.
Which only made me more suspicious.
“What do you mean by remaining acquaintances?”
As I opened my eyes lazily, he hastened to elaborate.
“I mean the sort of relationship where we greet each other when we meet and inquire about each other’s well-being.”
We typically call that ‘friendship.’
At the words he added quietly afterward, I hesitated for a moment.
‘Friendship.’
It was a word I favored.
Over the long years of my existence, the friends I made were always precious.
They were bookmarks left in the memory of this long, endless journey called life.
But could I form such a bond with this man before me?
And would it even be right to do so?
Perhaps sensing my growing hesitation, Edwin held out the bear plush to me.
“I won’t be troublesome. I simply thought it would be nice to have one interesting friend.”
The footsteps were drawing closer. There was no more time to deliberate.
And what would I lose by becoming friends with this man?
It was better than having my identity exposed.
“Fine. Let’s do it.”
“I’m delighted.”
Edwin smiled broadly. Even in the dim Garden lit only by the Banquet Hall’s light and the glow of the street lamps, his smile seemed to brighten everything around him with a fresh radiance.
Looking at that face, I spoke without thinking.
“A genuine smile is far more beautiful than a false one.”
Edwin hastily wiped his mouth with his palm.
As if he shouldn’t be smiling genuinely.
Why was he so startled?
Leaving Edwin to awkwardly compose himself, I quickly took the bear plush from his hands and clutched it to my chest.
I needed to return to my original form as soon as possible.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
But I was a moment too late.
In the back path of the Garden, illuminated by the street lamps.
A group of young noblemen who had spotted Edwin were approaching and calling out to him.
Edwin, too, was startled and froze at the unexpected situation.
His sky-blue eyes swept across me in a single glance.
It was a look asking what I should do.
I understand!
That’s why I told you to let go quickly and give me the bear plush instead!
The figures approaching gradually drew near enough that their faces became visible.
“…Your Highness, the Crown Prince?”
“And… who is this person?”
Above the heads of the onlookers, who alternated their gaze between me in a pitch-black dress with grapefruit-colored hair cascading down and Edwin in a pristine white dress uniform adorned with gold embroidery, question marks seemed to materialize.
Behind the Imperial Palace Banquet Hall.
In the Garden where darkness had settled, sparse of people—two figures stood there.
Watching the meaningful shift in the eyes of those observing us, I chose instead to close my eyes.
I just wanted to lose consciousness.
Truly.
***
Lea Everett ran across the Banquet Hall.
The hem of her dress that she clutched occasionally caught under her shoes, but she had no mind for such things.
What do I do!
If Blake found out that she’d thrown away the plush toy he cherished off the Terrace, he’d truly be angry.
She had never seen Blake angry before, but somehow she could imagine it this time.
Lea knew well enough that the look in Blake’s eyes when he gazed at that small bear plush was something special.
Confirming that Blake was still conversing, standing before the Emperor without bothering to hide his displeased expression, Lea shuffled her feet anxiously.
What should I do, what should I do.
Just then, her eyes met perfectly with Ian’s as he subtly turned his head to the side.
The moment Ian spotted Lea clutching her dress hem with a pallid complexion, his eyes widened.
He seemed to grasp the situation immediately.
He whispered something quietly to the Emperor, and soon the Emperor laughed heartily and nodded.
“Haha, yes, that’s right. This old man lacked perception. The birthday celebrant mustn’t miss the first dance. Go on now.”
“Yes, then I shall take my leave. Leblanc Family’s young master, come along with me.”
The moment the two bowed deeply and withdrew, Lea rushed over breathlessly.
“Lea, what’s wrong?”
Unlike Ian’s affectionate question, Blake stiffened the instant he saw Lea.
“Where is Vivian.”
“Vivian? Is that the bear plush’s name?”
“Where is she.”
Ian’s question was buried beneath Blake’s cold voice.
At his voice, low enough to make her heart ache, Lea spoke rapidly.
“Someone thoughtless approached earlier. I knew you didn’t want to show the plush to His Majesty the Emperor, so I tried to avoid drawing attention as much as possible. But then I went out to the Terrace, and I accidentally dropped her below…”
Without even hearing the rest of her explanation, Blake turned away.
“Blake! Come with me!”
Lea followed after him, but his pace was too swift for her to catch up.
“I’m sorry! I….”
“Lea Everett. Wait. Let Blake find the doll. We need to go find that suspicious man instead.”
Ian calmly held Lea Everett back.
“But what if Blake can’t find it alone? This is my fault. I have to go.”
Lea Everett pushed away Ian’s hand that had grasped her wrist.
Even against that feeble force, Ian stumbled backward without resistance, then gazed quietly at his own hand before speaking.
“Lea Everett. Blake will find it for certain. We need to think ahead.”
Ian had always been rational. He gently wiped away the tears pooling in Lea Everett’s blue eyes and patted her tenderly.
“So where did that man go?”
“He was caught by the guards earlier. It looked like he was being searched, but I couldn’t even ask who he was.”
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Ian gently escorted Lea Everett forward. Though she kept glancing back as they walked, Ian silently fixed his gaze ahead and continued on.

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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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