Chapter 8

Holding a lantern, Vereneli led the way, and Laila ascended the stairs to the third floor. The empty corridor was cold and desolate. For Laila, who had lived with her parents and maids, living alone in this mansion with just one other person seemed unbearable.

There were several rooms on the third floor, and Vereneli introduced them one by one.

"This is the bathroom, the washroom, the study, the living room, the library—and the room at the very end is the bedroom."

Stopping in front of the farthest corner room from the stairs, Vereneli looked at Laila.

"...I will take my leave here. I will come to see you in the morning, so please make yourselves comfortable until then."

"..."

"...Laila. Julius is a very kind person."

As she bowed her head in silence, an unexpectedly gentle voice came from above.

Lifting her head, she saw Vereneli's face illuminated by the lantern. Despite his usual sinister and malicious expression, his words were slower than usual.

"He has always been troubled by his own constitution. ...Many people speak ill of him, but he does not rebuke them. He is so kind... it makes you feel uneasy."

"..."

"...The reason Julius chose you will be explained by Helka when she arrives tomorrow. Please, take good care of Julius."

With that, Vereneli bowed deeply.

Laila, unable to say anything in response, tightly pressed her lips together and nodded.

Under Vereneli's watchful eye, Laila knocked on the door, and a response came. Julius soon appeared, and seeing the haggard face of the young man she hadn't seen in about half a month, Laila's heart ached.

(Is it just my imagination... but he looks less energetic than the last time I saw him.)

The last time, he was dressed formally with his hair neatly combed, but now, before bedtime, his hair was loose and he wore a loose gown. However, his hair was clearly unkempt, and his skin lacked luster. His hand, which touched the door, was bony, and his face lacked vitality.

But when he saw Laila, he smiled faintly.

"...Laila, right? I'm sorry for such a poor greeting."

"No, it's fine. I heard you haven't been feeling well... I'm fine. Hey!"

"Uh-huh."

"Though I'm not much, ...please, take good care of me from now on."

With that, Laila made a lady's curtsy, and a soft laugh was heard.

"...Hehe. My future bride is a very energetic and cute person, isn't she?"

"Wha...!?"

"Your face is all red, really cute. ...Vereneli, thank you for your hard work. I'll sleep with Laila, so you can rest too."

"Yes... Good night, Julius, Laila."

Vereneli bowed and left, the light from the lantern swaying as he went.

Suddenly feeling lonely, Laila fidgeted with her fingers, but she jumped when a bony hand touched her shoulder.

"Ah!"

"Sorry. ...I thought it would be cold here, so I wanted to invite you inside."

"Y-Yes! I'll come in!"

She shivered at the touch of his skeletal hand, but when he spoke hesitantly, she felt guilty.

(Really, will things improve just by sleeping with me...?)

But there was no point in worrying about it.

In the center of the bedroom, lit by a faint light, stood a large bed. It was probably twice as wide as the bed in Laila's room, and two adults could easily fit.

Julius sat on the bed, and Laila, taking off her gown, timidly sat next to him. Julius, seeing such a Laila, lowered his gaze.

"...I'm glad the nightgown fits well. It suits you."

"Ah, thank you. It seems that you gave it to me... Thank you for the clothes and everything, really."

"This is just a man's duty, so don't worry about it. ...But, I tried to design it, and Vereneli and the others stopped me."

"That... is..."

"Julius should just watch silently, they say. Isn't that terrible?"

"...Huh. Is that an imitation of Vereneli?"

"Doesn't it fit? ...Ah, good. You laughed."

Laila couldn't help but laugh at Julius's imitation, but Julius seemed even happier... Laila, startled, looked at Julius's haggard face.

Julius, called a "ghost mage" and forced to live in the mansion, indeed looked terribly frail, but his tone was calm, and his gaze on Laila was gentle.

'He is so kind... it makes you feel uneasy.'

Vereneli's words echoed in her ears, and Laila gripped the hem of her nightgown tightly.

Julius quietly watched such a Laila, then gently placed his hand on her shoulder and whispered, "Let's sleep."

"Thank you for indulging my whims. ...I think you won't be able to sleep if you keep looking at my face, so you can turn your back to me. I just want to wrap one arm around your body... Is that okay?"

"Y-You don't need to be so reserved. As I told Vereneli... I'll do anything that isn't painful or scary, so please do as you wish, Julius."

"Hmm... When you say things like that, men get carried away... but, it's fine. Then, I'll hug you from behind and sleep."

"...Okay."

Taking off her shoes, she crawled onto the fluffy mattress and headed for the pillow. When she tried to pull up the blanket, Julius said, "I'll do it," and covered her with the blanket.

Laila lay down with her back to Julius, and the room suddenly darkened. There was no sign of him operating anything, so he must have used magic to turn off the light.

As the bedroom became dim and her vision was blocked, her ears became more sensitive. The sounds of Julius's breathing and the rustling of the sheets, which she hadn't noticed before, now seemed unbearably loud, and her cheeks grew hot.

(No, we're going to sleep! Calm down, close your eyes, and... morning will come.)

As she did this, an arm stretched out from behind and hesitantly wrapped around her waist. In a position where she was hugged by one arm from behind, Laila's back and Julius's chest inevitably pressed together, and her heart thumped loudly.

(Uh, w-w! My heart is pounding, and my face is hot...!)

The loud thumping of her heart was annoying. Her cheeks, which were unnecessarily hot, were frustrating. Her body, which tensed at the feel of Julius's lower body temperature, was pitiful.

"...Laila, can you fall asleep?"

"...No, I can't."

When asked, she honestly replied, and a soft laugh came, "Me too," followed by a warm breath on the back of her head.

"Then, how about I cast a sleep spell to help you sleep better?"

"...Not on yourself?"

"This spell can't be cast on oneself. Besides, it doesn't seem to work on my insomnia. ...If you'd like, I can make you sleep soundly."

Asked from behind, Laila thought for a moment.

She had seen magic from a distance before, but neither she nor her family or employees could use it, so she was quite interested. Besides, even though he was sickly, he was a foster son of the Bartsek family, so his magic skills were probably reliable.

"...Okay. Please do."

"Got it. Then, close your eyes. Breathe—"

Following Julius's instructions, Laila tried to breathe normally, taking a deep breath and exhaling—

In the next moment, she fell asleep with a thud.

Julius was a bit surprised.

"...Huh? Already asleep?"

He cast a sleep spell on Laila, and in one second, the tension in Laila's body, which had been stiff a moment ago, disappeared, and she began to breathe deeply and peacefully.

The sleep spell itself was not difficult, but he didn't expect her to fall asleep so quickly. He thought it would be more effective on a non-mage like Laila, but she must have been quite tired.

"..."

Julius looked at Laila's well-shaped head and gently touched her hair with his free hand.

Her dark blonde hair, which reached her shoulders, felt very pleasant to touch and smelled good. It was probably the scent of shampoo, but there was also a different, sweet scent that made his heart flutter.

"...Laila"

Calling out to his sleeping fiancée, Julius pulled her closer and closed his eyes.

The pleasant scent from Laila's neck continued until Julius drifted off to sleep, feeling drowsy.