Episode 5
The mansion was in an uproar.
Well, no wonder—my lady had gone out at night and come back with an elf man twice my size.
That alone was enough of a shock, but both of them returned covered in sweat.
My heart sank.
Thankfully, the sticky cold sweat wasn’t coming from the lady.
She said he was a half-elf she brought back from the charity party.
Sophie let out a quiet sigh.
“No matter how careless she is, bringing home a grown man…”
“A lady shouldn’t be so bold with a man… how indecent.”
“It’s obvious what her intentions were. What would the Duke say if he found out?”
Despite the obvious gossip from the servants, she said nothing.
Under normal circumstances, a flower vase would’ve already shattered by now.
“…Hoo.”
Sophie was extremely bothered by the man who shamelessly occupied her mistress’s bed once again.
She only let it slide because, at least this time, he didn’t look like a walking corpse like he did when he first arrived.
Otherwise, she might have already dragged him out and thrown him out the window.
Thanks to him, the lady had to doze off on the sofa again last night.
Sophie had told her many times to sleep somewhere more comfortable, but the lady was so stubborn she ended up falling asleep there anyway.
“The disinfection and treatment are finished.”
As Sophie sipped her tea, she looked up at me.
“Any unusual signs?”
“Other than the visible injuries, nothing else.”
“Thank you, Sophie.”
Yuria smiled a boyish grin. It was a smile Sophie had never seen since her mistress became an adult—something completely unfamiliar.
Soft breathing brushed against Sophie’s sensitive ears like down feathers.
Three days.
It had already been three days since the lady brought the man.
“Still no signs of improvement?”
“No. Other than occasionally tossing in his sleep, he’s been fine.”
“But seriously, just because his origin is unclear, they won’t treat him?!”
Stretching with a long yawn, she grumbled.
“Haaahm… that’s just cruel.”
“……”
“Maybe I should try using better medicine…”
“You’re already using very good medicine.”
“Well, yes, but…”
A shadow crossed Sophie’s face.
Did this man even realize how carefully the lady had been looking after him?
Without knowing any of that, he was still lost in sweet dreams, looking practically dead unless you came up close.
His pale skin and bright red lips.
His sharp nose, proudly high as if unaware of the heavens above, stood out the most among his delicately arranged features.
No wonder they said elves were god-crafted beings.
And that hair—his dreamy platinum hair cascaded down to his waist.
At first, he was so thin and fragile she had mistaken him for a woman.
‘Why did the lady bring him?’
It couldn’t just be for his beauty—she was always surrounded by men anyway.
And all of them were handsome.
Just today, several anonymous love letters had arrived in the mailbox.
It was only natural for bugs to swarm around a beautiful flower, but Sophie still wished her mistress would fall for a human, not a flower or a doll.
“Sophie.”
“Yes?”
“Can you step out for a moment until I call you?”
Nodding at my request, Sophie gathered the gauze scattered on the table and exited the room.
Click.
With the neat sound of the door closing, I leaned against the bed and pressed my throbbing temple with my fingers.
{Affection Level: 0}
For some reason, Noah’s affection level had reset completely since that day.
At first, I thought it was just a glitch.
I figured it would return in a day or two—but days had passed, and nothing had changed.
“Ugh! My head hurts!”
This was why stress was such a problem.
Even after sleeping for hours, I never felt well-rested.
Unlike me, he had been sleeping soundly for days. His peaceful face looked almost divine.
Not a scratch or scar could be found on his pristine skin.
I’d heard elves recovered faster than humans, but this was beyond anything I imagined.
What a sleepyhead.
Raising a finger, I poked the hollow of his cheek.
It wasn’t too soft or too firm—just the right elasticity.
From my palm, I felt a warm, gentle softness.
Looking at his peaceful face, I couldn’t help but smile.
He looked just like an angel.
Just as I leaned in close—
Flinch.
His eyelashes trembled sharply.
And at the same time, my body froze.
“……”
No way.
Sophie had said the medicine he took earlier had a strong sleep-inducing effect—he should be out cold for half a day.
Must’ve been the wind through the open window.
That had to be it.
Shaking my head, I slowly reached out and placed my hand gently on his head.
What kind of dream are you having?
I hoped it was a happy, gentle one.
“Mmm…”
His hair smelled like freshly sun-dried blankets.
So soft, warm, and comforting…
It had been a while since I felt this peaceful.
I wanted to stay like this just a bit long—
“Who are you.”
Suddenly, my body was lifted and thrown onto the bed.
“…Huh?”
I stared blankly in shock.
What the hell just happened?
“Who are you.”
He scowled as he gripped both my wrists tightly.
For such thin arms, he had ridiculous strength.
Veins bulged on his pale forearms.
“Ugh!”
“Shh, quiet.”
His low, damp voice crawled into my ear.
A large hand clamped over my mouth.
“Mmph!”
“Who are you, and where is this?”
I wanted to answer, but how could I—when he was covering my mouth like that?
Excuse me?!
“How am I thuppothed to thpeak like thith?! (How am I supposed to speak like this?!)”
“…?”
His eyes narrowed at my muffled voice.
“Let go… of my hand…”
“Let…?”
His eyes slowly scanned me, as if evaluating something.
“You do look familiar.”
His thick gaze made me feel oddly ashamed.
After staring at me for a long moment, he finally opened his mouth.
“Benestra.”
“…!”
“Right?”
“……”
“If you promise to stay quiet, I’ll let go.”
nod
As soon as I nodded, his grip loosened.
“Phew—!”
The breath I had been holding rushed out like a flood.
I’d almost boarded the express train to the afterlife for no reason.
Color returned to my face, which had turned corpse-like blue.
“I seriously almost died just now…!”
“Sorry.”
“…Huh?”
“I was mistaken for a moment.”
“……”
“I wasn’t trying to kill you. Really.”
And now he even bowed politely in apology.
I was, of course, completely bewildered by the sudden change in behavior.
What was this, Jekyll and Hyde?
“Is this your mansion?”
Still in a daze, I slowly nodded, keeping a wary eye on him and ready to smack him with the frying pan hidden under the bed if needed.
…Don’t ask why it’s there.
“And you’re the one who brought me here?”
“…Yeah, you could say that.”
“And these clothes—are they yours?”
He fiddled with the silk pajamas and murmured.
“No. Sophie bought them.”
“Sophie?”
“My maid.”
“For a half-elf whose name you don’t even know?”
I gave a light nod.
I mean, I couldn’t just leave him naked, could I?
“…I see.”
Surprisingly, he accepted my answer without further question, then began feeling around his body, unbuttoning his shirt.
“……”
…Um, excuse me, I can see everything.
“No needle marks.”
“Why would there be weird stuff like that?”
I snapped, my face flushed red. He looked at me with a curious expression.
“You’ve probably heard that people like me lose their minds without sedation.”
“I can fix that.”
“……”
“You don’t want me to?”
{system: ‘Noah Ioseph’ affection level has increased by +2.}
“If I go out of control, it’ll be hard to handle.”
Why is his affection suddenly going up?
Wait… is he really the type who goes insane without sedatives?
That sounded dangerous, so I’d already thrown all that stuff out.
Stay calm. Calm.
…Let’s test him a bit.
“What, you planning to break down the wall or something?”
He shrugged and straightened his disheveled clothes, answering slowly.
“No.”
“Then it’s fine.”
I smiled brightly.
“As long as you stay safe here, that’s all I need.”
Until I max out your affection level, that is.
He gave me a strange look.
“…How should I act?”
“Huh?”
“You didn’t bring me here just to sit still, did you?”
He suddenly leaned in close, his pale face almost touching mine.
His lashes hovered dangerously near—any closer and our lips would touch.
“I may look slow and dumb, but I understand what’s going on.”
“……”
“I know everything.”
I heard the sound of him swallowing softly.
Then, his slender fingers gently touched my chin.
“Think about it. You’re not married, and you’re not some old couple in need of a child.”
As his fingers moved along my chin and touched my lips, Noah pressed down gently.
“Why would you bring me here?”
“……”
“A grown man, no less.”
“W-wait. I think you’re misunderstanding—”
Just as I tried to explain, his dark eyes stopped on my face.
“And what’s worse…”
“……”
“…is that I don’t hate it as much as I thought.”
{system: ‘Noah Ioseph’ affection level has increased by +2. Current affection level: +4.}
Noah’s eyes curved into crescents, his expression softening like a puppy with its tail down.
“So take responsibility and raise me properly.”
Like a rainbow in the sky after the rain.
