That day, he was so addicted that he was out of his mind for a whole day.
[It's okay.]
Perdes remembered the affectionate hand that had stroked his head even while he was unconscious.
[Everything will be okay.]
How could he not remember?
The only person who touches me with such affectionate hands is Adele.
That's why Adele liked being stroked.
Because when he feels her touch, he feels alive.
Because he feels loved.
He liked feeling like he existed in this world...
'She's leaving?'
That too to the Knight Academy?
Perdes kept running, biting his lower lip so hard that it bled.
In fact, it was ambiguous to express that she was leaving.
Because entering the Knight Academy meant coming back after graduation.
'I just wasn't there at that time.'
The Knight Academy training course was six years long, and the time that Perdes was to stay by Adele's side was until he reached adulthood.
So when Adele returned from the Knight Academy, he wasn't there.
Yeah. I'm not by Adele's side.
Without Adele by my side.
“...”
At that moment, Perdes stopped dead in his tracks and caught his breath.
Dark, golden eyes scanned the floor, which was spotlessly clean.
They met after promising to break up.
Adele had promised to set Perdes free once he came of age.
So he know it's funny to think like this...but he couldn't stop thinking about it.
And Adele was resentful.
If you listen to the content, there is only about a week left.
There were less than three days left until Adele got there.
But she's been hiding that fact until now.
No, how could she make such a decision without telling him?
“I’m fiancé...”
Unlike the heart that was boiling hot like magma, the sound that came out of his mouth was weak.
Because reason knows.
That he had no right to say such things.
He knew full well that he had no right to make such a claim as a fiancé in name only and a person who had risked his freedom, so he applied the brakes.
"Ha."
Perdes was so annoyed by the new realization that he just scratched his head.
If he thinks about it, Adele had been hinting at her departure for some time.
Or maybe she secretly passes on her work to Perdes.
Like making plans for two years ahead.
She was all preparing to enter the academy.
“I foolishly didn’t notice that...”
Suddenly feeling so ashamed of himself, Perdes banged his head against the wall.
“Lord Perdes!”
A servant who saw the sight as he passed by was startled and stopped him.
“Are you okay?”
“...”
As Perdes stood there like a doll without any reaction, the servant muttered to himself.
“Have you perhaps become a fool again?”
As Perdes began to take off his idiot mask little by little and show his normal appearance, strange rumors began to spread among the people.
It was rumored that Perdes had been diagnosed with lunacy and was cured thanks to Adele's devoted care.
There were records of people who were actually normal living as if they were idiots due to mental age issues.
Even sane people can become idiots, but no law says idiots cannot become sane.
So people thought that Perdes had suffered from a disease called idiocy and had recovered from it.
If Perdes appeared too normal, he might arouse the Emperor's suspicion, so he occasionally behaved strangely, which made the rumors seem even more true.
So, the servant, who thought that Perdes was acting like this because he was becoming stupid, asked another servant passing by to call Jack.
“Lord Perdes!”
Jack, who heard the story from the servant, ran over and took Perdes to the bedroom.
“Are you okay, Mr. Perdes?”
Jack asked several times if he was okay, but Perdes still didn't say anything.
“Oh my, you hit your head, and are you out of your mind?”
“...”
“How many of these do you see?”
“...”
“Oh my goodness, you can’t even see. What should I do? Should I call the doctor? Or should I call the young lady...”
[It's okay.]
Perdes remembered the affectionate hand that had stroked his head even while he was unconscious.
[Everything will be okay.]
How could he not remember?
The only person who touches me with such affectionate hands is Adele.
That's why Adele liked being stroked.
Because when he feels her touch, he feels alive.
Because he feels loved.
He liked feeling like he existed in this world...
'She's leaving?'
That too to the Knight Academy?
Perdes kept running, biting his lower lip so hard that it bled.
In fact, it was ambiguous to express that she was leaving.
Because entering the Knight Academy meant coming back after graduation.
'I just wasn't there at that time.'
The Knight Academy training course was six years long, and the time that Perdes was to stay by Adele's side was until he reached adulthood.
So when Adele returned from the Knight Academy, he wasn't there.
Yeah. I'm not by Adele's side.
Without Adele by my side.
“...”
At that moment, Perdes stopped dead in his tracks and caught his breath.
Dark, golden eyes scanned the floor, which was spotlessly clean.
They met after promising to break up.
Adele had promised to set Perdes free once he came of age.
So he know it's funny to think like this...but he couldn't stop thinking about it.
And Adele was resentful.
If you listen to the content, there is only about a week left.
There were less than three days left until Adele got there.
But she's been hiding that fact until now.
No, how could she make such a decision without telling him?
“I’m fiancé...”
Unlike the heart that was boiling hot like magma, the sound that came out of his mouth was weak.
Because reason knows.
That he had no right to say such things.
He knew full well that he had no right to make such a claim as a fiancé in name only and a person who had risked his freedom, so he applied the brakes.
"Ha."
Perdes was so annoyed by the new realization that he just scratched his head.
If he thinks about it, Adele had been hinting at her departure for some time.
Or maybe she secretly passes on her work to Perdes.
Like making plans for two years ahead.
She was all preparing to enter the academy.
“I foolishly didn’t notice that...”
Suddenly feeling so ashamed of himself, Perdes banged his head against the wall.
“Lord Perdes!”
A servant who saw the sight as he passed by was startled and stopped him.
“Are you okay?”
“...”
As Perdes stood there like a doll without any reaction, the servant muttered to himself.
“Have you perhaps become a fool again?”
As Perdes began to take off his idiot mask little by little and show his normal appearance, strange rumors began to spread among the people.
It was rumored that Perdes had been diagnosed with lunacy and was cured thanks to Adele's devoted care.
There were records of people who were actually normal living as if they were idiots due to mental age issues.
Even sane people can become idiots, but no law says idiots cannot become sane.
So people thought that Perdes had suffered from a disease called idiocy and had recovered from it.
If Perdes appeared too normal, he might arouse the Emperor's suspicion, so he occasionally behaved strangely, which made the rumors seem even more true.
So, the servant, who thought that Perdes was acting like this because he was becoming stupid, asked another servant passing by to call Jack.
“Lord Perdes!”
Jack, who heard the story from the servant, ran over and took Perdes to the bedroom.
“Are you okay, Mr. Perdes?”
Jack asked several times if he was okay, but Perdes still didn't say anything.
“Oh my, you hit your head, and are you out of your mind?”
“...”
“How many of these do you see?”
“...”
“Oh my goodness, you can’t even see. What should I do? Should I call the doctor? Or should I call the young lady...”
Bang!
It was only when Adele was mentioned that Perdes began to move.
He said, grabbing Jack's arm hard as if he were going to break it.
"...Do not say."
“Ugh, ah, it hurts, Perdes.”
“Don't tell me.”
“Yes, yes. I understand!”
Jack had no idea who was telling him not to say anything, but he nodded anyway, hoping to escape the pain.
Only then did Perdes let go of Jack's arm and crawl under the covers.
Jack looked at Perdes worriedly, touching his sore arm.
“Are you really not sick?”
“...”
“Isn’t it true that I don’t need to call the doctor?”
“...”
“Lord Perdes, please speak.”
When Jack kept whining, even though he wanted to stay quiet, Perdes threw back the covers and got up.
Then he pushed Jack out of the bedroom, slamming the door so hard it made a loud noise.
The door was closed so hard that the doorknob shook slightly.
“Huh, huh? Lord Perdes?”
Jack panicked and tried to open the door again, but the door was locked from the inside and would not open.
Knock knock
“Lord Perdes.”
He knocked but there was no answer.
Jack thought about trying a few more times, but then he remembered Perdes glaring at him so fiercely that he turned around, stroking his creepy arm.
“Are you entering puberty...”
From that day on, Perdes locked himself in his bedroom and did not come out.
He even skipped training, which he never missed even on the days when he was very sick from drinking poison, and stayed locked up.
He hardly ever eats, so I couldn't help but pay attention even though I tried not to.
Was it that shocking for me to go to the academy?
"No way."
There's no way he'd be that shocked just by going to the academy.
I think there's some misunderstanding.
Then I thought it would be better to clear up the misunderstanding, so I went to his bedroom several times, but the tightly closed door showed no sign of opening.
“There’s nothing I can do.”
If they don't open it for you, you have no choice but to force it open and go in.
There were two ways to enter Perdes' bedroom.
Force your way in by opening the door with a master key. Or enter through the secret passage.
I chose the latter because I thought that Perdes already harbored strong rebellious feelings, and the former would only fuel that rebellion too much.
It was the same as going in without his permission... but I consoled myself that I wasn’t being forced to do anything anyway, and entered the secret passage.
The mansion's secret passages were built to guard against possible intrusions from the outside, but they have rarely been used until now.
What use would there be?
The red dragon is guarding it diligently.
I don't know if they're really protecting me though.
While I was thinking about this and that alone, I arrived at Perdes' bedroom.
As I quietly opened the secret door and went inside, I saw that the center of the bed was bulging out.
He's lying in bed.
I thought he might be sleeping, so I held my shoes in my hand and tiptoed over to him.
Three steps.
Two steps.
One...
"what are you doing?"
“!”
Suddenly, I heard Perdes' voice from behind me and turned around in surprise.
Then I saw Perdes looking at me with a bewildered look.
“Since when have you been there...”
“Since a while ago.”
"Then..."
What's that bulging out in this bed?
I quickly threw away the blanket covering the bed.
Then I saw a pillow that was tightly packed together.
So, you're saying that he made it look like a person was lying down with a pillow?
“Why did you do this kind of directing?”
“I heard a noise inside the wall, so I thought it might be an intruder, so I hid.”
“Can you hear that?”
"Yes."
I couldn't hear it, that's strange.
Are you not only quick-witted but also have good hearing?
“So what’s going on?”
“What’s going on? I came to talk to Lord Perdes.”
“At this late hour?”
“I just don’t have time right now.”
I wanted to come earlier, but I couldn't find the time to do so because I was working during the day.
How can I make time when I don't even have time to eat a proper lunch?
If I had forced myself, I could have gotten ten or twenty minutes out of it.
But then I felt like I wouldn't be able to have a proper conversation with Perdes, so I had no choice but to come at this hour.
After hearing my answer, Perdes stared at me blankly, then smiled and sat down on the sofa.
“Yeah. You must be busy.”
There was a look of grumpiness plastered on his face.
“You have to enroll in the academy soon, so of course you’re busy.”
“Why are you so twisted?”
I sat across from Perdes and asked.
“Do you really hate me entering the academy that much?”
Perdes answered, looking somewhere other than me.
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.”
“You didn’t say anything, but your facial expressions showed it.”
“I didn’t even express it.”
“You are doing it.”
“I told you I didn’t do it.”
“You're doing... Ah, okay.”
I waved my hands because I felt like if I kept talking, it would just be like a Mobius strip with no conclusion.
“Anyway, you’re saying that you don’t mind going to the academy?”
"Yes."
“Then, is that okay?”
"No."
“Then you don’t like it.”
"It's not."
...How long do I have to keep having this meaningless conversation?
I moved to sit next to Perdes, thinking that once I looked straight into his eyes, I would know what he was thinking.
“...!”
Then Perdes flinched like a freshly caught fish and fell far away.
“Why, why did you come and sit here!”
“I want to talk to Perdes face to face.”
“If you sit there, you can see each other’s faces and talk.”
“Lord Perdes, you won’t look at me.”
I quickly closed the distance between us and cupped both of his cheeks.
“Let’s have a frank conversation.”
He said, grabbing Jack's arm hard as if he were going to break it.
"...Do not say."
“Ugh, ah, it hurts, Perdes.”
“Don't tell me.”
“Yes, yes. I understand!”
Jack had no idea who was telling him not to say anything, but he nodded anyway, hoping to escape the pain.
Only then did Perdes let go of Jack's arm and crawl under the covers.
Jack looked at Perdes worriedly, touching his sore arm.
“Are you really not sick?”
“...”
“Isn’t it true that I don’t need to call the doctor?”
“...”
“Lord Perdes, please speak.”
When Jack kept whining, even though he wanted to stay quiet, Perdes threw back the covers and got up.
Then he pushed Jack out of the bedroom, slamming the door so hard it made a loud noise.
The door was closed so hard that the doorknob shook slightly.
“Huh, huh? Lord Perdes?”
Jack panicked and tried to open the door again, but the door was locked from the inside and would not open.
Knock knock
“Lord Perdes.”
He knocked but there was no answer.
Jack thought about trying a few more times, but then he remembered Perdes glaring at him so fiercely that he turned around, stroking his creepy arm.
“Are you entering puberty...”
***
From that day on, Perdes locked himself in his bedroom and did not come out.
He even skipped training, which he never missed even on the days when he was very sick from drinking poison, and stayed locked up.
He hardly ever eats, so I couldn't help but pay attention even though I tried not to.
Was it that shocking for me to go to the academy?
"No way."
There's no way he'd be that shocked just by going to the academy.
I think there's some misunderstanding.
Then I thought it would be better to clear up the misunderstanding, so I went to his bedroom several times, but the tightly closed door showed no sign of opening.
“There’s nothing I can do.”
If they don't open it for you, you have no choice but to force it open and go in.
There were two ways to enter Perdes' bedroom.
Force your way in by opening the door with a master key. Or enter through the secret passage.
I chose the latter because I thought that Perdes already harbored strong rebellious feelings, and the former would only fuel that rebellion too much.
It was the same as going in without his permission... but I consoled myself that I wasn’t being forced to do anything anyway, and entered the secret passage.
The mansion's secret passages were built to guard against possible intrusions from the outside, but they have rarely been used until now.
What use would there be?
The red dragon is guarding it diligently.
I don't know if they're really protecting me though.
While I was thinking about this and that alone, I arrived at Perdes' bedroom.
As I quietly opened the secret door and went inside, I saw that the center of the bed was bulging out.
He's lying in bed.
I thought he might be sleeping, so I held my shoes in my hand and tiptoed over to him.
Three steps.
Two steps.
One...
"what are you doing?"
“!”
Suddenly, I heard Perdes' voice from behind me and turned around in surprise.
Then I saw Perdes looking at me with a bewildered look.
“Since when have you been there...”
“Since a while ago.”
"Then..."
What's that bulging out in this bed?
I quickly threw away the blanket covering the bed.
Then I saw a pillow that was tightly packed together.
So, you're saying that he made it look like a person was lying down with a pillow?
“Why did you do this kind of directing?”
“I heard a noise inside the wall, so I thought it might be an intruder, so I hid.”
“Can you hear that?”
"Yes."
I couldn't hear it, that's strange.
Are you not only quick-witted but also have good hearing?
“So what’s going on?”
“What’s going on? I came to talk to Lord Perdes.”
“At this late hour?”
“I just don’t have time right now.”
I wanted to come earlier, but I couldn't find the time to do so because I was working during the day.
How can I make time when I don't even have time to eat a proper lunch?
If I had forced myself, I could have gotten ten or twenty minutes out of it.
But then I felt like I wouldn't be able to have a proper conversation with Perdes, so I had no choice but to come at this hour.
After hearing my answer, Perdes stared at me blankly, then smiled and sat down on the sofa.
“Yeah. You must be busy.”
There was a look of grumpiness plastered on his face.
“You have to enroll in the academy soon, so of course you’re busy.”
“Why are you so twisted?”
I sat across from Perdes and asked.
“Do you really hate me entering the academy that much?”
Perdes answered, looking somewhere other than me.
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.”
“You didn’t say anything, but your facial expressions showed it.”
“I didn’t even express it.”
“You are doing it.”
“I told you I didn’t do it.”
“You're doing... Ah, okay.”
I waved my hands because I felt like if I kept talking, it would just be like a Mobius strip with no conclusion.
“Anyway, you’re saying that you don’t mind going to the academy?”
"Yes."
“Then, is that okay?”
"No."
“Then you don’t like it.”
"It's not."
...How long do I have to keep having this meaningless conversation?
I moved to sit next to Perdes, thinking that once I looked straight into his eyes, I would know what he was thinking.
“...!”
Then Perdes flinched like a freshly caught fish and fell far away.
“Why, why did you come and sit here!”
“I want to talk to Perdes face to face.”
“If you sit there, you can see each other’s faces and talk.”
“Lord Perdes, you won’t look at me.”
I quickly closed the distance between us and cupped both of his cheeks.
“Let’s have a frank conversation.”
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