Chapter 42 - Dream

She looked down and kept sneaking glances at Venio, then finally just gazed at Venio’s face without looking away, causing the trio to gulp unconsciously.

“…”

“…”

‘Is it over?’

Two of the three people who were watching silently patted their chests. They looked at the strange gray-white lady’s expression and exchanged looks.

She was just looking at Venio, but she seemed as if she was enjoying herself. They rubbed their eyes and looked at her again; her expressionless face seemed to be strangely happy.

Although the lady was very strange, there was something even stranger.

“It doesn’t seem like the lady knows, right?”

“Yes. Master must be awake now.”

Exchanging whispers as if they were ventriloquists, Thomas and Theodore watched the bizarre scene again, not knowing whether to laugh or to be surprised.

As they watched, they saw Venio’s expression gradually soften and his lips began to lift. The sight caused their mouths to hang open.

‘Oh. My. God.’

‘Master, Master is…!’

At that moment, Laila, who was looking at Venio’s face, slowly began to move. Contrary to the expectations of the onlookers, she was moving away from Venio.

The three of them stared blankly as Venio’s expression turned dissatisfied, and did not realize that Laila was putting her tiny feet down.

‘I need to get off so Venio can lie down comfortably.’

She couldn’t wake him up, but she thought that if he woke up and saw that no one was on the bed, he could use the bed more comfortably. Thinking like this, Laila stuck her feet out of the bed very, very carefully.

Her feet were bare but she didn’t care. Gideon was the first to notice the movement. Half-consumed with drowsiness, he blinked a few times, then watched as the white feet grazed the floor, then blinked a few times more. More awake now, he smacked Thomas who was next to him.

“…?”

Thomas, who was wholly preoccupied with the unimaginable and unusual behavior of his master, shifted his gaze in the direction of Gideon’s fingertip. After an instant, he broke out into swift action.

Thomas silently grabbed Gideon in a move worthy of his status as a former assassin, then quietly inched out of the door that was already slightly opened. With a flourish of relief, he withdrew from the room with Gideon.

‘It’s best to avoid seeing your master’s fiancée’s bare feet!’

As their master seemed to be very unusual right now, avoiding the scene seemed to be the right answer.

Gideon, who was being dragged away by Thomas with his arm under his chin, jabbed Thomas in the back a couple of times, then asked, “What about Theodore?”

“He will survive on his own.”

Gideon giggled, then laughed, and sent up a prayer for his gas vent.

* * *

‘Unbelievable! How could they leave me here alone!”

Theodore swore at the traitors and crumpled himself into a corner of the room, forced to satisfy his curiosity.

“Laila.”

“…!”

Laila was startled by the sound of Venio’s voice as she cautiously made her way down the bed.

“Venio?”

He had clearly been asleep, but somehow, his eyes didn’t seem like they were asleep just a moment ago. Laila looked at Venio with a face full of embarrassment, puzzlement, and regret at Venio’s condition.

“Did you not get to sleep well?” Actually, she had a lot to ask about where this place was and how it happened.

“You seemed to be sleeping well in that chair, but…”

Venio was speechless for a moment as he listened to Laila say how it would be better if he were sleeping in the bed instead of her. After a while, he said with a sigh of relief, calming his nauseous stomach, “I sleep better on a chair.”

“Eh?”

“Someone has covered me with a blanket like this. I am very, very comfortable right now.”

Laila’s face turned a little red.

Venio smiled slightly, watching her. Then, he cast a cold look at Theodore, who was in the corner of the room, then unwrapped the blanket around himself and held Laila in his arms. Theodore hiccuped.

“Well, it’s time to wake up.”

“Um, Venio, I’ll walk.”

“That won’t be happening for a while, Laila. I’ll let you walk when I’m sure you’re all right.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Do you not remember what happened yesterday?”

Laila tilted her head. Venio gently softened his gaze and studied her complexion with worried eyes.