I received the key, still harboring a sense of unease, and headed to the room located on the highest floor of the inn.
The price was quite expensive, so I wondered if they were trying to cheat outsiders, but once I saw the room, my thoughts changed.
The room was arranged quite neatly, to the point where it seemed worth the price.
“Wow, this is a really nice room.”
“Yeah, I was worried it might be a shabby place, but I guess I don’t need to worry now.”
Nodding at Sylvia’s words, I started unpacking.
It wasn’t as big as my room in the castle, but the room was still quite spacious, and the furniture was arranged nicely, which made me quite satisfied.
The fact that there was even a small sofa in such a place showed that the innkeeper had put a lot of thought into it.
Usually, you’d be lucky to even find a rickety table in a place like this.
“Ugh.”
“…You might hurt yourself.”
While I was unpacking and placing the things I needed on the table, Sylvia suddenly jumped into the left bed with a small yell, rolling around on it.
She was having a blast, completely unaware of others.
Anyway, after finishing the unpacking, I looked out the window and saw that the moon had already risen in all its brilliance, so I immediately spoke to Sylvia.
“It’s getting pretty late, so we should get some rest. I’ll step out for a moment, so you can wash up.”
Even though we had come through the dimensional stone, the time it would take had been reduced to half a day, but it still took a long time.
Having spent more than half a day in a bumpy carriage, I was quite fatigued, so it seemed best to go to sleep right away.
However, the problem was that the washroom was inside the room, so I thought she would feel more comfortable washing up if I stepped out.
I stood up and made a move to leave the room.
“Huh? You’re going outside? Why?”
“…Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
But this foolish young lady seemed to have no sense at all, or maybe she was pretending not to know, as she tilted her head and asked.
By now, it was so frustrating that I felt like my head was going to explode, but I tried to remain calm and replied.
Then, sitting on the bed with her pillow hugged tightly, she nodded innocently with the pure eyes of a five-year-old.
“Surely Lord Lyard wouldn’t want to spy on me while I wash up… Even if you stay outside, I won’t mind at all.”
“That’s not the point. I won’t listen to any counterarguments. Please wash up and get dressed while I’m out. I’ll be standing outside, so let me know when you’re done.”
“Tch.”
I didn’t know exactly when she got upset, but she clicked her tongue lightly and turned her head.
Still, she didn’t argue further, so I guessed she understood my point.
Creeak.
The familiar sound of an oil-deprived door echoed, and the space between the room and the hallway was cut off.
Phew…
At last, I let out a deep sigh, as if I had been holding it in, and slumped down by the door, leaning against it.
It wasn’t because dealing with her stubbornness was particularly hard.
Well, it was difficult, but it wasn’t anything new—I’d faced similar situations even before my regression.
What made this sigh so deep was how hard it was for me to treat her coldly, despite knowing it was the right thing to do.
Have I not let go of my feelings for her?
When I began to plan how to separate her from Creed Eleonore, I had thought that, to some extent, I would have to stay connected to her.
But according to my plan, that would have been the extent of it.
I would give her back her freedom, and I intended to stay as far away from her as possible.
It wasn’t just the guilt from what I had done to her that kept me at a distance.
At least in the context of the plan I was following, getting closer to her might bring harm to her, and I couldn’t rule out that possibility.
That’s why I had made up my mind to do this, but somehow, things had turned out like this.
Honestly, I knew it was a poor excuse, but her attitude was so unexpected that I thought many things had gone awry from that point onward.
With my plan, I had intended to treat her as if I had “bought” her from Creed Eleonore, and make it clear that I had my own intentions to use her by telling her this news.
But perhaps because of her kind nature or her purity, she only seemed to see me as the one who freed her from a cage.
If that weren’t the case, she wouldn’t view me as an innocent person.
“Lord Lyard, are you outside?”
Just as I was about to let out another sigh, a voice came from inside the room.
The sound of water had stopped, so it seemed like Sylvia had finished her bath and was calling me.
“Yes, I’m here. Are you finished with your bath?”
“Yes, I think you can come in now.”
“Then, I will come in.”
I grabbed the doorknob and stepped inside, intending to sort my thoughts while letting the hot water hit me.
I happened to meet Sylvia’s eyes as she wiped her wet hair with a towel, looking at me.
For some reason, the outfit she was wearing seemed oddly familiar, and without realizing it, I furrowed my brows.
“Lady Eleonore, that shirt…?”
“Sorry. I didn’t have any clothes to change into because I came in a hurry… So I borrowed one of the spare shirts from your luggage. I hope it’s not a problem.”
That’s right. The white shirt she was wearing was one I had brought as an extra.
I had packed a few extra shirts just in case, so lending her one wouldn’t be an issue.
However, there was a problem.
Since the shirt was sized for a man, it emphasized her chest area quite a bit.
In contrast, the sleeves were loose, making it look like a little child had stolen their father’s clothes. The discrepancy was quite striking.
Did a new type of mental magic appear without me realizing?
“…No, it’s not a problem. But it might get cold at night, so you should wear the coat I brought.”
Trying not to focus on the black thing visible beneath the white shirt, I moved towards the pile of luggage and pulled out a thin coat to offer her.
“It’s fine. It’s warm even at night in the southern region, so this will be enough…”
“Please wear it, right now.”
“Ugh.”
Without leaving room for compromise, I forced the coat onto her and turned my body.
I thought I heard the sound of her clicking her tongue behind me, but I convinced myself that it was just my ears malfunctioning from the mental attack earlier.
I really wanted to relax under the hot water right now.
After getting ready for bed, we laid down on the beds at opposite ends of the room.
At some point, after unintentionally turning my body, I made eye contact with her. Since then, I had been staring at the ceiling, waiting for her to fall asleep.
“Lord Lyard, are you asleep?”
“No. Is there something you need?”
“Not really. I just can’t seem to fall asleep. Maybe it’s because it’s the first time I’m trying to sleep somewhere other than my room.”
Come to think of it, she had never slept anywhere other than the castle.
Even before my regression, when she and I would meet occasionally, she always made sure to return to her room in the castle to sleep.
Even children who are not yet ten years old have probably slept at their friends’ houses at least once.
Somehow, those few words felt like a glimpse into the fragments of her life, and it made my heart ache.
“Sleeping in a new place can be unexpectedly hard to adjust to. Close your eyes and try to relax, and sleep will come soon.”
“Because no matter what happens, Lord Lyard will be here beside me.”
“Yes.”
Her unexpected response to my attempt to reassure her left me speechless for a moment, and I could only give a stiff reply after a short silence.
“No matter what happens, I’ll be here.”
Of course, it wasn’t an untrue statement.
If someone tried to harm her, I would definitely protect her, even at the cost of my life.
However, hearing those words from her, especially when she had been the one I had killed with my own hands, made me feel something quite strange.
“Sss… Sss…”
Not long after, faint breathing sounds started to emanate from the bed on the opposite side.
Once I realized that Sylvia had fallen asleep, I silently rose, trying to be as quiet as possible.
Though I wasn’t feeling sleepy, I had pretended to go to bed early, as it would be difficult to roam around Ruben and gather the information I wanted with her nearby.
Thud.
After confirming that she was completely asleep, I cast a thin barrier around the room.
The barrier had the effect of blocking physical intruders, but it also acted as a detection barrier, alerting me immediately if anyone touched it.
Since there were no guests expected on this top floor except us, if someone were detected by the barrier, I would immediately return.
I then gently covered her with the blanket up to her neck before leaving the room.
As Sylvia had mentioned, the night air in Ruben didn’t feel particularly cold, but I didn’t want to take any chances, in case she caught a cold.
Creak.
As I passed through the hallway and started descending the stairs, I thought I heard a familiar sound faintly, but I assumed it was just the stairs creaking due to their age and continued moving quickly.
I would have to return before Sylvia woke up and keep watch.