Chapter 139: A Case of Identity (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: A Case of Identity (2)
“Oh… so that’s how it is…”
“Ra—Rachel?”
“I think… I should just go home now.”
Rachel Watson, who had been staring blankly at the scene for some time, rose from her seat with a dejected expression and trudged toward the exit. Neville, standing before her with a cheerful smile, couldn't help but look puzzled as a faint sense of anxiety began to creep into his heart.
“Why? Why are you leaving all of a sudden?”
“I’ve truly enjoyed our time together… but I think we must part ways here. I’ll cherish these memories forever…”
Watson only quickened her pace, her eyes devoid of life as she left him behind.
“Wait, wait, wait!”
“…Ow.”
Isaac Adler, who was far more accustomed to being the one walking away in a relationship than the one being left, was utterly blindsided by the situation.
“Why on earth are you acting like this?”
“Are you… really asking because you don’t know?”
Still disguised as Neville, Isaac broke into a cold sweat as he grabbed Watson’s arm to question her. In response, she finally began to mutter, her vacant eyes lacking even a spark of light.
“I respect the relationship between you two, I really do. That’s why…”
“What?”
“Just think about it for a second. Two men alone in a remote cottage… one drenched in sweat, the other gasping for breath with handprints all over his body…”
“Ah.”
“And then, the moment you saw me, you hurriedly tried to hide the underwear that was sticking out. Just what kind of situation am I supposed to think this is?”
The faces of the two disguised individuals began to flush with embarrassment the more they heard her speak.
“You were wearing my underwear…?”
“…A disguise must be perfect. You never know, right? I might have been subjected to a strip search if I’d been caught.”
“What the f—”
Adler, muttering under his breath at the thief disguised as himself, shot a sharp glare toward Lupin. In response, he received only a shy, embarrassed reply.
“Sorry… I just wanted to try them on…”
Thump, thump…
The handprints all over Lupin’s body were the result of her own persistent demands over the past few days. On the other hand, her flushed face and ragged gasps were because… while hiding inside the cramped wardrobe, she had tried on Adler’s clothes, which had apparently awakened a brand-new fetish within her.
“…Hmm.”
“…This is fucking insane.”
Of course, such an absurd explanation could never be told to Watson.
How can I even begin to explain this…
For Adler, who had staged this entire event to create an alibi and avoid future suspicion, the situation had more or less become a lost cause.
“…Um, Neville.”
“Yes?”
“If it’s not that, then perhaps…”
In the next moment, Watson confronted Adler. He was sighing and racking his brain for a way out when she began questioning him in a frigid tone.
“…Were you forced?”
“Pardon?”
“Did Adler overpower you? Did you resist, leaving him bruised all over…?”
While this assumption might have eased the immediate misunderstanding, Adler couldn’t bring himself to nod.
“…No.”
He could accept being seen as a scoundrel who mistreated women, a gigolo infamous throughout London—hell, even a literal devil.
However, he could never accept being labeled as a man with a sexual preference for his own gender, let alone someone who would commit sexual assault. Not even if he were beaten to death would he admit to something so blasphemous.
“It’s not that…”
“Then, did you two really… consent?”
“That’s even further from the truth!”
Just as the situation was about to plunge into complete chaos—
“Calm down, Miss Watson.”
Lupin, who had been observing the fallout, began her act with a mischievous smile, perfectly imitating Adler’s usual demeanor.
“We were just having a clash of pride.”
“You two fought… really?”
“Yes. Isn’t that right, Mr. Neville?”
With a doubtful look, Adler hesitantly nodded at the thief’s suggestion.
“Yes, that’s… right.”
“…You and Neville?”
Watson stopped in her tracks, eyeing them with deep suspicion.
“Neville is too weak to fight anyone.”
“…….”
“And you’re telling me that this frail man somehow overwhelmingly beat you, a vampire?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what happened.”
As Watson posed the question in a sharp tone, Lupin responded with the same unperturbed smile.
“It doesn’t add up…”
“The power of love is a formidable thing, isn’t it?”
“…What?”
Hearing that, Watson tilted her head, looking utterly puzzled.
“I actually planned to kidnap you.”
“What?!”
Lupin’s shocking statement echoed through the room.
“Why else would Neville fight so desperately against me?”
“Um, but…?”
Watson, her face a mask of confusion, looked at Lupin—disguised as Adler—and inquired, “Why me… all of a sudden?”
“Honestly, I’ve always been a bit interested in you.”
“…Back then, didn’t you say you just wanted to be friends?”
“Isn’t that one of the common lies men tell women they’re interested in?”
Lupin took a step closer, wearing a sleazy expression.
“Well, to be honest, I don’t really love you the way I love Charlotte or Jane.”
“……..”
“But a man doesn’t always have to be in love to be attracted to a woman, does he?”
At that appalling remark, Watson backed away with a look of disgust. Lupin only quickened her pace, chasing after the retreating woman.
“Ah!”
Whoosh!
With a look of amusement, Lupin snatched her by the wrist.
“Why not spend just one night with me?”
“What—what are you even saying…?”
“Surely I’m a better choice than such a weakling and a coward, aren’t I?”
She leaned in and whispered, tightening her grip on Watson’s wrist.
“A brilliant young doctor in her early twenties, bold and brave. Honestly, as a man, it’s impossible not to be interested in you.”
“Ugh…”
“And I’m curious to see what kind of expression Charlotte would make when I have you…”
“Stop… please…”
As tears began to well in Watson’s eyes while she was pinned against the wall—
“Just stay still. It’ll be over soon…”
Slap!
“…Ow.”
The "Adler" who had been leaning toward Watson had his head forcefully snapped to the side.
“Stop it.”
After much internal struggle, Neville’s eyes narrowed with a look of grim resignation.
“Rachel is my woman.”
The real Adler, disguised as Neville, spoke those words and stepped forward, his face a mask of self-loathing.
“…Pfft.”
Upon seeing that, Lupin almost burst into laughter in the middle of her performance—a first in her long, professional career.
“So… that’s how you’re going to play it?”
“Darling…?”
“”………””
Summoning her superhuman patience, Lupin re-engaged in the act, staggering backward as a heavy silence enveloped the living room.
.
.
.
.
.
Slap, slap, slap…
“…Ugh.”
As Lupin continued to take light slaps while being held by the collar, she muttered in a subdued voice.
“…Because of the contract I made with you, I have no choice but to step back for now.”
“Hey, are you crazy?” Adler urgently whispered into her ear. “You’re going off-script! This wasn't part of the plan…”
“…You’ll keep your word, right?”
Lupin slipped out of his grasp, quietly smirking as she whispered back.
“I’ll be modifying the fine print on the back in the meantime.”
“…Huh?”
In the next moment, she hummed a tune and silently made her way out of the cottage.
“Hey, my clothes—!”
Adler watched her leave with a distant look, realizing she was still wearing his outfit, but he was quickly stopped in his tracks.
“………”
Rachel Watson, her eyes brimming with tears, had embraced him from behind.
“Neville…”
“Ah, um. So…”
“I love you.”
An uncomfortable expression settled on Adler’s face, but Watson’s grip showed no sign of loosening.
“I love you, I love you, I love you so much…”
“………”
“No matter what happens in the future, I will only ever love you…”
Rachel Watson buried her head in her fiancé’s shoulder, whispering with the voice of a girl completely lost in love.
“…Hmm?”
But then, her hand accidentally brushed against a piece of paper tucked into Adler’s clothes.
“Neville, what is this…?”
Rustle…
“…Ah?”
Watson, looking puzzled, pulled it out.
“……..”
The moment she saw the contents, her gaze went vacant once more.
“Darling…?”
It was the marriage registration form she had sent a few days ago. That very same form was now before her, bearing the signature of her beloved fiancé.
“…Hehe.”
Realizing the truth, Watson looked down at her fiancé, who was wearing an awkward, sheepish expression.
“Shall we get married?”
“Ah…”
“That’s why I signed it…”
He mumbled in an embarrassed voice, and then… he looked down.
『Lady of London』
Chapter 1 – Complete
Chapter 2 will now begin.
As usual, a system message appeared before Adler’s eyes.
“…Haa.”
“Ehh…”
However, for some reason, Watson suddenly pressed her lips against his while clutching the marriage registration form. Adler looked at her with a flicker of genuine fright in his eyes.
『London's Casanova』
– Description: Have Rachel Watson uncover the sham marriage.
It was no wonder he was panicked; the content of the system message was particularly shocking, even among the many quests he had faced.
Gulp…
“Darling, I’m feeling a bit hot right now…”
…I just want to go home. Please.
.
.
.
.
.
“This must be what Adler always wears…”
Meanwhile, outside the cottage…
“…Haah.”
Lupin, having stepped out into the night, buried her face in the clothes she was wearing and trembled.
Creeak… Squelch…
“…….?”
Lupin fell silent, scanning her surroundings as a strange, wet squelching sound echoed nearby.
“What is that…?”
Gooooooo…
“Is it a fire?”
Faint black smoke was rising from a thicket near the cottage.
“Adleeeeer…!”
“…….!?”
Through the darkness and the rising heat, a suspicious voice called out, dyeing the air with an ominous, predatory hue.