Chapter 35: The Wrong Encounter
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 35: The Wrong Encounter
— Are you going to open the door while I’m still asking nicely?
“…Huh?”
— I’ve seen everything you’re doing in there.
As I stared wide-eyed at the violently shaking door, a voice drifted in from the hallway.
— Before I break this door down, you’d better open it willingly.
“……”
— Just so you know, I’m armed. You know what that means, right?
In other words: Don’t resist. Just open the door.
‘…Who is it?’
Listening to the cold voice through the wood, it was impossible to identify the intruder. After all, it wasn’t as if only one or two people bore a grudge against Isaac Adler.
Could it be one of his ex-girlfriends? Or was this just another random attack?
‘Wait, I’m in disguise right now.’
As I scrambled to figure out how to handle the situation, I suddenly remembered my current appearance. There was no reason for me to be targeted as Isaac Adler.
‘…Did my disguise fail?’
I wondered for a moment if the illusion had slipped, but my memory told me otherwise. I vividly recalled the relief of being momentarily freed from the icy, piercing gazes usually directed at me. Most decisively, the reflection in the mirror showed that my lips were still twisted into that specific, distorted shape.
‘Then why the hell…?’
Crackle, crackle…
I was lost in a daze for a second, but the unsettling sound of the doorknob being forced snapped me back to reality.
‘…Maybe I’ve accumulated quite a bit of bad karma even in this disguise.’
This was, after all, an alias used by Isaac Adler. A normal person would have managed their reputation, but there was every chance that Adler—being the man he was—had committed even more reckless acts under this false identity.
It was hard to believe, but given that an unidentified assailant had come looking for me the moment I revealed this face, there was no room for doubt.
Crackle, crackle…
How was I supposed to get out of this shitty situation?
‘No other way.’
As I racked my brain, I reached a single conclusion.
‘The only option is to undo the disguise.’
It was a simple solution. If this disguised form was being targeted, all I had to do was revert to being Isaac Adler.
Of course, revealing my true identity in the middle of an opium den was practically suicide. However, I could briefly show my true self to the woman outside. Once her "misunderstanding" was cleared, she would leave, and I could put the disguise back on.
“…Meow?”
If things turned truly dangerous, I could always use Princess Clay, who was still hanging from my hand and sucking blood.
Hiss…
“Look, I don’t know what this is about.”
Having finished my calculations, I quickly deactivated the transformation and cracked the door open.
““………….””
I immediately regretted that choice.
“…Ms. Watson?”
The person who had been pounding on the door as if to break it down was none other than Rachel Watson. Her face was deathly pale.
*
“Wh-why are you here?”
When Adler spoke in a flustered voice, Watson’s eyes grew even colder.
“…That’s what I should be asking.”
She quietly pulled a pistol from her purse and aimed it directly at Adler’s chest.
“Why are you in the room where Neville was?”
“…Huh?”
“Are you pretending not to know? Neville St. Clair. He is someone extremely precious to me.”
Adler’s pupils quivered as he raised his hands and took a step back.
“So you do feel guilty about something…”
“No, I—”
Not missing his hesitation, Watson pressed the barrel against his chest and began to aggressively interrogate him.
“Don’t dodge the question. I saw everything clearly from the building across the street.”
“What are you… talking about?”
“The man who has been missing for a month despite a city-wide search—I saw that very man standing by the window of this room.”
Adler’s expression went blank with shock.
“He looked distraught. Even though I was right there, he just stared down with a vacant look.”
“………”
“And then, when someone entered the room from behind, he seemed startled and slammed the window shut.”
As Watson spoke, she kicked the door closed behind her.
“Tell the truth, Isaac Adler.”
“Well…”
“What on earth did you do to my Neville…?”
She grabbed Adler by the collar, her aura radiating a menacing heat.
“………Uh.”
Her gaze shifted past Adler toward the window overlooking the river.
Creak… creak…
The window—notorious in rumors because anyone who fell through it would be lost to the currents forever—was wide open, fluttering in the wind.
“…It can’t be.”
Realizing the implication, Watson hurriedly moved toward the ledge, her gun still gripped tight.
“No way…”
Her eyes fell upon the window frame. It was stained with splatters of fresh blood.
“………”
Of course, the window was only open because Adler had used it to threaten Princess Clay, and the blood was merely from feeding the creature, which was currently hiding under the bed.
“Isaac Adler…”
However, in Watson’s mind, a horrifying conclusion took root.
“…Did you kill him?”
The nightmare that Isaac Adler had struggled with and eventually pushed Neville St. Clair—the man she had been frantically searching for—out of that window…
“Was the threat you made to me back then about this?”
“No, you’re mistaken.”
“Was it always going to end like this?”
Watson’s hand began to tremble on the trigger.
“Ms. Watson, let me explain…”
In the next instant—
“…Kuheuk!?”
Isaac Adler was grabbed by the collar and slammed onto the bed.
Clink…
Standing over him, Rachel Watson’s eyes filled with tears as she took aim.
“Our meeting may have been trivial, and our time together short.”
“Heuk…”
“But to me, it was nothing less than fate.”
He tried to shake off her grip, but Adler quickly realized it was impossible. His inherently frail body was no match for the strength of Dr. Watson, a former military officer.
“Do you even know that I was planning to confess to him on the 21st?”
Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t use the powers of the vampire or Princess Clay. No matter how much he tried to hold back, engaging in combat with an agitated Rachel Watson would likely result in her being severely injured or killed.
“…You wouldn’t know.”
But if he stayed still, he was going to end up with a bullet hole in his head.
“You human trash.”
“……..”
In this dire situation, Isaac Adler had only one card left to play.
‘…It’s do or die.’
“I guess someone like you—”
“Wait!!”
Having made up his mind, Adler thrust his hand out, causing Watson’s finger to hesitate on the trigger.
“…I’m sorry for deceiving you, Rachel.”
“What?”
Seizing the opening, Adler hastily rubbed his face against the blanket, whispering in a hushed, urgent tone.
“But I had no other choice.”
And then—
“…….!”
Watson saw it. Adler’s twisted lips—the distinct feature she knew all too well.
“That… that shape…”
Whoosh, swish…
Taking advantage of her shock, Adler ducked under the blanket again, pretending to rub his face.
“Hmm, ahem.”
A moment later…
“…Ta-da.”
Isaac Adler, now transformed into the visage of Neville St. Clair, spread his arms and offered an awkward smile.
“Actually, it was me all along.”
A heavy silence filled the room.
*
“What on earth are you doing?”
“It’s me, Neville St. Clair.”
“Lies.”
For a long while, Watson stared down at the face she had been searching for, then murmured in a chilling voice, “You couldn’t possibly be Neville.”
“…Then let’s send a telegram and see.”
Despite the chill running down his spine, Adler maintained his composure.
“What?”
“The contact network that Rachel inscribed on my hand.”
“……….!”
Watson’s eyes began to quiver. “How did you…?”
“Because I am Neville St. Clair.”
Adler softly grasped Watson’s arm—the one still gripping his collar—and whispered, “Would you like to send a message to verify?”
Watson gritted her teeth, still aiming the gun, then reached into her bag and pulled out a portable typewriter.
Tap… tap-tap…
In the eerie quiet of the room, the rhythmic clicking of keys echoed.
—Wooong…
“It can’t be…”
The moment the typing stopped, a message manifested on Adler’s palm.
｢Is it really you?｣
“Do you believe me now?”
Seeing her own message appear on his skin, a shocked Rachel Watson finally lowered her gun.
“…So you were Isaac Adler all along?”
“No, no, not at all.”
Hearing her trembling voice, Adler pivoted into his next lie.
“Isaac Adler is my junior.”
“What?”
He had found his escape route.
“…Did I ever mention that I once worked in a theater troupe?”
“Come to think of it… you did mention it a few times…”
As Watson nodded slowly, Adler flashed a triumphant smile.
“He was a nobody back then, just a newbie in the troupe. I felt bad for him.”
“Re-really?”
“Actually, the disguise magic he uses? I taught him that for free. Hahaha…” Adler scratched his head and chuckled, watching Watson’s blank expression. “Anyway, he was hardworking and talented, so as I kept teaching him, we became quite close.”
“Oh…”
“Even now, we’re on good terms—close enough for small personal favors.” Adler cleared his throat. “…But a little while ago, he asked me for a help.”
“A favor?”
“Yes. He asked me to stand in for him for a month.” Adler adopted a serious expression. “It was a simple task: periodically receive some items from this opium den.”
“………”
“Of course, it’s something he can’t do himself. If a famous actor like him were found in a place like this, it would be a massive scandal. It would ruin him.”
Watson’s expression began to harden.
“But I’ve disguised myself as him several times over the years while teaching him. So, I would come here as myself and only put on the Adler disguise once I was safely inside the room.”
Adler watched her closely, his voice tense.
“Anyway, today was the last day. I had no idea that the moment I opened the window, I would see you, Rachel…”
“……..”
“I hadn’t even put on the disguise yet. And then the messenger arrived at the worst possible time…”
“Are you insane?”
Watson’s icy voice cut him off.
“Don’t you see the blood on the window sill? People die in places like this.”
“…I’m aware.”
“Then why on earth…!”
She started to shout, then clenched her eyes shut, swallowing her rage.
“…I’m disappointed.”
She looked at Adler with cold, hollow eyes.
“I’ve been desperately waiting and praying for you for the past month while you were missing.”
“…Rachel.”
“And you were gone because you were helping some criminal asshole?”
Her tone made it clear how deeply his "actions" had hurt her. Watson stood up.
“…I can’t even stand to look at you.”
She turned toward the door.
“Rachel.”
Adler scrambled off the bed and grabbed her arm.
“Let go.”
Watson glanced back, her voice freezing. “I didn’t know you were this kind of person…”
“…But I had no choice.”
Holding her firm, Adler reached under the bed.
“I had to prepare this as quickly as possible.”
“…What!?”
Adler pressed down hard on the stomach of Princess Clay, who was lying flat on the floor.
“What is that…?”
When he pulled out a ring adorned with a shimmering red gemstone, Watson’s eyes widened.
“On the 21st, I realized you were planning to confess to me.” Adler spoke softly, avoiding her gaze as he took her hand. “However…”
A blush rose to his cheeks.
“How could I let the woman I love confess to me first?”
Slowly, he began to slide the ring—the one that had served as Princess Clay’s seal—onto Watson’s finger.
“…I looked into engagement rings, but nothing was affordable on my salary.”
“………”
“Still, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime gift. I didn’t want to give you something cheap.” Adler’s voice was subdued. “That’s why I secretly accepted Adler’s request…”
He sank to his knees on the bed.
“I was too short-sighted.”
“What do you mean?”
“I failed to consider your feelings.”
Watson had been listening in silence, but her eyes were now shaking violently.
“I’m sorry, Rachel.”
Adler bowed his head in a heartfelt apology.
“…Perhaps you’ve already moved on because of my foolishness.”
He gently took her hand again.
“But there’s something I have to say.”
He looked up at her with an awkward, vulnerable smile.
“…I love you, Rachel.”
“………”
“Will you accept this engagement?”
As he finished, a different kind of silence settled over the room.
『Lady of London』
– Description: Complete one sham marriage with Watson.
– Completion: End of Episode 1…
– Progress: 20% → 70%
*
A few minutes later—
“………..”
Charlotte Holmes, who had been pacing anxiously outside the room, realized the door wasn’t locked.
‘…Right.’
After hesitating with her hand on the knob, breaking into a cold sweat, she decided to trust them and nudged the door open.
‘Just because they’re alone in a room doesn’t mean they’re in that kind of relationship… that would be a stupid assumption.’
However, the moment the door creaked open, Charlotte’s brilliant mind came to a screeching halt.
Squeak… Creak…
There, on the bed, her only friend Watson and Isaac Adler were tangled together, holding hands with their bodies pressed close, sharing a deep, breathless kiss.
“…Guys?”