Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Intruder
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"Then, Miss Lara. Sweet dreams."
Marsha offered a kind farewell after giving Lara's bed one final check.
"You too, Marsha. Sweet dreams."
Marsha closed the door without a sound. Now dressed in soft pajamas, Lara lay on the pristine white bed, staring up at the ceiling that had become familiar to her.
Sleep wouldn't come easily, so Lara let her mind wander back through the day's events, one by one.
She had woken in the morning, washed her face, and Breina had given her a quick health check.
At first, Lara had been reluctant to show Breina her mottled scars. But now, she had grown accustomed to it. When Breina applied the medicine while chatting in her warm voice, Lara's heart felt strangely warmed as well.
After that, she had breakfast, followed by a short walk with Marsha.
Ever since that day, it had been hard for Lara to face Lord Theodor. She had even started taking her meals alone, avoiding shared ones when possible.
'What if I end up devouring you? What then?'
'But Lord Theo... you wouldn't do that.'
'......'
'Lord Theo won't harm me.'
Even during their walk, memories of that day resurfaced, leaving Lara's heart unsettled for no reason. She returned to her room and spent a long time flipping through books alone.
Aren was in the heart of winter. The mansion wasn't particularly cold inside, but it was still too chilly a season to venture out in just an indoor dress.
He, who had been absent for so long, sent word that he would dine with Lara. She met Theodor on the terrace of the annex glass greenhouse.
Just the fact that they could share dinner again filled her with joy. Seeing him act as usual confirmed he wasn't angry.
'Thank goodness.'
Lara let out a quiet sigh of relief inside. Soon, her eyes were captivated by the beautiful glass greenhouse and terrace. It was the first time she'd seen such a stunning structure. The greenhouse, made entirely of transparent glass on all sides, brimmed with plants from every season.
There were so many flowers and trees Lara had never seen before. Snow had fallen frequently since she arrived at the Aren mansion, but the flowers inside the greenhouse, fully visible from above, seemed utterly unaffected by the weather outside.
'So pretty.'
Theodor had told Lara she could wander anywhere in the mansion as she pleased, but she only ventured into areas she had grown accustomed to.
The grand estate was far larger than Lara had imagined; she feared getting lost. She had also noticed several times that when she accidentally took a wrong path, the servants she encountered would look awkward and quickly excuse themselves.
'But...'
If she went around with him like this, none of that would happen. She wouldn't get lost, nor would she put the other servants in an awkward spot.
Simply sitting across from Theodor, eating in silence without conversation, brought peace to Lara's heart.
It was such a strange feeling. Lara had never experienced anything like it before.
Days passed where nothing needed to be done, and everything felt just fine.
Is this okay? She didn't want to be a burden to Lord Theo.
'Because I don't want to be a hindrance to Lord Theo.'
He had responded to her words.
'No matter what you do, you'll never be a hindrance to me.'
Thinking back, it was such an obvious statement.
Lara regretted her words once again.
But Theodor had personally fed her a piece of steak.
Lara panicked. She was still unused to eating across from someone, let alone having someone feed her by hand.
What was she supposed to do in a situation like this? Should she just stay still? Lord Theo was the head of the Diarc family and Duke Diarc himself. Why would he do something like this? A flurry of thoughts raced through her mind.
'I teach you things because it helps you. Others' opinions mean nothing to me.'
'From now on, act for your own sake, not mine.'
'No matter what you do, you're already mine, and that won't change.'
Theodor was a truly peculiar man.
He would say kind words without kindness or unkind words with kindness.
Which one had he been just moments ago?
Whenever Lara thought of Theodor, his gestures, expressions, and even his voice replayed perfectly in her mind.
Clutching her pillow tightly, Lara cracked her eyes open and gazed out the window. The round moon beyond cast hazy shadows across her room.
Tonight, it really felt like sleep would never come.
It was when Lara, who had stayed awake until late, finally drifted off.
The dim light of dawn filtered through the curtains into her room.
It felt like a cold wind was blowing from somewhere.
"......Hngh."
At that moment, Lara was lost in a dream.
In the dream, she saw Laden Orphanage. Strangely, it was completely empty, and Director Laden glared at her ferociously.
'Lara! You ungrateful wretch. I raised you, fed you, and you dare run away from me?'
Lara flinched and shrank back at the director's shouting.
Shiny jewels and gold coins kept spilling out around the rickety chair where Director Laden sat. She scooped up handfuls of the piled gold, but it soon turned to black ash in her hands and scattered away.
'All the wealth you were going to bring me! I lost it right in front of my eyes.'
Trembling with rage, Director Laden reached out toward Lara.
Lara shook her head.
She never wanted to go back there.
Never wanted to be under Director Laden's grasp again.
She didn't want to be caught, but there was nowhere to escape.
Behind her, as she backed away, there seemed to be an endless cliff.
"No..."
The dream was so vivid it blurred the line between nightmare and reality, leaving Lara drenched in cold sweat.
Clunk.
Then, a loud jolting sound rang out.
Lara's hazy vision, still trapped in the dream director's voice, caught on something.
"!"
Terror-stricken, Lara's eyes flew wide open.
"Ah..."
Her voice wouldn't come out properly.
Someone was in Lara's room.
Lara froze in an instant.
The scream came the next moment.
"...Lara?"
Theodor immediately recognized it as Lara's voice and headed straight to her room.
Lara's door burst open, and Theodor found her on the bed, trembling violently while clutching the covers. As he approached with a hardened expression, he noticed she was mumbling something repeatedly.
"I-I'm sorry. Please. Don't... I don't want to go. I... I'm staying here..."
"Lara."
Theodor approached the bed and called her name several times. Focus returned to her unfocused eyes.
"...Lara."
Recognizing Theodor, the suffocating pressure that had pinned her vanished, allowing her to breathe properly again.
This wasn't Laden Orphanage. He wasn't Director Laden.
Theodor Diarc. The man who had given her a family name after her own.
"It's okay."
"......"
"No one will hurt you."
Theodor repeated these words to her over and over.
Lara's trembling gradually subsided. Confirming her breathing had steadied, Theodor finally looked away.
He could already tell a different scent from Lara's lingered heavily in the room.
The intruder was still here, though weak.
Theodor soon spotted the 'intruder' under Lara's bed.
Meeting Theodor's icy red eyes, the intruder stammered incoherently in a trembling voice.
"I-I-I... I..."
Marsha and Breina, roused by the commotion, now stood at Lara's door. The servants outside were murmuring as they woke.
"You...!"
Marsha, piecing together the situation from the open door to the young lady's room, muttered in a pale face. Breina gasped.
"Rin? Rin! Heavens, what are you doing here? What on earth...!"
"B-Breina, ma'am!"
Rin—the trembling 'intruder' by Lara's bedside—was the new crow beastkin girl who had arrived at the mansion just yesterday, brought here to attend to the young lady.
Everything had its procedures, and Marsha had planned to introduce the girl to Lord Theodor and Miss Lara come morning.
So Rin shouldn't have been here yet. Marsha's blood ran cold.
"Explain yourself. What is going on here?"
Just from the sunken tone of her master's voice, Marsha could tell he was furious—and suppressing it with all his might.
Marsha stepped forward humbly before Theodor.
"Lord Theodor, this is all my oversight. Allow me to explain. This child is..."
"Breina."
Theodor cut Marsha off and called Breina. His chilling gaze fixed on her.
Even though he hadn't done anything, an instinctive fear of a superior being began to overwhelm Breina, who stood near Marsha. Theodor spoke slowly.
"You explain. According to reports, Marsha brought in a child on your recommendation. Is that child her?"
"Yes... Master. That's correct. She's a distant relative of mine. She arrived at the mansion yesterday afternoon."
Breina barely managed to speak.
The worst possible scenario was unfolding in her mind right now.