Chapter 27
Chapter 27
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: A Sleepless Night
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"……."
A wide, spacious bed with clean linens that smelled wonderful. The room was warmed to just the right temperature for drifting off to sleep.
But Lara, lying atop the bed, still couldn't fall asleep.
"……Mm."
Tossing and turning this way and that. No matter how she shifted positions, sleep simply wouldn't come.
…Even exchanged goodnights.
Why couldn't she sleep? She pulled the covers over her head, squeezed her eyes shut, and slowly counted in her mind, but drowsiness never arrived.
Instead, her sharp, wakeful mind kept pulling her thoughts toward Theodor.
…Is Theo having sweet dreams?
Lara doubted it. The Theo from just moments ago had seemed so different from his usual self.
He'd dismissed everyone from the mansion, leaving them alone together, yet he vanished right before her eyes without so much as a proper explanation.
'Tonight, and tomorrow night too… no matter what happens, don't come looking for me.'
But they'd only known each other for two or three weeks at most—how could she be so sure he was acting out of character? She felt a bit embarrassed by her own doubts, yet her intuition told her this wasn't what Theodor truly wanted.
Still… Theo right now is definitely different from usual.
Truth be told, she'd wanted to ask why. She'd wanted to know the reason behind his actions. If she'd questioned him, would he have answered?
When she'd asked if he resented her for not telling him anything, he'd answered with utter sincerity that he didn't. Lara didn't resent Theodor either. There was just one thing she desired.
"I want… even just a little, to be of some help to Theo."
Lara murmured softly into the empty room. That was her one wish.
Speaking those words no one else could hear stirred something deep inside her, a choked-up feeling. She felt utterly pathetic for not being able to offer even the smallest aid.
Lara sniffled and rubbed at her eyes.
Theo was a good person. He'd granted her request and promised to forgive Rin and Breina.
Theo always looked out for her. She knew he'd deliberately shown her around the mansion's nooks and crannies to prepare her for these two days alone.
And those weren't the only reasons she saw him as good—there were more than she could count on both hands.
That was why Lara liked Theodor.
That was why she didn't want to see him in pain.
This feeling was entirely new to her. Until now, Lara's life had been a monotonous gray. Like her dust-covered reflection, it had been a existence painful enough on its own.
Worrying for someone, constantly thinking of them—it was all uncharted territory for Lara.
The emotion felt so foreign.
In the end, Lara slipped out of bed and draped a robe over her shoulders. She slid her feet into slippers and gazed out the window, where a round full moon hung high in the sky.
With the moon at its peak, it still seemed deep into the night.
She tiptoed to the door and eased it open with a faint creak. The corridor beyond lay shrouded in darkness.
Hesitating for a moment, Lara soon stepped forward into the shadows, guided by the soft moonlight.
In the silent mansion devoid of any signs of life, only the quiet echo of Lara's footsteps resounded.
Returning to the places she'd visited with Theodor that morning was little more than an impulsive decision on Lara's part.
She couldn't sleep, and worry for Theo had driven her out here, but now she had no idea what to do next.
'Tonight, and tomorrow night… no matter what, don't look for me.'
She couldn't go searching for him. No matter how much she wanted to, she'd already promised Theodor she wouldn't.
Lara didn't want to break her word to him.
So she'd come up with the idea of visiting each spot on the mansion map he'd shown her earlier. Surely wandering like this would make even this endlessly long night pass quickly.
Relying on the bright moonlight, Lara descended the stairs slowly, passing through the grand hall and numerous rooms.
Theodor's study, Marsha's quarters. The large pantry for transporting and storing ingredients, the adjoining space housing tableware. Even the cabinet with its elegantly patterned teapots and cups arranged neatly. All familiar places.
The marble statues with their graceful curves lining both sides of the long corridor, the intricate sculptures, and the crystal-clear glassworks gleamed with an eerie beauty under the cool moonlight.
Walking alone through the vast, empty mansion was a little frightening, even for Lara. She tried to steel herself by recalling the moments she'd walked these paths with Theodor.
I'm not scared at all. These are places I've been with Theo.
No sooner had she steeled her resolve than she thought she heard a faint creak from somewhere.
Maybe she should head back to her room? But…
Going back means being alone anyway.
She hated being alone. Returning to her room would just mean pulling an all-nighter. Wandering the mansion like this might lead to a chance encounter with Theodor.
'If I do run into Theo…'
She could say she wasn't looking for him. That she was just taking a stroll through the mansion and had bumped into him by pure coincidence. If they met, she could make that excuse.
And that 'accidental meeting' was truly what Lara yearned for.
But time slipped away without her wish coming true.
Exhausted at last, Lara sat on the stairs to rest her weary legs. The stone was cold, but sleep—elusive until now—came rushing in alongside the fatigue from her aimless wandering, as if by magic.
In a certain corner of the mansion's main building stairs, just before dawn.
Lara sat slumped at the edge of the steps, head propped against the railing, dozing fitfully.
From the moon's full descent until the sun rose, Theodor never appeared before her.
Lara awoke shivering before noon, her body chilled to the bone.
"C-Cold…"
It was only natural. She'd wandered the mansion all night in nothing but a thin indoor robe and slippers.
And falling asleep on the stairs in such light clothing made it even worse.
Lara was still slumped in that stairwell corner, head against the wall. Coming to her senses, she felt a flush of embarrassment and scrambled to her feet.
She couldn't even remember when she'd nodded off—apparently, her brief rest had turned into unintended sleep.
Good thing I didn't tumble down.
It had happened occasionally at the orphanage too. If she couldn't finish Director Laden's assigned tasks by day's end, she'd stay up all night to complete them, then catch quick naps like this.
Since Theodor had brought her here, she'd always slept properly in neat pajamas on the bed. This was a first.
She hoped no one had seen her like this. Lara brushed the wrinkles from her rumpled robe and nightgown. At least the area was deserted—a small mercy.
Theo seems to like things neat and clean…
He probably wouldn't like seeing her wandering around in such a state.
First things first, I need to change clothes.
Lara unfolded the map clutched in her hand and checked the route back to her room. With daylight now filling the mansion, it no longer felt dark, yet there were still no signs of anyone around.
Back in her room, Lara washed up simply, combed her hair, and changed clothes.
It was past noon now, and her stomach rumbled faintly. She headed to the spot Theodor had mentioned beforehand and had a slice of bread with some milk.
The pantry here was far smaller than the restaurant in the annex, but it was stocked with plenty of simple foods: bread, biscuits, milk and other drinks, even cute little cupcakes.
I wonder if Theo's hungry?
Aside from the bread and milk she'd just eaten, nothing seemed disturbed, so he probably hadn't been here.
There's a restaurant in the annex… maybe he ate there? Does that mean Theo's in the annex?
Her thoughts grew tangled, and Lara left the remaining food untouched as she returned to her room.
Last night, she'd wandered in faint hopes of encountering Theodor, but it had yielded nothing—not even the tiniest clue. It was as if he weren't in the mansion at all.
"……."
Theo… not here?
No, that couldn't be.
She just couldn't find him, but he had to be here with her.
He'd said so himself…
Growing anxious, Lara sat at her desk. Useless thoughts kept tormenting her.
Among the many books lining her shelf, her absolute favorite was the fairy tale Theodor had gifted her.
A story filled with wolves, rabbits, and all sorts of other animals. Lara adored it. She flipped past the colored front pages to a fresh black-and-white one.
[…And so the rabbit, who had befriended the wolf, one day… noticed the wolf was nowhere to be seen.]
[Unbeknownst to the rabbit, the wolf slipped alone into his den… and shed tears by himself.]
[The wolf didn't want to show… his true form… to the little rabbit…….]
Lara read the sparse text beside the uncolored illustrations haltingly, then paused at one part.
"……."
Her hand holding the colored pencil froze. She couldn't turn the page.
Lara simply stared at the large black-and-white image of the wolf's retreating back on the open page.
For some reason, an overwhelming sadness washed over her.
It was a sight all too familiar—the beautiful figure of his mother.
His mother, vivid as if she'd appeared just moments ago, gazed at Theodor with eyes full of reproach.
"Theo, how could you… how could you do this?"
In her arms lay his wounded father.
"Theo, you… to your father… to your own father…!"
No. This was just a dream.
A vile nightmare, nothing more. Theodor squeezed his eyes shut.
"Theo, Theodor. My baby… you're a monster."
No, I'm not a monster. I'm not… I'm…
"Theodor, you can never belong to the Diarc Family. Get out—now!"
At some point, the voice had shifted to his grandfather's, clawing sharply at Theodor's ears.
"I'll make sure you have nowhere to lay your head in peace. You and your mother will never…"
His black hair, matted with cold sweat, splayed across the floor.
The fallen Theodor struggled to open his eyes. The fever blurred reality and hallucination in sequence.
It hurt, it hurt, it hurt so much.
If only he could escape this agony, even a little.
If only he could break free from this burning torment.
Once again, Theodor swallowed down his unfulfilled desire, grinding it between his teeth.
Not once in his life had any of Theodor's wishes come true.