I Didn't Lull You to Sleep Only for You to Be Obsessed With Me - Chapter 20
RP: Haebaragi_syk
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Chapter 11.1
This child must be an existence that she couldn’t love unconditionally. And perhaps Asher’s feelings for Sarah were somewhat similar.
When April didn’t say anything, Asher tensed up.
“Are you going to kick me out?”
She saw a younger version of herself in Asher, who was like having a family yet not having one. Maybe that was why she couldn’t turn her back on this tiny child. If she let go of his tiny hand, he would wander alone into the harsh world.
“You can stay here as long as you want to.”
“But sister also gives me a meal every day like this…”
April raised an eyebrow at the sullen child.
“What did sister say last time? Instead of money…”
“You asked for flowers.”
“That’s right. Though you didn’t give me flowers yesterday or today, did you?”
“Oh…!”
Asher clenched his fists.
“I’ll pick more tomorrow!”
“Yes, so don’t worry about anything. Children don’t need to worry.”
“Yes!”
‘Oh, come to think of it, I should’ve talked about the Winterville family.’
Even though she felt sorry, April decided to talk about it again tomorrow.
˚ ·: * ✧ * :· ˚
Claude settled into the modest inn room that Lloyd had hastily procured for him. Though he had rented the best room available, it was clear that the accommodations in this rural town were far from luxurious.
“I apologize.”
Claude, however, dismissed the apology with a wave of his hand, surprising even Lloyd with his generosity. It was a side of him that went against his typically fastidious nature, a testament to his current state of mind.
“It’s fine.”
“As I said earlier, why wouldn’t Your Excellency go back to the Capital? I’ll try to persuade him to come with me.”
“He’s my nephew, so I’ll have to convince him myself. I’m really fine, so stop worrying.”
It wasn’t a lie. He didn’t mind sleeping in this shabby bed.
Recently, he had been living in the capital to find Asher, but the estate of the Duke of Winterville was originally nestled in the treacherous northern mountains—the most rugged and unforgiving region within the entire empire. It was a place plagued by the constant threat of demons, an arduous battle that the dukes of Winterville had waged for generations.
Long before his ascension to the dukedom, Claude had served as the slayer of demons on behalf of his weaker brother. Naturally, he was used to facing those perilous mountains and enduring the biting cold.
In comparison to those times, the shabby bed in the inn seemed almost luxurious.
‘Besides, anyway…’
Whether the bed was comfortable or not, it didn’t matter since he couldn’t sleep. So, having a comfortable bed wasn’t important to him.
Recognizing this, Lloyd ceased his attempts to persuade Claude and instead resorted to his usual practice—burning a potent sleep-inducing scent near the bed. However, deep down, he held doubts about its efficacy.
After all, it had proven to be of limited assistance in the past.
As Claude leaned back against the headboard, tightly closing her eyes, Lloyd covered his nose with his sleeve and quietly exited the room. Every step he took, though cautious, seemed to echo loudly in Claude’s ears. The faintest sounds reverberated with an unusual clarity as if they were right beside him, both a blessing and a curse of the heightened senses prevalent in the people of Winterville.
Legend has it that the founding fathers of House Winterville made a contract with demons. The veracity of these tales remained shrouded in mystery, yet one undeniable fact remained—the bloodline of Winterville possessed monstrous abilities, bestowed upon the direct descendants of the family.
With the blossoming of these abilities, Claude gained extraordinary physical prowess, blessed with supernatural strength and agility.
It was a heritage that had produced generations of formidable swordmasters within the Winterville family, and Claude himself had achieved the title of the Empire’s youngest swordmaster at a mere fourteen years old. However, this immense power came at a cost—magical energy accumulated within his body, rendering him increasingly sensitive, his senses developing in ways that defied human norms.
As a result, he perpetually existed on the edge of alertness, his body attuned to even the slightest presence around him.
Not only was it difficult for him to fall asleep, but even when he managed to do so, he would awaken abruptly and frequently. Even the potent sleep-inducing scent that was rumored to lull demons into slumber had little effect on him, failing to pacify his restless nights.
‘Still, it’s still better than trying nothing at all.’
Claude, who had his eyes closed, slowly lowered his head. When he opened his eyes again, the sun had already risen outside the window.
“What the hell is this…”
Did someone do something to him?
However, nothing was out of the ordinary. Besides, he rarely felt hungry because of his ability, so he hadn’t eaten since he left the capital.
“Ah…”
He did eat one… the coffee a woman named April gave him yesterday.
…One variable that appeared in his ordinary daily life.
She couldn’t have poisoned him, and even if she did, it wouldn’t matter because of his ability to detoxify, so he just drank it…
“It seems that she has done something.”
Claude gritted his teeth and rose from his seat.
Besides Asher, there was now one more reason to go to that cafe.
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