I Didn’t Lull You to Sleep Only for You to Be Obsessed With Me - Chapter 22

RP: Haebaragi_syk

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Chapter 12.1

April decided not to question him further.

‘No good will come from trying to uncover the secret that the protagonist is hiding.’

Instead, she obediently led him into the kitchen. It wasn’t like she was hiding a secret recipe, it was as simple as showing him the water.

“Is this it?”

“Yes.”

“Is this the same water you used yesterday?”

Well, I guess you could say it’s the same since I drew from the same well this morning.”

“Can I have a drink?”

“As much as you’d want.”

Saying so, she poured water into a cup and handed it to Claude. Without hesitation, he swiftly downed the water quickly, his protruding ribcage rising and falling with each swallow. It felt unnervingly uncanny, even though he had simply wanted a sip of water. Unbeknownst to April, a sense of tension began to envelop her, causing her mouth to inexplicably grow dry.

‘…What am I thinking about?’

Shaking her head, she tried to speak with nonchalance.

“Is that it?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Claude handed her the cup and took a seat in the same seat as yesterday.

Meanwhile, Asher observed the exchange between the two for a moment before he hastily scurried away into the adjacent room, seemingly seeking refuge.

Again, he ordered ten cups of Americano today. Seven of the cups were passed to him and his subordinates, while the remaining three were given to customers who visited the cafe on a first-come, first-served basis. Fortunately, the customers didn’t flee upon seeing Claude, likely becoming accustomed to his presence over time.

The small cafe was bustling again today.

The scene was no different than yesterday, except for one thing…

‘Why isn’t he drinking?’

Claude only read the newspaper without touching the coffee. He didn’t even glance at the sandwich that April had served as a complimentary service. It was even made with plenty of ham on purpose…

‘…Was the coffee not good yesterday?’

April cautiously approached and asked.

“Does it taste bad?”

He raised an eyebrow as if asking what she was talking about with her words. However, he soon noticed that April’s gaze was directed towards the cooled coffee, and he uttered, “Ah,” understanding the situation.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Your coffee already is cold. Would you like me to bring it back to you again?”

“It’s fine.”

“And the sandwiches…”

“Lloyd.”

As he flipped through the newspaper, Claude called for his aide.

“Are you not hungry? Take this.”

Lloyd, who was sitting behind him, caught April’s eye and took the sandwich.

“Then, I’ll enjoy the meal, lady.”

At those words, Claude glanced up at her as if he was silently asking her, ‘Is this enough?’

“I see. Please let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

After awkwardly smiling and greeting, April immediately pursed her lips as she turned around.

‘Is he implying that he doesn’t trust the food I made?’

When he asked what she had put in the coffee since morning, it seemed like he was suspicious and doubted whether she had added something to the food.

‘…I don’t feel very good about that.’

However, her gloomy mood disappeared like melting snow as soon as she saw the ten gold that Lloyd handed her as the cafe closed.

Indeed, the best treatment was financial treatment.

˚ ·: * ✧ * :· ˚

“Is something wrong?”

As soon as they returned to their lodging, Lloyd swiftly asked. He was sensitive to the mood of his superior, Claude, and sensed that he seemed particularly irritable today.

‘Especially since he hadn’t eaten anything today.’

He acted as if he was conducting some kind of experiment.

“Was there anything in that coffee?”

“I’m investigating.”

“Is it poisonous?”

Claude waved his hand in the air in annoyance.

“It’s not.”

Upon hearing those words, Lloyd released a sigh of relief. It was a sigh born out of concern for April, rather than for Claude. Despite only knowing her for a short time, he had observed enough to realize that she was a kind-hearted individual.

Just witnessing how she cared for Asher with pure intentions, devoid of any malice, made it abundantly clear. If she had indeed poisoned Claude’s coffee, there could only be one plausible explanation—she must have been coerced or threatened by someone. It seemed highly likely that she had been coerced into such actions, possibly manipulated by something other than monetary incentives.

Furthermore, Claude possessed a natural resistance to most toxins. So even if April had indeed attempted to poison him, it would have been a futile endeavor as it would have had no effect on him, regardless.

Still, he was glad it wasn’t the case.

“Then, what is it?”

“We’re looking into it.”

“Is this something you can’t even tell me? I feel disappointed.”

At those words, Claude’s gaze towards him became fierce. Lloyd rolled his lips inward and remained silent before he quickly lit the incense and disappeared.

Claude, now alone, lay in bed today and closed his eyes.

April.

In order to find out what that woman had done, he had endured an entire day with nothing but water. If he could sleep tonight, just as he had yesterday, it would signific the presence of a mysterious power within the town’s well.

And if sleep eluded him…

Striving to block out the faint noises emanating from outside, he attempted to find solace in slumber. Yet, even after inhaling deeply the potent scent of the sleep-inducing fragrance, elusive sleep remained beyond his grasp.

Eventually, he opened his eyes again.

Under the ethereal glow of the moonlight, Claude’s violet eyes emitted an unmistakable malevolence.

“It seems like a lie that she didn’t put anything other than water in it.

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