The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 70
“You look unusually tired today.”
You don’t think it’s because of the kiss we just had?
“It’s just from the guiding.”
“Is guiding still challenging for you? Perhaps due to lack of practice.”
Hedonia frowned slightly as he looked at me.
“Why are you so frail?”
…That doesn’t seem like something you should be saying.
“Today, you sit on the bed. I’m still fine.”
“…Maybe my stamina is waning.”
“There’s still a long way to go.”
Hedonia shook his head.
Somehow, his body had become fleshier, and he had even developed some muscles.
It was amazing how he could change so quickly.
By the time his awakening pain ends, he would probably have the body of a fully grown man.
‘By then, Hedonia’s secret will probably be revealed too.’
The shocking truth that he is not a woman, but a man, will spread throughout the capital.
But even that would be quickly overshadowed by his appearance and abilities.
Hedonia, who was watching me sit on the bed, pushed his shoulders back slightly.
“Make yourself comfortable.”
Remembering that this was the place where I first met him brought a new sense of nostalgia.
Eventually, I leaned comfortably against the bed’s headboard and picked up the glass.
Focusing not to spill any on the blanket, I filled the glass with blood and offered it to Hedonia.
“Here you go.”
“…Alright.”
As Hedonia took the glass from me, our fingers brushed against each other. Even as he drank, his gaze remained intensely fixed on me. Rooted to the spot, I couldn’t move.
“I should be going now—”
“Stay here and rest.”
“What?”
“It’s been a while since you properly learned guiding. You need to learn. I’ve been studying it in the meantime.”
…It seems Hedonia is more passionate about teaching guidance than I am.
“You’re still tired. You need to learn it more thoroughly.”
Hedonia’s words left no room for argument. I was in a precarious position.
I needed a reason to convince Hedonia.
But I didn’t want to be completely honest.
I didn’t want to admit that I kept seeing Hedonia as a man.
It hurt my pride and I disliked it because I got nervous with physical contact, while he thought of it merely as part of the job.
And I didn’t want to reveal these feelings, fearing it might change our current relationship.
“How could I? People will notice.”
“Robert is away until tomorrow,”
Hedonia said calmly.
“There are the head maid and the butler…”
I listed Robert’s closest aides in turn.
“It’s the same with them.”
“The head maid brought me here.”
“And she left afterwards.”
Something was off.
“Has something happened?”
“Esper has gone missing again. So, the domain has suffered greatly.”
“…Again?”
“Robert had to leave unavoidably. He was checking on the other domains, and both the butler and the head maid vacated the mansion on his orders.”
It seemed like Esper’s disappearance, initially thought to be a brief incident, was turning out to be more prolonged than expected.
“If he has disappeared again… doesn’t that mean the last incident wasn’t just a simple accident?”
The previous case had concluded as an accident since no body was found and no additional evidence was uncovered.
However, if a similar incident occurred again, it could change the interpretation.
“We haven’t found any connection between the two incidents yet. We need to investigate further.”
“…That’s true.”
“…Being closely associated with the Cairoze family, either Esban or the current head, Cayden Cairoze, will likely go down there too.”
I was surprised to hear Esban’s name suddenly mentioned.
“Was there any awkward situation today?”
“What? Oh, yes. They were really like ‘Hedonia’ and Esban over there. It was funny—they praised me for my noble-like demeanor without even knowing who I am.”
As I spoke, Hedonia swirled his glass and murmured.
“It seems they’ve finally come to fully accept Esban.”
“What?”
I blinked, surprised by the unexpected remark.
“There’s still something we need to discuss, but the subject keeps changing.”
Oops, it seems my attempt to divert his attention to other matters was too obvious.
I raised my trembling lips into a wry smile and cocked my head.
“What are you talking about?”
“We need to learn about guiding.”
“…Haven’t we learned everything there is to learn? We’ve covered kissing and hugging.”
The conversation circled the same spot, unlike the conversation with Esban.
“There’s something we haven’t done yet.”
Hedonia, sitting on the bed, placed his hand over mine.
“After the kiss, something you might consider doing.”
He clasped my hand in his, as though capturing it.
“Sex.”
He was straightforward.
His voice lowered enticingly as he brushed back his hair, trying to seduce me.
“Whether or not you engage in sexual relations while guiding is a choice.”
My heartbeat spiked in real time.
“If you choose not to, you don’t need to learn it. But.”
His golden eyes fiercely glowed.
“If you do, do it first with me.”
His eyes were turbulent with desire.
“Do it with me.”
Driven by primal emotion.