The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 73
Those words were clearly meant to shake Cayden, and were laced with sarcasm.
He suspected there might be hidden intentions.
Cayden shook his head.
“……There’s no way that could be. I know very well it was an unavoidable accident.”
“Didn’t you cherish your wife so much?”
Robert always demanded further explanation.
To ensure everything around him was going smoothly.
Cayden moved his lips.
For someone reminiscing about sorrow, his face was rather indifferent.
“I buried my grief and resentment together with the past. One must focus on reality and live.”
Robert nodded in satisfaction at Cayden’s words.
“Indeed. It has been a while since, today is also your guiding day, isn’t it?”
Robert boasted as if giving a grand gift.
Espers cannot live without a guide.
Without receiving guidance, they cannot live as humans.
They are no different from beasts.
The absolute rule always applied.
“Yes.”
Cayden knelt before Robert.
As Robert extended his hand, a thread-like light flowed between them.
As always, it was non-contact guiding.
Robert strictly forbade contact guiding.
“Thank you.”
Cayden bowed his head.
Robert looked at him with a satisfied face.
Everything was going according to his plan.
* * *
I fell asleep without properly lying down, so I honestly thought my body would ache. Yet, when I woke up, I was lying calmly in bed.
I had fallen asleep half-lying, leaning against Hedonia’s shoulder, but waking up to find myself lying properly on my pillow.
‘Did Hedonia lay me down?’
……We didn’t do anything, but we did sleep together.
As I blinked in a daze, the space beside me was empty.
Maybe it was because the bed was so big.
As I rubbed my eyes, I heard the sound of someone sitting next to me, followed by a voice.
“Awake?”
When I opened my eyes, Hedonia’s face filled my vision.
“You slept without waking up even once.”
Hedonia whispered, softly brushing the hair away from my forehead.
In the light seeping through the slightly drawn curtains, his face was dazzling.
The gentle smile on his face suited him perfectly.
It would be nice if he was always like this.
No, I wouldn’t like that.
Hedonia is already too popular… There’s no need to make things more complicated.
His personality might be a way to protect himself from others.
Anyway, I needed to get up… and sneak back to my room, but my body refused to move.
It was outright striking.
“…I really need to get back to my room.”
Hearing my words, Hedonia chuckled.
“I took care of that. I told them I brought you over because of something I had to deliver for the party tomorrow.”
“…Do they believe that?”
“Knowing my temper, how could they not?”
…Hedonia’s temper can be useful in times like this.
I sighed and closed my eyes again, feeling like I could drift off to sleep at any moment.
“…Then I’ll sleep a little more.”
“Alright.”
Hedonia lay down beside me, his chuckling tickling my ears.
His hand drew me into his embrace, holding me from behind.
“Sleep well.”
The warmth beside me and his gentle voice made my chest ache.
‘…What is this?’
Waking up with Hedonia was much more…
Much happier than I expected…
An unexpected wave of emotions surged over me.
Having someone next to you feels like this.
I wish it could be like this forever.
…But I know all too well how terrifying expectations can be.
“…Hedonia, can I hold your hand?”
Without looking at his face, I fidgeted with my fingers and asked.
He knew my question had nothing to do with guiding.
“Sure.”
Hedonia responded as if he’d been waiting and intertwined his fingers with mine.
Being in his arms, a pleasant scent wafted around me.
Wherever I smell this scent, I think I’ll be reminded of Hedonia.
A scent that calms the mind.
I fell into a pleasant sleep for the first time in a long while.
My body might ache, but my heart was at ease.
But I won’t let myself be consumed by this feeling.
‘In the end, I’ll be left alone anyway.’
* * *
The case of the disappearance of espers, including Charlotte, was tentatively resolved by overlapping the schedules of the espers, thereby increasing the number of espers on duty at any given time.
It was an unsatisfactory conclusion, but with no leads, there was little choice.
The recently disappeared esper was a C-rank, attracting less attention compared to Charlotte.
A world that even ranks espers by grade.
Learning Hedonia’s secret didn’t bring any dramatic changes to our relationship.
This was still a mansion under Robert’s control.
However, our relationship did reach a turning point.
It became much easier to interact with each other.
‘It’s nice to be thought of.’
My guiding was definitely improving.
Now, controlling my power was much easier.
With continuous practice, I became adept at focusing my mind on different parts of my body.
Knowing how to use my power well made meeting with other espers regularly much more comfortable.