CHAPTER 078
Then it suddenly occurred to me.
"Marquis, how did the mage find out about the temple's secret space?"
Assuming they came in for a reason, how did an outsider like a mage even get inside the temple?
"Could there have been an insider helping?"
Lewis suggested that someone from the temple might have assisted.
"Couldn't the mage have figured out the secret passage on their own?"
"That's possible too."
The problem was that without any concrete evidence, nothing could be definitively said.
"The general expectation is that the temple might become reluctant to investigate the magic circle going forward."
"But it was the temple that asked the Marquis for help in investigating the magic circle?"
"Back then, they thought the magic circle was hundreds of years old. Now they know it's only a few decades old."
"Ah..."
"Given that it happened not too long ago if an insider really did collaborate, the temple's dirty laundry would be exposed, regardless of whether they were aware."
That made sense!
"But still, it was the temple that requested the Marquis' help to investigate the magic circle. Could they really change their stance now?"
The High Priest and other priests all seemed like good people. They didn't even get mad when Lewis damaged the temple!
However, Lewis was quite cynical.
"You'll see. In this world, the only people you can trust are me—no, just you and me."
Uh... I'm thankful that you include me in your trusted circle!
When Lewis spoke like this, it felt as if there was an invisible wall.
He could see the world in a more positive light.
Why is Lewis so cynical?
This aspect was briefly touched upon in the original story. He did improve after meeting Charlotte.
But now, that's not the case, and sometimes it puzzles me.
It's fortunate that his attitude toward me has improved, but his view of the world still seems gray.
'Do you know what Lewis said to us after accepting us as a family?'
As I pondered Lewis' character, I recalled what Michael had told me once.
'He said he wouldn't forgive us if we changed our minds.'
Still, Lewis seems much better now than he was as a child...
It might be that his cynical view of the world stems from his childhood.
Lewis did mention having a tough childhood.
That evening, Lewis had dinner with me at the Duke's mansion.
The meal, accompanied by wine, lasted longer than usual.
Lewis seemed intent on leaving after the meal, but the Duke held him back.
"Why don't you stay the night? We have plenty of rooms."
He seemed to want to extend this pleasant evening, perhaps because he was in a good mood.
Michael also chimed in to support the Duke.
"Yeah, your room is still here. You can sleep there."
"My house isn't far from here. I haven't even drunk much."
A cold response indicating he saw no reason to stay!
It was I who held onto Lewis.
"Marquis, please stay."
Outside, raindrops were beginning to fall.
"It looks like it will rain heavily soon. It's better to travel when it's light out rather than on dark, rainy roads."
"…Alright."
When I persuaded him, Lewis relented easily.
Tonight, he would spend the night at the Duke's mansion.
We all moved to the drawing room to continue our conversation.
As expected, Bella talked the most.
"I found out something interesting."
"What is it?"
"Remember the 40th Street we visited? There's an abandoned house there, and they say it's haunted."
"Did you and Selina go to 40th Street?"
The Duke asked upon hearing Bella's words.
Philip had also advised against going there, so I wondered if the Duke would say something about it...
"Selina must have been frightened. Bella, you should go alone if you want to visit such places. I'm worried about Selina."
Uh... Not worried about Bella?
The conversation continued with trivial stories. Before we knew it, time had flown by.
Before midnight, the Duke said goodnight and went to bed.
Naturally, it was just Lewis, the twins, and me left to chat.
As the clock approached 1 o'clock, we all retired to our rooms.
"Good night!"
"See you tomorrow."
Unaware of what would happen later.
* * *
Lewis had a dream.
A childhood dream, judging by the presence of his father and mother.
They looked just as he remembered.
His father was playing with Lewis, using a toy carriage bought on the way home one day.
The wooden toy was one of Lewis's few possessions.
His father watched him play with a satisfied expression and asked,
"Is it fun?"
"Yes, it's fun."
"Lewis, didn't I tell you not to speak informally to your father?"
His mother had a stricter demeanor than his father.
His father gently smiled at her scolding.
"It's alright. He's still a child."
"Even so, he needs to develop good habits from a young age."
"But he doesn't make such mistakes outside."
His father defended him, then turned to Lewis as if to confirm.
"Lewis, can you grow up to be a polite adult?"
"Yes. I'll be a great person. A very great person."
"Haha, being polite and being great is a bit different..."
Nonetheless, Lewis liked his father.
As a child, he believed his family's peace would last forever, until the day his father died in an accident.
"Come out quickly! Something terrible has happened!"
He rushed outside with his mother following the frantic neighbor.
What he saw was a white cloth covering something.
He had never experienced death before, but it made his heart sink strangely.
And even now.
Lewis's heart pounded. Though it was a long time ago, it felt like it was happening now.
Thump, thump.
The scene before his eyes grew larger and then spun wildly.
"No-!"
He woke up to the sound of his mother crying.
"…Was it a dream?"
It seemed he had a nightmare.
Recalling that day was never pleasant. It left him feeling utterly miserable.
The aftermath of the nightmare affected him physically.
A loud ringing started in his head.
"Damn it."
Lewis clutched his head.
He wanted to shut off the noise, but there was no way to do so.
The static grew louder, and a splitting headache followed.
It felt like his head was about to explode, so Lewis turned to look out the window.
It was pouring rain.
Lewis staggered to the window and opened it.
Swoosh.
The sound of the pouring rain filled the room.
At that moment, he was sure.
If he went out there, it would quiet down.
Without further thought, he left the house. He didn't even realize he needed an umbrella or that his clothes were getting soaked.
* * *
Swoosh.
"Ugh!"
I woke up with a start.
How much rain is coming down? I had left the window slightly open, and rain had splashed in.
I ended up waking up because rain hit my face.
"Wow, it's raining so hard..."
I meant to close the window before sleeping, but I forgot.
With half-open eyes, I stood by the window.
I was reaching out to close it when I saw something.
"Huh."
Someone was standing outside.
"What's this! You scared me."
If it had been a stranger standing alone in the garden at this hour, I might have fainted.
Fortunately, it was Lewis.
But what was he doing out there?
Marquis! I was about to call out to him but stopped. I didn’t want to wake everyone up by shouting at this hour.
I quietly grabbed an umbrella and headed outside.
With all the servants asleep, it wasn’t hard to sneak out.
"Marquis, it's raining heavily!"
I only spoke to him once I was close, but he was just standing there, staring at the sky.
He should have heard me coming, but he didn’t even turn around.
"What are you doing out here?"
I held the umbrella over Lewis.
Standing in the rain like this, he'll catch a cold!
"Let's go inside. You'll get sick."
I hurriedly grabbed Lewis’s hand and tried to pull him.
Lewis, who hadn’t moved an inch, finally turned to look at me.
His face was pale, far more than just from the rain. His expression was too pained.
"Marquis...?"
I called him cautiously, and he gave a faint smile.
"Just... this way, the noise stops."
"Uh..."
I stared at him blankly for a moment.
That line sounded familiar.
I quickly remembered. It was something he had said to Charlotte in the original story, wasn’t it? And now he was saying it to me?
I looked up at Lewis, who then pulled me into a hug.
With Lewis soaked to the skin, I felt the cold through my shoulder and neck where we touched.
He hugged me weakly and asked in a tired voice,
"Can we just stay like this?"
"…"
I had no intention of pushing him away.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I just wanted to comfort him, who seemed so exhausted.
I quietly held the umbrella over us.
So Lewis wouldn’t get any wetter. So he wouldn’t sink further into his pain.
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