Itâs the first time Iâm seeing Albert fall asleep. Come to think of it, I never did see him sleeping before this.
We slept at different places and even at different times, and he always tended to wake up before me. He was completely my opposite when it came to lifestyles.
Perhaps thatâs why this situation is amazing.
With his eyes closed, the face that I couldnât look at directly before was now right here where I can stare at in more detail. Heâs so handsome. Even if I say it hundreds of times, it wouldnât be enough.
His beauty was something I wouldnât get used to even if I stared at him all my life.
In fact, it was difficult to know when exactly he fell asleep. The way he didnât move now wasnât any different from how he was a while ago.
I just guessed he already fell asleep when the hand holding my wrist gradually loosened its grip.
âYou finally let go.â
Albert was also a human being, so he couldnât help but succumb to sleep. Though even this natural fact was surprising to me.
I got up from my seat and wiped his face carefully so that there would be no sound. Then, I covered him with the blanket only halfway up because he could feel hot later despite the cold sweats
Light leaked through the curtains as the sun rose, so I quickly closed those curtains to block the light that might reach Albert.
He definitely wasnât sweating as much anymore. However, I still donât know whether his condition would continue to improve or if it would get worse in the middle. I needed to be by his side to observe his condition in the meantime.
Still, it was difficult to just keep sitting next to the bed. I wasnât doing anything, so it felt like I was going to fall asleep at any given time.
At this point, I decided to rummage through the stuff we brought back from the dukeâs castle and organize them. It would lift Albertâs mood if he could see how his room had changed brightly the moment he woke up.
Perhaps because I went outside for a bit and came back, but my longing for the outside got worse. It couldnât be solved after just going out once.
This yearning that I had barely forgotten was revived with just a single trip outside. How refreshing it had been to walk while inhaling the cold, but crisp outside airâhow beautiful nature was to see.
Also, how fun it was to talk to other people.
The tower inside was too narrow and too stuffy. But I had to accept reality.
What was making me continue enduring the situation was the definite hope that I was going to be able to get out of here someday. It was the hope that, if I just power through this now, Iâll be granted wealth and a new life in the future.
If it wasnât for that, I might have already fallen into depression.
What would have happened if Albert was trapped here alone? Though whether heâd have been confined alone or not, I couldnât imagine him going crazy or becoming depressed.
Letâs not think about this. As I shook my head, I looked around the room.
The only bedroom of the tower was equipped with all the essential things for daily life, but it still looked somewhat desolate.
I thereby decided to compromise with reality so that I could like this place more.
I placed the pouch on the floor. It was as light as a feather, so there wasnât any sound when I put it down. As I opened the pouch, I reached in.
The first thing that my hand reached for were the books.
One book, two books, three books⊠As many as ten books had been pulled out. After ten books, I took out a small bookshelf that could be placed atop a desk.
I took that over to Albertâs desk and put the books in it. The books were organized from left to right according to their height and thickness. The desk used to just be achromatic before, but now, there was a splash of color.
Next, I took out the red rug that used to be in the guest room I stayed in.
Unfolding the rug, I pulled it over next to the bed. Once Albert wakes up, the place where heâd make his first step became soft. It was also a bonus that the pop of color made my eyes happy.
I set aside the other rug so that I could bring it to the attic later.
After the rugs, small frames came out one by one. The sizes of the frames containing paintings were all different from each other.
I placed the smallest frame on one side of the desk, then I leaned the largest landscape painting against the wall.
Even if Iâve yet to hang it on the wall, the landscape painting made the room brighter just by existing. It looked good, too.
The blankets and pillows brought from the guest room also came out.
Iâll put these in my room later, then Iâll change Albertâs beddings with these over here after he wakes upâŠ
After taking out the sheets and pillows, a few more small bookshelves were pulled out. When I assembled those bookshelves together, they looked like a proper-sized bookshelf. The more I decorated, the more proud I became.
I started designing the towerâs interior with a few ornaments.
On top of the fireplace, Christmas tree-like decorations were set and leaned against the wall. I also placed a vase on the desk, then a small house trinket on the bedside table.
Curtains came out of the pouch as well. I wanted to change the curtains in the room right away with these red curtains, but it wasnât right for me to decide on my own. I had no choice but to decide that I should ask Albert later.
Ah, of course I checked Albertâs condition while I was working. I took breaks to wipe off his cold sweat from time to time.
Finally, the interior was satisfactory.
The room felt a lot more cozy. Iâm proud of myself. This is all thanks to me. After I finished this, I felt rewarded, and I looked forward to what would happen later.
Whatâll Albert say once he sees this?
With a delighted heart, I checked Albertâs condition once more.
His cold sweat had definitely decreased, and his shallow breathing had become more relaxed.
He said that he should be sick for about two more daysâŠ
Should I stay up all night like I did before? Agonizing over this, I opened my mouth and yawned like a hippo.
I yawned for quite a long time.
As the midday came, my eyelids gradually started to close. The crisis of grogginess came again. My eyelids were so heavy. I stayed up for such a long time, so I deserve to sleep, right?
And since I didnât sleep, I have a raging headache. Itâs no match for Albertâs sickness, but I wasnât exactly in tip top shape either.
First of all, Albert should have something to eat when he wakes up. He canât go inside the kitchen, so I need to bring some food up in advance.
Accompanied by dragging, sluggish steps, I went down the stairs. Of course, I didnât my best not to wake up the sleeping Blanc.
After heating up the porridge, I placed one bowl of it and a spoon on the tray.
While thinking about what side dish would be okay even if itâs cooled down, I simply boiled some eggs.
Porridge and eggs would be enough to fill his stomach. Iâll need to see his condition first later before I can decide on what meal heâll have next. Or, we might have to stick to porridge.
I had no plans of unnecessarily teasing a sick person with food they might not be able to eat.
When I put the porridge on the desk, I yawned again. I really want to sleep right this second.
If I could, I would have wanted to go up to my attic room and sleep right there, but Albert might feel some discomfort by not being able to find me when he wakes up. So I shouldnât leave.
Looking around, I found the blanket and pillow I was meaning to carry upstairs at a later time.
I plopped down on the soft rug next to the bed. I brought the blanket and pillow with me next to the bed, placing the pillow in front of the bedside table and spreading out the blanket. Iâm used to sleeping on the floor anyway.
I have no idea what kind of material this fluffy rug was made of, but it felt like a futon, so I liked it. A stray thought crossed my mind that I wouldnât have to miss my bed for the time being if I lay this on top of my cot in the attic later.
Planning to write something, I brought a quill and paper with me so that I could stay away while observing Albertâs condition. I wouldnât sleep this way.
Sitting next to Albertâs bed, I put a book on the floor and placed a piece of paper on top of it. It was a temporary measure in case the floor might get scratched.
Should I draw or make scribbles? Thinking about it, I decided to write down all the things I want to do once I go outside again.
Things I want to do once I get out of this place, which was too narrow with nothing to do inside.
It was kind of like a bucket list.
As soon as I got some ink on the quill, I wrote down my list.
Even though I was doing something, my eyes just kept drooping.
Maybe if I sleep for just a bit, I can stay awake better.
I lay down on the newly prepared, simple bed.
âWow⊠I love this.â
I just lied down, but I think about half of my fatigue disappeared just then.
As expected, people were meant to lie down. I decided to close my eyes.
âIâll just sleep a little and wake up right away.â
Iâll take a five-minute nap and then wake up to check Albertâs condition. With this resolute determination, I closed my eyes.
But of course, the magical, resentful promise of âjust five minutesâ betrayed me.
Five minutes always turned into thirty minutes, and then an hour, and so on.
* * *
Albert woke up with his head throbbing heavily, as though he was being stabbed by an awl over and over again. Like last night, his back was soaking with cold sweat.
His body also felt heavy, so his mood plummeted even more. He wasnât in such a good condition to welcome a new day.
Exhaling, Albert sat up. A wet towel fell off his forehead.
As he looked around, he realized that something was different. The roomâs atmosphere has changed.
The desolate bedroom now had a cozy feel to it. It smelled much more like a human beingâs residence compared to before.
His desk was decorated with old-fashioned things, and it now looked like a small library.
Books, frames, and an inkwell were neatly arranged on the desk, as if the desk itself had been plucked out from an office elsewhere.
A cushion he was seeing for the first timeâwhether in Liamâs place or notâbecame the sofaâs focal point.
There were other unfamiliar decorations welcoming him atop the fireplace. Not only trinkets, but also various kinds of famous paintings were perfectly blending in the room.
These were things that were from Liamâs castle, but once they were placed here, they felt completely different.
ââŠâŠâ
There was only one person who would do all this while he was asleep.
Taking a walk, talking to other people, buying clothes at a boutique, making friends with people of the same age, traveling, eating delicious food with Blanc, not cooking for a month and hiring a chefâŠ
Most of the wishes were ordinary, yet couldnât be fulfilled here inside the tower.
The list made it clear just how much she wanted to get out of here.
âItâs impossible to live like this forever.â
He knew that, but he liked being here.
There were times when he wanted to abandon everything and just continue staying here, in this place where he could be a simple human being, without such status and without such obligations.