Chapter: 11
The accelerated-aging diet ended in failure.
In many ways, it was a complete defeat for me.
First of all, as expected, the three members of the tasting group couldn’t endure this ridiculous diet for very long.
They happily ate it for two days, but on the third day, their eating speed slowed down.
And then, on the third day, I caught them sneaking pickles in their sleeves.
“Oh… What an interesting thing you’ve brought.”
Siwoo hurriedly made an excuse.
“I-I’m sorry. We said we wanted to eat it, but we got tired of it so quickly…”
At Siwoo’s confession, Lily suddenly shouted.
“I don’t even want to look at garlic chicken anymore! I want to eat fruit normally, without sugar coating! And I don’t want spicy or salty soup anymore!”
I recommended solemnly,
“Then, how about changing from garlic chicken to fried chicken?”
“Teacher…?!”
“I’m joking. You should have told me sooner instead of suffering in silence. I would have told you to stop eating it a long time ago.”
At my words, the three of them finally looked relieved. Smiling, I removed the chicken from the table.
“After we do your blood tests today and measure your weight and waist circumference, I’ll switch you back to regular meals.”
Although their participation had been unintentional, and although it had ended after only three days, their participation definitely had meaning.
For three days, the three members of the tasting group showed exactly the changes I had expected.
Diarrhea, skin problems, weight gain, an increase in waist circumference, drowsiness after meals, and so on.
On top of that, they had become irritable and anxious.
Their blood tests also showed a slight increase in cholesterol levels.
This clearly meant that the accelerated-aging food had affected them.
And as for our immortal male lead…
“Haa…”
I looked at the Duke across the table as he cut his chicken with a knife.
Two weeks had passed.
Even though he had been eating the accelerated-aging diet—no, the light-speed-aging diet—every single day…
Not a single change had occurred in the Duke’s body.
His body was still perfectly sculpted, his weight was unchanged, and even the amount of hair on his head remained the same.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but somehow, he even seemed more handsome than before.
‘The power of immortality even resets the effects of the light-speed-aging diet. He really isn’t an easy opponent.’
How could I even describe the frustration I felt every time I made him step onto the scale?
Unable to hide my bitterness, I simply drank cold water.
While I was drowning in despair, the Duke quietly finished his meal and even neatly ate the pudding that had been served for dessert.
I watched him for a while before calling out to him.
“Duke.”
“Why?”
“Are you busy after this?”
“I always have work, but if you want me to do something, I’ll prioritize it.”
My heart felt full at the ideal patient’s answer.
Putting my last hope into it, I made a suggestion.
“Then, please come to my examination room for a moment.”
My perfectly prepared examination room naturally had a bed in it as well.
I gestured toward the bed.
“Lie down here.”
“Are you going to examine me?”
“No, I just want you to take a nap.”
As I said that, I drew all the curtains in the room.
The room became suitably dim, and the Duke asked,
“…You want me to sleep?”
“Yes. Your back is warm, your stomach is full, and there’s a comfortable bed. It’s the perfect environment for sleeping, isn’t it?”
What I wanted to experiment with right now…
Was the phenomenon known as a blood sugar spike.
As a doctor, it would naturally be desirable for me to tell him to take a walk after eating or do some light squats to prevent his blood sugar from rising.
However, right now, I wanted to do something harmful to his body somehow, so I intended to make him sleep first in order to keep his elevated post-meal blood sugar high.
But my previously obedient patient objected for the first time.
“I haven’t slept recently.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I’m not sleepy. And I don’t die even if I don’t sleep.”
He didn’t die if he didn’t eat, and he didn’t die if he didn’t sleep.
‘In a way, he really does have the strongest body.’
But the more that was the case, the harder I had to try.
I urged him even more strongly.
“So let’s experiment with it. Let’s see whether you can fall asleep after eating accelerated-aging food and lying down immediately afterward.”
“Is this another one of your experiments?”
“Yes. Just lie down, close your eyes, and try to sleep. It isn’t difficult, right?”
After hearing my explanation, the Duke lay down as instructed.
He was so tall that the bed, which had plenty of room left when I lay down on it, was completely filled by him.
I covered him with a luxurious cotton blanket and quietly said,
“Now, close your eyes. Do you need me to pat you?”
“…You’re joking, right?”
“Yes. I was joking. Then, good night.”
If he had actually asked me to do it, I would have gladly done it. Why was he being shy?
I moved far away and sat down on a chair.
About ten minutes passed like that.
In the silence where no one disturbed us, I held my breath and watched the Duke.
His breathing, which had been moving regularly, suddenly stopped.
Surprised, I hurried over to him.
“Duke?”
“…”
“Duke? Are you really sleeping?”
I was briefly startled by how he was lying there like an actual corpse, but I soon relaxed.
I remembered a scene from the original novel where the heroine was startled after seeing his breathing stop.
Even then, he had simply been sleeping soundly and woke up perfectly fine.
‘Did he really fall asleep?’
I waved my hand in front of the Duke’s face.
I also lightly tapped his shoulder.
“Duke. I have something to tell you.”
“…”
“I actually sat in the chair in your study without your permission. It was more comfortable than I expected.”
“…”
“And I agreed with your aide when he badmouthed you.”
“…”
Even after I went that far, there was no reaction.
He was definitely asleep.
‘Oh my goodness… Did a blood sugar spike really happen? Seriously?’
Overcome with emotion, I covered my mouth to stop myself from screaming.
Even then, I couldn’t believe it, so I dragged the chair right beside the bed and sat down.
A handsome man was handsome no matter what he did, so even his sleeping appearance was incredibly attractive.
His long, white eyelashes, the combination of his blade-sharp nose and red lips—it was all perfect.
I suddenly muttered,
“How insignificant inner beauty is…”
Carefully, I lifted the blanket and placed my ear against his chest.
As always, his heart was completely still.
‘Now that he’s had a blood sugar spike, is it okay for me to have at least a little hope?’
Would I really be able to find a way to kill this damn immortal bastard safely?
Looking at that beautiful face, beautiful enough to make me think that inner beauty didn’t matter at all, I quietly muttered,
“…I hope the situation where we have to find the heroine never comes. I really do.”
If simply eating too much greasy food were enough to make someone sleepy, insomnia wouldn’t have existed in the first place.
Blasion closed his eyes and controlled his breathing.
Having lived for so many years, pretending to be asleep was not difficult for him.
And just as he expected, the young personal physician was quickly fooled.
“Duke? Are you really sleeping?”
The personal physician checked several times.
Since a sleeping person obviously wouldn’t answer, Blasion remained silent.
The personal physician quietly approached him.
She waved her hand several times in front of his face and lightly poked him, carrying out her own little inspection.
Then, with a solemn expression, she confessed,
“I actually… sat in the chair in your study without your permission. It was more comfortable than I expected.”
He already knew about that.
The chair had been positioned slightly differently than usual.
“And I agreed with your aide when he badmouthed you.”
—That was information he hadn’t known.
I should give my aide a little attention for the first time in a while.
Continuing to pretend to be asleep, Blasion watched as the personal physician happily celebrated because she believed her plan had succeeded.
She covered her mouth with one hand while punching the air with the other.
It was quite a refreshing sight.
‘I thought she had a calm personality, but perhaps not.’
She no longer hesitated and placed her ear against his chest before looking at his face again and muttering,
“How insignificant inner beauty is…”
This was the first time he had ever heard such a metaphorical compliment.
Blasion desperately suppressed the corners of his mouth that were trying to rise.
In any case, she was an interesting woman.
Among all the people he had met during his 720 years of life, she would easily rank among the top five most unusual.
Perhaps because all his attention was focused on this peculiar woman, Blasion failed to notice that his body was actually beginning to fall asleep.
As his consciousness gradually drifted farther away, he heard the personal physician’s final words.
“…I hope the situation where we have to find the heroine never comes. I really do.”
‘The heroine? Who is that?’
The distant question mark that surfaced in his mind never became a voice.
Blasion’s consciousness sank into darkness.
