IBSGAD 11

Episode 11:  Bad Guy, Weird Guy, Disgusting Guy

Even so, after beating the pillow a few times, the magic boiling up inside me finally calmed down. My insides had felt hot, like the day after drinking too much, but now I felt relieved. The problem was that feeling relieved made me lose strength and fall asleep.

“I didn’t even get to give him the gift!”

I woke up late in the night and grabbed my head. At some point, the pillow—punished simply for resembling Cassian—had been tossed aside. And on top of it, someone had placed a hammer. As if saying, I wanted to put this on Cassian instead. That had to be Azelta. That sneaky, perceptive maid.

“Pfft.”

I couldn’t help laughing. A regular maid wouldn’t dare do that. A maid’s job is to keep things where they belong. But Azelta was strange to begin with. Like when she said she’d “whip the cooks into shape,” or how other maids called her Lady Azelta.

“She’s definitely not just a maid. At least a head maid, or…”

Maybe she even had some other position. I rolled around, thinking it over. It felt like Azelta had tucked the blanket around me up to my shoulders—warmth crept in again, and drowsiness followed.

“Ngh.”

Lying with my back toward the door, I turned over to face the window. There were hugging pillows placed on both sides of me now—as if someone had studied how much I toss and turn.

“Mmm, so soft.”

I rubbed my cheek against the fluffy pillow, smiling—when suddenly I opened my eyes.

“She didn’t close the curtains?”

Bright moonlight was pouring into the room. Azelta would never make a mistake like that. I sat up just as—

Knock, knock.
From the window.

“What the—?”

I leaned forward and peeked outside.

‘Open it.’

A man with slightly dark gold hair mouthed the words at me.

You AGAIN???

It was Cassian. Like I’d open the window for him! I immediately turned my back to him. Then a voice slipped through the closed window.

“If you don’t open it, I might fall and die.”

How he managed to shove his voice so clearly through shut glass was beyond me. Fall and die if you want! I squeezed my eyes shut.

Cassian spoke again.

“If rumors start spreading that your father killed your brother, well, that can’t be helped.”

…What?

I shot up from the bed. Cassian sat on the windowsill, wearing a face that screamed pity me.

“…”

And then he even held up one finger, like you know what to do.

“Spending the whole night like this probably isn’t good either. Right?”

He could honestly fall and die and I wouldn’t care. But knowing him, if I left him there, he wouldn’t die—just find an even more annoying way to bother me.

“…Ugh.”

With a long sigh, I got out of bed. My teddy bear slippers had been swapped with bunny slippers—soft, warm ones that didn’t remind me of walking barefoot on sand.

“There.”

The window had a handle at kid height so I could open and lock it myself. The window itself was placed high to prevent accidental falls. I cracked it open just a little, then secured the stopper so it couldn’t be opened further unless someone broke the window. And if anyone broke it, Lord Rotia would storm in immediately.

“….”

I glanced toward the door where Rotia would be. Should I call him?

“Beast-like eyes.”

But that would probably make Cassian say even more trash. Might as well find out what he wants and push him out quickly.

“If you try to come in, I’m going to scream!”

Cassian smiled. Somehow he had the talent of smiling even with just his face wedged in a window gap.

“Oh, running into that beast is unpleasant for me too.”

There he goes calling Rotia a beast again! Who’s the real beast here? Even if I didn’t trust anyone here completely yet, one thing was certain—no one was more unpleasant than Cassian. I scowled.

“I only came to give you a gift. Here.”

He dropped something— a stone—through the window slit.

Tap… roll, roll, roll.

Instead of catching it, I simply stepped aside.

“Shiny things fascinate you, don’t they?”

It was interesting—glowing faintly with an odd light. There was unstable magic in it. He’d never give it to me knowing it was a mana stone. And I couldn’t reveal that I recognized it.

“What is this?”

“A curious little item. This place has lots of strange, mysterious, ominous things.”

He grinned. Strange and mysterious—fine. But—

“Ominous?”

Why would you give something ominous??

Before I could snap at him, he clapped his hands lightly.

“Well, since my dear niece accepted the gift— I’ll be going.”

And he vanished.

…He really clung to my window all night just to give me that?

I shut the window and glared at the stone.

“It’s not even properly made.”

It was a mana stone, but with power forcibly stuffed into it—trash-grade. In my past life, such stones weren’t even used. Worse, if a mage who constantly circulated mana touched such unstable stone, it could explode. People here didn’t know that, of course. Unless Cassian himself was a mage.

“Ugh.”

I stepped back. It flashed, then dimmed—like something designed to attract a child’s attention. If I weren’t a mage, maybe I’d find it fascinating.

I left the stone on the floor and went back to bed.

“Tomorrow, I’ll have Azelta throw it out.”

She wasn’t a mage, so it wouldn’t explode on her.

“Actually—!”

I sat right back up again.

Trash stone or not, what bothered me was HIM.

What the hell is WRONG with that guy???

“The stone…?”

Azelta entered the next morning and immediately noticed it. Her eyes sharpened—checking for intruders.

“That man gave it to me.”

She froze.

“…Cassian? You mean Cassian, correct?”

“Yeah.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“He opened the window?”

“No.”
(If he had, I would’ve screamed and Rotia would’ve been here in two seconds.)

“He kept begging to open it, so I opened it a little.”

“My lady.”

Azelta turned toward me. It felt like she wanted to lecture me. I waved my hand defensively.

“He said he’d do something weird if I didn’t. So I opened it just a tiny bit.”

I demonstrated with my thumb and forefinger—too tiny, since I had baby hands. But Azelta wasn’t focused on the size.

“Weird…? What weird thing?”

I could practically see her imagination spiraling into depravity. If I left it alone, Cassian would become some sort of monster in her mind. Should I clarify?

“My lady… could you tell me what he said?”

She approached slowly. Even held both my hands—oh no, misunderstanding confirmed.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to say it.”

“It’s not… that kind of weird!”

So I explained what Cassian said.

Azelta’s expression shifted through a whole storm of emotions.

“He spoke… about His Grace the Duke?”

“Yeah. So I opened it.”

I sighed. I didn’t actually think Cassian would fall and die. I’m five. Five-year-olds don’t know any better.

Azelta let out a shaky breath and suddenly—

She hugged me.

“—!”

I stiffened in shock.

“Azelta…?”

This was the first time someone had hugged me since becoming Nashia. I froze, but warmth seeped in, melting something inside me. She let out a genuine sigh of relief.

“My lady. No matter what anyone says, you must never open the window.”

Her hand on my back felt warm—and… damp? From nervous sweat?

“This time, you acted to protect His Grace, but His Grace is strong enough that you don’t need to protect him.”

True. If Cassian were capable of harming the current Duke, Cassian would be the Duke. I only opened the window because Cassian would have bugged me endlessly otherwise. If he tried anything, Rotia would have heard the noise and Cassian wouldn’t have walked away uninjured.

“That man cannot harm His Grace. Please protect yourself first.”

Azelta looked shaken. Like this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

“…Okay.”

Only then did she release me—then recoiled in shock.

“I-I apologize!”

“For hugging me? No, I liked it. It was warm.”

I grinned. Azelta blinked in surprise, then smiled quietly. And it really was warm. Maybe because it had been so long… the wall I built in this world felt like it softened a little.

‘Why do you like me?’

‘Well… you gave me candy.’

I remembered her shy smile from a few days ago. I had assumed the candy was just casual goodwill. People prioritize themselves first—always. Like Laytan.

But Azelta’s warmth…

…dulled the thorns in my heart.

“Just a moment!”

She ran outside and spoke to Rotia with a serious expression. Rotia looked grim.

“…It was my failure.”

He looked at me with guilt. I waved it off.

“From now on, I will guard even outside your window.”

Wait. We’re on the 4th floor.

“How? Don’t tell me… by hanging off the wall?”

I imagined him dangling outside my window and laughed.

“If that is what you wish, I will gladly do so.”

My face froze.

“No! Do not do that!”

Oh gods. I forgot Rotia was terrifyingly serious.