Chapter 35: One Room, One Bed, One Man
“Welcome, Duke Lianster! We sincerely welcome your visit to Lurat!”
“It’s been a while, Sir Harris.”
“I was so surprised to hear that you would be visiting Lurat. You must be very busy since assuming the position of Tower Master, and yet you took the time to come all the way here. We are truly grateful.”
He was a man dressed quite elegantly. Who was he?
Seeing Riley curious, Givnen introduced the man to her.
“Sis, this is Sir Harris, the owner of the Harris Hotel. Sir Harris, this is the lady who will be my wife.”
“Wife? W-are you getting married?”
“It’s come to that.”
Harris smiled brightly.
“Congratulations from the bottom of my heart, Duke!”
“Thank you.”
“Shall we head inside? Ah, I’ve prepared some cheese, venison, and Claret wine. Would you like to have them immediately?”
Givnen turned to Riley and asked,
“Do you want to eat first?”
“Yeah, I’m a little hungry.”
“Then let’s do that.”
“I’ll have it prepared so you can eat right away. The room is this way; please follow me.”
They moved the luggage transported via the cargo teleport themselves and led them to the royal room on the very top floor. Since the staff organized the luggage as well, it was extremely convenient.
The meal was delivered directly to the royal room they were staying in, along with a menu listing additional dishes they could order.
Breakfast usually consisted of a light snack, but the food on the plates looked less like food and more like works of art, exuding ultimate luxury.
Top quality, finest grade. Riley had now become somewhat accustomed to receiving only the best, so she naturally picked up her fork and knife.
“But where exactly is this place?”
“It’s the southernmost area, a resort destination getting a lot of attention.”
“Have you been here before?”
“I’ve been a few times for work.”
“Seems like a pretty big city if they have such a grand hotel.”
“It’s big. They make a fortune off the tourism industry, and people from other continents visit often. It’s also a place where foreigners can move around fairly freely.”
“Is it because of the sea?”
“Exactly. Trade is also very active.”
Riley took a bite of a biscuit topped with transparent caviar and rich cheese and looked out the window. The view of the blue sea stretched out in front of her.
“It’s my first time seeing the ocean.”
“Thought you might like it, so I brought you here.”
“It’s beautiful, far better than I imagined.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“But why did we come all the way out here?”
“For several reasons. I wanted to show you the sea, and also give us a space where we could move freely without worrying about others’ eyes.”
“……”
“I’m fine, but you might get worried.”
“About what?”
“People staring, paparazzi.”
She had a point. Riley had been anxious even this morning about the possibility of another scandal breaking out. Unlike Givnen, who had long been familiar with his face and name being sold in the tabloids, Riley was an ordinary person unaccustomed to such things.
“You don’t have to worry about that here. There are so many people that you won’t stand out much. And even if you do…”
“Even if I do?”
“I’ll just cover it up.”
His confidence that he could block all news articles didn’t seem like empty bravado. He could easily manage it.
“You can really block all the articles?”
“Nothing I can’t do.”
“Then why haven’t you done it until now?”
“Do I have to?”
“You’ve had more than one scandal following you, haven’t you?”
Givnen said playfully as he sipped his Claret wine.
“It’s because I’m generous. The press should be grateful that I feed them. Without me, countless newspapers under their control would have shut down long ago, especially the tabloids. Do you know how many people I support?”
Indeed, most reports of his scandals were tabloids at best.
Perhaps because he had so many enemies. In reality, he was not as indulgent or bad-tempered as the media portrayed him, but the image in the news… made him look like an unprecedented rogue.
Riley felt a twinge of sympathy for Givnen.
Seeing his gilded, glamorous life, one might think it’s enviable, but watching him up close, his life seemed lonely and stifling. Everyone admired him, yet his joking about supporting the press lightly suggested the scrutiny he endured was beyond what an ordinary person could handle.
Hearing her calm words, Givnen laughed as if incredulous.
“Are you… sympathizing with me now?”
“Maybe.”
“Oh, it’s the first time anyone’s ever sympathized with me in my life.”
“Sorry if it makes you uncomfortable. Then again, I’m not in a position to pity anyone. It’s a ridiculous thing to say.”
Givnen paused his meal and looked at Riley steadily.
“Do you think your life was pitiful?”
“I think my life has been quite pitiful.”
“Hmm.”
“But not now. Thanks to certain people, I’m living well. Claire says I’m very lucky. Honestly, I thought I was a terribly unlucky person, but now… I think maybe I’m not so unlucky after all.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Riley chewed her food, then lifted her head as if remembering something.
“You said it before. That you pitied me.”
“Did I?”
“Yes, you said there was nowhere else for your heart to rest but me.”
“Ah, that time…”
Givnen remembered too.
“Keep relying on me.”
“Look only at me.”
“Rely only on me.”
“Trust only me.”
“Love only me.”
“Live only for me.”
“I’ve engraved those words deep into my bones.”
“……”
“You’re my luck, so I’m trying to live my life the best I can, just like you said. Then even my previously unlucky life might continue to be happy.”
At that moment, Givnen recalled what Arpeggio had said: she would live in a hell disguised as heaven.
“If I…”
“……”
“If I were a demon who might kill you… and everything I gave you was actually for me, not you… would you still live as you said?”
“……”
“Looking only at me, relying only on me, loving only me, just like that.”
“Yes.”
“Even if I don’t see you, push you away, or love you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
This time, Riley tilted her head.
“You told me to live like that.”
“……”
“No matter who you are, it doesn’t matter to me. I’ll do my best to live as you said, and it doesn’t matter if you don’t return it. And I never expected to be loved by you in the first place.”
“……”
“Besides, we’re a business from start to finish, right?”
With that offhand remark, Givnen put down the knife he had been holding.
He smiled, looking somewhat deflated.
“You’re not wrong.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t cross the line. I won’t expect anything from you, just take what you give me faithfully.”
Givnen said nothing further. Riley continued eating as if nothing had happened.
This is exactly the kind of relationship I should praise.
A clean, untroubled business relationship. No unnecessary personal feelings mixed in, coexistence for mutual benefit. Even the cooperative attitude. Nothing irritating at all. In fact, it was exactly the kind of relationship she had desired.
Easy to manage, unobtrusive. Even with the best mindset to maintain this,
Why does it still bother me?
Her words, though correct, somehow didn’t sit right with her. She didn’t need to know why, so Givnen just focused on calmly suppressing the slight discomfort that arose.
Lurat, being a resort with a developed tourism industry, had an enormous shopping district.
With thriving trade, merchants from all continents came and went, offering all sorts of exotic items. Especially magical tools from eastern countries were fascinating in shape and function.
They bought a kettle that brewed tea by simply adding water, a ring with a gemstone that changed color depending on the light, and a music box that played on its own—but shopping didn’t end there.
“Six outfits in total? All the clothes and shoes you bought will be sent to your residence. Would you like to pay immediately?”
“Yes, pay immediately.”
The six outfits and several pairs of shoes purchased from the most famous designer shop in Lurat’s shopping district were shipped straight to the Lianster mansion.
“These are designs popular among young women nowadays. Oh, this one is also suitable as a couple set.”
Jewelry like earrings, rings, and necklaces were also paid for on the spot and sent directly to the mansion.
After spending a fortune on luxury goods in just an hour, he still seemed unsatisfied.
“Anything else you need?”
“No, really, this is enough.”
No one could be unsatisfied with such an overwhelming onslaught of gifts.
However, to satisfy his appetite fully would be endless, so Riley drew a firm line. Having lived a life far removed from luxury, even the purchases made were enough to feel burdensome.
These overly generous gifts were sufficient.
After shopping, they headed to the beach.
The beach was crowded with tourists—families, couples, friends enjoying the water, tea parties, and children playing in sand or with balls.
Riley spent her time strolling along the beach with Givnen, dipping her feet in the water.
The feeling of the sea was entirely new and refreshing. Feeding breadcrumbs to the seagulls was fun, and collecting pretty shells was delightful. She lost herself in the experience, enjoying everything new.
It was a peaceful time.
However, that peace was shattered when they entered a nearby café for drinks.
Givnen, casually sipping his drink, frowned.
“What’s wrong? Doesn’t it taste good?”
“Not that it tastes bad…”
“?”
“Someone tampered with it.”
“……That means it tastes bad, right?”
As Riley put the straw in her mouth, Givnen quickly grabbed her drink.
“Don’t drink it.”
“?”
“It’ll make you sick. It tastes off.”
“Is it spoiled? Then we should complain to the owner…”
“Never mind. Let’s leave.”
Givnen pulled Riley outside.
No matter how much money they had, shouldn’t they get a refund for a bad drink?
Still, how bad could it have tasted for him to make such a face?
“It’s better to eat only at the hotel. Don’t eat outside food.”
“……That bad? Was it really that bad?”
“Yes, so don’t touch unverified food. And don’t go out alone.”
He seemed more sensitive than before, clearly upset by the spoiled drink.
“Back to the hotel?”
“Yes. Do you want to keep playing?”
“No, my legs were getting tired anyway.”
As they walked back through the crowds, a gunshot rang out—bang!
Screams followed, and chaos erupted in an instant.
Riley thought the gunfire came from far away, but it wasn’t.
“……This is…”
Bullets hovered in the air. More precisely, one stopped right in front of Givnen’s forehead, as if blocked by something. Had it not stopped, his head would have been pierced.
Riley stared at Givnen in shock. Calmly, he caught the bullet with his hand, crushed it instantly, and flung it backward. The metal clanged against the floor as the deformed bullet rolled away.
Riley, still agape, felt his hand tap her shoulder.
“You okay?”
“……I think that’s my question to ask.”
“I’m fine.”
“Looks like it.”
How could he remain so calm when a bullet nearly hit his head? Where did it even come from?
Riley glanced around, and Givnen guided her while they continued walking.
“It was shot from far away; you wouldn’t have seen it from here anyway.”
“You… just now, your head almost got blown off.”
“I know. But it didn’t, so it’s fine.”
“That means my head could be next.”
“You’d just let it happen?”
The streets were in chaos. People screamed, fell, and rolled around while trying to escape the gunfire. Riley nearly got swept up, but Givnen held her firmly, protecting her.
To an outsider, he looked like just another passerby, utterly calm. His calmness seemed to soothe Riley’s racing heart.
“Did you stop it with magic?”
“Yes.”
“How did you know the bullet was coming?”
“I didn’t. I used magic instinctively in that brief moment.”
“……That’s incredible reflexes.”
“Hopefully the Magic Department won’t make a fuss about this. If they do call me, testify that it was self-defense.”
“I’ll testify that I saw your handsome head almost blown away.”
“Reassuring.”
“But won’t you look for them?”
“Who?”
“The person who shot at you.”
Givnen looked around but soon gave up.
“Too much trouble.”
“They tried to kill you! Who knows if they’re still aiming from somewhere else?”
“It’s not the first time. I can’t look right now. Maybe if I remove this cursed control device…”
“Control device? That thing in your ear?”
“The Magic Department put it there to monitor me.”
“Wouldn’t they consider it self-defense?”
“Removing it too often is troublesome. I removed it once before, and the surveillance got stricter. Anyway, removing it would let me track the enemy, but I don’t feel the need right now.”
“That’s for monitoring?”
“Monitoring and control. With this in, I can hardly use magic. It suppresses my power.”
“But you just used it.”
“Only basic spells. It doesn’t mean I can’t use magic at all, just ‘almost’ can’t.”
“Ah.”
He could block bullets with basic magic, while I can’t even do that. How accustomed must he be to such dangerous daily life? Seeing his composure left me speechless. Someone is trying to kill him, and a bullet flies at his head, yet he remains calm.
…This life isn’t just glamorous.
The man who nearly had his head shot stayed calm, but Riley felt strangely unsettled. A life admired by all, yet somehow lonely and heavy.
“You really okay?”
“With what?”
“You almost died.”
“I didn’t almost die. Someone tried and failed to kill me.”
“Are you used to people trying to kill you?”
“……It happens fairly often. It’s about time I got used to it.”
A life where death becomes routine—what kind of life is that? Impossible to imagine.
Riley wondered if he truly wasn’t scared, or if he had just become used to pretending not to be.
They arrived at the hotel while talking.
They enjoyed a luxurious dinner and relaxed at the hotel’s hot spring.
It had been a far more satisfying day than expected.
But the moment Riley entered the room after all activities, she realized:
One room, one bed, one man.
And one more thing remained to be done.
