“Really? You… believe me?”
What kind of luck is this!
Moved by Blake trusting me so easily, my round eyes sparkled.
“You only get one chance. If it turns out to be a lie, you won’t escape death.”
As if to make me believe he wasn’t joking, a brief flicker of killing intent passed through his otherwise bored eyes before disappearing.
But I was already bouncing around as if I might leap into the sky.
“Yeah, yeah! Won’t escape death!”
“…Don’t repeat after me.”
“Yeah, yeah, yahoo!”
“…What a crazy teddy bear.”
Max, can you see this?
Even though your master is on sabbatical, she’s still alive and surviving in the human world!
There was still a lot I had to accomplish to return to where I used to live, but even this alone was a huge achievement.
My ears perked up on their own in satisfaction.
Things were going unbelievably smoothly.
I thought persuading Blake would be the hardest part, but he gave me a chance surprisingly easily.
‘To the point where he almost feels sloppy for someone who’s supposed to be the villain and sub male lead of the original story.’
Honestly, he didn’t seem to have much expectation, and therefore no real hostility either. It was as if he naturally assumed I wouldn’t be able to put him to sleep.
But unlike what he thought, making him fall asleep wasn’t completely impossible.
‘If I can just replenish a bit more mana, I can definitely use a spell to ease the curse.’
Only the one who cast a curse can fully lift it.
However, weakening a curse was possible if you knew the spell—it could reduce its power.
‘The problem is, very few people know it.’
The spell to weaken a curse was extremely difficult, and the formulas were old, obscure, and hard to interpret—sometimes only found in ancient, musty books.
On top of that, it required using one’s own innate mana to temporarily weaken the target’s curse.
So naturally, for human mages who borrow mana from external sources, it was practically impossible.
‘But I can do it. Heh.’
As a witch—no, a great witch—as long as my mana is restored, it’s something I could accomplish easily with just a simple incantation.
Alright then.
What do I need to do now?
‘Stick closely to Blake!’
That way I can replenish my mana, meet his expectations, and return to my original form.
‘And I can casually watch the original novel unfold too. Ahem.’
A reality that had felt utterly dreadful just moments ago suddenly didn’t seem so bad.
A grin slipped out without me realizing.
“Commander! No matter how tired you are, isn’t this decision too impulsive?!”
“Rain, don’t go spreading this anywhere either. I’ll look into it from here.”
“But…!”
Rain, who had been watching me warily, stepped forward to stop Blake.
But once again, he couldn’t finish his sentence.
“Blake! There you are!”
With a lively voice calling his name, the terrace door burst open.
At the same time, I flopped flat onto the floor.
“Leah?”
At the softly spoken name, a brown-haired woman beamed and practically leapt into Blake’s arms.
“It’s been so long! I missed you!”
‘That woman!’
Seeing the woman in Blake’s arms, I was overwhelmed with emotion.
‘It’s the female lead! The real protagonist of this novel!’
The woman hugging Blake was Leah Everett.
The beloved youngest daughter of Count Everett—and Blake’s childhood friend!
‘As expected of the heroine… she’s so pretty!’
Leah Everett truly had the appearance of a classic female lead.
Her light brown hair, like it had been diluted with water, was braided to one side, and her flowing silk dress revealed the elegant line of her neck.
But what stood out the most were her golden eyes.
They shone as brilliantly as if all the gold stored in Holloway’s basement had been melted down—fixed solely on Blake.
“Blake, I didn’t think you’d come to my birthday banquet. You got my letter, didn’t you? Did you rush over right after reading it?”
Blake gently pulled Leah away and shook his head.
“I didn’t rush.”
What is he even saying?
That answer completely missed the point.
He should be saying he flew over because he missed her!
I almost shouted, That’s not it!
If only he had asked me—Vivian, a self-proclaimed romance novel expert—I could’ve given him the perfect answer!
(Though Max always clicked his tongue whenever I replaced clueless protagonists with better lines.)
For example:
“Yes. I ran here so fast my heart nearly stopped because I missed you, my love.”
“Being apart from you was hell. But if it’s with you, I’d dive into that hell willingly.”
“Leah, if you’re asking the obvious—yes, I’d say it a hundred times. I’d even run on all fours for you.”
Any one of these would’ve been correct, you romance idiot!
But I held my tongue.
Instead, I pressed my paws to the ground and subtly shuffled closer to Blake, nudging myself toward him.
‘Whew… don’t get worked up. Just stick close to Blake.’
Forget that hopeless romantic—my life came first.
If he asked me to put him to sleep tonight, I needed to be ready to use the spell!
Rain’s eyes widened at my actions, but well—
If I don’t do this, I die. Of course I’m going to move fast.
Leah, completely focused on Blake, didn’t seem to notice me at all.
“I really hoped you’d come, so I’m glad you did. I didn’t even hear you’d arrived—apparently Lady Clara saw you heading to the terrace earlier.”
“I see.”
“Honestly, you came all this way and didn’t even show your face? You made me come find you?”
“You’ve seen me now, so that’s enough.”
“Fine, I’ll let it go! Anyway—Blake, where’s my gift? It’s been five years since we last met, so you must’ve prepared something, right?”
“Gift?”
“Yeah!”
At that, Rain—who had been silent—shot Blake a burning look as if to say, See? Everyone cares about gifts!
I could practically hear it.
More importantly… ugh, this is exhausting.
With such short limbs, even a little movement makes me out of breath.
Panting, I finally reached his long leg and clung to it tightly with a thwap.
Ahh… much better.
Maybe it was the sudden sensation, but Blake’s amethyst eyes wandered briefly before dropping to his leg.
“……”
“……”
A brief silence fell as his gaze landed squarely on me.
What are you doing? his eyes seemed to ask.
I awkwardly looked away.
That gaze is intense… but hey, I have to survive.
As I pretended nothing was happening, a startled voice rang out.
“Oh my. What’s this?”
Leah, following his gaze, tilted her head upon spotting me clinging to his leg.
“…Good question. Since when was this thing stuck here?”
I had tried to approach him quietly…
But now everyone’s attention was on me.
“Is it my gift?”
Leah’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
And then I remembered why he had originally bought this teddy bear.
‘He said it was meant as a birthday gift for Leah!’
He had nearly given up because of Rain’s strong objections, but judging by her reaction, she liked it.
Then… would Blake just hand me over to her as originally planned?
‘N-no…’
That absolutely couldn’t happen!
Without a shred of pride, I tightened my grip on his leg.
I felt it twitch slightly.
“When did you prepare something like this? But why is it hanging here? If that’s how it’s supposed to be, it’s so cute!”
Already convinced I was her gift, Leah chattered excitedly and held out her hand.
“Here, I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything—just give it to me.”
She closed her eyes and held out her hands, looking adorable even now—truly the heroine.
My gaze was drawn to her.
Blake’s unrequited love in the original story.
A man who gave his life for her in the end would have no problem handing me over.
But Blake—
You just said you’d give me a chance.
Don’t forget. Okay? Okay?
I waited anxiously for his decision.
Was this how the wine in the cabinet felt, waiting to be chosen?
If so, I should apologize to all wine.
Sorry, wines. I’ll pick you more fairly from now on.
My thoughts tangled in nervousness.
A moment felt like eternity.
Then—
“No.”
The word that came from him was completely unexpected.
His slow voice echoed softly across the terrace.