Despite the fierce protests in my heart, my mouth could not form proper words in reality.

“Th-that, um, Reid... uh......”

“Yeah, it must be hard to say.”

Like a true reader, Reid seemed to have roughly predicted this outcome.

Just like when the ‘Make a Request to the Guest’ quest appeared, the ‘Pay the Price’ quest window hovered in my vision, refusing to disappear.

Feeling overwhelmed and helpless, I covered my face with both hands. It was as if a statue of the peerless handsome man was naked right in front of me—I couldn’t bear to look at him.

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to do it.”

“Huh?”

It was when I slightly parted my hands at the sudden voice cutting in.

“I’ll be the one punished.”

“What?”

Reid picked up a painting knife, and a large, ugly scratch appeared on the canvas. He had damaged the painting.

“No, my painting!”

[ The Guest has failed to complete your request.]

Reid looked at me as if to say, “Didn’t I do well?”

“I can’t stand being played by the rules of this dungeon. Right?”

“......Sniff.”

I wasn’t listening. The shock of losing what was mine was too great.

Just as I was gloomily consoling myself that at least the face part was spared, the system gave another alert.

[ A punishment must be given to the Guest. Please check the wooden wagon placed outside the door.]

Looking down the corridor, there really was a wooden wagon used for serving meals.

I couldn’t see what was under the dome-shaped cover. But the card stuck outside read:

[Items to Aid the Guest’s Sleep]

That sounded ominous.

Calming my cold heart, I pulled the wagon and entered the room. Reid was sitting loosely on the bed, looking well-prepared.

“Reid, should I open this?”

“Yeah, Ai.”

Reid seemed calm the whole time. Well, since he knew the novel’s content, all the tension was entirely mine.

I removed the dome cover.

“......What is this?”

Inside were a small glass vial filled with blood-red liquid and a sinister black leather tool.

‘How could these possibly help the Guest sleep?’

Without looking in a mirror, I knew my eyes were shaking wildly. At that moment, Reid reached first for the wagon.

“Reid, what are you doing!”

He gulped down the vial’s contents in one go.

“Are you okay?!”

“It’s bitter.”

“Do you even know what that is? How can you just drink that recklessly?”

“I’m fine. Won’t die.”

Reid’s eyelids drooped slightly. Watching his drowsy, half-lidded eyes, I understood what it was.

“A sleeping pill?”

“Yeah. A bit strong.”

“Ha, well, that’s a relief. Alright, lie down now, Reid.”

“Wait... I have to be tied down before lying down.”

“Just lie down first. I’ll take care of it later.”

“Okay.”

He laughed low and contentedly, whatever the reason.

Because I was so close while tucking him in comfortably, the laugh whispered in my ear like breath.

Reid soon breathed evenly and fell asleep.

‘Is he really okay?’

I pulled over a stool and sat, watching Reid for quite some time but found no abnormal signs. It seemed about time to leave.

But I had something to do first.

“......Ah, how do I do this to him.”

I looked back and forth between the black leather handcuffs and the white beautiful man, lost in torment. It was going to be a night plagued by guilt.

✠

Clack.

The sound of the candlelight that was the only illumination in the room being swallowed by the corridor.

Footsteps faded beyond the wooden door. She left, and Reid was left alone in the bedroom, fully consumed by night’s darkness.

His eyelids opened, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ revealing bright aqua eyes that seemed to emit light even in the pitch black. No sign of sleepiness at all.

He slowly sat up. His left wrist was still bound to a post, so he had to lean his back firmly against the headboard.

The wrist strap, which she had loosely fastened herself, had already been tightened with no gaps. It was the dungeon’s compulsion.

Reid deliberately decided not to remove it. Despite the discomfort, it wasn’t too bothersome.

Instead, playing with his wrist seemed like a rather amusing pastime, and he chuckled a little.

“Better to play a game than spend fifteen days bored.”

He muttered to himself as if justifying something. It sounded like someone making excuses while falling in love.

Judging by the original novel’s content, the dungeon must have prepared many interesting things. To enjoy tomorrow, I had to sleep early. Reid pulled the blanket around his waist.

“Ah, damn.”

He fumbled and grabbed at empty air. His sense of perspective was slightly off.

Reid covered his aching left eye with his free right hand.

I wasn’t surprised. Losing body sensations and functions one by one was part of the original content.

“I have to get used to it.”

The Guest was on borrowed time.

Chapter 19. Third Route

Chirp chirp chirp, I opened my eyes to bird songs.

The faint light spreading over the horizon showed it was 5 AM. Time for the noble lady to wake and prepare for the day.

I stretched out my arms.

“Haaah, being a lady of the house isn’t for just anyone.”

I finished my morning preparations alone, as usual. Today’s dress chosen by the mansion was a soft mocha color dress emphasizing a slim waist. I tied my hair back with a large beige ribbon.

It had been a week living in this suspicious mansion dungeon. I was quite accustomed to the Countess’s daily life.

I could now carry out the Countess’s duties without checking the daily schedule or system map one by one.

Checking the clockwork, it was 5:55 AM. I had to help the Guest wake at 6, so I headed toward his room.

Waking the Guest apparently became a duty from day six in the original, but for me, it started on day two.

This was related to the punishment the Guest received for failing to complete the Countess’s requests.

I sighed and opened the Guest’s room door.

“Ai?”

His voice was low and hoarse but clear, showing he was already awake. However, he still hadn’t left the bed.

It wasn’t because the bed was too cozy or soft. Due to failing six consecutive requests, he lost his freedom every night in bed.

His limbs were bound, a strange thing was on his neck, and he even had an eye mask.

[‘The Scales That Judge the Soul’ makes a strange laughing sound.]

I wanted to clutch my chest, as I was responsible for putting him in that state. Guilt nearly gave me chest pain.

“Mm, I’m here, Reid. Just wait a bit. I’ll free you soon.”

I hurried to his most uncomfortable wrist and touched it. Reid turned his head toward me.

Feeling as if his eyes met mine beneath the mask, I flinched, but he spoke calmly.

“Good morning, Ai.”

“......You say that?”

“Is there a problem?”

He sounded somewhat amused. I almost asked if he was crazy but stopped myself.

A beautiful madman is problematic because they keep forgetting their state.

Anyway, the Guest wasn’t confined in the bedroom from 10 PM to 6 AM for nothing. There was a sad reason called restraint.

Freed, Reid touched his wrists and neck. Meanwhile, I reluctantly tidied the things to be reused tonight.

This role didn’t suit me well, so it was hard.

[‘The Scales That Judge the Soul’ encourages you to enjoy the situation like Reid.]

[‘The Cynical Balancer of Order’ nods and advises you not to be timid but obsess like a love-struck protagonist.]

[‘The Eye Watching the Chaos of All Things’ got a bit excited but was very disappointed that the other party isn’t Tesilid.]

Meanwhile, the gods busily add obsession keywords to their favorite genres.

I fixed my gaze on Reid’s wrist. There were no marks as if he didn’t resist, but it bothered me.

“Does it bother you a lot at night?”

“Just my neck a little.”

Now that I think about it, he once refused the dog collar I wanted to give him because of his weak neck. But he seemed to wear the loose necklace I gave him regularly.

“Reid, I’ll make you something really delicious this morning.”

My resolute declaration was tinged with guilt. Reid immediately caught on.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m really okay.”

“I’m not okay. I’d rather—”

“You?”

His eyes narrowed sharply as he alternated between the leather items on the wagon and my face. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Despite being pale, he was unmistakably Reid as he said,

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“.......”

Seeing his eyes, I realized the same. I strongly agreed.