LIGHTNOVELWORLD Episode 54
Chapter 54
“Please wait a moment.”
I had the impression that women take a long time to change their clothes, so I thought I would return to my room and relax before she guided me to Alshade’s room.
However, I was stopped by the female guard in front of my room.
“This is my room, right?”
“Yes, it is Rios-sama’s room.”
I thought for a moment that I might have entered the wrong room, but it seemed that it was indeed my room.
Nevertheless, if I was being stopped from entering, there must be some reason.
“Is there some reason?”
“Yes, Alshade-sama is changing clothes inside the room, so please wait for a moment.”
“???”
For a moment, it felt like I could see the universe, but it was probably my imagination.
No, I should have realized it when I saw the female guard in front of the room.
Since Alshade said it was her room, I thought she had gone to her own room instead of mine, where I’ve been waking up recently.
“(Well, I have been using this room lately, and it wouldn’t be strange to call it my room… Wait, is that even possible!?)”
“Is there something wrong?”
The guard asked with a concerned look as my agitation must have shown on my face, but I shook my head and denied it.
Although I had been waking up in it every day, Alshade’s clothes had always been brought in by the maids, and there had been no sign of Alshade’s personal belongings, such as furniture, increasing in the room.
I had thought it would happen someday, but I had expected her to do it more slowly.
I had not expected Alshade’s sudden move, as I had anticipated something like her gradually increasing her small items.
“Am I the only one who didn’t know? Did Vivian know?”
“The location of Alshade-sama’s private room has changed, and it was notified about three days ago that she and Rios-sama would be sharing a room. Today, while Rios-sama and Alshade-sama were out, furniture and other items were also moved in.”
“So, I was the only one who didn’t know because of instructions from Al?”
“Yes, I have been instructed not to inform Rios-sama until he notices himself.”
In other words, I was completely cut off from information by Alshade.
Because it was Alshade, she probably wanted to see my surprised expression.
The fact that she gave the order to inform me when I noticed probably meant that the response itself could be crucial information.
“I should be happy that Al understands a lot of things about me, but I can’t be happy about this.”
Maybe it’s because I feel like I’m being manipulated by Alshade in a skillful way.
It’s a bit of a competitive feeling.
Leaving that aside, as I was thinking about how to kill time, the door opened slightly, and the maids who peeked outside and the guards standing by the door exchanged a few words, and then the door closed again.
“Alshade sama’s preparations will be completed soon.”
I nodded when the guard said that.
It was a little early, but wasn’t it good timing to come?
As I was self-praising like that, the door opened, and the maids came out of the room.
『『 Excuse us.”』』
“I apologize. Rios-sama, you can enter now.”
“Orto-san, I got it.”
“I will leave the room, but I will guard you nearby without showing myself, so don’t worry.”
Orto-san said that as he left, and as I approached the door to the room, I conveyed the same message in passing.
If Orto was leaving the room, then the only person inside would be Alshade.
“Understood.”
I replied softly and entered the room.
Inside the room, there was indeed no one else but Alshade. She was sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace, which hadn’t been here this morning. She turned her face towards me.
“Hey, Rio. It seems you arrived a bit early. I did tell you to take your time.”
“I was going to my own room, so I didn’t expect you to be in this one.”
As I spoke, I looked at Alshade, but she appeared the same as usual, wearing a white T-shirt and black trousers.
Perhaps noticing my gaze, Alshade smiled.
“Hehe, did I get your hopes up? If you want, I can ask a maid to bring me a change of clothes right now. Of course, I could change in front of you if you’d like.”
While I didn’t deny having expectations, I shook my head in response to Alshade’s teasing smile.
“Nah, that’s fine. I’m more comfortable with you in your usual outfit. Besides, it suits you, so there’s no need to change.”
“…You say such nice things. It makes me wonder if it’s a sign of your growth, being able to say those things confidently.”
“What kind of reaction are you expecting from me if you say things like that?”
“Well, don’t say it like that. Being able to communicate openly about such things is important for our future life together.”
In saying “future life” instead of “relationship”, Alshade’s underlying desires or intentions were blatantly visible.
Still, I highly doubted that Alshade would casually say such things without any thought behind them. Moreover, since we had ended up in the same private room, I decided to compromise to some extent.
Of course, I would firmly refuse anything that would lead to a physical relationship with Alshade, as it would be inappropriate both from an age standpoint and ethical standpoint but I would allow some level of physical closeness.
I wouldn’t entertain comments suggesting it was already happening. A little show of pride wouldn’t hurt.
“…That aside, is there anything in this room that catches your attention?”
“Even if you ask what catches my attention… various pieces of furniture seem to have increased…”
Starting with the sofa Alshade was currently sitting on, a bookshelf, a desk, a chair… furniture that hadn’t been there until this morning existed in the room as if it were my own. Among them, what caught my eye was a particular shelf.
This shelf stood out unmistakably among the luxurious, high-quality furniture, crafted from carefully selected materials by renowned artisans.
Despite its simple and somewhat worn appearance compared to the others, it was a shelf that I recognized.
“Is this, by any chance, from my house?”
“That’s right. I really wanted to take you to your home, but getting permission from the vassals proved quite challenging.”
Alshade explained apologetically.
We had recently discovered a secret underground passage in the slum district. There could be others like it, and it wasn’t certain that enemies were infiltrating through there. From a security perspective, such a proposal would never be approved.
“Well, there’s no helping it. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to occupy the house indefinitely when we’re not going back,” I replied.
The large table we used for meals wasn’t in this room, but I had seen some familiar chairs, so perhaps the space-consuming items were stored elsewhere?
“It makes me happy to hear you say that. By the way, this was the centerpiece of the plan I had to surprise you.”
“…So, sharing a room with Alshade was just a decoy?”
“That’s right. You see, if we only shared a room, your reaction would probably have been more like, ‘Finally, it’s happening,’ and I didn’t want that. So, I added a twist. When people think they’ve figured out the plan, many tend to stop thinking.”
Alshade’s prediction of my reaction was right on the money, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
I vaguely remembered a line from a light novel character in my past life that said plans should be layered and complex, and I now understood the reason for that.
“I always feel like I’m being led by the nose by you.”
“Well, I have more experience, after all.”
“Al, you’re younger than me, so even if you say that, it feels weird.”
“I thought the same thing.”
Alshade said that, and we exchanged smiles, knowing that she had successfully outwitted me.
—
If you like this novel, Please leave ratings and review in NovelUpdates.>>HERE
If you’d like to make a one-time donation to support our translations or subscribe to read up to 5 chapters or more (depending on the novel) ahead, you can do so via Ko-fi: