Chapter 20: Unexpected Encounters and Troubling Omens

The Duchess and Vant had both stated Heinzel was dead. He had died, only to return to life, waking up a few days later as if nothing had happened. Rosie had also mentioned that when she found Heinzel that morning, he wasn’t awake, but he was breathing steadily, much like someone in a deep slumber.

This meant he had died and then revived within a few hours. In other words, Heinzel had been possessed not long after his death.

It was unclear why he hadn’t woken up immediately, remaining unconscious for five days, but possession itself defied all logic. Whether he was in a coma for five days or a year, it was no more illogical than the possession itself. Perhaps the soul simply needed time to settle into the body after such an ordeal.

Regardless, that wasn’t the crucial point. What truly mattered now was whether Roquel was undeniably dead, or if he would revive as the Duchess so desperately hoped. If no news of Roquel’s revival surfaced by evening, should they consider him truly gone?

What then? If they eventually accepted Roquel’s death and held the funeral, Heinzel couldn’t begin to predict what actions the Duchess would take next.

While knowing the novel’s plot was advantageous, the lack of information regarding events before the story’s start was stifling. Moreover, as this concerned the secondary male lead’s family, not the main protagonist’s, it had no reason to be significantly detailed in the novel.

Roquel’s unexpected death was unsettling, and the Duchess’s potential machinations remained unknown, leaving Heinzel deeply concerned about the altered storyline. While Lyden, a candidate for the male lead, surely wouldn’t perish at the Duchess’s hands, Heinzel’s own life, less significant than an extra’s, was far from guaranteed.

Hainzel harbored a faint hope that the Duchess would swiftly exit the stage. However, the thought that he himself might also be forced to leave never quite faded.

****

The Duchess had entered Roquel’s room, firmly locking the door behind her, and had not emerged since. The household staff, though worried by her behavior, were also at a loss as to how to resolve the situation.

Duke Defensio lay incapacitated, while Lyden, managing the ducal affairs in his stead, was away on a monster hunt. With the Duchess distraught from losing her son, no one within the mansion possessed the authority to address the current crisis.

Though a messenger bird had been dispatched to Lyden, explaining the situation and requesting his return, his arrival time remained unknown. Consequently, Roquel’s death couldn’t even be announced outside the mansion.

Quiet funeral preparations were underway within the estate, ensuring everything would be ready for the service as soon as Lyden returned. Rosie, too, had retrieved Heinzel’s funeral attire, diligently ironing out every crease she found.

Leaning his chin on his raised knees, Heinzel gazed idly at the funeral attire hanging in a corner of his bedroom. The sharply tailored garments, utterly devoid of wrinkles, had been suspended there since yesterday. Though prepared for immediate wear, they had remained unused for two days.

What thoughts occupied the Duchess, confined within a room with Roquel’s corpse? Was she regretting their futile attempts, or perhaps raging at the unforeseen outcome? Or might she be meticulously planning her next move?

‘They operate beyond the scope of a normal person’s predictions,’ Heinzel concluded, abandoning his attempts to theorize. He chastised his own weakness for being unable to sleep amidst his troubled mind. Just as he was about to lie down, a creaking sound echoed, and the lamp’s light, cast upon the wall, began to dance and sway.

A small body pushed open a secret passage in the wall, and a puppy trotted into the bedroom, making its way under the bed.

“So, you just come straight into my bedroom now, without even bothering to bark politely for the door to open?”

“Woof woof.”

Wagging its tail wildly, as if overjoyed, the puppy bounced and jumped, looking up at Heinzel.

“Want me to put you on the bed?”

Dodging his outstretched hand, the puppy energetically dashed around the bedroom.

“…”

‘Did they eat something strange? Why are they acting like this all of a sudden?’

Hainzel watched the puppy with a hint of wariness, as if observing a rabid dog.

“Woof woof arf woof.”

“Ahin, you need to be quiet. You know the atmosphere in the mansion isn’t good right now.”

He climbed off the bed, slipped on his slippers, and approached the puppy. Despite Heinzel’s attempts to calm them, their excited demeanor refused to subside, and the puppy continued to circle him.

“My little Ahin, why are they so excited?”

The puppy, having firmly bitten the toe of Heinzel’s slipper and frantically shaken its head, staggered for a moment as if dizzy.

“…They really do all sorts of things.”

Unable to understand why the suddenly appearing puppy was acting so wildly, Heinzel merely chuckled in disbelief.

“Woof arf arf arf woof woof.”

It clearly seemed to be trying to convey something, but Heinzel, alas, still lacked the ability to converse with a dog.

“Shall we go to sleep with big brother? Or should we go play in the secret passage?”

Hainzel asked, hoping to sway them towards sleeping. Just as Heinzel couldn’t converse with a dog, the puppy, it seemed, couldn’t read minds. Watching the puppy immediately bound towards the secret passage the moment his words ended, Heinzel let out a small sigh.

“No spying around today, okay? Big brother was just about to go to sleep.”

He had been unable to sleep due to his troubled thoughts, but watching the puppy’s antics seemed to clear his mind, and drowsiness slowly began to creep in. Donning a gown over his pajamas, Heinzel picked up the lamp.

“We’re only going to play for a little while, then come back. Got it?”

“Woof woof.”

“They certainly are good at answering, aren’t they?”

Muttering a chiding remark tinged with amusement, Heinzel followed the puppy into the secret passage.

He didn’t forget to reiterate his plea, asking Ahin not to spy on the Duchess today, as it was truly fine. Whether they heard Heinzel’s admonition or not, the puppy dashed off towards a definite destination.

‘They seem truly happy today,’ he thought. The atmosphere within the mansion was stiflingly heavy due to Roquel’s death and the Duchess’s seclusion, yet he couldn’t fathom why only the puppy seemed exceptionally cheerful.

Relying on Ahin, he walked and walked through the branching passages that spread out like a spiderweb. After leading Heinzel for a considerable time, the puppy finally plopped down on its hindquarters, as if announcing, ‘You have arrived at your destination.’

Gazing at the wall obstructing his view, Heinzel had to ponder why this puppy kept insisting he spy.

‘Are they playing the role of a crocodile bird, constantly bringing trouble to the possessed?’ Heinzel wondered. In the novel, Ahin merely served to alleviate Lyden’s worries about an heir, and was not a particularly significant character. He couldn’t understand why they kept getting entangled. ‘Surely… it doesn’t mean insignificant characters should stick together, does it?’

He extinguished the lamp, then pressed his eye to a crack in the secret passage wall, where a faint light seeped through.

‘What could the Duchess be doing?’ he mused. ‘At this hour, shouldn’t she be asleep?’ Peering through the small crack, he scanned the area beyond the wall, then barely swallowed the scream that threatened to erupt.

“Madness…”

It was as if he’d been doused with ice water; his mind instantly cleared. He pressed a hand firmly against his chest, his heart threatening to leap out from sheer shock, and then glanced at the puppy nonchalantly rolling around beside him.

‘Is this real?’

Ignoring Heinzel’s gaze, the puppy merely curled into a ball and contentedly gnawed on its tail. ‘Do they not realize that’s their own tail?’

Shaking his head, he dismissed his idle thoughts and cautiously peered beyond the wall once more. Contrary to his expectation of seeing the Duchess, an unknown figure was present. If that were all, it wouldn’t have been surprising, but the enigmatic man was boldly baring his upper body.

Hidden by the sofa, his lower half was out of sight, yet judging by his actions of towel-drying his hair, he might well be completely nude. Each time he ruffled his hair with the towel, the muscles of his upper body rippled and flexed, captivating Heinzel’s gaze.

‘Did the puppy provide this service to make me feel better?’ he wondered. A faint urge to praise them stirred within him.

‘Whoever it is, they certainly have a magnificent physique.’

As he silently offered his praise, the man, after loosely wrapping his wet hair in a towel and roughly drying it, casually tossed the damp cloth onto the sofa.

‘…Is this a dream?’

Black hair, fiercely defined muscles, an extraordinary back—all of it pointed to one individual. This was a presence no supporting character or extra could ever possess. Among the three male lead candidates, he was the one whose primary stage was the North: Lyden Defensio.

As he turned, picking up a few documents from the table to examine them, Heinzel was granted the blessed sight of his front. His broad shoulders and seemingly firm chest, with nipples prominently peaking in the center, appeared to be the crowning glory. The perfectly sculpted upper body, proportioned from shoulder to waist, was utterly flawless. Even the large and small scars etched across his back and chest seemed artistically placed.

‘Truly… what an incredible body.’

It was so perfect, it felt almost unreal. Had he witnessed this scene when he first possessed this body and was in denial of reality, he would have readily accepted it as a novel. Such a physique was rarely seen in reality.

It was only regrettable that his face was hidden as he bent his head. Watching his damp hair reflect the light and sparkle, Heinzel inexplicably felt a dryness in his throat.