IBSBV Ch 7

Chapter 7

“Your Highness.”

“Hm?”

“Let’s go outside sometime.”

“Outside? Go out?”

The way he blinked as if hearing an unfamiliar word made him momentarily seem his age—it was endearing.

“Just because you can’t see doesn’t mean all your senses are gone. You just can’t see, that’s all. Other than that, Your Highness can feel things just like anyone else. I’ll prepare a fine cane for you.”

“Going outside… it’s noisy. I don’t like it.”

—It just makes me look like an idiot.

“I’m not talking about a bustling marketplace. We could walk around the place they call a garden, though it doesn’t have a single flower. I’ll be your eyes. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I promise.”

Louis didn’t respond. Judging by his heavy silence, it seemed best to change the subject. Eddie spoke up again.

“And Your Highness, just so you know, I’ve been stabbed in the back so many times that my personality is shi- not very good. My words can be harsh sometimes, too. But even if I grumble, it doesn’t mean I’m angry, so I hope you won’t take it the wrong way.”

“…About earlier. I’m sorry for hitting your hand. I’ve never received a gift before….”

A gift… It had only been a few cookies.

“It’s fine. I was the one who was disrespectful to Your Highness from the first day.”

“…I thought you didn’t know.”

So he knew.

Eddie chuckled at Louis’ curt mumbling.

“If something makes you uncomfortable, please tell me right away. It’s troublesome if you bottle it up and explode all at once. Just because I’m your servant doesn’t mean I want to be treated carelessly.”

Louis’ lips curved downward in displeasure. Reaching out abruptly, he groped the air.

“Where are you?”

“I’m two steps away from you, leaning against the railing. Lower your hand. A little more.”

Following Eddie’s guidance, Louis slowly lowered his hand until his fingertips brushed against soft hair. Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, he jerked his shoulder away, only to hear suppressed laughter.

Turning his hand over, Louis pressed the back of it against Eddie’s cheek.

It was cold. He moved his hand lower, touching a slender neck—just as cold. His fingers traced over lean shoulders and down a straight back. The fabric of Eddie’s clothes carried a chill.

He must be cold.

Since he had given Louis his shoes, he must be barefoot now. No matter how much he searched, he couldn’t find a single trace of warmth. The warmth he had felt yesterday now seemed like a lie.

Like waking from an illusion, a haze lifted from his senses, allowing dark thoughts to creep in.

—His kindness toward me… it’s all fake, isn’t it?

“You’re cold.”

—Still… yesterday, I was finally able to wash properly, and this morning’s meal was good.

I know he’s an enemy, but that touch didn’t feel bad. If I get angry, he might kill me faster. But having someone speak to me… it doesn’t feel entirely unpleasant.

—It’s pathetic…

When had his brother ordered his death?

Why?

He was already cursed—living didn’t even feel like living. Why did he have to die?

Once the Crown Prince became Emperor and the woman he chose bore the next vessel, he would naturally fade away.

So why take away even this short, miserable life?

Louis slowly lowered his hand and turned away.

“I want to go inside. I still hate being outside. I won’t go out again.”

“I’ll guide you.”

“There’s no need.”

His voice was firm, carrying a clear rejection.

He groped his way forward but soon tripped over his own feet and fell. No matter how athletic he was, without sight—and with his emotions in turmoil—it was inevitable.

Eddie clenched the hand he had instinctively reached out to offer. If he extended it, Louis would only push it away. He didn’t want to make him feel any more uneasy.

Instead, Eddie stood still, watching Louis silently as he picked himself up.

Right now, that felt like the right thing to do.

 

***

 

Fortunately, Louis didn’t refuse his meals. Having spent so long starving, once he had tasted real food, not even a sour mood could suppress his instincts.

The head chef, Oak, had put even more care into lunch and dinner than breakfast, preparing a lavish spread that even Eddie found satisfying. Tempted by the aromas, Louis ate everything he was given like a baby bird.

Though his expression remained dark, the tips of his feet occasionally bounced.

At least during these moments, no negative emotions seeped in, giving Eddie a rare mental break.

‘I’ve heard of espers with mental abilities, but…’

He wasn’t an esper, just a guide. Yet, somehow, he was sensing someone else’s emotions. Could it be that he had developed a new ability? After possessing this body, it wouldn’t even be surprising.

However, the flight of imagination, as grand as it was, did not last long. Apart from Louis, Eddie could not read anyone else’s emotions at all.

Eddie quickly gave up on thinking too deeply. If this had been Jung Suhyun’s life, he would have endlessly questioned the unknown phenomenon, but he had already experienced death once. No matter what happened to him now, nothing felt particularly surprising anymore, so he simply accepted it.

Both Louis’s confusion and his pain.

Every time those festering emotions bled into him, it felt like a thorn lodging deep in his throat, making it hard to breathe. But he endured. He had lost any real goal for himself, and perhaps, having gone halfway mad, he could withstand it.

‘I can hear them whether I like it or not, so what am I supposed to do?’

There was no way to shut them out.

Letting out a languid sigh, Eddie massaged the stiff nape of his neck and looked at Louis, who was fast asleep.

Louis was still wearing the fur vest Eddie had dressed him in earlier. He had never even considered that Sover might have given it to Eddie. Instead, he seemed to find comfort in the soft scent of soap that replaced the once-overpowering stench, sleeping peacefully.

His shoes were neatly placed under the bed. Eddie hadn’t bothered putting them on again. His bare feet felt the chill seeping in, but aside from that, there was no real discomfort.

His gaze drifted toward the fireplace, dark and cavernous.

A fire would make things much warmer.

But for some reason, Louis had reacted with immediate distaste the moment Eddie suggested lighting it. Perhaps there was some bad memory attached to it. Thankfully, several mana stones embedded in the walls regulated the air inside. If not for them, the bedroom would have been in an even worse state.

Then, it happened.

“Uhh… nghh—”

Breaking the thin veil of silence, Louis began to stir.

He was having another nightmare. Expecting this, Eddie had stayed by his side tonight, so he approached without hesitation.

“Shh— It’s okay. You’re alright.”

He gently stroked the pale cheek.

“Everything is fine. Nothing is going to happen.”

“Hngh… hic—”

“I won’t kill you. I didn’t come here for that. So, calm down. Shh—.”

His voice, soft yet awkwardly stiff, carried a quiet patience. Tossing out the occasional sweet remark was one thing, but speaking this way from the start felt difficult.

Ahem. Eddie cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed, and raised his brows for no reason before repeating himself. To prevent Louis from falling into a worse fit.

“I won’t kill you, I won’t. I don’t want blood on my hands either.”

‘Besides, you’re not someone I could kill in the first place.’

Swallowing back those words, Eddie simply watched Louis’s nightmare-stained face, waiting until the coldness of his skin finally warmed under his touch.

“Don’t worry. Just sleep peacefully.”

He remained standing, wary that Louis might toss and turn again in his sleep, ending up in an uncomfortable position. But as time stretched on, he eventually perched on the edge of the bed.

Lowering his hand from Louis’s face, he patted his chest in a soothing rhythm.

After some time, the tossing and turning stopped. His erratic breathing evened out. The twisted expression smoothed, and serenity settled in.

Eddie hesitated for a moment before reaching for Louis’s lips. Using his thumb and index finger, he gently pulled the corners of his mouth upward.

The result—a sleeping face with just the lips curved into a smile—was utterly ridiculous. But he stared at it for a while nonetheless.

“The Villain Wants to Be Happy, huh….”

Unconsciously, he muttered the title of this world’s original novel. It felt a little cringeworthy saying it aloud compared to just thinking it. Eddie let out a dry chuckle and withdrew his hand.

He understood how to live like a human, but he had never truly known what it meant to have a heart full of warmth. The happiness Louis sought seemed a bit too far out of reach. Still, maybe, at the very least, he could create a moment where Louis could smile freely.

If he could witness that up close, it might feel like some kind of reward.

Whenever that day might come.

“Well, for now, have a good dream.”

And as always, he ended things in his own way.

“Let’s see a bright face tomorrow, yeah?”

With that blunt farewell, he closed the door behind him, ending the day.