SCMBRN Chapter 17

“Ugh.”

 

I didn’t even have the luxury of thinking deeply.

 

“Give it here!”

 

Quickly, I snatched the silver hair from Jayden’s hand and hid it in my grip.

 

“Why are you being shy and asking about someone else’s white hair like that?”

 

“White hair?”

 

“Yeah, my white hair!”

 

“But from what I saw, it seemed more silver than white…”

 

“You must have seen it wrong. It was definitely white.”

 

At the end of the day, whether it was white or silver didn’t matter much. It was just a minor difference. I decided to insist on it.

 

“Take a closer look. It’s white.”

 

Although I told him to take a good look, I waved the hair frantically in front of Jayden’s eyes.

 

“Honestly, I’ve been worried about the increasing number of gray hairs. And yet, you had to point it out…”

 

I pretended to be a little hurt, and soon, Jayden’s expression softened, apologetic.

 

“My apologies. I acted thoughtlessly.”

 

“It’s fine. You apologized, so I’ll forgive you.”

 

“However, I didn’t notice that your gray hairs had increased. You still look the same on the outside.”

 

“Well, I guess that’s a relief then. Ha, I’m getting sleepy. Let’s just go to sleep already.”

 

“Yes, sister.”

 

I watched Jayden lie down and struggled to calm my racing heart.

 

‘This is insane! I thought I was going to faint!’

 

And of all things, there was Kirie’s hair from last night still stuck to my pillow.

 

I had been careless. I had tried to check if there were any traces left during the day, but I hadn’t thought to inspect the pillow carefully.

 

Perhaps because the pillowcase was white, the silver hair didn’t stand out as much.

 

‘Why does she have silver hair?!’

 

Until yesterday, I had been gleefully admiring Kirie’s silver hair, but now, I found myself irrationally blaming it.

 

To be precise, Jayden’s keen eye for noticing even a single strand of hair neither Kirie nor I had seen was quite remarkable.

 

With half-closed eyes, I glanced at Jayden, who was lying down covered with a blanket, maintaining a perfectly dignified posture, like something out of a noble’s sleep manual.

 

‘What a terrifying person…’

 

Fortunately, it seemed that he believed my excuse that the silver hair was my gray hair.

 

It wasn’t because my excuse was flawless, but because it seemed he couldn’t even fathom the possibility that another man had stayed in my bed.

 

After all, being the epitome of nobility meant he likely held very conservative views.

 

I recalled the conversation I had with Jayden the other day.

 

It had been during the carriage ride to the tea party hosted by Lady Mosella, where we had first started talking about her, and naturally, the topic shifted to Kirie.

 

Kirie was quite a popular figure in the social scene, known for being an ardent admirer of the charming court mage.

 

“I honestly can’t stand that person.”

 

Jayden made an unusually blunt and sharp remark about Kirie.

 

“Isn’t it common sense that romantic relationships should only occur between two people who have received their families’ unspoken approval, with marriage as the goal?”

 

“Uh, yeah. Is that so?”

 

“It’s common sense! And yet, here’s someone holding the important position of court mage while running around trying to seduce countless people… Who knows what the world is coming to?”

 

As I watched Jayden click his tongue, I couldn’t help but feel one thing:

 

‘This guy is such a prude.’

 

While it was true that the nobility in this world tended to be rather conservative, free relationships were not exactly forbidden. Free marriages, though fewer than political ones, still occurred frequently.

 

For instance, even Marquis Lindsy, though remarried, had taken a woman of commoner origin as his wife.

 

However, Jayden seemed to have rather antiquated values, enough to show respect to Lady Charlotte’s mother, which suggested he viewed things in an old-fashioned manner.

 

Just then, Jayden, eyes closed, spoke.

 

“Sister, please bear with me tonight.”

 

“Bear with what?”

 

“This situation. Even though we’re siblings, it’s not appropriate for adult men and women to share a bed.”

 

“Ugh… You’re upset over something like that?”

 

“It’s an important matter.”

 

“……”

 

What would Jayden think if he found out that three men, not just one, had slept in this very bed with me?

 

The mere thought made my stomach churn, and I was glad I had quickly made up an excuse when the hair was discovered.

 

I could explain to him, ‘In fact, there are three people cursed just like you,’ but that wasn’t a future I was keen on either.

 

I had no idea how any of them would react.

 

‘No, I shouldn’t worry about it too much.’

 

I tried to calm my nerves.

 

I had already dealt with Leonard, Yugen, and Kirie’s curses. Jayden would be back to normal by tomorrow morning.

 

So, what I really needed to focus on now was what favor I could ask of Jayden in return for his help.

 

“Anyway, we’ll discuss the details later. Hmm…”

 

Jayden’s voice gradually became more sluggish.

 

“Are you sleepy?”

 

“Yes. I think… I can finally sleep…”

 

From the tone of his voice, I could sense just how long he must have suffered from sleepless nights.

 

“Sister, good night…”

 

Before he could finish his words, Jayden had already fallen into a deep sleep.

 

“Alright.”

 

I gently sat up, resting my arm on one side, and gazed at his peaceful face.

 

That’s when I noticed the dark shadows under his eyes.

 

“How stubborn…”

 

Seeing how deeply Jayden was sleeping, I poked the dark circles gently with my finger.

 

“While you hesitated, three men already passed through this very bed.”

 

Considering that having a little wit in life made things easier, it seemed Jayden would face many challenges ahead.

 

“Well, who’s worried about whom?”

 

My situation was more troubling than Jayden’s, who was promised to inherit the title of Marquis. Being trapped in the role of a villainess from a novel was far worse.

 

As I thought about Charlotte’s bleak future in the novel, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

 

 

—

 

The Next Day, Afternoon:

 

Jayden and I met once again at the garden, at roughly the same time as yesterday.

 

There was no better place than the garden of the Lindsy estate to discuss matters in secret.

 

Since Jayden enjoyed quiet walks, the gardeners had refrained from entering during this time.

 

“Hey, isn’t that a little much?”

 

I was still a bit upset about what had happened at breakfast.

 

“Knowing that I’ve been getting scolded for sleeping in, you just left without a word?”

 

“I woke you up several times this morning, but you didn’t get up, sister.”

 

Jayden looked embarrassed as he explained.

 

“I couldn’t wake you any more, since the maidens would be coming soon.”

 

“Well, that’s fine. But why did you have to chime in when Mother was scolding me?”

 

“I didn’t exactly chime in, I just added a comment. When the Marquis asked what I thought, I couldn’t stay silent.”

 

“So you added something snide? What? Was it well said? You think I need to change my ways? I slept in because of you!”

 

If it weren’t for Jayden visiting last night, I would’ve gone to bed at dawn and wouldn’t have been stumbling around when the maids tried to wake me up.

 

“Ha, but didn’t you also say I was being too familiar, and it made you uncomfortable?”

 

Jayden had his own reasons for acting that way.

 

“I was just trying to act like I did before…”

 

Indeed, when Jayden acted more formally toward me, even the Marquis and his wife seemed somewhat relieved.

 

‘Right, this is probably what they want.’

 

After airing my grievances, I decided to move on.

 

“Anyway, let’s drop it. Did you sleep well last night? Is the insomnia gone?”

 

At my question, Jayden’s eyes sparkled.

 

“Yes! It’s been a long time since I’ve felt so clear-headed.”

 

He certainly looked better than before.

 

“Your voice isn’t bothering you anymore?”

 

“I don’t hear it at all now.”

 

His response was the same for the following days.

 

“Great!”

 

Five days after sharing a bed with Jayden, I stopped checking on him every day.

 

Jayden slept soundly each night, and his voice no longer disturbed him.

 

The curse on the bed had been broken.

 

Nothing particularly unusual happened in my daily life.

 

‘This peace… it’s nice.’

 

At home, I ate, slept, and relaxed. Even though the Marquis had effectively lifted my confinement, my life hadn’t changed much.

 

Before the possession, I had to work to survive, but I was naturally lazy.

 

Another good thing was that my laziness was being seen as a form of self-reflection by the Marquis and the household.

 

Thanks to that, the way people viewed me had become warmer recently.

 

“By the way, when is Leonard going to give me the promised reward?”

 

As I lay around in bed during the day, a small sound reached my ears.

 

The sound came from the window that opened to the terrace.

 

I quickly opened the window, thinking I knew what it was.

 

“Creak.”

 

A white bird perched on the terrace railing gave a short cry.

 

“Well, well, look who’s here?”

 

Despite my cheerful greeting, the hawk, sharp-eyed and poised, calmly extended one foot.

 

As expected, it was regal and serious, just like the beloved bird of the crown prince.

 

“I wonder what message His Highness has sent?”

 

When Leonard had come to the Marquis’s house last time, his hawk had cleverly remembered this spot and had been tasked with delivering messages.

 

I had learned about it just three days ago when I received the first note from Leonard.

 

‘He had asked me to wait a bit back then.’

 

It seemed he had been busy handling the work he’d delayed due to insomnia.

 

But now that he had sent a second note, it must mean he was done with his tasks.

 

‘This must be about the reward he promised me!’

 

With anticipation, I unwrapped the small piece of paper tied to the bird’s leg.

 

I opened it, and when I read the contents…

 

“Huh?”

 

The lines written on the note were completely unexpected.