SIWALL Ch 50

Seeing Elliot’s letter, Elliot nearly lost consciousness for a fraction of a second.

Meet? Why would he want to meet?

Elliot retraced the contents of Loran’s letter that he had sent. There was no mention of wanting to meet in there. Not even a hint of wanting a rendezvous. Then this was—

The back of Elliot’s neck was instantly drenched in cold sweat. The ending of the original work flashed across his mind.

Just as Elliot had stopped being a ghostwriter to change the ending, only to end up a ghostwriter after all. Just as he had gotten entangled with all the major characters appearing in the original work.

Did it mean that while the shape and scenery of the road leading to the ending might change, the destination would ultimately remain the same?

An immense wave of helplessness suddenly assaulted him. Elliot folded the letter he had received from Elliot and tucked it back into the envelope. Loran had likely seen this letter as well. If so, contact from Loran would soon…

“Elliot Browww-n!”

The curtain of Cafe Siren was flung wide open. Loran’s water-blue hair, as if he had run all the way from afar, fluttered and radiated a brilliant azure hue.

Though he lived seeing Elliot’s face every day, Loran possessed a completely different caliber of beauty, so his eyes were dazzled once more. Elliot rubbed his eyes a few times with his hand and greeted him with a feigned nonchalance.

“Hello, customer.”

“We did it!”

Loran was ecstatic. A reddish flush bloomed on his slender cheeks, and both eyes brimbed with a proud sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

“Elliot Brown, I shall bestow a reward upon you.”

“I’m fine—”

“From now on, I shall call you Elliot.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m saying I’ll affectionately call you just by your name. Come on, you may shed tears now.”

Loran held his chin up high and wore an arrogant smile.

My dear customer, how is it that you remain so consistently yourself…

Elliot felt his worries diminish slightly. With the current Loran, he likely wouldn’t keep his mouth shut and act with pristine innocence or submissively cater to Elliot like in the original work. Their first meeting had been that way, and naturally so since the tone of the letters had changed.

Right, let’s not borrow trouble ahead of time. I’ll just do what I can do right now.

Elliot slid the letter that had been in front of him toward Loran.

“Customer, here. Take this and go meet the Grand Duke.”

“Why aren’t you moved? Go on, try crying.”

“I wept with my heart~ Please accept the letter, customer~”

Loran pouted at Elliot’s official, business-like tone. Elliot chuckled softly watching Loran. He can actually be quite cute when you think about it.

∞ ∞ ∞

The day arrived for Elliot and Loran to meet.

As usual, Elliot used a dyeing potion to turn his hair pitch black and donned a black suit. And instead of carrying a sword, he brought a disguised cane sword. That cane with its silver hilt looked dignified and magnificent. Finally, he put on a mask.

Having thus become the public Grand Duke Elliot Teron, he left the house amid the polite send-offs of the servants. To meet Loran Pedet.

And Elliot, wrapping his head with a wide-hemmed handkerchief and bending his waist low, was stealthily tailing right behind that Elliot. Compared to Elliot, his disguise was pitiful, but keeping a steady distance and moving quietly was at least worthy of some praise.

He didn’t underestimate a sword master, who was practically a peerless expert in a martial arts novel. If you tail someone closely, you’re bound to be caught instantly. Therefore, he had departed much later than Elliot’s carriage. Besides, whenever Elliot appeared on Pentus Street, he became the center of attention, so he only needed to head toward where the crowds were buzzing.

After getting off the omnibus and suspiciously searching every nook and cranny of Pentus Street, Elliot spotted a crowd gathered ahead. Since it was unmistakably the backs of fans watching an idol’s procession, Elliot darted over to them in a flash.

Sure enough, in the direction they were looking, Elliot and Loran were standing there. The two of them were stepping into a small-scale exhibition hall. Elliot, wearing his mask, formally requested an escort from Loran in a business-like manner, and Loran took Elliot’s hand as a matter of course.

Watching that from the very back, Elliot felt a sudden, poignant ache in his chest.

What’s wrong with me…

He was truly meddling in things that were none of his business. Even as he persuaded himself, I’m the only one who knows Elliot’s real face beneath the mask, a sudden question popped into his head: why on earth was he even bothering to convince himself of that?

“My eyes are blessed.”

“Truly. For the auspicious stars of our Lantar Empire to be together like this…”

The women standing in front of Elliot covered their mouths with both hands and let out small squeals. Feeling a petty spark of spite, Elliot averted his gaze elsewhere. Yet his ears were already perked up, leaning in their direction.

“Haah… Wouldn’t it be just wonderful if the two of them got married?”

“Though who would carry on the bloodline? The beauty of both men ought to be preserved for all generations.”

“What’s the use of carrying on bloodlines? I’m going to die in this generation anyway. It’s enough just to get my fill of watching the two of them walk together.”

The two women in front had now begun an in-depth debate over whether Elliot and Loran should or shouldn’t each carry on their family lines. Feeling somewhat overwhelmed, Elliot quietly slipped away from their side. He decided to head around to the back of the exhibition hall to investigate.

The exhibition hall building had several small arched windows. Elliot concealed himself in the bushes at the back of the building and peered through a window.

Elliot and Loran were walking through the exhibition hall, which was entirely devoid of other people. The two of them were talking about something earnestly while looking at the displayed paintings, and since they were literally a handsome man and another handsome man, it looked like a scene from a magnificent masterpiece.

You guys are the paintings…

Elliot sniffled and pulled the ends of his handkerchief tighter.

Meanwhile, standing inside the exhibition hall looking at the paintings, Elliot and Loran were conversing quietly amongst themselves.

“I was truly delighted when Your Grace the Grand Duke asked to see me.”

Loran said, casting an indifferent gaze at a delicately rendered portrait.

“I asked to meet because there is something I wanted to ask.”

“And what might that be?”

Loran asked with a soft, melting eye-smile. Yet Elliot ignored that radiant smile entirely and continued speaking.

“I need a medicine to nourish vitality. My conservatory already holds most common herbs, but I wondered if there might be any new ones. If you recite their names, I shall clear up your meeting right here.”

“Medicine?”

Loran asked quizzically before instantly changing his expression. Come to think of it, there seemed to have been a mention of medicine in the recent letter Elliot had sent.

“Ah, that medicine. The one that revitalized my grandaunt.”

“Yes.”

Elliot nodded earnestly. Now he was looking down at Loran.

He really is drop-dead gorgeous. Annoyingly so…

Loran thought to himself. Yet he quickly wiped away his inner thoughts and replied with a straight face.

“Actually, my grandaunt mostly recuperated rather than taking medicine. She bossed the maids around while lying completely motionless in bed. As a result, her bones knitted together quickly, and, well, something like that.”

“…Then the medicine?”

“I took whatever the doctor prescribed, so I don’t know the name. But I can ask that doctor for you.”

“It differs from what you wrote in the letter.”

At Elliot’s observation, Loran smiled brightly.

“I figured writing it that way might earn me a slightly longer reply from Your Grace the Grand Duke. The results are a half-success. Since you agreed to meet me like this.”

“Loran Pedet. It wouldn’t do you any good to anger me.”

“Why? There’s no one around, are you planning to draw that cane sword right here?”

“It wouldn’t be out of the question.”

With those words, Elliot genuinely drew his cane sword. Loran didn’t even blink an eye at the sound of the blade being drawn, gazing steadily into his face. If it came to sheer nerve, Loran yielded to no one.

However, instead of leveling the sword at Loran, Elliot flicked the blade backward without even looking. Slipping precisely through the gap of a slightly ajar window, the sword flew out and embedded itself outside.

“Eep!”

A startled shriek echoed from outside. Elliot caught Loran’s gaze without averting his own and stated:

“A tail has been attached since a while ago, you see.”

He leisurely turned his head backward to explain.

“I suppose a clumsy assassin has attached—”

Elliot trailed off.

“That’s an assassin? He certainly looks clumsy, all right.”

Loran chuckled as he looked at the man flailing outside the window. There stood Elliot, with a handkerchief bizarrely wrapped around his head, flapping about.

“What a truly ridiculous person—uhem—”

“Elliot Brown!”

Calling out to Elliot in desperation, Elliot quickly flung open the back door of the building and dashed out.

“What, what is this?”

He couldn’t fathom why there was such an overreaction. Baffled, Loran followed behind Elliot toward the back exit. He was gripping Elliot by both shoulders.

“Did I hurt you?”

“Ah, no, I was just startled because…”

“If you wanted to follow me, you should have just said so. There wouldn’t have been any issue even if I carried you like a piece of baggage, so why sneak out behind my back?”

“Hearing you call it ‘baggage’ makes me feel even more glad that I sneaked out behind your back…”

While Elliot looked perfectly fine, Elliot was acting like an overprotective parent. He scanned Elliot’s body with his eyes and repeatedly checked his complexion.

Loran watched that Elliot intently. He wasn’t as dim-witted as Elliot thought. The moment Loran saw the two of them clinging together, he immediately saw right through Elliot’s feelings.

That guy has a thing for Elliot.