SIWALL Ch 55

Generwin took Elliot to Ortell Park. The park was a place mainly used by nobles to go on picnics or hold garden parties, and commoners were not allowed to enter casually, so this was Elliot’s very first time setting foot inside.

The wide, green lawns were planted with all sorts of fruit trees and flowers. Every time the wind blew, the leaves brushed softly against each other, playing a cool, natural melody.

A small orchestra brought by the nobles played a melody fitting for the sunny weather. The sound of water flowing from the fountain and the birdsong heard from all around blended together beautifully. Young ladies wearing colorful dresses burst into laughter, and over on the other side, gentlemen could be seen riding horses and walking leisurely.

“This is paradise….”

Elliot muttered.

You noble jerks… must be nice.

Although quite some time had passed since his possession/transmigration, Elliot had never been to play in a place like this. Naturally, Arzen had never brought his bedchamber attendant to a place like this either. Since they mostly only saw each other at night.

Elliot looked at Ortell Park, which looked as though heaven had been relocated there, as if trying to thoroughly engrave every detail into his eyes.

In fact, even when he was Lim Seongsik, he had never come to a place like this. While other people went on picnics to the Han River day or night, he had never taken extra time to go to the Han River except when he was doing delivery work.

“Sit here, Writer. And wait just a moment. I’ll go get something to eat.”

After giving a refreshing wink, Generwin walked over with confidence to the spot where the young ladies were gathered. His gait as he went off to beg looked majestic.

Elliot sat under the shade of a tree and watched as Generwin talked to the young ladies, flashed eye-smiles, and obtained a small basket. At the end, Generwin picked a few flowers from the grassy field and handed them to the young lady who had lent him the basket. The young ladies sitting around laughed and fluttered their fans lightly.

Generwin came running back excitedly like a puppy returning to its owner. It was a completely different vibe from when he had swaggered off to the young ladies earlier. For some reason, Elliot found that kind of Generwin a little cute.

“Look at this, Writer. The harvest is great today.”

It didn’t look like he’d begged a mere once or twice.

Indeed, the basket Generwin brought back contained an unopened bottle of white wine, two wine glasses, bread, ham, cheese, and more.

“You could set up housekeeping with this.”

When Elliot said that, Generwin laughed heartily and hit back.

“Wanna set it up? With me?”

“Customer, your words are a bit much~”

“Haha, just joking, just joking.”

Generwin skillfully opened the wine, poured it into the glasses, placed a slice of thin ham and cheese on a piece of bread, and held it up to Elliot’s mouth.

“Ah, open wide, Writer.”

“I’ll eat it myself, mmp…!”

Generwin shoved the bread in while Elliot opened his mouth to reply. When Elliot reprimanded him with his eyes, Generwin shrugged his shoulders with a pleasant expression.

“Our Writer is having a hard time because of me, so I gotta do at least this much for you.”

“Then give me some too.”

Suddenly, a bizarre voice came from behind. Generwin and Elliot involuntarily turned back and were horrified.

“Gr, Gr, Grand Duke?”

“Your Grace the Grand Duke?”

The masked, black-haired Arzen was standing behind them like a tree. He had blended into the tree’s shadow so naturally that there was no telling how long he had been there.

“Put some bread in my mouth too, Generwin Tulion.”

With those words, Arzen opened his mouth slightly beneath the mask that covered even his nose.

Elliot dropped his jaw and looked up at Arzen. Truly, an innovative piece of work for anyone.

He looked determined to stay like that until someone actually fed him bread, so Generwin, with a displeased look, tore off a small piece of bread and practically tossed it like food into Arzen’s mouth, standing up as he did so. Only then did Arzen close his mouth and chew the bread.

Arzen sat down right next to Elliot as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Just… when, and why did you come here?”

Elliot asked with a bewildered look. However, Arzen spoke in a cold tone, as if that question were deeply displeasing to him.

“Did I interrupt?”

“Well, naturally. The Writer and I were having a good time.”

Generwin grumbled playfully. He, too, sat back down in his spot. With Arzen on one side and Generwin on the other, sandwiching Elliot in the middle, the nobles inside Ortell Park gradually began to take notice of Elliot.

To be precise, ever since Arzen arrived, they started casting unkind glances at Elliot. They whispered about something, and that buzzing spread like the beating wings of a swarm of bees. In their eyes flashed the contemptuous light of looking at a bug. No matter how far away they were, Elliot could feel that hostility-filled gaze.

“Um, Your Grace….”

“Elliot Brown, how about we change locations? There are too many people here, it’s uncomfortable. Since all my senses are sensitive, my body feels a bit sick, too.”

Arzen said feebly, hazardously stroking the top of his mask.

“Where hurts, exactly?”

“You look totally fine, though.”

Generwin muttered a small complaint from beside him. But it was in such a small voice that Elliot failed to hear it.

“Let’s get up now.”

It had been less than five minutes since they sat down. Generwin hurriedly gulped down the white wine in his glass.

“Writer, Writer, drink up quickly too.”

Elliot took the empty glass from Generwin, took his basket, and hurried back to the young ladies from earlier.

The young ladies’ glares look entirely different from before, though….

As Elliot watched Generwin anxiously, Arzen suddenly reached out from behind and wrapped his arm around Elliot’s waist.

“Ack!”

“Let’s go.”

With that, he hoisted Elliot up and bolted. It was a hurried sprint that could only be described as “bolting.”

Arzen ran as if flying, slinging Elliot over one shoulder as though he were nothing more than a doll. Since it wasn’t his first time being carried like this, he didn’t panic like last time, but being uncomfortable was still uncomfortable.

“Hey, Your Grace, what on earth, why again…!”

“I’ll explain after we shake off that playboy first.”

Elliot turned his head to look at Generwin, who had already grown distant. Generwin, now shrunk to the size of a dot in the distance, was jumping up and down in place and shouting something toward Arzen and Elliot. Honestly, it was funny.

“Keuk….”

Elliot barely held back the laughter trying to burst out and buried his face in Arzen’s back. Arzen’s shoulder blades twitched, but since they were running at such high speed, Elliot didn’t notice. Thus, the two of them sped at full throttle toward a deserted area.

The place Arzen finally set Elliot down was a desolate, empty alleyway. Elliot rubbed his chest with a slightly pale face, trying to calm his motion sickness.

“The Emperor spread rumors.”

“Pardon? Suddenly?”

Elliot asked, halting a small, hiccuping burp. Arzen looked at Elliot with a displeased expression for a moment before nodding shortly.

“The nobles who were at Ortell Park earlier were each saying a word or two. Saying that I am defiling and toying with you, a commoner attendant.”

“Eh? What kind of….”

Elliot was startled out of his wits. His face, which was already pale, was now completely white as a blank sheet of paper.

Arzen is defiling… defiling… toying… me, me?

“Word must have reached the Emperor’s ears that I went around Pentus Street with you, accompanied by Loran Pedet. Although I intended it to some extent, it’s turning out messier than I thought.”

“…Intended, you say?”

Elliot felt like he was genuinely going to throw up now. Even though he didn’t understand at all what Arzen meant by those words, he felt like he knew all too well, making his stomach churn.

“Whatever the Emperor does from now on will be harsh toward you. But the more the focus is on you, the more securely I can defend you. Rather than things being scattered here and there, that is a safer way to protect you completely.”

“I don’t… really understand. So you’re making me into a bullet shield and then protecting me?”

Elliot’s complexion was ashen. Noticing that, Arzen hurriedly answered.

“Even if I hadn’t put you at the forefront, you’d already caught the Emperor’s eye. There’s no telling what kind of approach he might take. Under the circumstances….”

Arzen’s words made sense. It was in the same context as what he had been saying up until now—that since they didn’t know how the Emperor might use Elliot to put Arzen in danger, they should keep sticking together.

However, the notion of deliberately concentrating the attacks onto Elliot in order to protect him was… far too self-centered, a perspective that viewed Elliot as less than human, and behavior that didn’t respect Elliot’s feelings even a tiny bit.

“…Your Grace.”

“This is merely strategy and tactics. Of course, you might feel displeased for a moment, but—”

“Wait a second.”

Elliot covered his face with both hands. Just as Arzen looked noticeably flustered and was about to ask if something hurt, Elliot suddenly pulled his hands away and bent forward.

“Uwaeak!”

“….”

“Uook! Uwaeak! Waeak! Blech!”

“El… Elliot, Brown, ar… are you alright?”

Elliot vomited a disastrous, massive amount of vomit right at Arzen’s feet. Elliot’s traces were splattered not only on Arzen’s shoes, but even on his pants and cloak.

“Phew… yes, feeling a bit better… uweak!”

Following that, Elliot’s vomiting show continued for quite a while.