Rainy Night

Translated by Wook

Edited by Wook

“I will sleep outside.”

Rena was surprised and asked back at Uni’s sudden statement.

“Where are you going at this hour?”

“I wonder if there is no place for me to lie down in this spacious imperial palace.”

“What?”

“I hope you two have a good time..”

Having said that, Uni picked up her pillow as she humiliated the two people in front of her, Rena and Lynn.

The child in pajamas nodded her head with a knowing expression, and the series of provocations ended when Rena, who couldn’t watch it anymore, laid Uni back in bed.

After that, Rena came out of the bedroom with Lynn.

After locking Uni in the bedroom, leaving only the two of them, Lynn, who was teased without knowing the reason, asked softly.

“Is she really a maid?”

It was a reasonable doubt.

That’s what he felt when they first met, that Uni wasn’t much of a maid. She’s too young to be a maid and is strangely fierce.

When Lynn doubted Uni’s identity, Rena replied with a smile.

“For now.”

“For now?”

“Uni is my friend. She’s acting as a maid for a while to help me.”

Rena said so and handed Lynn a towel.

Lynn wiped the moisture off his face silently with it. However, that alone was not enough.

“I think it would be better to take your clothes off and dry them.”

“I don’t want to..”

“Are you whining now? After coming like this in the dead of the night?”

“When did I whine..”

“Just take off your clothes. I’m afraid you’ll catch a cold.”

Rena said that and brought a blanket, and Lynn, who was agonizing over it, realized that his white shirt wouldn’t work, and carefully unbuttoned it.

But when he loosened the third button from his neck, Lynn stopped his actions and looked at Rena.

“..Why are you watching?”

“Ah.”

Lena was staring at her Rin, she knew he was embarrassed and she looked away.

Rena, who was still looking at Lynn, turned to another place when he found her.

However, even that was about being considerate of Lynn rather than being embarrassed.

After Lynn became dry, wrapped in the blanket, Rena sat him in a chair, then she put her arms on the blanket and started drying his hair.

When Rena wiped his hair with the towel, Lynn was embarrassed. But he soon relaxed and stayed still as Rena did.

“You must be used to it.”

“What?”

“Taking care of others.”

“Umm, no. Originally,?I was in a position to be cared for. Uni is much more meticulous than me.”

Rena added, stroking Lynn’s ear with the towel.

“But Lynn is a person who needs more care than I am.”

Ticklish by Rena’s touch, Lynn came to his senses at the cold evaluation. Then he wondered if he was such a humble person.

Although it is hard to evaluate on its own,?Eastern Duke Lignan Aetherner is thorough in everything he does and is sure to get the job done. So, the expression of ‘needs more care’ is not appropriate for him, but Lynn couldn’t refute Rena.

Because he himself knew how loose he was in front of Rena.

So he was wondering if it was okay as it is, but Rena asked.

“Did you come in the rain to say something?”

At the sudden question, Lynn thought for a moment.?Should he play a prank like Rena? Saying that he came to see her.

He was quite tempted. He had always been tricked so far.

Lynn had the bad idea for a while, but soon gave up humbly. He was not as brazen as Rena.

“There are a lot of things I want to say..”

“But..?”

“I don’t think you’ll answer anyway, so I’m not going to ask.”

Rena pressed Lynn’s temple hard with her hands drying his hair. It hurt quite a bit, so Lynn tapped Rena’s arm and demanded she calm down.

“Fortunately, you seem to be fine. You seemed very surprised yesterday.”

After retribution for Lynn’s rudeness, Rena started again.

“Did you know the person you saw in the Tomb yesterday?”

“Yes. But I’m not going to tell you either.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s fair— It hurts.”

Rena pinched Lynn’s both cheeks this time.

And this punishment was half a joke but half sincere.

Lynn is being expensive today. He used to be faithful in answering anything she asked.

Rena thought he was being cheeky?and then she bit her lower lip, recalling Lynn’s answer that she should be fair.

When it comes to that, Rena definitely has nothing to say.?Rena always laughs it off whenever he asks something.

In the end, Rena couldn’t ask any more and shut her mouth.?While sharing a few words, Lynn’s hair was almost dry, so she didn’t have to wipe more.

When Rena stopped her hand, the silence became clearer. As the stillness was about to get heavy, Lynn opened his mouth again.

“I’ve been thinking about it all day.”

He really thought all day.?What the hell he saw in the tomb and what it means.

“I thought maybe the things I knew were fake.”

The emperor’s achievements, the great blessings she bestowed, and the fate of humans who must face the dead.

He thought that all of this might be a huge play.

“And if it really is, then you probably already know the truth.”

Rena Ruber came all the way to the imperial palace to meet her father.

A lady who took the lead in conquest of the Tomb, saying that she just wanted to exist as Rena Ruber.

He could not even fathom what Rena Ruber had experienced before reaching such a present, and the determination behind it.

Lynn pulled the towel off his head and lifted his head. His eyes opened and she saw Rena’s face.

Rena was looking down at Lynn like a person waiting for questioning.

Looking at the gaze that had already prepared for avoidance and rejection, Lynn calmly whispered.

“I’m curious, but I won’t ask until you tell me.”

“.. Why?”

“There must be a reason why you don’t say it. And it’s up to me to figure it out.”

At Lynn’s calm reply, Rena’s eyes lit up.

In fact, Rena was prepared.

Lynn will ask all kinds of questions and ask for an answer from herself.?Then he will break his promise to her without even realizing it.

But despite such concerns, Lynn kept his promise. While he was so confused yesterday, he still somehow managed to keep his focus without breaking down.

Rena was overwhelmed by Lynn, who had broken her expectations.

Having him come out like this made her want to say everything. Why she came to the imperial palace, why she gives her father a chance, and why she wants to be recognized for her existence.

She wanted to reveal all the reasons.

But she can’t do that yet either, Rena muttered softly.

“It would have been nice to meet Mr. Lynn earlier.”

In those countless moments, what would it be like to have a person like this by my side?

Rena imagined for a moment, then laughed/

“Hmm, or perhaps not?”

Rena looked back at the time in her head and soon shook her head.

Was this person strong from the start? No, he also became strong after going through numerous things. She can’t lean on him for nothing.

In addition, Rena also endured a lot of things and became strong. It was Rena’s pride, and Rena did not regret the power she gained despite the heavy responsibility.

“Now that I think about it, it’s better now.”

If they meet earlier, there will only be two poor children. So Rena soon withdrew the assumption that came to mind for a moment.

Then Lynn asked why.

“Why?”

“Now, if Mr. Lynn bites me, I can hit you.?I wouldn’t have been able to do it in the past.”

Rena answered lightly, and Lynn’s face turned pale again in the wind.

Lynn couldn’t believe the topic Rena suddenly brought up, so he turned stiff for a long time, and soon groaned like a strangled person.

“I don’t mean to mention it, but are you really okay?”

“What?”

“That..”

Lynn couldn’t answer.?He was too moral to discuss the series of actions in person.

Rena said instead when Lynn couldn’t speak.

“It did hurt.”

Lynn’s face, which had been pale due to a series of direct remarks, heated up this time at the direct words.

However, Rena explained quietly.

“But I can’t think of it as Mr. Lynn’s will or fault, so?I’m just going to pretend to be bitten by a big dog.”

“A big dog..”

Lynn was a bit shocked to hear that he was a big dog.

“So, I don’t think there’s any need to give it any special meaning.”

And he was a little more shocked by what she said next.

When he saw LRena smiling as innocent as she always had, his feelings got quite complicated.

Come to think of it, Rena kept saying she was ‘bitten’, she didn’t call it a kiss.

She looked like she was trying to pretend she was bitten by a naughty neighborhood dog.

Lynn pondered how he was going to accept this unusual treatment of being thought of as a dog, but he eventually agreed.

Yes, he’d rather be happy that way.?It’s better to be treated insignificant than to remember it as a terrible event.

Lynn admitted that it was the best outcome.

So he agreed with what Rena had said earlier.

He’s really glad he met her now. If they had met earlier, Rena, like everyone else, would have run away because she could not stand his sharp shadow.

He’s glad they didn’t.

He’s already worn out and tattered, but he’s glad he met her as a person who can endure anything.

So, each other is full of secrets, and this relationship is as precarious as standing on thin ice, but it’s still just fortunate.

Because they can do this together.

Lynn thought so, and smiled weakly. When he looked up, Rena was also smiling with a similar expression.

He seemed to know a little bit now, about why Rena was always smiling like that.

It was still raining outside.

It was certainly fortunate that we could be together in the sound of the deepening rain.

.

.

.

Early in the morning, Uni woke up stretching as hard as she could.

Then she rubbed her eyes and she turned to the side toward the lady’s bed, and found that for some reason the bed was empty.

‘Huh?’

Uni looked around the bedroom with sleepy eyes, looking for the lady. However, she couldn’t find her lady who usually slept a lot in the morning, anywhere.

Uni eventually went out to the living room, where she saw something unexpected.

“Eh?”

Rena and Lynn were sleeping on the sofa under the window where the sunlight and curtains were shimmering.

It didn’t look uncomfortable. It looked pretty comfortable as they fell asleep leaning on each other.

“You guys..”

Uni shuddered at the shamelessness of the grown-ups she had unintentionally witnessed, then grunted and turned around.

She then pulled out the bed linen from the bedroom and covered the two of them.

***

The rain that had been falling all night stopped at dawn.

As the sun shone through the window into the room, the young man tied to the bed frowned and opened his eyes.

He was trying to block the light with his hands and was annoyed when he realized that he was tied up.

“Release me.”

The servants in the room rushed to the young man’s submerged voice.

“Your Grace, are you awake?”

“Get rid of this.”

However, Rubid, the young man who frowned, pushed them away without answering.

With that clear spite, the servants hurriedly untied the silk that tied the prince’s arms.

As the knot loosened, Rubid got annoyed and pushed the servants away. Then he turned his numb wrist and inevitably grinded his teeth.

“Who tied me up like this?”

Rubid stared at the innocent servants. However, his servants were relieved that his temper had returned.

It’s been a week. Rubid, who had been shouting that his brother would cut his head off, barely came to his senses after a week.

While the servants secretly wiped their chest in relief, Rubid ripped the silk that bound his wrists and expressed his anger.

Then he asked, throwing it away.

“What about Eura?”

“He’s at his place.”

“He’s never been here?”

“No.”

The servant answered and looked at Rubid’s complexion.

During the past six days when Rubid went mad, he was fearing Eura.?So they thought they shouldn’t say that Eura came to see him at night, so they lied that he had never come.

Then Rubid’s face became more ferocious.

‘Do you mean you don’t need such a small failure?’

[T/N: As in a failure as a person. Not an action. Rubid thinks that Eura thinks he’s a failure and doesn’t want to see him]

He showed his fangs and clenched his teeth, and soon jumped out of the bed.

“Call Ruber.”

“Your Grace, once you get your body back on track..”

“Call him.”

Rubid’s eyes widened at the dissuasion of the servant. At that cold gaze and heavy orders, the servant bit shut his mouth without being able to do anything.

Then the other servants came to help Rubid wash and change his clothes.

Although his body, which had been bound for a long time, was not strong, Rubid stood tall.

He had no time for leisure or recuperation. The only thought in Rubid’s head now was the need to wash away the disgrace.