Chapter 19: CH 19

“…-es… Under… World…”

‘What do you mean?’

She could hear someone’s low voice. Juliana lifted her heavy eyelids at the sound. It was dark.

“Hurry up… -natic.”

She could see two silhouettes through the blurred vision. One is Louis. And the other was the lunatic’s butler.

Juliana looked at them both with hazy eyes. She could only see the movement of their mouths, but she couldn’t hear their words.

‘Is this a dream?’

Otherwise, why was the butler here?

She couldn’t tell if she was in a dream or if this was reality. Juliana tried to connect her thoughts in her currently blank mind.

‘What… are you talking about?’

She got up amidst the drowsiness. Louis then turned his head and met her eyes. The Louis in her dream was staring at her warmly.

‘Black eyes?’

Juliana blinked at the sight of the warm black pupil.

‘Is this a dream…? Yes, it’s probably a dream.’

‘Louis’ eyes can’t be that black.’ Juliana, with her heavy eyelids, buried her face in the pillow and headed to dreamland.

***

The next morning, Juliana opened her eyes. She had a bad dream, perhaps because it was such a deep sleep. At the same time, she was reminded of what happened last night.

“Haa…….”

As she recalled what had happened the night before, a sigh escaped her. Juliana let out a long sigh and tried to calm her mind. She didn’t know how to face Louis. After much deliberation, she decided to act and pretend that nothing had happened.

How embarrassed would Louis be if he remembered last night? Juliana calmly made up her mind and washed up.

But she met Louis straight away.

“D-Did you sleep well…?”

Juliana greeted him with a natural smile. She decided to turn a blind eye at his unseemly behavior last night.

“Yes, did Julie sleep well?”

Louis also casually greeted her.

‘As expected, Louis is also pretending not to know what happened yesterday.’

Juliana thought as she walked into the kitchen.

Stop.

‘Wait a minute… Did Louis just…’

Juliana stiffened with her eyes wide open. She couldn’t believe what she just heard.

“What’s wrong, Julie?”

“Hic!”

Juliana squeaked as Louis approached her from behind.

‘W-What.’

Juliana’s pupils trembled.

‘Why. Why…….’

‘You’re speaking informally?!’

Juliana thought that Louis didn’t remember the events from the night before. If she was in his shoes, she would pretend that she didn’t remember how he had acted.

[Julie, Julie, Julie]

[Bad, Julie.]

[Hehehe.]

Just thinking about it made her face burn. Wouldn’t it have been better for both parties?

However,

“Come here and have breakfast.”

Louis, with his dainty and weak demeanor, led the shocked Juliana to the table. He made her sit in a chair and brought the food in front of Juliana.

“……”

She thought of dismissing it like a dream. She tried to pretend she didn’t know…….

Louis revealed that he remembered everything he had done last night.

‘… It was so natural I didn’t feel it, Louis’ act of speaking informally.’

***

Juliana was silent and busily played with her spoon. In the midst of the silence, only the sound of her tableware resounded.

‘Does the food enter the mouth or the nose……’

Juliana quickly ate to relieve her sore stomach. Seeing that the handmaiden had not appeared, it seemed like he was the one who made this mieum*.

[T/N: A thin, strained gruel made from white rice, white glutinous rice, foxtail millet, or glutinous foxtail millet.]

‘Thank you for the breakfast…..’

Louis didn’t say anything until she had emptied her bowl. Juliana didn’t look at him and stuck her nose close to the bowl. Louis slowly opened his mouth once the bowl was empty.

“Julie.”

Juliana dropped the spoon when the man casually called her by her nickname.

‘What should I do now?’

Juliana wept inside.

In spite of her efforts to erase the memories from yesterday, Louis remembered everything from last night, she felt like screaming. Juliana had no idea what she was going to do when Louis was the one who initiated.

‘I can’t think clearly…’

Juliana squeezed her eyes shut. If she had acted like that, she would need to find a hole to bury her dark history.

“Louis.”

Juliana opened her lips. She wanted to understand his intentions.

“That’s wrong, Julie.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not Louis.”

‘What?’

‘What do you mean?’

Juliana tried to recall her own words while Louis remained silent. She reviewed her words one by one, but she didn’t know what was wrong.

“Louie……”

“What?”

“Louie.”

Louis opened his lips after he had given Juliana plenty of time to think. Juliana didn’t quite understand what he had said.

“Call me Louie.”

Finally, Juliana’s eyes widened as she understood what he was trying to say. A nickname. So that’s what it was.

A close family, a friend, or a lover. A name you were only allowed to call if you were one of these.

She felt suffocated when Louis asked her to call him by his nickname. Her chest tickled strangely.

‘Gulp.’

She swallowed saliva as Louis slowly closed the distance between them.

“Please.”

His hot breath touched Juliana’s ear and her shoulders stiffened. Cold sweat ran down her back. The man slowly held Juliana’s hand that was on her lap, rubbed the back of her hand, then interlocked his fingers with hers.

“……”

It happened so suddenly. Louis’ long fingers and Juliana’s fingers intertwined.

A nickname.

If you thought about it, it wasn’t really a big deal.

But she couldn’t understand why she felt excited. Juliana bowed her head and lowered the corners of her lips which had secretly risen up.

“Lou, Louie……”

As he had asked her, she called out Louis’ nickname. Louis met her gaze with a satisfied look.

‘Sweet.’

It felt sweet as Juliana called his nickname. Louis felt full and curled his lips in satisfaction.

“Julie.”

He said, answering Juliana’s call.

‘Did we just exchange nicknames…?’

Juliana’s face heated up.

Julie, Julie, Julie.

Louis didn’t say it to her but spoke into the air and uttered her name a few more times. Juliana’s heartbeat intensified as if she really liked it.

Juliana’s breathing became short and rough like she was engulfed in an indescribable, unspoken emotion. She could feel her cheeks forming a blush as if they were being painted on.

“S-Stop…”

The voice coming out of her mouth trembled. Juliana managed to keep her composure and got up from her chair. She felt hot and thought she had to cool her cheeks so she pulled away from him.

She didn’t even know it, but she was taken aback by Louis.

“Juliana.”

Louis in a tearful voice called her. He was hunched over and curled up.

“Why are you sitting so far away?”

“Huh, huh?”

“Do I make you uncomfortable?”

Juliana was bewildered by Louis’ whining, like a pet dog who was abandoned by his owner. His eyes were also a little bit wet.

“Th-That’s not true!”

Juliana made an awkward excuse. Saying she cared about Louis, who was crouched pitifully.

‘Why are you crouching like that?’

His miserable look triggered Juliana’s maternal love.

“…Thank you, Juliana……”

Louis slowly approached, still crouched down. For a man with such clear eyes…. Even for a moment, ‘I have a bad heart’.

‘I must be crazy…….’

She clearly made a mistake. Juliana felt guilty.

“Julie, yesterday…”

Louis suddenly stopped and closed his lips. He tenaciously stared at Juliana, enough that her skin stung. She wondered why he looked at her like that.

“My wish.”

Louis spit his words out. Juliana’s eyes widened at his words. She quickly turned her head and thought back to what had happened last night.

‘Come to think of it…….’

“Remember yesterday when you said you would grant me a wish?” Louis continued. He said he couldn’t completely recall what happened last night, but he remembered it to some extent.

“Oh, that doesn’t count……”

Juliana, who was about to make a small protest, stopped at his sullen expression.

“Juliana said you’ll grant me a wish, that you’ll take responsibility…”

Louis softly opened his lips and lowered his eyebrows. The man repeated exactly what she said yesterday.

[Go to sleep now, and I will grant you your wish once I’m better tomorrow.]

Cold sweat broke out on Juliana’s back. She had to grant his wish, no more no less. It was like falling into her own trap she set yesterday.

“What is your wish?”

Juliana was forced to resign. Louis pondered.

“Ummm…”

‘What will you ask for?’

Juliana swallowed again and calmly clasped her hands. Her lips were starting to become dry.

‘If it’s Louis…’

With that carefree look, he seemed like he would make a difficult demand.

‘No, he could play an unexpected prank. He might even ask to play strange games together.’

She had no idea what he was going to say.

“Julie.”

Louis languidly leaned his body towards her and gave her a wide smile. Gulping, Juliana glanced at him instead of opening her mouth hastily.

The man who had gotten off his crouched posture straightened his chest. Juliana rubbed her eyes at his huge and overwhelming appearance.

The figure of Louis who aroused her maternal love just a little while ago had completely disappeared.

“Well, so… What is your wish?”

She was extremely embarrassed, but she didn’t have time to worry about it. Because Louis had a puzzling smile on his lips. He looked ecstatic.

“My wish is…”

The man slowly opened his mouth playfully.

“For me and Juliana to be friends.”

Juliana’s pupils dilated at his words.

“Hic!”

Hiccups came out from the tension that was released.

Louis’ wish was both small and heavy, enough to overturn her expectations.

“L-Louis…”

“Yes, Julie.”

Juliana bought some time while she fiddled with her red-hot earlobe, trying to control her emotions. Meanwhile, Louis waited patiently.

“Me too…….”

“I want that too. I did…I didn’t know Louis thought the same.”

Juliana stuttered as she struggled to complete her sentence.

A friend…. It was a strange and exciting word whenever she heard it.

‘Oh right. Didn’t he tell me to call him by his nickname?’

After uttering her words, she remembered that he had asked her to call him by his nickname. Juliana pushed away her rising shyness and added.

“Please take care of me Louie.”

At her words, Louis smiled with his eyes bent like a crescent moon.