169 – On the Value of Money -2-
The lady trembled in my arms for a while, breathing shakily.
I didn’t know what had scared her so much, but she clung to me until her rough breath calmed down.
“Ricardo…”
“Yes.”
“Ricardo….”
Her hand wandered.
“Uuhh…”
I didn’t know where to touch the lady who was in my arms.
She hesitated between tapping her back for comfort or wrapping her waist for solace.
Merely patting her back left a sense of regret, yet embracing her waist made her heart race too much.
Despite thinking of herself as a competent maid, witnessing her struggle with such a decision made me realize how far I still had to go.
“It’s okay.”
Lost and hesitant, my wandering hand found its way, firmly embracing her back.
I offered a comforting word, “It’s okay,” while gently patting her back, a small smile forming on my lips.
“You’ll be fine.”
Not knowing what had happened, I reassured her that everything would be okay and held her close.
“Whatever happens…”
I will be by her side.
“I will be by your side.”
There was no need to worry.
*
Late into the night.
Olivia, with wide-open eyes, blinked while holding onto the edge of the blanket.
-Swish, swish.
Sleep did not come easily.
The sudden appearance of a blue moonlight through the window chased away any hint of drowsiness. Olivia, whose favorite hobby was sleeping, struggled to find the elusive embrace of slumber, tossing and turning in her bed.
“I can’t sleep…”
Turning towards the window didn’t help induce sleep, nor did lying the other way towards the door alleviate the restless feeling. Olivia clung tightly to the edge of her blanket.
One fortunate thing was not being alone in the room.
If she had been alone, she might have been scared of ghosts. Thankfully, Ricardo remained in the room, waiting for Olivia to fall asleep.
Looking at Ricardo, who was dozing off with crossed legs, Olivia wore a sorry expression.
“…”
Although he had said it was okay for him to leave, Ricardo sat on a chair, nodding off, insisting on staying until Olivia fell asleep.
“You can go now.”
“No, I won’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t sleep; I’m bored.”
“I’m not bored, so go to the room and sleep.”
“I don’t want to be alone, and besides, I can’t tolerate you doing something fun without me.”
“I won’t do that. Besides, I don’t like ghosts; they scare me.”
In any case, he was a worry-prone but peculiar butler.
Very peculiar indeed.
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Although he played many pranks, he probably didn’t have anyone else who worried about him this much.
Olivia understood that Ricardo’s grumbling stemmed from a place of concern.
She wasn’t a fool; she could discern that much.
With a rueful smile, Olivia gazed at Ricardo. Sitting on the chair, arms crossed, not even bothering to cover himself with a blanket, Ricardo dozed off.
“Ricardo, go to sleep…?”
“…”
“Here we go.”
Olivia, with trembling hands, lifted the blanket she had been covering herself with. Intent on covering Ricardo with the blanket, Olivia approached him, tossing and turning.
Careful not to wake the dozing Ricardo. Quietly, and with the hope that her uncomfortable legs wouldn’t make noise, Olivia grabbed the sheet on the bed and, dragging her body, inched towards Ricardo.
Reaching out her hand to cover him.
“Ricardo, you’ve caught a cold.”
“…”
“Cover yourself with the blanket.”
Her arms were too short.
Hmm…
Olivia reached out her hand once more with determination to cover Ricardo. Feeling the weight of the thick winter blanket, Olivia sensed something odd.
As her warm gesture turned into exertion, Olivia furrowed her brows and began to put more effort into it.
“Ugh…!”
While others were sleeping, what was she doing? Olivia, unable to reach Ricardo’s shoulders with her weak arms, bit her lip and made a face as if she might burst.
“Ughhh!”
To cover Ricardo without waking him, Olivia’s efforts made strange sounds as she struggled.
“Huuuh!”
Eyes widened.
Olivia tried to lift the blanket.
Oddly, Olivia thought the blanket felt heavier than usual, raising a question mark in her mind.
As if someone was holding onto it.
No matter how much she was not into exercising, Olivia found it unreasonable that she couldn’t lift a single blanket. Lost in thought, she stared at the blanket that she couldn’t even budge, and her eyes quickly trembled at the sight of a black silhouette moving on the bed.
“What’s this…?”
A massive creature slowly moving in the direction of her feet. As the black entity moved, the blanket was gradually being pulled away.
With a trembling heart, Olivia whispered softly.
“A ghost…?”
She wondered why she had called Ricardo.
Momentarily forgetting about the blue window that had suddenly appeared, Olivia now recalled it and looked nervously at the dark space in front of the bed.
-Squirm.
Olivia swallowed hard and tightly grasped the edge of the blanket. Determined not to let even a ghost take it away, Olivia stood her ground.
“It’s mine…”
Squirm…
“Ugh…!”
Realizing it might not be a creature she could handle, Olivia decided to give up cleanly. She had tried to use force, but she feared she might fall off the bed if she persisted.
“Ricardo…”
So, with a trembling voice, Olivia called out to Ricardo. Although she called him in a soft, sobbing voice out of fear, Ricardo continued to sleep undisturbed.
-Squirm…
Slowly moving.
Slowly over the bed.
With a trembling gaze, Olivia began a staring contest with the black object in front of her, calming her racing heart and preparing to wake Ricardo at any moment, clenching her fist.
The black object slowly began to reveal its form on the bed.
Moving her massive body, Olivia slowly revealed herself above the bed, gulping down her saliva and clenching her fist at the object gradually coming into view.
– A bear?
Raising its front paws onto the bed and shaking its behind, the familiar creature provoked irritation in Olivia, who shouted in an irritable voice,
“Growl, little bear!”
– Bear?!
Olivia was annoyed.
Thinking it was a ghost and feeling scared, she realized it was actually a bear cub gnawing on the blanket.
With an irritated voice, Olivia threw a pillow at the bear cub, who happily began to nibble on it, smiling.
“…Huh?”
Olivia ended up losing her pillow.
She looked dejectedly at the torn pillow with a sense of disappointment.
And then.
“hahahaha… What’s all this laughter about?”
The voice of the butler, filled with laughter, slowly reached her ears.
“Oh… My stomach hurts.”
Ricardo, with eyes looking perfectly fine, not showing any sign of drowsiness or fatigue, smiled and approached her.
“Was the bear cub that scary?”
“Growl! Don’t tease me!”
“hahahahaha! Calling the bear cub a ghost…!”
Pursing her lips, Olivia said to Ricardo,
“Why weren’t you asleep?”
“Just because.”
“Why?”
“How can I sleep with the most beautiful person in the world in front of me? I just pretended to sleep.”
“I am quite beautiful.”
“I know. Seems even kind-hearted. Trying to cover me with the blanket.”
“Yeah. I’m quite kind.”
Smiling happily, Olivia looked at Ricardo. Fixing the strands of hair fluttering by the window, she said to Ricardo,
“You really didn’t sleep?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I told you. I was too busy watching.”
Indeed, Ricardo was strange.
Not sleeping to watch.
Sacrificing food if something tasty is there.
Accepting without making a displeased face if she throws a tantrum, Ricardo was truly peculiar.
Olivia chuckled softly as she looked at Ricardo. Suddenly, Ricardo frowned at Olivia’s laughter and asked, “Are you mocking me?”
“Why are you laughing like that?”
“Just because. You’re not that handsome, Ricardo.”
“I consider myself quite handsome.”
“Ricardo has a very strong pride.”
“It’s not just pride, he’s really handsome.”
Looking at Ricardo’s smiling face, it seemed a bit less intimidating.
Even for ghosts.
And the stories the blue window would reveal.
Olivia, with a smile on her face as she struggled with sleep, approached Ricardo a little more. No, perhaps it’s more accurate to say she moved away a bit to make room for Ricardo to lie down.
Though it was a bit awkward to see him crawling with his unmoving legs, Ricardo didn’t mock this ridiculous sight.
Olivia tapped the empty space beside the bed.
“Lie down, Ricardo.”
“Huh?”
“Lie down. I don’t have a pillow.”
“Oh…”
Ricardo’s face suddenly softened.
In the darkness, Ricardo’s face wasn’t clearly visible, but it seemed like he was feeling embarrassed.
Ricardo was shy.
“Lie down!”
Olivia urged Ricardo. Lie down. She wanted to give Ricardo a break from struggling because of her, and at the same time, she wanted to dispel the fear of ghosts appearing.
Most of all.
– Will you read?
Feeling less scared with Ricardo by her side, Olivia specially offered him the space beside her.
Ricardo let out a deep sigh, slowly climbed onto the bed, and lay down.
“It’s been a while since we lay down together.”
“That’s true.”
“You used to dislike the smell of sweat before, remember?”
“It’s not there now.”
The sound of the lamp clicking on. Ricardo unfolded a picture book, smiling softly.
“Ta-da.”
“Oh…!”
“It’s a brand new release.”
Leaning on Ricardo’s shoulder, Olivia spoke with a serious expression.
“I have no idea what it says.”
“…”
“Is it ancient?”
“…”
Ricardo didn’t like Olivia.
*
And so, the darkness that had come passed by.
Olivia leaned on Ricardo’s shoulder and slowly closed her eyes.
Now, we’ll see.
Ricardo will also doze off.
Until when can’t we avoid it.
Olivia slowly closed her eyes and whispered to herself.
“I will read it.”
And then.
-Blame me. Miss.
She could see Ricardo covered in blood. In front of her, Ricardo, with his long hair tied back unlike now, tired eyes open.
-No…! It wasn’t you! So… So…
She stood there crying.
Ricardo gave a bitter smile.
And as always.
He looked at himself with a smile.
-So, Miss, become a hero.
Another Olivia Torture?
Man, system(author) really like torturing olivia and MC