“Ughhh……. Please save me…….”
Yellian groaned, barely suppressing the nausea rising in their head. They couldn’t remember how much they had drunk last night. It was all a blur.
They knew they drank whatever Abigail gave them, and after he left, they drank alone, but they had no idea of the total amount of alcohol consumed.
Still, even if they drank a lot, it was just wine, wasn’t it? They felt wronged to be suffering from such a hangover.
“Save me, ugh…….”
Overwhelmed by the intense hangover again, they inadvertently pleaded for help, trailing off at the end.
Yellian crawled toward the bathroom, looking no different from an animal walking on all fours.
“Haaa……. I feel like I’m going to die…….”
Emerging from the bathroom after a long while, Yellian was still not in their right mind. They collapsed on the floor, groaning incessantly.
The only difference now was that earlier they had unknowingly begged for their life with ‘please save me,’ but now they were at least improved enough to say ‘I feel like I’m going to die.’ At least they no longer had to beg for mercy from some unknown entity.
“You’re awake.”
Hearing a familiar voice, Yellian looked up at Leonard with swollen, puffy eyes.
He clicked his tongue, looking down at Yellian sprawled out in front of the bathroom as if they were pathetic. Yellian, too, knew they didn’t look particularly admirable in this state and felt embarrassed, but their body refused to obey, preventing them from getting up right away.
‘Srrrng.’
Even as they watched Leonard draw his sword without hesitation, they never imagined it would be aimed at their ankle. But the sword moved toward Yellian’s slender ankle without a hint of hesitation.
“Ah, ahh! Wh-what are you doing?!”
The sensation of their skin being cut was vivid. Red blood beaded up on the ankle facing them.
Fortunately, the cut wasn’t deep, but the blade still pressing down on their ankle could dig deeper at any moment. Knowing this, Yellian’s fear grew boundless.
“Answer my question.”
“Wh-what are you asking about…… Aaaah, ahh! D-don’t press down! It’s going deeper!”
Though the blade had only slightly pierced their skin, Yellian, knowing Leonard was the mad duke from the novel, was aware he could sever their ankle completely at any time. Naturally, they couldn’t help but be terrified.
This crazy mad duke, what’s his problem?!
“What is a mad duke?”
“……What?”
Yellian, inwardly screaming in frustration, blankly echoed the unexpected question. It was as if Leonard had heard them think ‘mad duke’ in their mind. Stunned, they forgot the blade was cutting into their ankle and stared at Leonard with wide, shocked eyes.
“Answer me. This is your last chance. If you don’t answer this time, I’ll cut.”
“Y-you’ve already cut me!”
“You think this counts as a cut? Let’s see if your opinion changes when your ankle is completely severed from your body.”
“H-hey, wait! Wait a minute! Leonard, just wait! Aaaah! Just a moment!”
Yellian cried out urgently in fear. Judging by Leonard’s reaction, this didn’t seem like a joke. Of course, they already knew he wasn’t the type to play around, but he had never been this cruel to them before.
Sure, he was the mad duke, but……. Wait, how does he even know the term ‘mad duke’? Yesterday’s me, what on earth did you say?!
This wasn’t the time to vent frustrations at their past self. If they stayed silent, their ankle might really get cut off. In that fleeting moment, there was no mental space to lie or make up stories about the mad duke.
“Mad duke means a crazy duke! There, are you satisfied? So, can you put the sword away…….”
“What’s a duke in this context? And what does ‘master’ mean?”
They could understand him knowing ‘duke’ since they just said it, but how did he know the term ‘master’? Yellian was puzzled.
Yellian looked at Leonard with trembling eyes. His expression remained dry, even as he threatened to sever someone’s ankle.
“D-duke, it’s…… well…….”
“Speak the truth. Don’t even think about nonsense.”
“In BL, it refers to the top…… I don’t really know……. I don’t know how to explain this. I’m serious…….”
“BL, huh? Explain that first.”
The inevitable had finally come. Yellian swallowed hard.
Explaining BL would inevitably reveal that this world was inside a novel. If Leonard learned that, given his personality, things wouldn’t end well. Even though Yellian didn’t write the novel and was just a victim possessed into it, they felt like they’d still get caught in the crossfire.
“It’s about romance between men, something like that…….”
“Don’t beat around the bush. Answer properly.”
“BL refers to romance between men.”
Of course, this explanation left out a lot, but it was all they could say at the moment. Yellian desperately hoped Leonard’s curiosity would be satisfied here. Though they knew their explanation was lacking in many ways.
“What do master duke and master mean?”
“……Th-that, okay! I’ll tell you! I’ll talk, so please don’t cut me!”
Seeing Yellian hesitate, Leonard didn’t waste a moment before applying pressure to the hand holding the sword.
Of course, the wound wasn’t deep. In fact, it was barely more than a paper cut. They knew even if it bled, wiping it once or twice would stop it. But regardless, the intimidation and fear from the sword were beyond imagination.
“In BL novels, it refers to the main characters, the duke and the master…… Ugh.”
They said it. Realizing it too late, Yellian trailed off and instinctively covered their mouth with both hands.
They grew anxious for having used the term ‘novel.’ They desperately hoped he’d just let it slide.
“Main characters in a novel, huh…….”
“Th-that’s, I mean, it’s a metaphorical expression. I don’t mean it’s actually from a novel…….”
It was the best answer they could come up with on the spot. Yellian hurriedly added, but it didn’t seem to work on Leonard at all.
“Explain it clearly. Don’t leave anything out.”
“Okay, I will……. But, uh, could you put this sword away…… Okay, okay. Don’t look at me like that. I was just saying.”
Seeing Leonard’s gaze sharpen, Yellian quickly backtracked, reading the room.
Yellian let out a long sigh before cautiously opening their mouth. Their thoughts were still a jumbled mess, floating chaotically in their mind. Amidst that, they had to choose words carefully to avoid upsetting Leonard.
“So…… it’s a long story…….”
“I don’t care if it’s long. Don’t leave anything out.”
“Yep.”
At his stern warning, Yellian quickly responded and took a deep breath. Then, without even knowing where to start or end, they began to unravel the story.
“Leonard, you’re the mad duke and the master duke. Abigail is the master. So, you’re both main characters. You two fall in love and……. end up together, something like that.”
“Novel, story……. I don’t understand. It’s as if you’re saying I’m a character in a novel.”
“Ugh.”
“Are you asking me to believe that?”
“……I-I didn’t say anything like that.”
Yellian protested in a small voice, feeling wronged. Sure, they had explained he was the mad duke, but they hadn’t said this world was a novel. Yet Leonard seemed to see through even the things they hadn’t said.
“Are you saying the world I live in is inside a novel?”
At the sharp question, Yellian looked at him with startled eyes. They had no idea how to answer.
If they lied, they weren’t confident they could handle the consequences if it came out later. But if they told the truth, they worried about Leonard going berserk right then and there.
“Th-that’s…….”
“Tell the truth.”
“……Yes. It’s true.”
In the end, Yellian answered honestly.
A tense silence hung in the air. Yellian trembled slightly in the silence. Leonard stared straight at them and opened his mouth.
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