# Chapter 9
The surroundings were quiet. Birds singing and wind tapping at the window. Warm sunlight touching his cheeks. Surrounded by all these unfamiliar things, Ethan opened his eyes. His head rested on a soft pillow with a gentle blanket wrapped around his body. After briefly wondering whether this was a dream, fantasy, or reality, Ethan blinked about ten times before remembering the events of yesterday. The black head of hair that had somehow rolled into his arms helped greatly in jogging his memory.
“Hey, why are you sleeping here?”
“Mmmphh…”
The mouth that had spoken so articulately yesterday made a sound that wasn’t quite human language, then fell silent again. Long hair spread in all directions, and Del’s arms and legs were tightly wrapped around Ethan’s body. Whether male or female, Ethan didn’t particularly like the sensation of someone embracing him. Yet strangely, having Del wrapped around him asleep didn’t bother him much. Beyond the pretty face or ambiguous gender, perhaps it was because Del’s behavior seemed so ridiculous for someone of such high status.
Debating whether to wake Del, who was wrapped around him like an octopus, Ethan decided to stay lying down, enjoying the soft feel of the bed. Only after recognizing the soft sensation under his hand as Del’s hair did Ethan realize he had unconsciously been stroking it. Though finding his own actions somewhat embarrassing, he didn’t stop, enjoying the feel of the well-maintained hair.
It felt like being the protagonist in some fairy tale—a poor boy visited by a fairy who grants wishes. Though he hadn’t lived as virtuously as those storybook boys, and what appeared before him was a somewhat disheveled magician rather than a fairy, it was still sufficiently magical. Del’s stories were so different from the world Ethan had known that his imagination couldn’t help but take flight. His chest tightened at the thought of belonging to such a special world. He might seem childish for it, but what could he do?
Grumble. Hearing the sound resonating in the quiet room, Ethan touched his stomach. Was he that hungry? Though he had always lived with hunger, thanks to waking Del up for dinner last night, he’d been able to eat until unusually full. And since he’d gone straight to sleep afterward, he shouldn’t be particularly hungry. Grumble. As the sound continued, Ethan finally realized that he wasn’t the source. How long is this guy going to sleep until he’s hungry?
“Wake up, Del.”
“Oh, five more minutes…”
“Your stomach won’t last five minutes. You need to eat.”
“Mmm… just order something…”
“How would I know how to order in a place like this!”
“Ah…”
Even in his half-asleep state, Del seemed to find Ethan’s words persuasive, as his eyes opened slightly. The way he struggled to keep his eyelids from closing due to lack of strength was somewhat admirable…
“Just go outside…”
“Outside?”
“Stop anyone… passing by…”
“Stop them?”
“…and ask for anything…”
“Del!”
And with that, he fell back asleep. Ethan tried to shake him awake, but there was absolutely no benefit in shaking a body that went completely limp without any strength. In a situation where he had no idea what kind of meals were available at this hotel or whom to order from, this absurd answer was all he got. Hearing such an impractical method made him even more confused. But then, remembering Del’s behavior so far, Ethan became convinced that Del had probably managed just fine doing things this way.
“Excuse me…”
“Yes, young master.”
When Ethan opened the door and called to a passing hotel employee, they responded with great respect. Young master… Though taken aback by a title he’d never heard directed at himself in his entire life, he remembered that the room they were staying in was the most expensive in the hotel, and the clothes he was wearing belonged to Del.
“I’d like to order a meal.”
“What would you like to have?”
“…Whatever is appropriate.”
“Understood. I’ll have it brought up soon.”
This actually works! Ethan had to struggle to calm his pounding heart after closing the door. Now he understood why nobles never specified their orders—they didn’t need to worry since things would be prepared specifically for them even with vague instructions. The meal arrived after Ethan had checked several times to see if Del was still breathing.
“Food…”
Del, who hadn’t stirred despite all the shaking and calling, regained consciousness at the smell of food. If Ethan had known he would wake up on his own like this, he would have just left him alone. He felt irritated for having wasted his energy.
“Hey, be careful…”
“Mhmm.”
He responds well enough. But Ethan had to quickly grab Del’s disheveled hair and push it back to prevent it from spilling into the stew bowl. Even while Ethan was roughly tying Del’s hair back with a nearby string, Del was shoveling food into his mouth without properly opening his eyes. He’s not a child, what is this? Should Ethan be grateful that Del was eating without making a fuss about the food? This felt less like being a servant and more like being a mother. Del half-opened his eyes while eating, and after finishing his meal, he stretched with a yawn and walked to the bathroom. Rather than making a conscious decision, it seemed more like he was habitually following a morning routine in sequence. Otherwise, why would he open and close the closet door twice on his way to the bathroom?
Del, who had staggered into the bathroom, emerged only long after Ethan had finished his meal, washed up, and gotten dressed. Water was still dripping from his hair. It seemed he might have tried to dry himself, as he appeared slightly more dried than yesterday. Perhaps he simply had problems with manual dexterity. With only a towel wrapped around his waist, the thin boy’s body was fully visible. When wearing a skirt, he looked just like a girl, but like this, he resembled a long-haired boy. Though his face was pretty with strong androgynous features, combined with his tall, thin build, when stripped down he was clearly male. But put him in a dress, and he’d look naturally feminine.
“Ah, the clothes are organized…”
Del, who had habitually walked toward the bags, saw they were empty and went to the closet instead. Hearing his small exclamation of admiration at the clothes hanging on hangers, Ethan could easily guess how carelessly Del had been living. When Del tried to select and put on an outfit, Ethan had to stop him in surprise.
“You’re going to put them on while you’re still wet?”
“Ah, they usually go on fine.”
I really can’t leave him alone. A moment later, Del had his hair thoroughly dried by Ethan and was being dressed in proper order. Del looked at Ethan with something like admiration.
“Where did you learn this? It’s really complicated and annoying. You couldn’t have served anyone before, so it’s impressive.”
“I just figured it out by looking.”
“Don’t your friends say you’re obnoxious?”
“They tend to. How did you know?”
“Because I’m the same way.”
The two friendless individuals looked at each other and laughed. Del’s compliment wasn’t empty flattery. Ethan’s skills were quite good, as he easily helped Del into a travel dress and even styled his hair into a braid. The boy who had looked like a drowned rat moments ago was transformed into a pretty girl in a light blue, airy dress.
“You must get a lot of attention for your looks wherever you go.”
“That tends to happen.”
“You’re confident?”
“It’s caused some troublesome situations.”
Del recalled the weary looks in the boys’ eyes when he had visited the slum. That might have been such a case. When he mentioned this to Ethan, he nodded. He said it was roughly similar.
“There was even a knife fight over me once.”
“Oh! Are you okay?”
“No one was hurt.”
“No, I mean you. Those kinds of people will beat up anyone if they feel embarrassed.”
Hmm. While thinking it strange that Del spoke as if he wasn’t a noble himself, Ethan didn’t find it unpleasant. After that incident, no one had worried about him. Most were only concerned about whether the anger of the high-status ladies would affect the slum. It was the first time someone had worried about him regarding an incident that had happened long ago, and he didn’t know how to respond.
“Fortunately, a more influential lady intervened…”
“That’s lucky, considering.”
Of course, the fact that such an incident occurred at all was not fortunate. Del, who had added this comment, lightly applied powder to his face, tied a choker with a large corsage around his neck, and stood up. After putting a wallet and a few other items into his bag, Del confirmed that Ethan was already prepared for going out. You’re quite quick.
“Today will be busy.”
“What are we going to do?”
“I plan to buy some things for you. And at the same time, I need to announce my arrival.”
“Things for me?”
“From now on, you need to play the role of my nanny’s son who has come on a honeymoon trip with me, remember?”
“Ah…”
Just then, a concerning thought occurred to him. From what Del was saying, it seemed he planned to make himself known to the nobles here. But for Ethan to play such a role, his face was somewhat known in underground circles. When he expressed his concern, Del nodded and said it would be fine.
“This is a good opportunity to clean up your identity too. You just need to stand straight and maintain an arrogant expression.”
“…That’s it?”
“That should be enough.”
Then, retrieving some kind of container from somewhere, Del scooped out a generous amount and applied it to Ethan’s hair. With a satisfied expression, he looked at the neatly slicked-back hair, then brought a tie and brooch and efficiently attached them. This was the quickest he’d moved out of all the behaviors he’d shown so far.
“I guarantee it. No one will recognize you.”
“My face is the same, so how would they not recognize me?”
“People are stupid and only see what’s visible to their eyes, and sometimes they don’t even recognize what’s right in front of them.”
He seemed to regard other people as quite foolish. Though no one seemed as careless as Del himself. Still, part of Ethan hoped that none of the people here would recognize him, just as Del had said.
“Well, I’ll trust you.”
“You won’t be disappointed.”
If a magician says so, why wouldn’t it be trustworthy? If things don’t work out, he could erase memories, or if not that, he could work some magic with money. Without realizing he had developed such groundless faith, Ethan followed Del out the door.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
