I Unintentionally Cured The Grand Duke’s Insomnia - Chapter 44

22. — Traditional Fairy Tales and Legends (2)

Translated by Nabi

Pulling my hair out, I was lying face down on the stream.

In fact, with my short paws, rather than pulling. I was just brushing my head.

“You seem to have a lot of trouble.”

Cain, who seemed to be chatting with Lyle for a while, suddenly came to my side. Seeing that, I mumbled as I peered at my face reflected over the clear stream.

“Well, what if I had to live like this for the rest of my life?”

Only her presence was a bit blurry, but Adelia was an extra young lady with a pretty face and a lot of money. However, a character I was satisfied with became a puppy in an instant. Truly, there was nothing in the world more embarrassing than this.

After looking at me for a moment, he slowly opened his mouth.

“There’s a story, a legendary descendant from Lian.”

“….?”

“The story is that the cookie house disappeared magically after the witch who made the sweets house devoured the children and died.”

It was a story I think I have heard from somewhere.

I stared intently at him, trying to understand his intention of suddenly bringing up the story. Cain, who saw me like that, continued with a meaningful smile.

“I remember the phrase that after the witch died, the confectionery house disappeared.”

The only passage that came to mind when I heard about the fairy tale was Hansel and Gretel…? I swallowed my saliva while gazing at Cain, who was telling me a very dangerous story. So, killing a witch, the sweet house would disappear… 

Cain’s words, which only sounded dangerous for a moment, sounded different.

Yes, he was right. In our world, the story was just a fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, although in this world, it might be different. In any case, since the author of this novel was from the world I lived in, they might have made the fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, like a legend that actually existed. If the fairy tale exists like a legend in this original novel, other stories might not be the same—for example, the Frog Prince…?

“Shall we kiss, us?”

“…What?”

“No, I’m not saying it in a weird way. If there was a witch who abducted children and made a cookie house, as Your Highness said, there’s also a story of a prince who turned into a frog and returned to a human after being kissed!”

“… I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

He had never heard of it…?

The blaze of hope, which had been burning fiercely, was extinguished helplessly. I frowned as I looked at Cain, who was looking at me, before narrowing my forehead. No, it could not be… Why was there not a Frog Prince in a world with Hansel and Gretel?

…Perhaps, it might just be that Cain does not know?

“Anyway, there’s nothing to lose. Let’s try it just once, okay?”

“I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”

“No, just give it a try first and think about it! Do you want me to live as a puppy forever?”

I jumped at Cain, who was sitting next to me, as he lost his balance for the moment and fell backwards. As I stared at him in shock at the situation that seemed to have crushed me, an absurd smile hung from his lips beneath me.

“I didn’t know that the Young Lady was such an active person.”

“N, no. I’m in a hurry, so I didn’t realize.”

Thump, thump—

My heart raced again with a roaring sound.

Touching Cain’s chest, I could feel his heart pounding under my paws. When I smelled the gentle scent of wood and met his gaze slowly flowing down my face, a strange sensation as if my body was burning again came to life.

As I looked at him with a frown for a moment,  for some reason, Cain’s forehead narrowed.

Lifting my head in wonder, my front paws that had been resting on the side of his face suddenly turned into slender arms. Then, my long hair fell down next to me like a curtain. I could not believe the current situation as much as the distance from him that took place in an instant after facing each other due to my short front feet when I was a puppy.

I, I am back…

I swallowed dryly as I peered at my reflection in his beautiful ruby, red eyes. It was only then that the situation came to my eyes when the thought that dominated my head that I had returned back to normal disappeared.

The figure of me sitting on top of Cain in a posture as if it had attacked him…

“I, I’m back! I don’t know how I came back, but…!”

“….”

“Ah, I’ll get up soon. My head…”

When I tried to get up from Cain, somehow, I could not move. I am not even making a fool of myself, I am really stuck…

“That, Your Highness…?”

“….”

“I don’t know if you’re aware of it, although you’re holding my waist. I think you’ve to let go so I can get up.”

“What if you don’t want to?”

“Yes?”

I blinked at the ridiculous answer that came back proudly.

Cain, who was lying down, rose up in an instant while I was staring at him, wondering what he was thinking. His face dyed red in embarrassment at the distance between us as I was sitting on his lap.

“Did the Young Lady intend to use me to return to your original body?”

“….”

“And, now that it’s back to normal, you don’t need me anymore?”

“That, that’s not what I meant!”

“Though what do I do, Adelia?”

“….”

“I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

Cain’s large hand wrapped around the nape of my neck faster than I could understand his words. I could see him approaching me with his head tilted. Lowering my eyes a little, I could see his slightly gaping lips and his jawline — sharp like a knife was visible. As I felt our nose bridges crossing, my heart raced as if it would burst.

Cain clasped the hem of my robe and let out a low voice as he gazed at me, frozen in place.

“If you were going to run away from me, it’s now too late, Adelia.”

At the end of the short words, I was caught in my breath.