Chapter 18

One day off.

As part of my fitness routine, I did some weight training and jogging, then showered and returned to my room to rest. On the desk were a few light novels—books I’d bought after asking Lord Albert to take me to the human world.

“What’s this book? It has pictures in it.”

Lord Albert peered at the book with keen interest.

“This is a ‘ranobe’—a light novel.”

“‘Ranobe’? What’s that?”

“Simply put, it’s a type of novel. Easy to read, even for people who don’t usually like books. They’re aimed at younger audiences—romance, fantasy, that sort of thing.”

“So, entertainment fiction?”

“Pretty much.”

“You like these, Yuka?”

“Yeah. It’s a hobby.”

“I see. So this is your kind of hobby.”

“Well, I don’t go out much, so I have a lot of hobbies like this.”

Aside from this, there were also manga and anime. The mansion was fairly modern, but unsurprisingly, it didn’t have a TV. No helping that. Guess I’d have to give up on anime.

“Can I read one too?”

“Sure. Though, these are serialized, so you might want to start from Volume 1. Want me to lend you some recommendations?”

“Which ones do you recommend?”

“Maybe this one… or this one…”

Since I wasn’t sure what Lord Albert would like, I picked out a few—Kino’s Journey, Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai, Violet Evergarden, A Certain Magical Index, among others.

Taking the books, Lord Albert examined them curiously before starting to read… on my lap. Well, more accurately, lying down with his head resting on my thighs as I sat on the floor chair—a classic lap pillow.

“Lord Albert?”

“Hm?”

“Why the lap pillow?”

“I have a feeling the curse might act up soon. If I’m close to you, it won’t be a problem, and this way, I can still read. Two birds with one stone.”

“I… see?”

Lord Albert wore a smug look. Something felt fundamentally off, but since this was normal for him, I decided not to dwell on it. He wasn’t that heavy, so it was fine. Still, the ticklish sensation was annoying—his hair and breath brushing against my thighs and stomach made me squirm. Wearing just a T-shirt and shorts didn’t help.

After about ten minutes of silent reading, Lord Albert suddenly looked up, as if realizing something.

“Ah, it’s coming. The curse.”

“Should I hug you?”

“Please.”

“Understood.”

But… how? His head was still on my legs. This position made it tricky. I’d have to adjust.

“Lord Albert, excuse me.”

“Mm.”

I lifted his upper body, letting him lean back against me, then wrapped my arms around him from behind—something close to a back hug.

“How’s the curse?”

"There’s almost no pain. And the amount of magic being drained feels like it’s reduced to one-thousandth—no, one-ten-thousandth of the usual."

"I’m glad to be of service."

"Mhm. Thanks to you, Yuka. Thank you."

Lord Albert replied cheerfully, though his lips were slightly pursed in dissatisfaction.

"Is something wrong?"

"While my magic is being drained, I can’t use spells. My translation magic is gone. I can still speak, but I can’t read human-world text."

"Ah, I see."

"So, Yuka… could you read this book for me?"

"Read… You mean aloud?"

"Yes. Please."

And so, I began reading the book aloud while still in that back-hug position. Suddenly, an image flashed through my mind—a mother reading a picture book to her child at bedtime.

"...Is this no good?"

Given our positions, the way he glanced up at me with those upturned eyes made him look exactly like a little kid.

"As you wish."

"Thank you."

And so, with Lord Albert still in my arms, I read the light novel aloud. …I’m pretty sure there aren’t any particularly risqué scenes in this one, so why does this feel so embarrassing?

Lord Albert hummed happily, clearly in a good mood. Well, whatever. It’s nice that he’s enjoying my hobby too.

By the time I finished reading two of the novels I’d lent him…

Epilogue: When I later told Mill-senpai about this, she squealed excitedly.

This kind of daily life would’ve been unimaginable before. Sure, there was still Lord Albert’s curse to deal with, but in this peaceful, lively routine, I thought I might even stop dwelling on my past job—maybe even forget it entirely.

But the world wasn’t that kind. Unless I settled things with my past, it would keep haunting me forever.

I realized that a few days later.