The Regret Novel Female Lead with Unbreakable Mentality Chapter 74

“Of course! I’ll do it a hundred or even a thousand times if you want!”

 

I squeezed Riwes’s hand tight and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Riwes’s eyes grew wide in surprise.

 

“Wow…” His face turned bright red as he smiled bashfully and spoke. “This is Riwes first time getting a kiss!”

 

That made my heart ache even more…

 

I glanced cautiously at Duke Kalinos. “Alright, your turn now.”

 

Duke Kalinos looked at Riwes as if he’d just been handed the second hardest problem in the world, then leaned in and gave Riwes a quick peck on the cheek.

 

“Hehe!” Riwes beamed, then looked back and forth between me and Duke Kalinos. “Yay! Now Riwes got one from Sister and Uncle, so next…”

 

“There’s still more?”

 

For some reason, a chill ran down my spine. As I raised an eyebrow, Riwes clapped his hands cheerfully.

 

“Uncle and Sister have to kiss too!”

 

“Kisses are just for people who like each other.”

 

“S-So, yu two don’t like each other?”

 

“That’s… not exactly it…” I fumbled for words, not sure how to explain.

 

Riwes thought hard for a moment, then nodded. “Uncle, kiss Sister! Now!”

 

Duke Kalinos looked at me like he’d just been handed the hardest problem in the world. I quickly made an X with my arms and shook my head.

 

Riwes tilted his head, looking puzzled. “Mm! It’s okay, Riwes and Sister like each other, but if Uncle doesn’t like her, hmm…”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

Riwes babbled on enthusiastically, then grabbed his uncle’s hand tightly. “It’s nothing! Uncle can’t kiss Sister! If you want to, ask permission from Riwes first!”

 

I thought for sure Duke Kalinos would just ignore him, but his eyebrows twitched slightly.

 

“And why would I need your permission to kiss Giselle?”

 

“Because Sister Gisselle is going to marry me!”

 

“No. The two of you can’t get married.”

 

Why are they fighting? They both looked so serious that I couldn’t bring myself to step in.

 

Just then, Riwes’s eyes sparkled and he grinned brightly. “Umm, but it can’t be helped, Uncle! Riwes is the prince and Sister is the princess!”

 

“…And Uncle?”

 

“Uncle is just Uncle!”

 

“…”

 

“Uncle, don’t be jealous!”

 

“…What are you talking about? I’m not jealous.”

 

“Hmmm, Uncle. If you get jealous, you can kiss Sister!”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Just once, Riwes will allow it!”

 

Duke Kalinos’s gaze landed on my cheek. I quickly made an X with my arms, like making the sign of the cross.

 

After chattering away with his lips puckered like a fish for a while, Riwes suddenly squeezed his eyes shut, looking exhausted. “Okay then, good night! See you in the morning!”

 

It’s true what they say, kids can be chattering away one moment and then suddenly fall asleep the next.

 

I let out a deep sigh of relief, glad that the immediate crisis was over. As Riwes’s raspy breathing could be heard, I suddenly realized I was still holding Duke Kalinos’s hand. Quickly let it go, I then sat up straight awkwardly.

 

That’s when Duke Kalinos, as if he found it curious, murmured, “Your breathing has changed.”

 

“…Um, is my breathing bothering you?”

 

“No. It’s good.”

 

He said it’s good? I narrowed my eyes, trying to gauge the distance between us. Even with Riwes between us, his tiny body meant we seemed almost pressed together.

 

“Why? Can’t sleep? Should I sing you a lullaby?”

 

…How could he talk about lullabies with such a menacing expression? His confidence was so strange that I asked cautiously, “Um, have you ever sung a lullaby before?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then how are you planning to help me fall asleep?”

 

He gently covered my eyes with his hand, like a blindfold, and whispered in a low voice, “Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon, sodium, magnesium, aluminum.”

 

“…?”

 

“Silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, argon, potassium, calcium…”

 

It was a terrifyingly contextless recitation of the periodic table. What am I listening to right now? On closer listening, I realized there was a melody to it. Rubbing the goosebumps prickling on my arm, I muttered under my breath. “Wait, is that supposed to be a lullaby?”

 

“Of course it’s a lullaby. The defining trait of a lullaby is its repetitive rhythm, which helps calm the mind.”

 

“It’s definitely repetitive.”

 

Maybe it was more of a failed lullaby, since it seemed to wake you up out of sheer disbelief.

 

His hand still covered my eyes, plunging my vision into darkness. As I glared at his hand, which was still acting like a blindfold, I found myself lost in thought. Honestly, even something this pointless is still technically physical contact, so I can’t help but feel a little tense.

 

I blinked. Maybe because my eyelashes were long, they tickled his palm.

 

“Doesn’t your hand feel ticklish?” I was about to say that I thought I could fall asleep now, that he could take his hand away.

 

“Yes. My heart feels ticklish. It’s like about a hundred dandelion seeds are tickling me.”

 

“Um…” I was briefly flustered by this unexpectedly poetic line from a man of science. His way of speaking was excessively romantic.

 

Am I losing my mind? Or perhaps I was just getting accustomed to his unusual way of expressing himself. Why does it almost sound like he’s confessing his feelings for me? The thought made my heart drop straight to the floor.

 

He’s just a weirdo. And he’s just speaking directly, that’s all. I kept repeating that to myself, squeezing my eyes shut even tighter to keep from getting flustered.

 

“Looks like you’re getting sleepy. Then, sweet dreams.”

 

With his indifferent-sounding voice, all that remained was a deep sleep.

 

* * *

For some, it was a romantic night, but for others, just an ordinary night.

 

The Sirentium family gathered in a small secret room, muttering ominously among themselves.

 

“I have no idea why Riwes suddenly changed. The way he follows Giselle and doesn’t believe what we say, it’s honestly ridiculous.”

 

“I just can’t understand it either, Dear. Truly…”

 

Rahana was a bit more composed than the others. “But it’s fine. After all, Riwes is brainwashed by us, isn’t he?”

 

“Whatever made him start following Giselle, it’s difficult to take him back legally. They haven’t found any proof that we abused him, have they?”

 

They exchanged glances.

 

“We can’t let that family take Riwes from us. Never!”

 

Marquis Sirentium’s face was twisted with vengeance and hatred. “Listen carefully, Rahana. Who killed your sister?”

 

“The Kalinos family.”

 

“They seduced my daughter, who was living a perfectly normal life, took her away, and killed her off before she even got to live ten years.” He gripped his glass tightly, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I will never forgive the family that killed my daughter. Never!”

 

Markin Kalinos, who had been Vientin’s older brother, died fighting monsters. After that, the frail Elesa supposedly couldn’t bear the news of her husband’s death and took her own life.

 

But my daughter would never do that. There’s no way she would!

 

Elesa would never have left her beloved father behind and died so meaninglessly. She was a child who found happiness in even a single small flower. She was fragile, yes, and she did rely on Markin a lot, but… It’s obvious she died under suspicious circumstances in that damned family!

 

Year after year, his anger pent up. He absolutely needed someone to blame, a scapegoat, and so his hatred for the Kalinos family and Riwes began. So, those who took his daughter had to give him whatever he demanded. No matter what the cost…

 

“The willow warbler will cover up everything our family does in secret.”

 

“Yes, just like always.”

 

* * *

Thanks to Duke Kalinos, I was in a deep sleep. But strangely, a splitting headache woke me up, and I frowned.

 

“Coo. (Wake up.)”

 

Just as I was trying to sleep again, a bright light flashed before my eyes. I grimaced and muttered, “What is it? I told you to stay invisible. Don’t let anyone see you.”

 

“Coo! (I told you I’d be super helpful! Right now!)”

 

Coocoo kept chattering away beside me, so I snapped my eyes open.

 

Wait, why does it feel so eerie? Thanks to the potion, my senses had sharpened, and I could pick up on the smallest sounds and read the mood easily. But why! Riwes and Duke Kalinos, who had been lying next to me, had vanished without a trace.