Robot Protection Zone Chapter 29

I had no idea how many hours I’d been reading internet articles. By the time I snapped out of it, the night was already deep.

I was startled when I checked the time. It was already long past my bedtime. My master was probably wondering why I wasn’t coming and waiting for me right now.

Ah, one last thing, I really need to look up my old master….

“What are you doing here at this hour?”

“Gasp!”

A low voice sounded from right behind me.

Startled, I shot up as if sprung. At the same time, the smartphone declared its freedom and slipped from my hand. I hastily tried to pick up the smartphone that had fallen to the floor, but my master was faster to reach out.

“Hm?”

Oh no…! The screen is probably still on the article about my master’s dating rumors…!

Just as I thought, my master looked down at the screen and started scrolling through it rapidly. I fidgeted, anxiously watching his reaction. My master, however, was staring at the screen with an impassive expression.

After checking his own dating rumor, which was plastered with sensational phrases, my master scoffed and handed the smartphone back to me.

“What are you looking at this stuff for so late at night? It’s past your bedtime, so hurry up and come to sleep. If you oversleep tomorrow, I’m leaving without you.”

My master didn’t seem to care much. He looked indifferent, unlike what I had expected, so I asked cautiously.

“Master, aren’t you upset…?”

“Over something like this? It’s not the first or second time. No need to worry about it.”

Just as expected… a statement befitting the playboy of the century, as the media called him….

It might have been a blessing in disguise that I was caught looking at my master’s dating rumor. The situation would have been much more difficult if my master had noticed I was looking up articles about my old master, with whom I presumed Mr. William did not have a good relationship.

I said goodbye to Eve, telling her I’d see her in the morning, and went up to the room with my master. My master, who usually worked late before sleeping, also lay down in bed with me, seemingly intending to sleep early today.

“Good night, Master.”

“Yeah, you too.”

I closed my eyes to sleep, but then they shot open again as I remembered something I’d forgotten.

Come to think of it, I never got to check how my old master was doing.

I’ll have to look again tomorrow, I thought, blinking my eyes. Secretly, when I’m alone, in case I end up crying while I read.

I wonder how my old master lived while I was gone. Seeing that Mr. William is here, he must have successfully married the woman he was supposed to marry back then.

I wanted to see my master’s wedding too. Of course, it would have been sad that the person standing next to him wasn’t me, but I still wanted to congratulate him.

He must have been beautiful. They say the bride is the flower of the wedding, but at my master’s wedding, my master would have been the most radiant being in the world.

“……”

I quietly turned my head and looked at my master in the darkness.

My current master, a spitting image of my old master, was also beautiful. His sharp eyes, firmly closed lips, and piercingly blue eyes came together to create a cold impression, but at the same time, he possessed a powerful charm.

A nose that looked as if carved by a chisel and a sharp jawline. Is this what they call a classic handsome man? Even if one were to create a robot in my master’s likeness, it would be difficult to perfectly replicate his face and aura.

Just like in the dating rumor article I saw earlier, a person my master truly loves will one day appear by his side. When that time comes, I hope he will take Sophia, Eve, and me with him. Without turning us off, or throwing us away….

Just imagining it made my chest ache.

Swallowing my sadness, I stared intently at my master’s face. Perhaps sensing my gaze, my master’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

The moment our eyes met, I flinched and hurriedly turned over to lie on my side.

“Didi?”

My master called my name softly, but I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep.

“……”

As I held my breath and kept my body perfectly still, the surroundings grew quiet.

Did he fall back asleep…? I listened intently with my eyes closed. But then I felt the bed dip and my body tilt, and my shoulder was grabbed, and my body was swiftly turned over. My master had propped himself up slightly.

“Ngh…!”

“See, you’re not sleeping. Pretending to be asleep.”

“Master….”

“Why are you looking at me with those eyes?”

“……”

What should I say? If I told him the truth, my master would surely be displeased. So instead of telling the truth, I chose a small lie.

“I can’t sleep….”

I muttered quietly, avoiding his gaze. It was dark, so he wouldn’t be able to see my expression clearly; I thought my master wouldn’t notice my lie. But my master’s displeased voice came back.

“And you expect me to believe that?”

It seemed my lie had already been found out. If I kept pretending, my master would likely get angry, so in the end, I confessed the truth.

“It’s because you look like my old master….”

As expected, my master’s face contorted. It was a very displeased expression.

This is why I didn’t want to say it…. I quietly watched my master’s expression. He let go of my shoulder only after hearing the reason, but his face still looked upset. It seemed that making clumsy excuses would only make him angrier, so I kept my mouth shut.

“So, you’re saying I overlap with that old man?”

“Ah, no….”

“Don’t turn your head away.”

As I tried to avert my gaze, my master’s hand gripped my chin firmly. My face was lifted by the strong hand. I was forced to look my master in the eye.

My master’s face was close. His blue eyes, shining even in the darkness, stared deeply at me as if to see right through me. The cold, sharp gaze felt like it was pricking my skin.

“Master….”

I called out to my master cautiously. My heart pounded anxiously as I faced his clearly angry expression. As I looked up at him pleadingly, my master whispered in a low, sarcastic voice.

“What, you want a kiss or something?”

“A ki, a kiss?”

My face flushed hot. The scene where my master had kissed me suddenly flashed through my mind. Could it be that his memory from back then had returned?

I looked up at my master with eyes mixed with bewilderment and nervousness. Even without looking, I could feel the muscles in my face, which must have turned red, trembling with tension.

My master seemed to have misunderstood my reaction, as he lightly pressed a kiss to my round forehead. I froze for a moment, processing the identity of the brief touch on my forehead, then my eyes widened and I stared at my master. But he simply pulled the covers back up and lay down as if nothing had happened.

“Hurry up and sleep. I have a meeting tomorrow, so we have to leave early.”

“Yes….”

My master turned his back to me and lay down. I answered obediently and shifted my gaze to the ceiling. But with my heart in such a commotion, there was no way I could fall asleep easily.

My face is hot. Am I catching a cold or something…? I should wear warmer clothes starting tomorrow, I thought, forcing my eyes shut.

My heart was still pounding.

Like any other day, I had dinner and was heading up to my room after saying hello to Eve. Seeing Eve looking up at me from the bottom of the stairs, I suddenly became curious.

Come to think of it, what does Eve do to pass the time alone?

Eve always looked lonely. When I wake up in the morning, she is always waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. Except for the time she spends cleaning the first floor, it seemed she spent most of her time waiting for me there.

I looked at the corner of the living room, a space left empty just big enough for Eve to fit. Sophia had her own room, but since Eve didn’t have arms to open doors, the corner of the living room became Eve’s space.

And even now, Eve was staring endlessly up at me from the bottom of the stairs as I went up to the second floor.

“……”

Perhaps because I know well the feeling of waiting for someone in loneliness. The sight of Eve looking up at me from the bottom of the stairs weighed on my mind, and I couldn’t bring myself to move. I stopped halfway up the stairs. When I didn’t follow him, my master turned around and asked me.

“Didi, why aren’t you coming up?”

“Um… Master.”

I hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“May I sleep in the living room with Eve tonight?”

“What?”

My master asked back, as if dumbfounded. He stared at me for a long time with his brow furrowed, and then, realizing I had no intention of changing my mind easily, he turned his head away with a jerk.

“Do whatever you want.”

Then he let out a short scoff and stomped upstairs.

I thought my master would be happy if I said I’d sleep separately, saying it was one less hassle…. But his reaction, getting angry instead, is a bit bewildering. Is he in a particularly bad mood today? If so, it might be better for him to sleep alone. It might have been good timing, after all.