Chapter 6: CH 5

The people in this family were generally quite horrible, but my mother was slightly better.

She was abusive and yelled a lot but on rare occasions, she pitied me.

But that wasn’t the case with my father.

The viscount acted as he pleased and did not allow his family to go against his will.

He never touched me but just witnessing his violent behaviour was threatening enough.

My brother was also similar in nature. He resembled our father and was even more violent than him.

Above all, as he was the son that grew up the most spoiled in the family, he was quite foolish. If Shuel’s identity was revealed to him, he would harm the child for his own pleasure.

Furthermore, my older brother Jeffrey, was a person who waltzed in and out of my room to argue about everything.

The difficulty level for the four days rose up in an instant.

There was still time before the vacation started for the academy he attended, and I was confident that the reason my father went up to the Capital was just to deal with some work.

Was there something unexpected happening?

“Anyway, get ready and come out.”

That was how my mother ended my current train of thoughts.

Without even observing my face, she turned around, slammed the door and left.

I stood there for a while with my face white as a pumice stone, but I came to my senses when I remembered the existence of the child I had shoved under the bed earlier.

“Shu. It’s okay to come out now.”

A faint sound echoed.

But there was no reply to my words, as if there was a shirt dragging on the floor.

Was my voice too low?

“Shu?”

I called the child with a slightly louder voice but it remained the same. This time, there was not even a slight rustling sound.

Are you nervous that it might be a trap? Or were you actually asleep?

Maybe it was because he kept tossing and turning last night.

I lowered myself down and as expected, found Shuel lying on his stomach.

“How can you fall asleep like this……”

I struggled for a while because it was difficult to pull out a limp body.

Finally, after completely dragging Shuel out, I sighed and tried to shake the child to wake him up, but I was startled at the sight of his face.

His forehead was drenched with cold sweat. His lips had turned blue.

His sparkling eyes were now dull and lifeless.

“Ugh, Hngh… … .”

Shuel’s condition was very strange.

His face had turned white and he was breathing very hard.

It felt like his heart was going to stop beating at any moment.

Fortunately I was aware of the symptoms.

‘Hyperventilation!’

I couldn’t figure out why he was hyperventilating just by laying under the bed for a bit.

But it was clear that I didn’t have time to think about the reason now.

I looked desperately around the room. I remembered that the treatment for hyperventilation was to place a paper bag over the mouth and allow them to exhale repeatedly. 

do not repost our translations. read only at droppedinks.wordpress.com

In this world, paper bags were quite common. Sometimes I went out to buy food and didn’t throw the bag away. It must be here somewhere.

As I scanned around the room with my hands shaking, a brown object caught my eye. I ran, took the bag, and placed it over Shuel’s mouth.

“I, I don’t–”

“Breathe. Slowly.”

Shuel was startled when something suddenly touched the corner of his mouth but I held onto him.

I could vaguely guess that Shuel’s hyperventilation was due to stress, but I couldn’t help it.

“If you go on like this, you will die. So breathe.”

At my words, Shuel exhaled slowly even though his eyes were frightened and his breathing gradually even itself out.

I removed the paper bag from his mouth after making sure his breathing had completely returned to normal.

Shuel’s face remained pale even though his breathing had returned to normal.

The child, who had been smiling ecstatically all the time, now seemed to be lost in thoughts.

I stretched out my hand anxiously, but Shuel was the first to open his mouth hastily.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“…..Shu?”

“I’m sorry, please let me out……”

The child trembled and sputtered out words of gibberish.

Only then did I realise that Shuel’s eyes were still moist.

“Shu. Wake up. Shuel!”

Shaking his shoulder and shouting again, Shuel finally flinched as if he had just woken up.

Shuel stared at me with dazed eyes, and turned his head around to check his surroundings in confusion.

“Huff, huh…..”

Shuel, who kept breathing heavily, collapsed with a sigh as if he had just woken up from a nightmare.

“Thank god.….”

Luckily there was a bed behind him so he didn’t fall over but even if he had collapsed on the floor, he still wouldn’t have noticed where I stood. 

Shuel, who had been catching his breath for a while, raised his head with a hiccup.

My body froze in an instant at the sight of the resentment on his face.

“Hngh…don’t leave me in the dark.”

There had been a lot of crying, but it was the first firm words that came out of that gentle child’s mouth.

I couldn’t comprehend his distorted face that looked like he was about to cry, but I nodded my agreement.

“Honestly?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Shuel asked again and again as if he wasn’t assured by my answer and only looked relieved after the fifth confirmation.

As soon as the weight was lifted off his heart, Shuel’s eyes instantly closed and his body fell backwards like that of a doll with their strings cut off. 

“……..!”

I hurriedly approached the child, feeling like I was suddenly drenched in cold water.

Did he faint?

No, it’s better if he had fainted.

What if he suddenly stopped breathing?

My mind went blank. I didn’t know what I should do at first.

Then I place my finger under his nose. A warm and even breath grazed my cold fingers.

Peacefully.

“………”

He fell asleep…….I guess.

My worries vanished and I stared at the child with burning eyes.

You punk. I thought my heart was going to stop.

In contrast to my cold face, Shuel’s sleeping face was calm, as if he never cried or turned pale.

I sighed quietly as I watched Shuel breathe peacefully with his nose and redden eyes.

It was finally over, but now it was already lunch time.

Even if I was prepared to leave right now, there was not enough time.

So now, I have to hide him somewhere.

Once again, I bumped into a big wall. [1]

A place to hide. Was there any hidden spots here?

The closet? Out. Under the bed? Needless to say, ruled out. The bathroom? The maids would have to enter it to clean, so that’s out.

‘…….What should I do?’

I looked down at Shuel, who was sleeping, with perplexed eyes.

The sleeping child’s face was still peaceful.

＊  ＊  ＊

“Arwen. You are late.”

That was what my mother said when I entered the dining room.

She didn’t crack the slightest bit in front of my father, painting an innocent appearance in front of him.

It was all due to my father who hated the sight of a vulgar appearance the most, but ironically was the most vulgar of them all.

I stood in front of him, trying to control my breathing. In order to avoid being late, I held my skirt and ran frantically so I was out of breath.

do not repost our translations. read only at droppedinks.wordpress.com

After contemplating where to hide Shuel, I hid Shuel among the dolls. Leaving me only a short amount of time to get there.

I hid the child among the many plush, soft, and fragrant dolls as possible while shouting to the maids to never touch my dolls as I ran out.

Expensive satin and jewel-studded dolls were a luxury.

My parents bought me dolls to show that they raised their child preciously yet prevented me from playing with them, saying that I would only dirty it.

They were very expensive dolls so I wouldn’t touch them anyway but just in case, I added a bit more to the image of a greedy noble girl, who would cherish valuables more than my own life.

“Sorry for being late father, mother and…….”

I paused for a moment and looked up.

There, to the right of my father who was the most superior in the family. I had wished it was vacant, but there stood the owner of that seat.

Without breaking any expression, I smiled brightly like an idiot.

“Brother!”

The boy’s face was offended at my bright greeting.

He was dissatisfied with his three years younger sister and often blamed me for my idiocy.

A foolish thing.

Even as I thought so, I smiled widely and sat down next to my mother. She was sitting on the left side of my father, directly in my father’s gaze.

Even on a special day, my meals were served as usual.

A bread slightly smaller than the palm of my hand, with vegetable stew, and a few slices of fruits.

Whenever I saw the meal, which was clearly lacking, I thought it was a relief that at least my eyes were large.

How fortunate that I didn’t have to put Belladonna [2] to widen my eyes if they were small.

“Jeff. How was your semester? Unexpectedly, you returned home quite early. Mother is very happy.”

My mother’s sweet voice was heard.

I wasn’t curious about him but I mirrored her actions, glancing at my brother with my eyes gleaming with curiosity.

do not repost our translations. read only at droppedinks.wordpress.com

While cutting a large steak that contrasted with the meal on my plate, he nonchalantly shook his hand.

“Well, I passed the exam with the highest score so I got an early vacation.”

As I was chewing on the salad, I almost burst into laughter at those words.

I wasn’t sure if there was an early graduation, but I have never heard of an early vacation. Except for that idiot?

“Oh my, I see! As expected, that’s our son. Well done!”

My mother smiled brightly, nodding her head to the absurd story. I swallowed my drink and laughed along with my mother.

Jeffrey had no interest in studying, so his mind was not intelligent.

Given his enormous pride, he would have quit school right away after achieving such a high grade. But I don’t think he was actually kicked out from the academy either.

If he was kicked out, he knew deep down that his beloved father and mother would instantly have a change of heart.

So, I don’t think he dropped out….

‘But why did you suddenly return?’

[1] A saying for reaching an obstacle/situation where you can’t make progress

[2] Belladonna (atropa belladonna), also known as deadly nightshade is a poisonous plant that was used as a beauty enhancer to dilate the pupils to achieve that soft and seductive look. More info here.

You are reading story He Likes Me a Lot More Than I Thought! at novel35.com

The people in this family were generally quite horrible, but my mother was slightly better.

She was abusive and yelled a lot but on rare occasions, she pitied me.

But that wasn’t the case with my father.

The viscount acted as he pleased and did not allow his family to go against his will.

He never touched me but just witnessing his violent behaviour was threatening enough.

My brother was also similar in nature. He resembled our father and was even more violent than him.

Above all, as he was the son that grew up the most spoiled in the family, he was quite foolish. If Shuel’s identity was revealed to him, he would harm the child for his own pleasure.

Furthermore, my older brother Jeffrey, was a person who waltzed in and out of my room to argue about everything.

The difficulty level for the four days rose up in an instant.

There was still time before the vacation started for the academy he attended, and I was confident that the reason my father went up to the Capital was just to deal with some work.

Was there something unexpected happening?

“Anyway, get ready and come out.”

That was how my mother ended my current train of thoughts.

Without even observing my face, she turned around, slammed the door and left.

I stood there for a while with my face white as a pumice stone, but I came to my senses when I remembered the existence of the child I had shoved under the bed earlier.

“Shu. It’s okay to come out now.”

A faint sound echoed.

But there was no reply to my words, as if there was a shirt dragging on the floor.

Was my voice too low?

“Shu?”

I called the child with a slightly louder voice but it remained the same. This time, there was not even a slight rustling sound.

Are you nervous that it might be a trap? Or were you actually asleep?

Maybe it was because he kept tossing and turning last night.

I lowered myself down and as expected, found Shuel lying on his stomach.

“How can you fall asleep like this……”

I struggled for a while because it was difficult to pull out a limp body.

Finally, after completely dragging Shuel out, I sighed and tried to shake the child to wake him up, but I was startled at the sight of his face.

His forehead was drenched with cold sweat. His lips had turned blue.

His sparkling eyes were now dull and lifeless.

“Ugh, Hngh… … .”

Shuel’s condition was very strange.

His face had turned white and he was breathing very hard.

It felt like his heart was going to stop beating at any moment.

Fortunately I was aware of the symptoms.

‘Hyperventilation!’

I couldn’t figure out why he was hyperventilating just by laying under the bed for a bit.

But it was clear that I didn’t have time to think about the reason now.

I looked desperately around the room. I remembered that the treatment for hyperventilation was to place a paper bag over the mouth and allow them to exhale repeatedly. 

do not repost our translations. read only at droppedinks.wordpress.com

In this world, paper bags were quite common. Sometimes I went out to buy food and didn’t throw the bag away. It must be here somewhere.

As I scanned around the room with my hands shaking, a brown object caught my eye. I ran, took the bag, and placed it over Shuel’s mouth.

“I, I don’t–”

“Breathe. Slowly.”

Shuel was startled when something suddenly touched the corner of his mouth but I held onto him.

I could vaguely guess that Shuel’s hyperventilation was due to stress, but I couldn’t help it.

“If you go on like this, you will die. So breathe.”

At my words, Shuel exhaled slowly even though his eyes were frightened and his breathing gradually even itself out.

I removed the paper bag from his mouth after making sure his breathing had completely returned to normal.

Shuel’s face remained pale even though his breathing had returned to normal.

The child, who had been smiling ecstatically all the time, now seemed to be lost in thoughts.

I stretched out my hand anxiously, but Shuel was the first to open his mouth hastily.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“…..Shu?”

“I’m sorry, please let me out……”

The child trembled and sputtered out words of gibberish.

Only then did I realise that Shuel’s eyes were still moist.

“Shu. Wake up. Shuel!”

Shaking his shoulder and shouting again, Shuel finally flinched as if he had just woken up.

Shuel stared at me with dazed eyes, and turned his head around to check his surroundings in confusion.

“Huff, huh…..”

Shuel, who kept breathing heavily, collapsed with a sigh as if he had just woken up from a nightmare.

“Thank god.….”

Luckily there was a bed behind him so he didn’t fall over but even if he had collapsed on the floor, he still wouldn’t have noticed where I stood. 

Shuel, who had been catching his breath for a while, raised his head with a hiccup.

My body froze in an instant at the sight of the resentment on his face.

“Hngh…don’t leave me in the dark.”

There had been a lot of crying, but it was the first firm words that came out of that gentle child’s mouth.

I couldn’t comprehend his distorted face that looked like he was about to cry, but I nodded my agreement.

“Honestly?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Shuel asked again and again as if he wasn’t assured by my answer and only looked relieved after the fifth confirmation.

As soon as the weight was lifted off his heart, Shuel’s eyes instantly closed and his body fell backwards like that of a doll with their strings cut off. 

“……..!”

I hurriedly approached the child, feeling like I was suddenly drenched in cold water.

Did he faint?

No, it’s better if he had fainted.

What if he suddenly stopped breathing?

My mind went blank. I didn’t know what I should do at first.

Then I place my finger under his nose. A warm and even breath grazed my cold fingers.

Peacefully.

“………”

He fell asleep…….I guess.

My worries vanished and I stared at the child with burning eyes.

You punk. I thought my heart was going to stop.

In contrast to my cold face, Shuel’s sleeping face was calm, as if he never cried or turned pale.

I sighed quietly as I watched Shuel breathe peacefully with his nose and redden eyes.

It was finally over, but now it was already lunch time.

Even if I was prepared to leave right now, there was not enough time.

So now, I have to hide him somewhere.

Once again, I bumped into a big wall. [1]

A place to hide. Was there any hidden spots here?

The closet? Out. Under the bed? Needless to say, ruled out. The bathroom? The maids would have to enter it to clean, so that’s out.

‘…….What should I do?’

I looked down at Shuel, who was sleeping, with perplexed eyes.

The sleeping child’s face was still peaceful.

＊  ＊  ＊

“Arwen. You are late.”

That was what my mother said when I entered the dining room.

She didn’t crack the slightest bit in front of my father, painting an innocent appearance in front of him.

It was all due to my father who hated the sight of a vulgar appearance the most, but ironically was the most vulgar of them all.

I stood in front of him, trying to control my breathing. In order to avoid being late, I held my skirt and ran frantically so I was out of breath.

do not repost our translations. read only at droppedinks.wordpress.com

After contemplating where to hide Shuel, I hid Shuel among the dolls. Leaving me only a short amount of time to get there.

I hid the child among the many plush, soft, and fragrant dolls as possible while shouting to the maids to never touch my dolls as I ran out.

Expensive satin and jewel-studded dolls were a luxury.

My parents bought me dolls to show that they raised their child preciously yet prevented me from playing with them, saying that I would only dirty it.

They were very expensive dolls so I wouldn’t touch them anyway but just in case, I added a bit more to the image of a greedy noble girl, who would cherish valuables more than my own life.

“Sorry for being late father, mother and…….”

I paused for a moment and looked up.

There, to the right of my father who was the most superior in the family. I had wished it was vacant, but there stood the owner of that seat.

Without breaking any expression, I smiled brightly like an idiot.

“Brother!”

The boy’s face was offended at my bright greeting.

He was dissatisfied with his three years younger sister and often blamed me for my idiocy.

A foolish thing.

Even as I thought so, I smiled widely and sat down next to my mother. She was sitting on the left side of my father, directly in my father’s gaze.

Even on a special day, my meals were served as usual.

A bread slightly smaller than the palm of my hand, with vegetable stew, and a few slices of fruits.

Whenever I saw the meal, which was clearly lacking, I thought it was a relief that at least my eyes were large.

How fortunate that I didn’t have to put Belladonna [2] to widen my eyes if they were small.

“Jeff. How was your semester? Unexpectedly, you returned home quite early. Mother is very happy.”

My mother’s sweet voice was heard.

I wasn’t curious about him but I mirrored her actions, glancing at my brother with my eyes gleaming with curiosity.

do not repost our translations. read only at droppedinks.wordpress.com

While cutting a large steak that contrasted with the meal on my plate, he nonchalantly shook his hand.

“Well, I passed the exam with the highest score so I got an early vacation.”

As I was chewing on the salad, I almost burst into laughter at those words.

I wasn’t sure if there was an early graduation, but I have never heard of an early vacation. Except for that idiot?

“Oh my, I see! As expected, that’s our son. Well done!”

My mother smiled brightly, nodding her head to the absurd story. I swallowed my drink and laughed along with my mother.

Jeffrey had no interest in studying, so his mind was not intelligent.

Given his enormous pride, he would have quit school right away after achieving such a high grade. But I don’t think he was actually kicked out from the academy either.

If he was kicked out, he knew deep down that his beloved father and mother would instantly have a change of heart.

So, I don’t think he dropped out….

‘But why did you suddenly return?’

[1] A saying for reaching an obstacle/situation where you can’t make progress

[2] Belladonna (atropa belladonna), also known as deadly nightshade is a poisonous plant that was used as a beauty enhancer to dilate the pupils to achieve that soft and seductive look.

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