“Mom!!”
I couldn’t even scream properly. I just toppled over and, from where I lay, looked up at my sister upside down.
“What are you doing? In the storage room?”
My sister, looking down at me, had a very strange expression. I gave her an awkward smile.
“Not sleeping either, I see.”
Adjusting the shawl draped over her shoulders, my sister tilted her head slightly.
“I-I thought I might… take a walk?”
“…A walk?”
Her gaze clearly said, ‘Here?’, and I had no words to reply. My sister crouched in front of me, then smoothed out the frown on her face and flicked my forehead.
“Ah. I get it. You came to see Nox, didn’t you?”
“Huh?”
“That kid is fast asleep. I checked earlier—he’s been out like a light since this afternoon. Must have been tired.”
My sister was smiling.
“Wait a second, you said you checked? You mean, you checked on Nox sleeping? When?”
“Hm? Oh, earlier this evening. His blanket was puffed up. He was sleeping so soundly I didn’t go in.”
I remembered changing his clothes and tucking him in with the blanket my sister had given me. It was me who had carried the drowsy Nox into the storage room.
“You’re such a worrywart. What, were you worried he’d be scared sleeping alone?”
My sister seemed completely convinced that I’d come to check on Nox because I was worried about him. Leaving her smooth misunderstanding as it was, I suddenly sensed something was wrong.
‘She didn’t see Nox, did she?’
Right. If she had seen him, she wouldn’t be acting this calm. I quickly looked at the door. There were no windows in the storage room. Because of that, we always had to turn on a small lamp when entering. That meant it was highly likely my sister hadn’t seen that his body had grown or hadn’t noticed anything strange.
“…Sister, you said you checked this evening. He’s still sleeping?”
“Mm-hmm. So you should go to bed too. Don’t disturb a kid while he’s sleeping. Don’t you know about growth spurts? Growth spurts. He must’ve been tired, so let’s not wake him.”
“Ah! Wait, wait! Didn’t you notice anything weird?”
“Weird? What’s weird about it?”
Seeing her puzzled expression, I was sure. She hadn’t seen. The way she talked confirmed it. Instead, looking at me as if I was the strange one, she suddenly clapped her hands.
“Are you worried the storage room is too dark for a child? You. Really, he’s already grown, you know. Luckily, Nox was sleeping just fine. Such a gentle kid. From tomorrow, we’ll give him your room, so it’ll be fine.”
“A-ah. That’s… good.”
“Right, right. Now let’s go to bed. Come on.”
Swinging our clasped hands back and forth, my sister spoke. She often treated me like a little kid, and right now was no different from when she used to lead me to bed as a child.
“I know you care, but you shouldn’t wake him.”
“No, I just…”
My sister started talking about how I used to throw terrible tantrums at bedtime when I was younger, all while gently pushing me away. With her hand nudging me along like a wave sweeping away a seashell, I had no chance to speak and was forced to head back to my room.
“You’re not going to sleep?”
“Mm? I will. After I see you lie down.”
The glance she gave me made it clear she wouldn’t leave until I was in bed. If I wanted to see Nox, I’d have to sneak past her somehow… but that was hopeless now. Eventually giving up, I obediently lay down in bed.
“Good night.”
And just like that, the first day my sister brought home the male lead came to an end.
* * *
A few days passed.
Several days went by without me being able to confirm Nox at night, and nothing out of the ordinary happened. In the meantime, the sight of a small boy in this house gradually became familiar. Morning, noon, and dinner—we ate all three meals together, and while my sister went out gathering herbs, I spent every minute alone with him, which pretty much forced me to get used to it.
“This word is Estella. It means ‘star.’”
The book we were reading was one I had used around the age of ten. Many of our books were worn from use, since books were expensive, so my sister and I read them over and over. This simple picture book for basic vocabulary had an illustration for each word.
“…Estella.”
The word I had spoken rolled out of his soft voice. Nox, staring curiously at the picture, reached out his hand. The stiff texture startled him, and his small fingers shrank back, but his amethyst eyes blinked wide, fascinated.
Lifting his head, Nox pointed with his finger and looked at me.
“…Amy.”
“Hm?”
“Estella.”
Oh, does he mean the first letters are the same? Seeing him pointing at the letters, I nodded.
“…Ah, yeah. They both start with an ‘E’ sound. But it’s not related to me. I’m nothing like a shiny, sparkling star. Still, it’ll be easy to remember.”
No, I’m not ‘Miss E,’ thank you very much. Muttering inwardly, I turned to the next page. It showed Luna, the moon. I was about to pronounce it when I noticed Nox staring quietly at me.
The biggest change from before he came here was this. There was now a small, animal-like boy stuck to me all the time.
Nox’s daily routine started with running straight to me as soon as he woke up, clinging to me. Whether I was washing my face, eating meals, or even doing house chores—he followed me everywhere, padding along behind me when I carried the laundry basket. Once, I told him not to follow me and to sit quietly instead, but then…
“…Don’t go.”
He sat there hugging the first book I ever read to him, looking like he was about to cry.
Weren’t you supposed to be a cold, ruthless human being with no blood or tears…?
I was so dumbfounded. In the end, my sister scolded me that day for leaving a child alone, and I had no choice but to let this little creature tag along. That was how things had been these past few days.
“Nox, Nox. The name ‘Amy’ means ‘a beloved child.’ Cute and lovable, right?”
“Cute?”
“Yeah. My parents spent ten whole nights deciding on it. Even when I couldn’t control my potty habits back then, and even now, they thought I was adorable.”
“Sis, no useless small talk during lessons. You’re interrupting.”
“You little brat. Always grumbling.”
Behind us, where Nox and I were studying, my sister smiled softly as she trimmed herbs. Normally, preparing herbs was my job. My sister handled gathering and hunting, while I was mainly in charge of household chores. But ever since she suggested that I teach Nox, some of my chores had shifted to her.
“Your skills improve the most when you teach someone. You should study too, right?”
My sister thought Nox didn’t talk much because he didn’t know how to speak. Because of her insistence, I suddenly became the male lead’s private tutor.
The truth, though, was that this little brat not only knew all these words but used to have refined conversations in elegant ancient dialects at high-society gatherings.
Since we lived alone in this remote forest, my sister had been my teacher. But because chores and gathering couldn’t be neglected, I naturally had little time for studying. So, of course, she looked pleased that I was now forced to study again by teaching Nox. In the original book, this was supposed to be her role, though.
I glanced at Nox. The same Nox who had once yelled at my sister to stay away from him was now slightly calmer after a few days. Slightly calmer, but still wary. Every time my sister approached, his darting eyes were full of I want to get out of here right now.
“Ta-da! Nox, guess what this is?”
Startled, Nox hurriedly hid behind me.
“Sis, you’re scaring him.”
“Scaring him.”
“Nox, don’t repeat after me.”
Peeking out with only his eyes visible, Nox frowned at my sister.
“Don’t want it.”
“That’s not true. I’m not giving it to you. It’s for Amy. Here, Amy!”
And so my sister always gave snacks to me instead of him. Her face sparkled with expectation as she handed me cookies.
‘You’re just making him dislike you more.’
Sighing, I passed the cookie to Nox.
“Want a cookie?”
“…Want it.”
Still wary of my sister, Nox quietly took it from me as if nothing had happened. His small hand clutched the cookie.
Chew, chew.
“Is it good?”
…Nod.
His gaze fixed on me, his amethyst eyes shone brightly.
Tap, tap, tap! My sister, watching Nox chew, silently squealed and clapped her hands against her shoulders in excitement.
“Amy! Amy! One more! Give him one more!”
“…Sis.”
…My shoulder hurts, you know. Shaking my head, I handed her another cookie from the basket.
It hurt. It really hurt. But saying so was useless—this had been happening for days now.
“All right, Nox. Listen while you eat.”
Nod.
“The Night Forest is the biggest forest on the eastern continent. Animals live there, but so do monsters. People who hunt monsters to survive are called monster hunters. See the picture?”
Honestly, teaching Nox this stuff felt pointless, but I dutifully explained the encyclopedia my sister had brought. My job now was to teach him continental language and general knowledge once a day.
“We live in the Night Forest too.”
“Night Forest.”
“Mm-hmm. There are small monsters in the forest and some very dangerous ones. So you must never go into the forest.”
In this forest, monsters—beasts shaped like nightmares—lived alongside us. My sister, a former knight, sometimes hunted smaller ones or gathered herbs and wild vegetables, while I, lacking any significant skills, never left the house.
“This area is the only safe zone.”
Among the monster-infested Night Forest, there were small areas where monsters never set foot, called “safe zones.” They were usually tiny and hard to find, so discovering this place was sheer luck for us. Or maybe just narrative convenience from the book.
Now that I thought about it, wasn’t it amazing that Nox had wandered around in his child form and made it here? He must’ve passed through monster habitats. Luck aside, just imagining him pushing through this forest with such tiny hands and feet made my chest tighten.
“Mm, it’s already four o’clock.”
“Oh? Really.”
“Today’s lesson ends here!”
Normally, we ate dinner a little after five. Lately, I’d moved dinner earlier—a trick to make sure Nox stayed in his room before nightfall.
The truth was, I still hadn’t seen Nox’s true form. I hadn’t even managed to step outside at night. My sister was incredibly sensitive to noises; the one time I got up at night, she immediately sensed it and asked where I was going.
So several days had passed, and I still hadn’t even seen a single strand of adult Nox’s hair. It was honestly strange that nothing had happened so far.
‘Hopefully, nothing goes wrong because of this.’
While tidying up the books, Nox looked at me, then placed his small hand on top of the closed book.
“Estella.”
“Oh my, you remembered it already? How smart!”
At Nox’s murmur, my sister was the first to react.
“Estella. That’s one of my favorite words. Amy is like a sparkling star (Estella) to me. Right, Nox? You like Amy too, don’t you?”
“Sis.”
“Then give her a hug like this!”
“…”
For the first time, Nox looked directly at my sister. His amethyst eyes, shining like a sunlit gemstone, turned from me to my sister, who was hugging me tightly.
“Stop it already. Sis, it’s your turn to make dinner.”
“Haah, you’re just embarrassed, aren’t you? Such a shy little thing. That’s why I like you, but come here, one more hug!”
“Enough! Ah! Ah! Stop!”
Finally letting go only after hugging me tightly, my sister dashed off to the kitchen, saying she’d start dinner. I ruffled my messy hair as Nox sat clutching the book, staring at me intently.
“…Amy.”
“Mm?”
At his hesitant voice, I looked back at him, but for some reason, Nox, after parting his lips, said nothing. Slowly lowering his gaze, he hugged the book I had been reading to him.
“….”
As if replacing whatever he wanted to say. Hugging it tightly.
* * *
That night.
I pushed aside the hazy sky-colored curtains. Outside, the sky was dark, dotted with stars. Quietly, I turned to look at my sleeping sister.
‘Is she sleeping deeply?’
I waved my hand in front of her face. Usually quick to catch me, tonight she was still. No wonder. I had secretly mixed a bit of distilled liquor into her dinner. Edible, yes, but strong enough that we sometimes used a drop to remove gamey smells from meat. After drinking it, she’d naturally fallen into a deeper sleep than usual.
Leaving my sleeping sister behind, I carefully opened the door. Sorry, Sis. But this is for our survival. Silently apologizing, I closed the door gently. My destination was the room right across the hall—my room. Swallowing nervously, I grabbed the doorknob, not hesitating like I had on the first night.
‘Perfect timing.’
Back when I used to sneak out at night to raid the fridge, opening doors without making a sound had been easy.
Nox’s room felt unexpectedly cool. The window was slightly open. Did Nox open it? Turning my head absentmindedly, I froze.
A large man was sleeping soundly on the bed that had always felt huge to me.
‘…Was my bed always this small?’
While staring at the man, the bed seemed far too cramped. My gaze, trailing up like a vine from his feet, stopped at his chest, unable to move away.
His entire body, filling the bed, was packed with firm muscle. Moonlight draped across his bare arm sticking out from under the blanket.
I realized. Holy crap. He’s shirtless, isn’t he?
I crept closer step by step, eventually reaching his face.
Shit. I gasped, inhaling sharply. It wasn’t even conscious—just instinct. Those long eyelashes casting shadows, that sharp nose bridge, and the stubbornly closed lips below it…
I hurriedly turned my head away. If I stared any longer, I might fall into a trance. Goosebumps prickled all over me. Slowly, I glanced at the black hair scattered across the pillow and swallowed hard.
A sleeping princess in a glass coffin from a fairy tale came to mind. This man looked more like a sculpture than a living being.
‘O-okay. I’ve confirmed it. Time to go back!’
If I stayed, something bad was bound to happen. After confirming his face, I hastily pulled back the hand I hadn’t realized I’d extended. Sweat coated my palm, as if I were stepping on a rickety suspension bridge. I turned to leave quickly. Or at least, I tried to.
Tap. If not for the hand that grabbed me.
“…Who are you?”
My body spun. The sudden movement knocked the breath out of me. The soft mattress pressed against my back, and when I opened my eyes again, I realized I was lying on the bed.
Gulp. I swallowed hard.