14 Can't sleep

Soon after what happened, I checked to see if this was another damn dream by trying all the methods I knew from my past life.

Like holding my breath while dancing, pinching my cheeks, and the list goes on.

Unfortunately, none of them worked.

So, the only conclusion I could draw was to accept the fact that what had just happened was, indeed, yeah, just another damn dream.

"Hehehe, now, without further ado, time to sleep!" I muttered to myself before burying my face in the pillow and slowly closing my eyes.

'Finally... some peace,' I thought as I tried to sleep.

Since I knew it was just a dream, I could finally calm my mind and fall asleep.

However, there is another big problem arose.

"Why can't I fucking fall asleep?!" I yelled in frustration, clenching my fists as I punched my pillow repeatedly.

-Bash!!

-Bash!

-Bash!!

Why am I doing this? Simple, I just want to make myself tired enough to fall asleep.

But no matter what I did or how many punches I threw, jumping on the bed, or even rolling my body, it seemed impossible to fall asleep.

"Damnit... I give up," I muttered as I sprawled on the bed and stretched my arms, staring at the dark ceiling.

"..!" While looking at the ceiling, an idea suddenly popped into my head: 'Why not just stay awake for the whole night, right? Because no matter what I do, it seems I couldn't bring myself to fall asleep.'

"If I can't sleep, why not watch some videos on my wristwatch to bore myself," I Said before tapping open my wristwatch.

-Pung!

______

Jan 9, 5041 2:25 A.M

______

The moment the mini holographic screen popped up, my eyes immediately widened.

Not because the wristwatch's brightness was set to the maximum, it was because of the time itself.

"Huh? Why is it still 3 am??!" I retorted in disbelief.

Realizing the fact that I still needed to stay awake for the next three hours until the sun rose.

Or till I fall asleep, which is kind of Impossible in my current situation.

"Damn, what am I going to do? Watch some stupid video?" I frowned.

Yet, despite knowing this, I still pressed the APK called 'Clutch Tube' and watched some funny videos.

◇

Fifteen minutes later, while scrolling through videos on the Clutch tube, I give up.

"Fuck, this is so boring..." I grumbled as I tapped off the wristwatch.

Before deciding to get out of bed.

As I stood up, I walked through the mirror, glancing at myself to check if I had actually wet my pajamas,

Fortunately, I didn't.

While feeling relieved, an idea popped into my head.

"If I can't sleep, why not snatch some midnight snacks? Maybe that might work, right?" I muttered to myself.

As I decided that going outside might actually help me fall asleep, I opened the door and stepped outside.

The moment that I left the room, I crouched and moved quietly, not attempting to make any noise.

After all, if I got caught sneaking some midnight snacks in the middle of the night, it would lead to much more bigger trouble than Unable to fall asleep.

Thus, moving quietly was my best option.

"Slowly... Slowly..." I whispered as I moved swiftly but silently, ensuring I reached the center of the mansion without risking being caught.

"Ugh! I wish my room weren't on such a high floor!" I frowned.,

Why? Because my room was located on the fourth floor, which is the very top floor of the mansion. And the kitchen room was on the third floor.

So, what I needed to do was to reach the hallway without being caught and find that damn door.

Or I could jump through the window, hoping for the best that I would fall on the tree.

However, only a reckless idiot would do that, so I wouldn't ever do that stunt twice!

◇

And so, 35 minutes of being self-proclaimed ninja, sneaking and avoiding those Knights and maids that are patrolling the floors.

While also not losing myself in this giant-ass mansion, I finally arrived at the 1st floor.

Upon arriving at the hallway, you will notice that it is just a long line surrounded by countless wooden doors.

[[WorldView Illustration]]

Now, you may ask why there are so many doors here. Well, I don't know, but I have a theory.

Soulsheath family is one of the prominent families in the ark, so a case of poison Assassinations is a very common thing.

Thus, in order to prevent this from happening, my family devised a sophisticated system in which the food is housed behind a door.

Like every time the door was opened, it moved and altered its position.

The only way to figure out where the food is stored is to figure out the pattern or to find the hidden sign, which I am going to use right now.

"Haahh... finally, all I need to do is to find that door," I muttered as I stared around, observing every door to find that hint.

What is that hint, you may ask? My baby picture that was carved below the door handle.

"It this is it?

"No.."

"This isn't one either."

"?!!"

While I'm attempting to find that door, I am looking for it.

I was stopped by a sudden halt as I spotted a faint light in the far distance coming from where I was, which caused me to panic.

"Shit, hide!" I mumbled as I quickly ran inside by one of the doors.

Fortunately for me, I did run into a trap room, or else I will be fuck.

Anyway, I broke into a cold sweat while hiding in the room, followed by an adrenaline rush. And a reckless idea came to mind, but it seemed stupid.

"I know it sounds so stupid, but let's just do this," I muttered before deciding to take a glimpse in the direction from which the light was coming and to see who it was.

I don't know whether it was due to my curiosity or just pure stupidity, but I had nothing to lose anyway.

I peeked at the slit of the door, and the first thing I saw was a knight with long brown hair that covering his back,

A Clear white skin, crystal citrine eyes with a sharp gaze, long white hair, and a feminine rounded face.

'Holy shit, she's so cute; that kind of look is my type, but wait, why does she seem so familiar?' I thought while I kept staring at her with curiosity written on my face.

Observing his body even more, the second thing I noticed was his white-silvered chest armor with A crest moon on it.

Along with a long red cloth that covered his entire body and a rusted sword without a scabbard that was tied to his right waist.

[[Characters Illustration]]

"Wait, she seems really familiar," I muttered before leaning my back against the door,

-Squark...!

However, while doing so, my back accidentally pushed the door without realizing it, and stupidly enough, I also didn't realize it.

"Who's there?!" He yelled in a tough, deep voice as he flashed his flashlight at the door where I was hiding.

"Ahh, shit! Huh? Wait, that pretty face, rusty swords, and that voice... Isn't that Rowan?! Fuck! So it wasn't a girl!" I blurted out loud because of an unexpected realization, causing me to be heard.

"?!!" Rowan noticed the strange noise and rushed his way to where the sounds came from,

-Squark...!

Eventually, he opened the door leading to where I was hiding and saw something I wished he didn't see.

"...Young Master Khierom? What are you doing down there?" Rowan asked while awkwardly staring at me

Who was lying on the floor with my foot up to the sky.

'Argh... it's so embarrassing.' I thought before I spoke while staring at Rowan.

"Nothing," I replied bluntly while maintaining a straight expression as I glanced directly at Rowan's eyes.

"Really? Or do you just want to sneak some snacks?" Rowan jokingly asked.

Ahh, fuck, he caught me. Ugh, there's no way I can escape this by just saying I lost my way to the bathroom.

Without Rowan knowing that I am lying.

"Nah, there's no way I'm going to do something like that," I replied with a completely innocent smile on my face.

"..."

Hearing this, Rowan just went into silence while staring through my chest.

"You're lying, Young Master," Rowan said in disappointment before continuing.

"You knew that my pyrosites' ability can calculate the number of heartbeats of a normal human, right?" Rowan explained, crossing his arms and staring at me in deep silence.

"..."

Well, that's true. Fuck, I thought I could fool him... at least, but well, I guess I have no choice but to gaze at him and give a puppy-like expression on my face.

Stupid... I may be caught, but you may forget that I have a child's body and an adult's mind!

Ughh... I really hate doing this shit again.

"Yeah... I'm sorry; it's just I can't sleep, so I thought maybe eating some snacks might help me fall asleep," I pleaded in an impressionable tone while pretending to have tears in my eyes.

'There you have it. All of my words are true!' I thought as Kepp looked at Rowan, who was now in a panicked state.

"P-p-please don't cry, Young Master," Rowan stammered as he looked at me in panic.

Seeing that, with only a little bit of acting, I could manipulate Rowan. I couldn't help but smirk secretly while gazing at him.

"Poor... one," I muttered, maintaining a pitiful expression on my face.

"Alright, I won't report you, so please stop crying, okay?" Rowan reassured while still in a state of panic.

Hearing this, I couldn't resist teasing him even more.

Thus, because of that, I glanced at him with pleading eyes and asked.

"But I really want my snacks. I'm so hungry." I begged as if I were a child who hadn't eaten for days.

"F-fine, but Splendamin is the only thing I have now," Rowan stammered before reaching into his pocket and showing his cocoa-flavored Splendamin.

"Why Splendamin? I want actual food," I mumbled, but still, I took the Splendamin from his hand.

'SPLENDAMIN'

An artificial nutrient bar packed with the essential vitamins humans need to survive for an entire day.

It was created due to the lack of edible food and gained popularity due to its easy production.

After receiving the Splendamin from Rowan, I immediately left and made my way back to my room, heading straight for my bed.

"Ah, there's no way I'm gonna stay with that lie detector, man," I murmured as I slowly closed my eyes while hugging my pillow.

Knowing that I would finally get a good night's sleep,

-Stoump..

Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching outside the door, followed by a loud bang as the door forcefully swung open.

-Bang!!

"Happy birthday, cutie!" Aria said in a playful tone as she rushed over to my bed and lifted me up like a barbel

'Damnit! I just want to sleep!' I thought before being carried by Aria to the bathroom, unable to move or even speak.