Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 19: Schemes and Emotional Investments
Marlon woke up, his eyes catching the fiery red sun reflected in the droplets clinging to the ivy swaying in the breeze outside.
“How… long have I been asleep?”
Pulling his gaze back from the window, Marlon half-sat up, pulling his hands out of the pristine bedding. He shook his cousin, little Anvi, who was sleeping soundly at the side of the bed, breathing evenly.
“Cousin Marlon! You’re finally awake!”
Rubbing his eyes, Anvi’s face lit up with joy when he realized it was Marlon who had woken him.
“Shh, don’t wake anyone else, Anvi,” Marlon gestured for silence before asking, “How long… have I been asleep?”
The answer that came next completely exceeded Marlon’s expectations: he had slept for a full three days.
That span of time involuntarily reminded Marlon of the second sentence left by the mysterious elven mind sorcerer he had met before at the funeral for his poor aunt, Weina Lister:
“Three days from now, come find me at The Light of Eshilia.”
Marlon’s immediate second thought was—
Damn it, that guy’s behind this!
When he first met the mysterious elven mind sorcerer in the treehouse atop The Light of Eshilia, Marlon had felt no particular liking or dislike. But now, there was no doubt: he felt a strong distaste for the elf.
So Marlon decided that there was absolutely no way he was going to The Light of Eshilia restaurant today.
“Anvi, I’m fine. You go wash up and—” Marlon’s words were interrupted by a loud rumble from his stomach, causing his face to flush. Still, he tried to act nonchalant. “How about I take you out for something to eat?”
“Yay! Yes, yes!” Little Anvi, still a child at heart, didn’t think about Marlon’s weak condition at all. He clapped his hands excitedly at the prospect of going out to eat.
Marlon had to gesture for silence once more.
Anvi, his face brimming with anticipation, nodded repeatedly before suddenly remembering something and whispered, “Cousin, aren’t we bringing Sister Amy?”
“Amy?” Marlon, weak from three days in bed, had already swung his legs down and started putting on his shoes. Without looking up, he replied, “Of course we’re bringing her!”
“Ha! Going out to eat, and you don’t even remember your Uncle Bernard?”
The creak of the door and the tap-tap of polished shoes on the floor reached Marlon’s ears, still bent over. And, unmistakably, it was the familiar voice of Sergeant Bernard.
Hearing this, Marlon hurriedly finished putting on his shoes and looked up. Sure enough, standing at the doorway in his neatly pressed uniform was Sergeant Bernard.
In front of him stood the little fox girl, Amy, dressed in a black dress edged with white lace, her outfit giving off a subtle gothic feel. Her sapphire-blue eyes, expressive and alive, looked at Marlon, filled with gentle concern and a faint smile.
Gurgle—
Another loud rumble emerged from Marlon’s stomach.
Sergeant Bernard laughed heartily, and the faint smile in Amy’s eyes deepened into something more mischievous.
Marlon was utterly embarrassed. He wished he could bury his head in a hole like an ostrich or shout, “How shameful! I’ll jump off the building—no one stop me!”
But before Marlon could think of a self-deprecating remark, Sergeant Bernard strode forward and ruffled Marlon’s hair with a hearty hand. “You little rascal! Three days asleep, and now you’re hungry? Do you think this is some place where I, Uncle Bernard, won’t feed you? You want to go outside to buy something to eat, do you think you’re making a statement that I didn’t feed you?!”
“Uh, no, no… I was just speaking out of habit…”
Marlon quickly explained, forcing a wry smile. Back when he was a nine-to-five single office worker, he’d always eaten out three times a day. Telling Anvi they’d go out to eat was just out of habit.
“That’s better!” Marlon’s explanation seemed to lighten Sergeant Bernard’s mood. He then turned to the little fox girl. “Amy, my little darling, it’s up to you now! Show this rascal what true, lip-smackingly good cooking feels like!”
Amy flicked her fluffy tail, tilted her mouth into a mischievous grin, pointed to the top of her head, and scampered downstairs toward the kitchen, as if dancing along a melody of joy.
Marlon understood. Sergeant Bernard had no doubt ruffled Amy’s hair plenty in the past. Now that someone else was suffering the same fate, it was only natural for her to be a little mischievous.
Sigh. This attitude couldn’t go unchecked. Marlon thought he’d have to tell the little girl stories of good people being rewarded and proper values…
But soon, the irresistible aroma wafting from the kitchen made Marlon abandon any moral lectures. He hurried to tidy himself up.
After Marlon, still weak, had finished freshening up under Sergeant Bernard’s supervision, Amy had already prepared a breakfast table—not extravagant, but enough to whet anyone’s appetite: golden-brown toast, colorful fruit and vegetable salad, eggs sprinkled with scallions, fragrant porridge that had clearly been simmering for hours, and freshly squeezed lemon juice in semi-transparent glasses.
As for the taste, Marlon’s first bite convinced him: he couldn’t put down his fork until he was fully sated.
Once he had eaten his fill, Marlon realized with a pang of fear that someone who hadn’t eaten for several days probably shouldn’t gorge themselves like this—it could upset the stomach.
Still, after resting with a full belly on the sofa for half an hour, Marlon’s weakness had vanished completely, leaving him restored to full energy.
During this time, Marlon not only praised Amy’s cooking so enthusiastically that she wagged her tail happily, but he also pieced together what had happened in the two days he was unconscious.
First, the reason for his deep sleep: Sergeant Bernard had consulted a priest of the Healing God, who concluded that Marlon had simply been overwhelmed by grief for his late aunt, Weina Lister. There was nothing seriously wrong, and he would naturally wake after two or three days. Forcing him awake would have been unwise.
The red-haired queen, Ivana, from the Emerald Crest Publishing House, had gone to the slums the day before, following the address Marlon had left. With the help of neighbors, she eventually located Bernard’s small villa.
Ivna not only saw Marlon, still unconscious, but also the nearly ten thousand pages of his handwritten manuscripts filled with densely packed ancient Chinese characters.
Though she couldn’t read the text, the occasional rough “movie scene sketches” caught the attention of the bold and decisive red-haired queen. Without hesitation, she left a check for one hundred Lants and later sent a basket of lemons along with lilies and orchids as a blessing.
Unquestionably, the one hundred Lants check was both a condolence gift and compensation for Marlon having taken custody of Anvi from the Red-Nose Ianwan… truly, a purely emotional investment.
Marlon had every reason to think so, seeing the note Ivna sent with the flowers:
“Dear Marlon, once all is well, please come to the publishing house immediately. We have decided to invest a substantial amount in promoting your Little Prince. —Ivna-Bane.”