Bailonz Street 13

One of the club members playing Hamlet began to recite a passage with deep sorrow.

“Oh, I die, Horatio!”

Who was that? They could have been an actor. The performance was so moving that everyone forgot to be silent and let out sighs of admiration.

After maintaining my composure for a while, I quietly stood up. Clara stood up too. As she followed me out into the hallway, she asked,

“How are you doing these days?”

“How am I doing?”

“You know, about Mr. Moore. You mentioned before that he was on your mind.”

“Oh, we’re just… friends.”

Clara didn’t seem to believe me. She raised her eyebrows and glared.

“Is that really just a friendship? You’re so naive.”

Well, what could I say? It’s unfortunate to keep secrets from a friend, but the fewer people who know about the growing closeness between Liam Moore and me, the better.

Clara hailed a carriage for me and watched until I got in. Before the door closed, she whispered while holding onto it.

“Be careful. There’s been some unsettling rumours at the club lately.”

“Unsettling rumours?”

“People have claimed to see a dead person.”

What? Before I could ask more, Clara closed the door and tapped the side of the carriage. The horses started moving. Through the milky glass, I watched Clara fade into the distance.

She waved.

Feeling uneasy, I waved back.

＊ ＊ ＊

Since Christmas, my seizures have become rare. Honestly, I think I’ve managed to reconcile the disconnect between my mind and body. More accurately, I accepted what had happened to me.

‘Honestly, what choice do I have?’

As I welcomed the New Year, I let go of my obsessive fixation on escape.

I might need to think long-term. Maybe I’ll have to live here until I die to return. After all, it seemed undeniable that I had to see the ‘ending’ to leave, and there was no need to rush when I hadn’t fully understood the world yet.

That’s right. If I’m going to see it, I want a happy ending. A bit more effort for the true ending. Or maybe a hidden ending. It seems like I’m asking for a lot, but I just need to avoid the bad ending. So I’ll make friends and utilise every relationship I can.

Thinking like that, the changes didn’t seem so scary. I could remain composed even when memories of a sibling who never existed surfaced.

Honestly, it wasn’t all bad for me. Thanks to it, I was able to adapt safely to this world, and people around me didn’t notice any discrepancies between me and Jane. In fact, I was grateful for Jane’s memories.

So I might need to view these changes as a blessing. Although it’s a bit uncomfortable to have past and present memories mixed, I could slowly sort them out over time. Meanwhile, I would be one step closer to the ending.

I could now naturally accept my changed life. I am Jane Osmond, a 21st-century person living in the 19th century. At the same time, I was still ‘me.’

Of course, much of my adaptation was thanks to Liam Moore. Without his unwavering dedication, I wouldn’t have endured playing this game up to this point. Though he seemed to be getting a bit overzealous…

Since the kidnapping incident, he refused to leave me alone and protected the house with every charm he knew. Honestly, I half-expected this reaction.

‘But trying to sleep together is a bit much…’

I was appalled.

“Are you a nine-year-old child, coming to sleep with a pillow in hand?”

Liam Moore hugged his pillow and smiled shyly.

“Oh, Jane. I’m more afraid than you think…”

“I remember you chopping up that strange squid like it was a chop steak.”

“Damn it.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

It happened to be raining in London. It had been gloomy since the day, and by night, there was thunder. Using the thunder as an excuse, Liam Moore was now camping out in my room.

“Honestly, Jane. I’m really scared of thunder.”

Good grief.

I couldn’t help but laugh at his shamelessly pathetic face hugging the pillow. It was endearing how he tried to stay by my side even by making himself out to be a thirty-year-old man afraid of thunder. Even though there were no significant threats to me after dealing with Philip Peterson and welcoming a peaceful New Year.

‘Of course, the Black King is still a major threat…’

That’s a problem I have to solve gradually. As I learn more about this place, I need to approach it cautiously.

But I couldn’t completely dismiss his anxiety. I also experienced his disappearance. It was natural for us to care about each other’s safety. Considering how Liam reacted when I went missing, his overprotectiveness made sense. This sensitive man probably blamed himself for everything.

I still remember his large eyes brimming with tears as he collapsed after rescuing me. Because of that memory, I couldn’t be too harsh on Liam when he acted this way.

“Alright, I give up.”

When I patted the bed, Liam climbed up with a delighted smile, neatly taking off his slippers.

I sighed, looking at the man who snuggled up to me.

“It’s strange. You’re thirty now, why are you acting so childish?”

Liam muttered,

“So what if I’m a bit childish? As long as I do my job well outside.”

Yeah, be cold outside and soft at home. You do it all.

Thank goodness the world didn’t know about this soft side of Liam Moore.

Liam, leaning on his elbow and looking at my face, smiled slightly. His long fingers played with my stray hairs. I didn’t know what he was building up to with this pause.

“…Actually, I think it’s time we shared a room.”

What? This scoundrel!

As my gaze turned icy, Liam hurriedly explained.

“No. It’s just that having separate rooms means I might not notice if something happens to you. Especially if someone intentionally breaks in like last time…”

“So your solution is to share a room?”

“…I had no ulterior motives.”

Yeah, right.

I stared at him for a while, then covered my eyes with my hand. Why do I feel like an idiot every time I talk to you? I lamented to the air.

“Oh my gosh, Herschel. Your godson is such a scoundrel…”

Liam chuckled a bit, then shifted to find a comfortable position and buried half his face in the pillow. He blinked quietly. The small oil lamp’s flame was dying, leaving the room lit only by the fireplace. Silence prevailed. I felt the warmth of his breath beside me.

“I’ll think about it.”

When I finally said that, Liam Moore smiled gently.

The rattling of the window was loud. Rain lashed against the glass. Feeling a bit scared, I asked,

“The Thames won’t flood, right?”

“It’s okay. This much rain won’t cause a flood.”

Thank goodness. From Jane’s memories, the Thames often swelled with heavy rain every year, so I worried on rainy days. After all, the Thames was not far from Bailonz Street.

He patted me and urged,

“Let’s sleep now. You’ve been awake too long.”

“Ah, wait….”

Liam, who was about to fall asleep, slowly lifted his eyelids.

“I have a lunch appointment on Thursday with a friend. We’re having a meal with her partner, the three of us.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want to come?”

Knowing his nature of not leaving me alone, he probably would want to.

“Where?”

When I gave Clara’s address, Liam frowned in thought. He pondered for a while, then shook his head.

“It wouldn’t be polite to join a lunch like that, so I’ll wait outside with the carriage.”

“Alright then.”

“If I follow you inside, it might look…”

“Overprotective?”

His warm hand came up to stroke my cheek. I felt drowsy. Despite calling him a scoundrel, Liam Moore was a very effective… human heater. I couldn’t deny that. My vision blurred.

As sleep overtook me, I faintly heard Liam’s voice.

“I just don’t want to make it obvious to everyone how much I care about you.”

His voice was tender, as if it would disappear any moment.

＊ ＊ ＊

When I woke up, Liam was still beside me. Fearing I might vanish, he held onto my sleeve even in his sleep. Yet, he maintained a respectful pillow’s distance.

Really, I’m not going anywhere.

As I tried to gently remove his large hand, he seemed to wake at the rustling sound. The sleepy thirty-year-old, half-awake with one eye open, mumbled. His voice was muffled and hoarse.

“What time is it?”

“Hmm. Nine o’clock.”

I checked the clock and answered. Liam groaned and held his head.

“You idiot.”

I laughed and rubbed Liam’s face. It was warm and soft. Under my hand, he complained, his face squished.

“Why do people have to wake up in the morning and sleep at night?”