I saw that he had no intention of opening the door, so I quietly lay down inside the closet. There was no need to force him to take me out and bother him. As a “closet monster,” staying locked up wasn’t scary, on the contrary, it was comfortable and warm. As my body and mind relaxed, I began to think.
“Why does Daedric seem so reserved towards me?”
...The answer was simple: because he doesn't know me. Of course, I never explained to him who I was.
People naturally become wary of the unknown.
So, maybe all I need to do is explain myself to him?
If so, why don't I give him a clear introduction to who I am?
Anyway, the closet door was closed, but he seemed to be able to hear me, so I decided to give a whole speech about myself.
It's time to introduce myself properly. I should have done this since our first meeting.
I sat up, looked at the closed closet door, and began speaking.
"Hello, Daedric. I'm the Closet Monster."
“……”
“I may be a monster, but I don't eat people. I just live quietly inside cupboards.”
I didn't need food to survive, but...
"If someone offers me food, I'll eat it. I can taste, you know."
There was silence, but I noticed that the scratching of his pen had stopped whenever I spoke. He seemed to be listening to me.
“Just a moment ago, I really wanted some of that meat...”
“……”
Oh, that slipped me by accident. Just thinking about the thick pieces of meat covered in sauce made my mouth water, but I held myself together and continued.
“I can move between the vaults, but only the ones I've seen before. So, I can walk around most of the Grand Palace, except for a few places.”
“……”
"I can get out of the closet, but sometimes I get pulled back in, like the other day. When that happens, I go back into this closet, it's my home base."
“……”
“Most people can't see me, but you're an exception. I don't know why, but even so, I can touch things, so I'm not a ghost.”
Since I'm not a ghost, I can grab things without my hands going through them. But sometimes, when I touch something in front of others, it seems to float in the air, which makes them panic.
This happened by chance several times before...
“Were you behind the ghost incident a few days ago?”
He asked me! I didn't want to spoil the moment by getting too excited, so I answered as calmly as possible.
“Yes, it was me!”
“……”
Maybe I was too excited.
“I didn't mean to scare anyone, but whenever I grabbed something, I accidentally bumped into the servants...”
The sound of his pen returned, but I wasn't finished yet. I continued talking.
“I like to stay in closets. If I spend too much time outside, I start to lose my strength. I even need to sleep inside the closet, otherwise I become very weak!”
Hmm, what else can I explain?
"I don't know how old I am. I can't see my reflection in the mirror, so I'm not sure what I look like. All I know is that I have gray hair and little horns. But I guess I'm about the same age as you?"
Dedrick was fourteen years old. Due to his malnutrition, his growth was slower than his peers, and he was shorter and very thin. But when he grows up, he will exceed the height of most adult men and become famous throughout the continent for his charisma. I was looking forward to that day.
I smiled at this thought and continued my speech.
“I don't even know when I found myself here. At some point, I just knew that I was the monster of the closet, and that this closet was my home.”
And that's it...if he has any other curiosity, he can ask me later.
"That's all about me. I'm definitely not a monster that would hurt you. I don't eat people."
Despite my long speech, Deidrick remained silent. But moments later, I heard a rustling sound, and then the closet door opened slightly.
I gently pushed the door open and saw that he had used a long wooden stick to keep it closed, but was now pulling it.
While I was staring at the back of his round head, I called out to him cheerfully:
“Thanks, Didi!”
“……”
I called him a nice nickname, but he didn't object.
Since he didn't show any discomfort, I decided to keep calling him that. Maybe it will help us get closer.
After watching him all night, she was relieved that he had not become ill.
“I was a little worried when I told him to eat meat...”
But it seems that the food was not poisoned after all.
I exhaled in relief, and continued to watch him read his book.
Although it was not yet dawn, Daedric was awake without a trace of fatigue, and he opened a book. He was very hardworking.
“Isn't this boy ever sleepy?”
I leaned my cheek on the table and yawned. Even if I didn't need food, I needed sleep. Normally, I would have been asleep by now, but I stayed up all night watching Daedric.
My eyelids started to get heavy, but I tried to stay awake...until I fell asleep and quietly closed my eyes.
“……”
“……”
With her breathing even and calm, Deidrick put down the book he was holding. The pages of the book had not changed since he first opened it.
He was busy keeping an eye on the girl who stayed up all night for him. He had noticed her cautiously coming out of the closet, watching him late into the night. Sometimes, she would put her hand on his forehead and then sigh in frustration, saying:
“I can't tell if he has a fever because my hands are so warm!”
Because of that, he ended up staying up all night as well.
Rubbing his tired eyes, Deidrick recalled her words from last night.
“I have to sleep inside the closet, otherwise I will lose all my strength!”
“...That's what she said, right?”
After a short hesitation, Daedric looked at the closet that was now wide open.
Carefully, he picked the girl up in his arms. It was very small and light—so much so that, despite his diminutive size, he could carry it easily. Her soft, comforting warmth was something he hadn't felt since his mother's death. This feeling was foreign to him, but somehow comforting, so much so that he bit his lips trying to hold back the feelings that attacked him.
“……”
He clenched his hands tightly, but forced himself to relax.
Very carefully, he put it inside the cupboard. As he pushed her messy gray hair away from her face, he caught a glimpse of her long eyelashes.
His eyes wandered a little before settling on the small horns on her head.
The little red horns that protruded from her hair were so cute that he couldn't resist his curiosity.
He hesitated for a moment, then touched one of them lightly.
“Knock.”
The horn vibrated slightly, barely noticeable.
Panicked, Deidrick quickly withdrew his hand and closed the closet door in one fell swoop. He rushed to his office and hurriedly opened his book. But even as breakfast approached, the pages remained as they were, unchanged.
“I didn't notice if they put something weird in your food because I was asleep.”
"……"
"I'm sorry."
As the youngest son, Diderik was last in line of heirs.
Things got worse after his mother died, as there was no one to support him.
His mother was the daughter of a fallen noble family, so there was no outside support to rely on.
In this great duchy, Daedric had no one to rely on…except himself.
“But now, he has me too.”
I felt a sudden urge to get closer to him, so I crept up beside him and peeked at the table. The meal placed in front of him was far from what could be called a proper breakfast, and I sighed deeply.
The servants were busy pleasing Duchess Delaney, who hated Daedric because he was an illegitimate son. As a result, he was not treated well.
“And on top of that, Somerset and his younger brother, Axel, enjoyed messing with his food.”
But I will not allow them to continue these cruel games any longer.
"They probably didn't poison him. That would be a bit silly for breakfast…"
“……”
“But then again, they're the kind of people who would do that.”
“……”
“I will taste it for you. Even if it contains mild poison, I can remove the toxins from my body! I will not die from it.”
It might hurt a little, but if I stay in the closet all day, I'll recover quickly.
Unless someone sets fire to the closet or destroys it completely, I can't die.
This was something I knew innately since I was born as a closet monster.
“However, I am not sure whether I have been reincarnated or my body has been possessed.”
The only memories I had of my previous life were long, exhausting years of illness. So I wasn't sure if I had really died and moved into this body, or if there was another secret behind my existence.
“My memories are intertwined…”
I didn't know where I came from, nor why I was born a closet monster.
Perhaps, like the fairies, they simply appeared.
"I'm serious."
But Deidrick remained silent.
Good. If you won't give me food... I'll lick it!
“I can't let Didric get sick!”
I stuck out my tongue playfully and slowly approached the plate. But as soon as he saw that, Deidrick quickly reached out to cover the plate, making my tongue inadvertently touch the back of his hand.
Daedric let out a surprised cry
“Ah!”