Chapter 352: Chapter 352 - Broken

“A-Aaaahh...”

Iris trembled as she clenched the dagger that Oh Kang-Woo had given her. She looked down at the sharp dagger in her hands. Her fear of Fidelio overtook her hatred for him.

‘I-I’m supposed to... stab him with this?’

Her head was in jumbles. She had honestly imagined killing Fidelio with her own hands. No, she had imagined doing things way worse than that countless times, but...

“Haaa, haaa, haaa,” Iris panted heavily.

Her heart beat faster. She could not even look in Fidelio’s general direction. She wanted to throw aside the dagger in her hands.

‘Why... Why?’

Despite all the hatred she had for Fidelio...

‘Why... Why isn’t my body moving?’

Iris aggressively bit her lip. She gripped the dagger tighter and forced herself up. She looked up and stared at Fidelio, who was shaking while bound to a chair.

Clatter!

Then, the dagger in her hands fell to the ground. Iris collapsed and panted heavily.

“Wh-What? Wh-Why...?” Iris expressed confusion.

Kang-Woo looked down at her.

‘Well, it’s to be expected.’

Iris had never even held a blade before, so there was no way that she would be able to stab someone just because she was told to.

‘Especially in a situation like this.’

Kang-Woo could see that Iris could barely look Fidelio in the eyes even now. The fear that had deeply rooted itself in her soul was getting in her way.

‘At this rate...’

She would not be able to stab Fidelio. Kang-Woo walked toward the trembling Iris and crouched next to her.

“What are you doing? Didn’t you say that you wanted to take revenge?”

“U-Uhmm...” Iris gulped while stammering. She slowly handed Kang-Woo the dagger. “Actually, c-could you... do it for me, S-Sir Kang-Woo? I-I’m fine with just watching.”

She had changed her mind after actually coming face to face with her fears. She averted herself from her trauma that was Fidelio.

“No,” Kang-Woo responded firmly as she handed Iris back the dagger. “You have to do it yourself.”

“U-Urghhh.”

Iris bit her lip as the hands that held the dagger shook.

“If you can’t stab him...”

“Mmrp!! Mmmrrpp!”

Kang-Woo extended his hand toward the chair that Fidelio was bound to. Clunk. The chains loosened.

“W-Wait!! I have what you want— Mmrp!”

The loosened chains bound Fidelio once again.

Kang-Woo stared at Iris coldly with eyes devoid of emotion. “... I will unchain him.”

“N-No!”

Iris extended her hands out. She could easily imagine what would happen if Kang-Woo were to unchain Fidelio in this situation.

‘Once again...’

Iris would fall into that hell again— no, an even worse hell would be in store for her. Iris lowered herself to the floor and grabbed the hem of Kang-Woo’s pants.

“D-Don’t. I’m begging you. N-No, I beg of you, sir. Please... Please don’t,” Iris pleaded while crying.

Kang-Woo did not waver in the slightest from her desperation. Anyone could beg while grabbing on to one’s pants. Such an act was meaningless.

“In that case...” Kang-Woo caressed the prostrated Iris’s cheek. “Stab him.”

Iris flinched. She trembled while biting her lip.

“Yes, sir.”

Iris stood up while crying. She tightly gripped the dagger that Kang-Woo had given her. She took multiple deep breaths.

‘I-I can do it. No, I have to do it.’

If she didn't, Kang-Woo would actually release Fidelio. The sound of her clattering teeth echoed within her mind like thunder. She panted heavily, and her heart was beating so hard that it could burst. She shut her eyes tightly, turned to Fidelio, and slowly opened her eyes.

“Haaa, haaa, haaa!”

There was fear. There was a monster. There was a demon where she had opened her eyes to look. Her eyes shook. She could barely face him.

- Your Highness.

The demon’s voice echoed inside her head.

- Please do not be sad. This old man will protect you in place of His Majesty and Prince Reynald.

She should never have taken his hand.

- This is a lesson.

She heard the demon's cackles. The memories of pain and agony returned to her.

“U-Urgghh!”

Iris bent forward like a bow. With the fear spreading throughout her body like a plague, something extremely tiny showed itself. It had been there this entire time; it had just been buried underneath the fear. It was... hatred.

“You... son of a bitch...!” Iris muttered, her eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

She raised the dagger toward the old man, the hideous monster before her eyes, and stabbed.

Pierce!

“Mmmrp!! Urp! Urppp!!”

Clatter! Clatter! The chains binding Fidelio shook violently. Iris could feel Fidelio’s squirms through the dagger that had pierced his right thigh.

“Kyaaaaahh!!” Iris screamed.

The unfamiliar and unpleasant sensation of stabbing flesh traveled to her from the dagger, and it made her freeze. She fell on her butt with the dagger still in Fidelio’s thigh. Kang-Woo appeared from behind her as she crawled backward.

“Good job,” he said as he put his hand on her shoulder to stop her retreat.

“I-It felt so weird. It felt m-mushy, and it was squirming...”

“Yeah.” Kang-Woo put his hand on the back of her hand as if soothing her, and slowly guided her hand to the dagger. “You can do it again, right?”

“Yes.”

Iris nodded and grabbed the dagger that she had stabbed into Fidelio’s thigh. She felt the unpleasant sensation of a struggling living being.

‘I’m scared. I’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscared.’

Tears flowed down her cheeks. She gripped the dagger and pulled it out. Blood spewed out from Fidelio’s thigh and splattered on her.

“Urpp!! Bleeeeegghhh!!” Iris puked with her hands on the ground.

Kang-Woo lightly patted Iris’s back as she emptied her stomach.

“The first time is always the hardest. That’s true for everything in this world. Once you get through the first time, it’ll be much easier than you think the subsequent times.”

“Haaa, haaa, haaa.”

“Now, pick up the dagger again.”

Iris gripped the dagger that Kang-Woo handed her.

“A-Ahhhhhhh!”

She raised the dagger high again and stabbed Fidelio’s thigh. Pierce. A chilling sensation traveled up her hands.

‘Aaaahh.’

Kang-Woo was right. The first time she had done it was hard, but the second time was not as bad.

“Fi... delio...!”

Iris pushed down her fears and pulled out the dagger.

Stab! Stab! Stab!

“Fidelio! Fidelio! Fidelioooooo!!”

She stabbed Fidelio’s thigh again and again with all her might.

“Mmrp!! Mrp!”

She could hear Fidelio’s muffled screams and see his face dyed with fear.

“Heh.” Iris smiled.

The fact that Fidelio was making the face that she had used to make all the time thrilled her.

‘What’s happening?’

She could not understand. No, there was no need for her to understand.

‘It feels good.’

Iris pulled out the dagger and stabbed Fidelio’s thigh again. Kang-Woo gently held her hand.

“You shouldn’t be picky,” he remarked.

“Pardon?”

Iris turned around to see Kang-Woo smiling at her. For a moment, she felt like she saw the face of a demon on Kang-Woo’s. She saw a dark, boundless abyss.

“A-Aahh.”

Iris trembled. The fear that she had felt for Fidelio all this time felt like nothing compared to true fear before her eyes at this moment.

“Now, don’t just stab his thigh. Try stabbing him wherever you want,” said Kang-Woo.

“Wh-Where I want?”

“Yeah.” The demon gave Iris's back a gentle push. He brought his mouth close to her ear and whispered, “Release as much of your hatred as you want.”

Iris’s eyes turned hazy from Kang-Woo’s sweet whispers. She swung the dagger madly.

“IF ONLY!!!”

Blood splattered as fingers were cut and fell on the ground.

“IT WEREN’T FOR YOU!!!”

Iris stabbed Fidelio's cartilage and twisted the dagger with all her might. The cracking of bones sounded out.

“YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!!”

The accumulation of fear was being converted to hatred. Iris continued to swing the dagger while releasing her hatred. The sensation of cutting flesh no longer felt unpleasant to her, nor the dark-red blood splattering all over her.

‘I’m not scared anymore.’

The corners of Iris’s mouth slowly rose. She could finally understand what the thrilling sensation traveling down her spine was.

‘This is fun.’

It was fun beyond belief. She felt like she could burst out into laughter at any moment.

‘I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on something this fun!’

Iris could now understand why Kang-Woo had stared at her in pity. He had likely been frustrated beyond belief.

“Haaa...” Iris sighed in ecstasy as she stared at Fidelio, who had become a rag covered in cuts.

‘It’s over.’

Whoever said that vengeance made one feel empty was a complete dipshit; revenge was sweeter than anything in the world.

“Thank you... Sir Kang-Woo,” Iris said to Kang-Woo, her eyes hazy as if she were high.

Kang-Woo smiled. “What are you talking about? We’re not done yet.”

“Pardon me?”

‘It’s not over?’ Iris thought.

“We’ve only just begun.”

Kang-Woo bit open his thumb and dripped blood on the bloodied Fidelio.

“Urpp!! Mmmmrpp!”

Then, Fidelio jumped as if having a seizure and his wounds healed in the blink of an eye.

“Wh-Wha...” Iris expressed while wide-eyed.

Kang-Woo picked up the dagger on the floor and handed it to Iris.

“Now then...”

‘Let’s start over.’

“The second time will be easier.”

‘And even more the third time.’

***

A few days passed. Clack. Kang-Woo opened the door to a room, and was met with a thick scent of blood.

“H-Hehehehe.”

Kang-Woo could hear a crazy giggle.

“Oh, Sir Kang-Woo~” Iris, who was fully covered in blood, turned toward Kang-Woo and smiled as her eyes gleamed with madness. She walked over to Kang-Woo and asked, “Have I... done well? Have I?”

Kang-Woo smiled brightly and patted her head. “Yeah, you have.”

“Hihi,” Iris giggled in joy and embraced the dagger that Kang-Woo had given her.

There was no longer any fear reflected in her eyes.