Chapter 19: CH 17.1

It was almost evening when I got to the mansion. I’d eaten too many drinks and desserts, so I wasn’t hungry. Still, I had to go because I promised Seniel.

Before that, I called the butler and ordered him to transfer 1,000 gold to Ronan. I added a reasonable excuse that I was saved when I was about to be robbed on the street the other day.

The butler immediately carried out the order without a word. Seeing that he was not surprised to hear the amount of 1,000 gold, he seemed to think that that amount was not huge. Heck, this house alone would cost 1,000 gold to maintain.

I was worried that Ronan might say something about me sending too much money. But I’d always wondered what it was like to play with my money.

Going to the dining room, I noticed Seniel, who looked more powerless than usual.

“…”

He was thinking so deeply that he didn’t even notice that I had entered. Seeing his darkened face also made me feel complicated.

‘Was having fun with the female lead today my last fortune before I died?’

I wasn’t worried about him. I wasn’t worried about myself.

The dark atmosphere seemed to foretell my future. With a sigh, I shook off my worries and greeted him. “Good evening. Did work at the temple go well?”

Waking up from his thought, Seniel flinched. He smiled faintly, managing his expression belatedly.

“Yes. Thanks to you, nothing happened.”

“That’s good.”

Seniel stood up and took an interest in the bouquet in my hand a beat late. I lightly waved the bouquet. The innocent yellow freesia petals swayed gently.

“I prepared a special bouquet today. Keep it in a vase.”

A fairly large bouquet in my hand looked smaller in Seniel’s hand.

“Now, shall we eat?”

The atmosphere of the meal was as quiet as usual, but today it was exceptionally quiet. Seniel still fiddled with his food.

‘Does he normally eat like that?’

Did he normally eat only this much, or did he not eat because of me? Now I was a little curious.

“Hey, Seniel.”

“Yes?”

Seniel, whose head had been looking down, finally looked up. His thick, long eyelashes fell down sadly in his helplessly open eyes.

“You should-”

Seniel waited patiently for my words. But I stopped talking and shut my mouth.

‘I’m not in a position to worry about anyone.’

I swallowed back the words of encouragement to eat a lot. I would leave in a few days, so I wondered what the encouragement was all about.

“Forget it.”

I also refrained from saying he looked tired because it was his father’s anniversary and comforting him not to worry too much.

“… All right.” Seniel complied without questioning. He then lowered his eyelids, took a small slice of the salad, and quietly put it in his mouth.

That was Seniel’s last bite.

How suffocating and exhausting. I also finished my meal by drinking water.

Outside the dining room, Seniel waited patiently for me. Taking a long breath, I decided to give him and myself the best consolation.

“Would you like to shake hands?”

I suddenly reached my hand in front of him, and he looked at my hand like yesterday. Later, he also held out his hand.

“Let’s strive hard to survive.” Maybe the word ‘to survive’ was the best comfort for us.

Seniel licked his lips as if he had something to say.

‘Is he trying to answer me?’

I expected a simple answer like, ‘Yes, let’s strive.’ But he exceeded my expectations as those pretty lips were sealed shut again. What was he going to say?

I wanted to ask, but I wasn’t really curious. So I decided to let it pass.

As I let go of him, I reminded him of my morning’s request. “Remember what I said this morning? I told you to stay calm and not go out.”

“Yes.”

While answering quickly, Seniel’s eyebrows drooped further down. His eyes implied he wasn’t sure if that was all he needed to do.

“That’s all you have to do, okay?”

“… Yes.”

What a good answer.

He still couldn’t take his eyes off me as if he had something to say. But in the end, no words came from him.

***

I wore a turtleneck pajama with various self-defense items attached to my waist. They couldn’t be seen from outside. After patting my stomach where the self-defense items were placed, I lifted the pillow. I made sure that the cute shocker was in place.

‘It’s worth a try even if my enemy is Kid.’

I planned to attack Kid with the shocker, drink a running potion, and go out at full speed. I had a slight chance of winning if I ran away on a horse in the mansion. Actually, I didn’t know how to ride a horse, but wouldn’t it work out once I got on it and stuck to it? Then… Mm… I knew where Ezette’s house was, so should I just run straight to Ezette?

‘No matter how strong Kid is, the female lead is as strong as him.’

I had no choice but to trust Ezette.

Admiring my perfect plan, I wrapped myself in a blanket. I just closed my eyes and prayed. Please don’t come again today.

***

— Bang, bang.

I woke up from the noise and looked at the door nervously. Even after waiting for a long time, the door did not budge. The roar was not from the door, as it was perfectly fine.

— Bang, bang.

The strange noise rang again. This time it was a little louder than the first time.

‘It sounded like something is being hit several times at once.’

It was like the sound of objects of different materials being put together and slammed with fists.

The end sounded like a piano.

‘What the hell is it this time?’

I shivered under the blanket with a tearful face. I remembered the nightmare of the first floor that I had barely forgotten.

The roar stopped. I shut my eyes tightly. It’s just the beginning.

***

On the night when the moon was high, Kid woke up unpleasantly. He nervously ruffled his hair as soon as he got up. His braid fell off the bed.

Half raised, he recalled what day it was today.

‘Ah, it’s that damn day.’

It was his father’s anniversary and the day he committed his first murder. No wonder he felt bad.

‘I should have killed him earlier.’

With such regrets, Kid got up more roughly than usual. His mood was sinking indefinitely.

Benefitting from his good night vision, he walked around the room without a single light. Then, when he found something, he suddenly stopped walking.

“I’m feeling so annoyed now. But someone’s actually dating?”

The freesia, which bloomed brightly in the moonlight in the vase, caught his attention. He somehow felt more feverish upon looking at the bright yellow freesia.

It was he who threatened Vivi to seduce Seniel, so he had no reason to be angry. But he just didn’t like it. Today, there was nothing he liked about this damn room, this damn mansion, and this damn body.

Kid opened the door and left the room. The thought of going out on the street and killing had cooled down. He wasn’t in the mood to go out today. Instead, on impulse, he decided to enter a room he hadn’t been to for a very long time.

Behind the locked door, a spacious room with two pieces of furniture was revealed. There was an old piano and a single couch next to it. In the room with only furniture, the owner’s desire to appreciate only the sound of the piano was clearly channeled.

“This room always looks like shit.”

Kid tapped the piano pillar with his foot. The dark piano reminded him of his parents enjoying the piano.

‘I should have burned it then.’

Years ago, Kid had tried to burn this piano after killing his father. However, there had been more to be concerned about than just the piano; at some point, it was forgotten from his memory.

‘Well, let’s burn it now.’

Feeling grumpy for no reason, he slammed the keyboard. All white and black keys were pressed poorly, producing a terrible sound. He didn’t know who took care of it, but it seemed well-maintained. Even though it was pressed like that, not a single dust was blown out of the piano.

Kid struck the keys a few more times in discord. Then he quickly lost interest and tried to light a fire with a match.

Tuk. Before he started a fire, a memory flashed through his mind.

Someone affectionately swept his hair and taught him to play the piano.

‘Guh…’

His face was horribly distorted by the warm feeling he felt in his memory. This wasn’t Kid’s memory. It was Seniel’s.

The two could not share memories with each other. They could only briefly read each other’s memories when they felt intense emotions.

Kid spat curses at the unpleasant sensation. He felt dirty. He just wanted to rip out the brain that remembered these things. The desire to cover this memory with other stimulating experiences soared.