39 | secret; a wish to stay

When a maid, dressed in shambled clothing and sauntering over with the likeness of a zombie, approached, Lucas immediately stepped forward. He preferred not to use the ability obtained in Cinderella's Story, but it would do in this instant.

Before the cloaked man could protest, Lucas put on a flattering smile that would seem to directly oppose his features, but instead settled naturally.

He radiated the air of a gentleman, calm and observing.

[Kind Seduction]

The ability to charm a person with a certain amount of interest—however, the clause was that the user complimented the target every 5 second interval.

Now, Lucas wasn't exactly the best at compliments.

Therefore, while his pale eyes flickered a seductive pulse of crimson, making the depth of his irises rival the midst of a scorching flame, the words the left his mouth made quite the striking contrast.

"Your teeth are very white." praised Lucas as the dazed maid flushed, widening her yellowed smile. "Help distract any other... maids for me, and make sure they don't interfere."

He slipped in a command, or as he preferred to call it, a suggestion.

"If you see the Prince," Lucas paused—it shouldn't be so simple to have the zombie maids stop the prince. There was likely an effect to prevent that, and therefore he changed his words. "Make a loud noise by dropping something, or falling, anything."

The maid nodded slowly, her stringy hair swaying with her movements. However, the glaze was slowly beginning to disperse and Lucas quickly added,

"You have wonderful hands."

Behind, Kane glanced at the woman's wrinkled palms, and peeling flakes of skin that revealed layers of red flesh underneath.

"......"

Since when had his little brother become such a playboy?

He felt rather speechless. A rather terrible one at that—though considering the amiable expression on the opposing party... maybe this sort of method worked well?

Kane, single for years while hopelessly waiting for his brother to return home, took that piece of twisted knowledge to heart.

"Now," Lucas lowered his voice, more out of sleepiness than purposeful sultry, but it made him sound soothing, like the lull of waves lapping against the shore. "You never saw me, right? You won't utter a word about me, because you don't remember me."

The maid nodded slowly, and Lucas took a step back as her head rolled, seeming to be on the verge of slipping off.

In fact, underneath the strange, lumbered movements and flayed skin, the outlines of her face told that she was likely a beautiful woman. Who knew what the strange prince had done to have her turn into this state.

Thinking that, and without the proper target to look at, Lucas turned around and shook his head at the 'Prince'.

Although Kane's current role was indeed the Prince, he didn't understand the sudden disappointment in his sibling's gaze. Shouldn't he be the disappointed one?

His sweet, loving brother had become a flirt!

The pair of siblings, one ridiculous and the other, oblivious, sighed.

Lucas allowed himself to sink back into his thoughts. Where would Snow White be kept? She should be a guest, somebody invited by the Prince. If that was the case, the upstairs bedrooms would be the best guess.

He initially wanted to check the Prince's bedroom, but the cloaked man had claimed to have woken in that room, and should've noticed if that was the case.

Actually... he hadn't checked his Titles recently, or the abilities he'd gained from Prison Story. If there was anything at all, but he'd dismissed it entirely at the time, so he wouldn't know.

He'd take a look later, if he remembered.

The pair crept up the stairs silently, careful in the pitch that surrounded. The lights had yet to turn back on, and it was likely the game would continue without it.

Kane suddenly stopped at the top of the stairs. "There were footsteps."

Lucas, well-adapted in the dead night, nodded. He glanced sideways and slipped into a nearby room.

Ducking under the large-spread bed, he held his breath.

The hooded man slipped underneath beside him, closer to the edge, cocooning Lucas further towards the center.

Lucas stared suspiciously, but it was even harder to make out any expression when he couldn't see anything. "You... what are you doing?"

"Preparing my sacrifice."

"....."

He still didn't understand why this stranger said he'd sacrifice himself, then clung to him like a wet rag slapped onto marble. It didn't make him uncomfortable. On the contrary, there was a refreshing ease at the words.

But that only made Lucas more disturbed.

He swallowed back his thoughts, pressed under the compact space underneath the compressed space, feeling the wooden frame graze the top of his head.

And then a roll, an indent from above him.

He held his breath.

Creaaaaaaaaak—

A long, dragging creak pierced the silence, and the sound of shuffling bed covers came from horribly closer. Right above them. Lucas dug his fingers into the cold hardboard, a painful jolt running along his fine bones.

He heard more movement, closing his eyes to fully tune into the sounds. No more than a mere breath entered his ears, as if nobody existed anywhere.

Like he was all alone in this dark room, trapped underneath a bed.

He didn't dare move.

Something dragged against the top, moving and rolling around the sheets. It sounded heavy, slumped over like a dead weight.

Had he opened his eyes, he would've seen a ghostly white foot, with throbbing blue veins, a striking disparity. A foot that looked to be on the verge of crumbling, dried skin flaking, and the red peel of gore peeking out.

Perhaps he knew that, because he kept his eyes shut. Trusting his senses alone, and praying that nothing stared at him, only inches away.

Praying that nothing was watching him, pressing its cold cheeks on the floor and peeking underneath.

Weren't ghosts supposed to hide under the bed?

Since when was the situation reversed? In fact, since he was the one under the bed, he concluded that whatever it was above should be scared of him—not the other way around.

Kane, oppositely, decided to keep his eyes open the moment Lucas decided to shut his. Since his little brother decided to listen, he would be the eyes that saw.

To begin with, his hearing wasn't good enough for him to completely rely on it.

That was why the scratch-covered, blistering skin that had been unnoticed by Lucas vividly appeared before Kane. He sucked in a breath, disgust rolling in his stomach.

Shuffling slightly, he moved in front of Lucas so that even if the other opened his eyes, he wouldn't see the terrible sight. The feet moved away, slow and unbalanced as it stumbled.

A creak signaled the open door, but he never heard it shut.

It was a waiting game.

The ticking of a clock in the background strummed against their ears, and he waited for the door to close. It seemed that the ghost was standing, peering back into corner of the room.

Peering back at them.

Was it waiting for them to believe it escaped before rushing out?

Finally, the door closed shut again and Kane waited for several moments, hearing nothing else. To confirm his thoughts, Lucas scrambled from under the bed without another thought.

He swept his gaze across the room confidently, before nodding at Kane.

"Come out."

Kane had already struggled to crawl out, startled at Lucas' sudden movements. "Be careful," he warned. "You couldn't have known whether it left or not."

"I heard its footsteps leave."

"But—"

"I trust myself." stated Lucas calmly, the pale white of his eyes bright in the dimness. "And only myself."

In other words, there was no point warning or questioning him. Because he didn't care to listen to any other thoughts, if not his own.

Kane wondered, if he pulled off his hood now, what sort of expression would the other make? Because such thoughts sulked in his mind, he couldn't help but ask, "What would you do if you met up with somebody you ran away from?"

Lucas startled, frowning. He stared for a few moments, deciding that he was stuck with the other person and may as well answer. "I would run away again."

"No matter who it was?"

The man fell silent. That wouldn't be right, he decided after thinking a second longer. He didn't have anybody he ran away from—

—something throbbed in his head, and he sucked in a harsh breath.

Blinking away the pain, he brought the question to his mind. If he decided to run away from somebody, it would likely be somebody he wanted to protect. He couldn't imagine running away from mere fear or shame.

If he decided to run away from a person because he thought it was for their sake... then he doubted his deeper desire was to never see that person again.

"I would," started Lucas in a slight daze. "Wonder how they were doing."

"And?"

"And I would hope that they'd lived a good life, in all the years I had turned away. And then I'd run away again, or..."

Kane swallowed, clenching his fists tightly. Meaning to ask in a steady tone, it came out instead, hoarse and helplessly hopeful. "...Or?"

"Or realize that I should've never run away to begin with."

A shudder ran through Kane's body, and he was near tempted to reach out right now and tear off his own hood. Remember me. Come back to me.

Stay by my side this time.

But knowing that Lucas might regret the decisions of the past also brought him a wave of disappointment. Because didn't that mean they wasted all these previous years running away from each other?

Lucas pressed his ear against the door, confirming that there were no footsteps or sneaky surprises plastered against the outside, and pushed it open.

His eyes had slightly adjusted more to the darkness, focusing on the outline of shapes. Glancing both ways, he nodded back at his hooded companion that had gone silent.

"There's nobody. Let's move quickly—there are a few more rooms on this floor."

"...yes, let's continue moving."

Lucas stopped to eye his companion, confused. A twist in the atmosphere, a change in mood that was clearly displayed.

He questioned it, curious, but felt as if he had no right to ask this stranger about such personal things. It was better not to learn more about this person too, in the case that they also disappeared.

Just like Elias.

Lucas fell into a lumbering silence. No, that sly weed couldn't have died in such a pathetic way, out of the sake of sacrifice.

He knitted his brows and chose not to think about it further.

They continued along the empty hall, no sounds of footsteps, save for their own that creaked along the old floorboards. Shadows scattered on the floor, and sometimes Lucas thought he saw a shape dash by his gaze, only to find nothing.

In the silence, it was eerie and unsettling, as if anything could wait around the corner. Perched behind the doors they opened, peeping from the darkest corners, from the hidden cove of closet doors.

Each room they entered remained empty, with the exception of a few where a person stirred on the bed, rolling over as they rushed back out.

Signs of woman's clothing, of jewelry thrown on the floor and luxurious dresses hung in the closet. It was hard to investigate when no light could be seen, but coming up to conclusions wasn't impossible.

A doll house, rooms decorated and molded to house the Prince's collection.

Lucas scrunched up his face, disgusted by the thought.

The chilling, singing tone of the Prince rumbled through the pathway, cutting through the steady air. It sounded both close and far, and Lucas squeezed his eyes shut.

Which direction did it come from?

Where should they run?

Sprinting blindly out of fear might have them run into the waiting arms of the man. Not to mention, it would be a waste of time to backtrack, simply to be cautious.

Therefore, their options were limited. To turn into the room before them, lest they run into him ahead, or run further away if he was approaching behind them? To make a sudden choice that could determine life or death was one thing,

But knowing that his choice could determine the masked man's life was another.

Lucas didn't want this stranger to die by his mistake.

He turned sideways. "Where do you want to go?"

Lucas urged the other man. "Tell me now. We'll head our separate ways now. Whether you get caught or not, it won't be on my hand. I don't need your sacrifice."

Hearing no response, the frustrated man turned to leave, deciding to enter three rooms ahead of where they stood. The voice seemed to come from behind, so he wouldn't get caught too quickly.

He'd left the doors slightly open in the rooms he already entered—though the Prince would likely peer into those rooms as well, just in case.

However, the two unopened rooms would make a loud noise, at least, loud enough for him to hear the click and push of the heavy door, allowing him to determine exactly how close the Prince was even if he wasn't paying attention to the sound.

Thinking this, he reached out to open the third unexplored room.

A hand snatched out to grab his wrist.

Lucas snapped back, wide-eyed and alert, only to find the hooded man's outline inches away from him. He couldn't make out the man's expression.

"Don't leave."

The word, again, went unsaid.

It sounded desperate, longing. Begging. Familiar.

Lucas frowned, gulping harshly. This Story was playing games with his head, the constant and dull throb a present sensation. "...If you choose to follow me, then do as you please. It's not my responsibility."

"I have no need for you to take responsibility for my life." Steady, resolute words. "I will follow you."

"...Alright."

Lucas pushed the door open quietly, twisting the handle and lifting it slightly, before swinging it open halfway. He'd noticed earlier, but the doors that were opened slowly creaked more, and the ones opened all the way also creaked.

Therefore, though being completely silence was impossible, he minimized the sound. He slipped through the gap, the other man following close behind.

Kane tripped on something, bending down to pick it up.

He felt the waxy texture and the little wick on top. A candle—there was probably a way to light it. He felt around the tables, making sure not to miss anything.

Lucas noticed his actions. "What are you looking for?"

"A match. Something to light the candle."

"Do you plan to—"

"No." Kane shook his head, even if his figure couldn't be seen clearly. Although when a person was lost in darkness for so long, finding a light would be tempting. However, it would seep under the door frame and give away their location.

Lucas sighed in relief. It was an obvious thing, to adjust to the darkness rather than seek a light when playing hide-and-go-seek.

But considering some of the people he'd worked with in the past... sometimes, people impulsively did things.

Since there was nothing better to do—even hiding wouldn't be wise if the Prince was this close. Cramping themselves under the bed would limit their space if they did get caught, and they'd both be dead.

Lucas strolled over to the shelves lining the wall, feeling the rows of books. He was slightly envious, thinking about his floor collection of novels he hoarded.

But buying a shelf cost money, and he didn't like wasting his limited wealth.

He continued to skim his hand over the spines before feeling a small box wedged between two books. A matchbox, perhaps? It was worth taking out.

He attempted to pry it away, but it was too fixed in position. Eventually, he changed his target and grabbed the heavy book beside it, slowly inching it down. His nails dug into the hardcover, and he continued to wriggle it.

When he pulled him down, he heard a sharp click.

The small box fell into his hands, and he instinctively turned his head to the door. But the sound hadn't come from there.

There was a muffled sound of gears turning, and the bookshelf gradually shuffled, revealing an empty wall behind. Lucas narrowed his eyes, stretching a hand out.

It sunk into the wallpaper.

He grimaced, feeling the fleshy texture wrap around his fingers. But there was a shadowed space behind, so he continued to push his hand through.

The wallpaper tore, breaking apart like rubbery skin.

Creaaaak.

Before he could examine it further, he heard the door to the next room creak loudly. Their room was next.

The Prince sang gleefully.

Bang! Tap, tap, tap!

He was racing out of the room, shoveling furniture as he laughed, and the door handle to their own room rattled violently within seconds. Kane had lifted a table to block it, but that would only buy them a few seconds.

Lucas didn't hesitate, grabbing the hooded man's arm and pulling him through the torn hole in the wall, feeling a piece of the skin-like wallpaper drag against his skin.

The two tumbled into the darkness.