Chapter 19:
Seniel stared at me as I happily held the key. He was looking so intently that I absentmindedly touched my face—was something on it?
Apparently reading my awkward hesitation, he finally averted his gaze with an “Ah.”
People can zone out while looking at someone else’s face sometimes, so I decided to let it slide.
After a short moment of fidgeting with the key and enjoying it, I remembered that I really had to go to work.
“Shouldn’t you be going to work? It seems like you might be late.”
“…Do you know what time it is?”
I shook my head to indicate I didn’t know. How could I tell without a wristwatch? I glanced around the room for a clock, but there wasn’t one anywhere.
Seniel, like a model student experiencing their first tardiness, began to look flustered. Even as an ambassador, nobody would scold him for being late. Apparently, though, he couldn’t hide his sense of urgency and greeted me in haste.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Ah, yes. See you this evening.”
Seniel disappeared quickly. Left alone in the room, I just blinked a few times before slowly leaving.
I was headed to change into more comfortable clothes and take out my self-defense tool tucked at my waist.
Wearing a loose dress without a corset, I went down to the piano room on the first floor. Luckily, I had a good sense of direction and arrived without getting lost.
As soon as I got there, I placed the small desk clock I had brought onto the piano to keep track of lunch time.
With a sense of anticipation, I sat on the piano bench. A small smile escaped me.
There was nowhere I had to be today, and nothing pressing to do. My only concern was to get flowers for Seniel.
“Today, let’s have fun!”
To celebrate surviving Kid yesterday, I decided to give myself a day of freedom.
I rested my hands on the piano keys.
“Master, have you come?”
You arrived earlier than usual.
Seniel gave the butler a nod before turning his gaze elsewhere. Warm piano music filled the first floor.
‘The sound I heard yesterday…’
When he was little, Seniel had briefly learned piano from his mother. Even then, he hadn’t been particularly interested and didn’t understand why he was playing—he just followed instructions.
After his mother passed away, he completely lost interest in music. He had little musical knowledge, and on top of that, he had the narrow-minded view that all instrument sounds were basically the same.
But this time, he realized he had been wrong.
He was so absorbed in the piano music that he forgot even that Hurban was standing in front of him.
The butler noticed Seniel’s distraction and subtly bowed.
“I’ll inform the mistress that you’ve arrived, sir.”
Seniel, startled out of his trance, quickly grabbed Hurban.
“Please don’t tell her.”
He didn’t want to disturb her playing.
At Seniel’s command, Hurban froze mid-step. When he turned to leave, Seniel firmly shook his head.
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
Having finished speaking to Hurban, Seniel intended to return to his room.
To get to his room, he had to pass the piano room, but he stopped in front of it, unable to move any further.
The peaceful sound he had thought was a dream drew him in like a magnet.
A new sound layered over the silence of the mansion. Wherever Bibi went, the house kept changing.
The dining room became warm every evening, small flowers appeared freshly in his room, and the soft, gentle sound of the piano filled the air.
Seniel didn’t dislike it. But he questioned himself: was he really allowed to accept such changes?
He stood rooted until a piece finished, only moving when the music stopped.
He forced himself to move away from the piano room, but the sound resumed. Even with his back turned, it lingered in his ears. The steadfast rhythm resembled the player herself.
Unconsciously, Seniel thought of Bibi.
[You’ve really lived diligently.]
He still didn’t fully understand what she meant by that.
It wasn’t just her words he couldn’t comprehend. Every night, he had no idea what happened between Bibi and Kid, or why the flowers he received each evening were linked to her survival.
Though so much was incomprehensible, he obeyed her. It was enough relief that the person beside him didn’t die.
Bibi, saying words he couldn’t understand, offered her hand.
She gripped his hand firmly. Even though her hands were much smaller than his, he couldn’t shake her off.
[Let’s live diligently, together.]
Seniel couldn’t give an answer. He could comply with all the unreasonable demands she’d made so far, but he couldn’t agree to this.
It was still the same.
‘Do I even deserve to live diligently, Bibi?’
Words he had been too shy to voice left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Seniel entered his room after the piano stopped. In the otherwise lifeless room, only the brightly blooming freesias greeted him.
After playing the piano to my heart’s content, I lifted my hands cheerfully from the keys.
I wished for sheet music the whole time, but it was still fun enough.
I went out to the garden, plucked a decent-looking flower, and entered the dining room.
I finished a quiet meal as usual. With all tasks complete, I boldly entered my room.
Only three days remained until my escape.
Having survived yesterday’s crisis, I hoped the remaining three days would pass smoothly. Excitement stirred at the prospect.
Fully prepared, I lay comfortably in bed. Though it was still too early to relax completely, the relief after yesterday’s huge hurdle eased my mind.
After successfully avoiding three crises, I felt a strange confidence that nothing could scare me now—though seeing Kid would surely shatter that confidence.
‘Let’s just sleep.’
I was exhausted from sleeping on the piano last night.
I closed my eyes and surrendered to the bed.
“Not waking up?”
I shouldn’t have relaxed.
Kid entered the room and woke me up. The glass that had been fine earlier was now shattered on the floor. I wanted to ask if he could wake me up normally for once.
Under the lamp light, I bit the inside of my cheek as I sat up. Kid stomped on the broken glass with his shoes.
“Yesterday I said to keep playing until I told you to stop.”
His eyes, which had been on the glass, now looked at me.
I gasped. My blood ran cold and my mind went blank. He said to play until he told me to stop—did that mean he’d interrupted me yesterday? If he had, he wouldn’t have let me sleep.
I didn’t know whether to apologize or shamelessly claim I kept playing. My head spun.
Kid lightly tapped my head with his index and middle fingers, smirking.
“I can hear the thoughts in your head from here.”
“…S-sorry.”
Though his force was less than yesterday, Kid was still Kid. I shrugged and tried to read his mood.
He grabbed my chin, lifting my head, forcing me to meet his gaze.
“Even if you didn’t play until the end, you were in that room at least until morning.”
Huh? He seemed unsure himself. Was he testing me?
“Did you leave the room before I told you to?”
“Ah, no!”
His red eyes glimmered mesmerizingly.
“Then you must have seen my face this morning.”
“….”
I had a bad feeling. Both “yes” and “no” seemed wrong, so I couldn’t answer.
Kid laughed more intensely at my silence.
“How did it feel when you became Seniel?”
It felt like my head had been hit with a hammer.
“Y-yes… yes, yes?”
“I already knew you were Seniel. With eyes like yours, there’s no way I wouldn’t notice.”
True, but giving me a kill angle like this suddenly—I worked so hard yesterday…
No words came out.
“I killed everyone who knew me. What should we do?”
Please spare me. My teeth chattered with every shiver. I closed my eyes tightly, not knowing how to respond.
“You’re nervous.”
His hand left my jaw. I gasped and quickly turned my head.
“You still have work to do, so for now I’ll let you live. A promise is a promise.”
I don’t know when you became so dutiful about keeping promises, but… thank you.
“If you hadn’t been able to play the piano well yesterday, I would have made you destroy it. You have some skill.”
“…I can play a little.”
“Any other talents?”
“N…no, I can do anything if you tell me to.”
I lied slightly, afraid I’d lose my head if I said nothing. Kid smiled faintly and pulled something from his pocket.
‘A k-knife?’
The gift from the first day flashed in my mind, and I shivered. He said he’d spare me.
I shut my eyes tightly. Then an order came.
“Open your eyes and hold out your hands.”
“Yes, yes!”
I shakily held out both hands.
Something metallic dropped into my palms. I gasped—thankfully, it wasn’t a knife.
‘A key?’
It looked similar to the key Seniel gave me this morning.
“Take it. You don’t need it.”
“Uh… th-thank you.”
I inspected the key curiously.
It looked like Seniel’s key but had a different color. His was silver, while this one had a bluish tint.
What am I supposed to do with this? I glanced at Kid for a clue, but no answer came. Eventually, I timidly asked.
“…What is this key for?”
He clicked his tongue sharply.
“You thought you were smart. Don’t you see? It’s the piano room key.”
“Ahh….”
How was I supposed to know that?
But I already had a key from Seniel. Do they each keep one separately? I vaguely remembered that if Seniel touched Kid’s belongings, he’d get angry.
‘One must be a duplicate.’
The bluish one must be the duplicate key.
But now, what am I supposed to do with it?
Clutching the key awkwardly, I glanced at Kid again. I wondered if I should bow in thanks, but he clicked his tongue impatiently.
“Don’t you know basic etiquette—if you receive a gift, you return the favor? Get up.”
“Yes, yes!”
Then can I return the favor with the knife you gave me last time and draw on your face?
“Lead the way.”
Lacking power or authority, I reluctantly got up. Since the corridor lacked lamps, I cautiously carried one to light the way.
I glanced at Kid to see if it was okay to carry the lamp. He said nothing. I walked carefully, illuminating the corridor.
I heard Kid’s footsteps behind me. Even knowing he was just following, I felt chills as if he were hunting me.
We reached the piano room. I unlocked the door with the key Kid gave me.
Inside, I carefully set the lamp on the floor beside the piano.
Kid naturally sat on the couch, crossing his long legs and folding his arms, closing his eyes from the start.
I reluctantly sat on the chair, adjusting the distance between it and the piano.
“Sh-should I play?”
Kid just nodded.
I brushed my fingertips over the keys without pressing them, took a deep breath, and carefully struck the first note.
The first lullaby for Kid was Beethoven’s Sonata No. 8, Pathetique, 2nd Movement.
This piece needed to be played lyrically and serenely. Though it had some passionate moments, overall it was quiet and suitable as a lullaby.
After finishing, I exhaled and waited for Kid’s command. He only tilted his chin slightly, silently asking what I was doing.
“….”
It seemed I’d have to subtly hold another solo recital, just like yesterday.
Next, I played Liszt’s notoriously difficult Liebestraum.
Though I disliked most of Liszt’s pieces, this one was my favorite. I had practiced it often and was confident I could lull Kid to sleep.
After two consecutive pieces, I checked on Kid as a midpoint.
He had already fallen asleep peacefully on the couch.
Why did he drag me here to torment me? It must be uncomfortable for him to sleep there too.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and placed my hands back on the keys. I planned to play a few more pieces before resting.
