Chapter 3
Jane, quick to notice my need, approached and began helping me change. I shrugged off the dragging wedding dress and collapsed in front of the vanity, feeling lighter than I had in hours.
For the first time since possessing Vivi just a few hours ago, I finally saw this body’s face.
The slightly upturned eyes—or maybe the striking pink irises—gave off a distinctly cold, cynical impression.
Her skin was pale, suggesting she rarely went outside, and her nose was small but perfectly straight. Her light pink hair, like milk mixed into cream, curled slightly and fell all the way down to her navel.
As Jane gently wiped off my makeup with a warm towel, she asked,
“Shall I prepare dinner?”
“No, that’s fine.”
Though I was hungry, I had no appetite. Even though Seniel had left the mansion, a nagging feeling kept me tense, as if Kidd could burst in at any moment.
“Prepare the bathwater, though.”
“Yes, of course.”
Jane glanced at me, offering the pitying comment that it was unfortunate the master wasn’t home to oversee things. I didn’t care about that. Instead, I closed my eyes halfway, letting my exhaustion show. Jane’s voice grew softer in response.
Just before falling into a deep sleep, a thought struck me: if I were going to run away at night, I needed comfortable pajamas and shoes.
All jewelry had to go—the earrings and necklace. The less I wore, the better.
If Kidd grabbed at my earrings or yanked my necklace, it could be disastrous.
Even if he’s far away, it’s better to prepare while I can.
“Prepare the pajamas as comfortably as possible. And shoes—something easy to run in.”
“Ah… yes. I’ll make sure they’re your size, Madam.”
I knew from experience that these precautions might not help much under Kidd’s gaze, but it was worth trying.
I dismissed the maid who insisted on helping me bathe and sat alone in the tub. My body trembled, even in the warm water.
Seniel’s wife had survived at least a week. Probably because Seniel had been conveniently absent, giving her a reprieve.
Why exactly did Vivi die?
As long as Seniel stayed away like this, it didn’t seem too dangerous. As long as the servants followed the mansion’s rules, there was no risk of death.
As long as he didn’t notice me.
Even if Seniel kept moving around, once Kidd returned, it would all be over. Did Vivi ignore the rules and wander the hallways at night?
Or had Kidd simply considered her presence a nuisance and come looking for her—or, rather, for me?
I tried to carefully recall the novel and everything I knew about Seniel.
The novel Two Tastes was intuitive from the title: a thriller romance featuring Seniel, a person with a split personality, and Ezette, a cross-dressing female protagonist posing as her own brother.
The core concept: both have secrets they must never reveal.
The pivotal point was Seniel’s split personality. Without it, the story wouldn’t have started at all.
The cause of Seniel’s dual personality was his father, the former Marquis Case MacCurt. Case had immense ambition.
It made sense: in this world, sexual energy equaled power. Even becoming a priest could earn you honor envied by others.
Among the positions, the Chief Priest rank was unmatched in wealth and influence.
Only one Chief Priest could exist in the empire—a position that could potentially grant more wealth and prestige than the emperor himself.
At first glance, one might wonder: with that much power, couldn’t they stage a temple coup and take over the empire?
But no one had ever done so.
The strength of one’s sexual energy correlated with innate talent and character. Even if born with Chief-Priest-level energy, acting selfishly rather than altruistically would prevent full manifestation—less than 10% at peak.
Moreover, sexual energy waned with age.
Thus, by nature and circumstance, rebellion was out of the question—for anyone who didn’t consider rebellion justified.
Case, like Seniel, was a Chief Priest.
And he enjoyed serving others.
Yet as his energy declined, he grew selfish—either because his nature shifted or age hardened him.
He became dissatisfied with the conditions required to manifest his energy.
Case refused to step down from the Chief Priest position.
He wanted eternal power—he desired to become a god.
To achieve this blasphemous goal, he gathered followers and began experiments.
“If we remove humanity’s evil, we can become eternal gods.”
It was absurd. Eliminating evil wouldn’t prevent people from pursuing selfish gain—but Case, drunk on ambition, didn’t see that.
He began experimenting on orphans. The project was large-scale but failed.
[Why won’t it work!?]
Case grew sicker after stepping down. Time was urgent: succeed in the experiment, and he could regain health and ascend to the Chief Priest—or even godhood.
Driven by desperation, he even involved his own son.
Seniel had no choice but to endure the secret collective experiments.
Some days, his throat burned as if it were about to tear; other days, a slight breeze felt like it was peeling his skin. He screamed in pain.
Years passed.
[Father… so this is how the world really is. I’ve waited so long for this moment.]
Case’s drugs split Seniel’s personality into good and evil—a failed experiment.
The resulting Kidd killed Case and everyone involved in the experiments, including anyone who got in his way.
He didn’t kill casually; he mutilated his victims, smearing walls and ceilings with gore.
The killings became known as the Kidd incidents, because the crime scenes looked like a child spilling ketchup everywhere at the dinner table.
Eventually, the murderer was simply called Kidd. Even within the story, Seniel’s other personality was called Kidd.
It seems absurd to link a child with murder…
Regardless, Seniel hated Kidd.
He tried to stop him, but couldn’t fully control him. Even though Kidd was himself, he couldn’t prevent the killings entirely.
Seniel and Kidd didn’t share all memories.
Memory sharing only occurred under strong emotion.
That’s how Seniel realized Kidd had been born: Kidd experienced intense pleasure during his first murder.
To eliminate Kidd, Seniel attempted to reverse his father’s experiments.
If Seniel had been entirely good, he would have killed himself.
But he wasn’t perfectly good. The incomplete experiments left him mostly good, but not enough to take his own life.
Kidd, likewise, wasn’t entirely evil—he lacked any trace of sympathy.
But he wasn’t harmless; survival meant extreme danger. He wasn’t pure evil, but close enough.
In short, Seniel used every method and abused himself to stop Kidd.
As you can see… failure.
Eventually, Seniel realized Kidd only appeared at night and tried to stay awake. Sexual energy could negate physical fatigue, but mental exhaustion remained.
The more he stayed up, the more violently Kidd killed. Seniel had to give up on staying awake all night.
And then the divine oracle decreed he must marry.
Seniel had no choice. If he refused, he would break the prophecy.
Thus, Vivi married Seniel—and soon died.
Seniel, stricken with guilt, considered suicide—until he met Ezette, the cross-dressing heroine.
It wasn’t a romantic meeting—it was a confrontation between a killer and a pursuer.
Ezette’s motive for pursuing the killer is tied to her cross-dressing.
Ezette hunted Kidd, the murderer targeting high-ranking priests and nobles. If she captured him, her shaken family could be restored, and she could investigate her brother’s unjust death.
The empire had suppressed news of her brother’s death, so officially he was missing.
Ezette used her family’s heirloom necklace to disguise herself as her brother, a paladin. The necklace made her appear completely male, allowing her to move freely under various disguises.
This was how she and Seniel became entangled, and the story began.
No matter how I looked at it, the story could only start if I died.
I just died, and now I have to die again after being reborn…
Perhaps one small change wouldn’t alter the story much. Honestly, I didn’t care. My life mattered more than their romance.
Should I report to the temple that Seniel is the killer?
There was evidence pointing to Seniel, but would reporting it catch Kidd?
He might suspect me instead.
Seniel was a Chief Priest. Recognized for his sexual energy and character.
If a Chief Priest committed dozens of murders, the world would expect his energy to fail. And it did.
Seniel may accept punishment, but Kidd won’t sit still.
He could execute perfect crimes in broad daylight—why wouldn’t he escape?
Why did it have to be Vivi?
Was it because it was the last book I read before dying? Or had I wished to be reborn as a wealthy but inconsequential person?
Sigh… now was no time to ponder.
I reviewed Vivi’s memories and the original story.
There were no airplanes—escape by air was impossible.
No teleportation existed here, unlike in other fantasy novels.
The Albeta Empire, where Seniel is, isn’t safe.
Even without considering Kidd, hiding in this empire was risky due to the prophecy. How would they view me—as a traitor? Just thinking about it sent chills down my spine.
The only options: cross the border by land or by sea.
But both required discretion.
Being married to a Chief Priest tied me to the temple. I couldn’t leave the empire without permission.
Sneaking across borders was the only solution. And going by land seemed impossible right now.
According to Vivi’s memories, the empire’s borders were under heightened security due to recent tensions with neighboring countries.
My weak, clumsy body couldn’t avoid the soldiers’ gaze.
The only solution was clear.
Stowaway.
