Chapter 20
I slept more lightly than yesterday, so I woke up quickly.
Is it morning already?
I wanted to check the time, but there was no clock, so I had no way of knowing. The desk clock I’d placed on top of the piano yesterday had been brought back to my room, so all I could do was look out the window and guess.
‘Judging by the sunrise… it must be a little past six.’
I stretched, tapping my lower back and rotating my neck clockwise. Even though I’d spent all of yesterday playing the piano and had slept sitting up in a chair, I somehow felt refreshed.
Why?
How could I possibly feel this good?
‘Ah… Seniel said he used holy power on me when he woke me up yesterday. Maybe the effect is still lingering.’
If that was the reason, then Seniel really was an incredible human fatigue reliever.
Still seated on the piano bench, I turned my body toward Seniel. His face, illuminated by the faint light of dawn, glowed softly. At least while he slept, there was no trace of gloom on his features.
‘If there had never been any experiments or anything like that, he probably would’ve always had a peaceful face like this.’
I rested my chin on my hand, leaning my arm against the edge of the piano.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Seniel’s brows furrowed. His long eyelashes fluttered before his eyes slowly opened.
The moment he woke and saw my face, he blinked slowly. Then he lowered his gaze, looking down at his own body before glancing back at me with a confused expression.
“Good morning, Seniel.”
“……What exactly… is going on right now?”
Seniel rose from the couch. His clothes were thoroughly wrinkled from having slept there all night.
“It seems Kid liked my piano playing. He made another strange demand, just like yesterday.”
He frowned as if he couldn’t quite accept it. But I didn’t have anything more to explain. It was all the truth.
Still not fully grasping the situation, Seniel strode toward me. With a serious expression, he reached out to grab my arm—then hesitated and let his hand fall away.
“Nothing else happened, right? You weren’t hurt anywhere?”
Seniel was usually someone who never came closer than a certain distance. He always kept space between us, as if he thought he were some kind of germ.
That had been true even last night, yet suddenly the distance between us had shrunk. It caught me slightly off guard.
He must still be half-asleep.
“Nothing happened. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
Even after I reassured him, Seniel didn’t back away. He kept examining my face with anxious eyes.
Maybe because I felt so unusually energetic, his worried gaze felt burdensome. I grabbed his firm arm as if to calm him down.
“You look out of sorts, probably because you just woke up. Relax. Other than playing piano last night, nothing happened at all.”
When I gave his arm a gentle push, he stepped back easily.
Seniel’s expression finally softened a little.
“I’m sorry. Waking up two days in a row somewhere other than my room must have made me sensitive.”
Understandable. I nodded in sympathy.
“Did you sleep here again?”
“Yes. I didn’t play the piano all day, but somehow it ended up that way.”
As I tried to gloss over it, Seniel hesitated, opening and closing his mouth like he wanted to say something.
‘He’s going to stop himself again.’
I didn’t expect anything to actually come out.
“……Then, would it be alright if I used holy power on you, Bibi? I can help ease your fatigue.”
‘Oh?’
After thinking carefully, he spoke in a gentle, refined tone that caught me off guard. Compared to Kid, his kind words and warm gaze were overwhelmingly good, and I found myself nodding without thinking.
A holy light burst from Seniel’s hands, just like when he’d healed his own knee. The brightness made me squint, but only for a moment. As the light reached me, my body suddenly felt as light as if I’d been reborn.
Wow. I let out an involuntary gasp of admiration.
“I’m sorry this is all I can do for you. If you ever feel tired or unwell, please come to me anytime.”
To call this “all he could do” was absurd—the effect was amazing.
With only two days left before my escape, I doubted I’d need to seek him out again, but chances to abuse the abilities of a high priest didn’t come every day.
I nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes, yes, yes! I definitely will, High Priest!”
Despite my eager response, Seniel still looked slightly gloomy, as if he thought he hadn’t helped much. I decided to steer his thoughts elsewhere.
“Respected High Priest, shouldn’t you start getting ready for work soon?”
Nothing snapped a person awake quite like the cold reality of going to work.
Seniel flinched, pulled from his thoughts.
“I’ll be going now. See you this evening.”
Oh? Seniel was the one saying “see you this evening” first? That was real progress. I waved at him as he left.
“Yes, take care!”
Thanks to Seniel’s blessing, I felt refreshed all day. Come to think of it, I hadn’t felt sick or tired yesterday either.
‘Good. I just need to keep this up for two more days.’
If I could just get through tonight and tomorrow night, I’d finally escape.
‘Now I’m not even scared of Kid anymore!’
I puffed myself up with bravado that would disappear the moment he actually showed up.
Excited about the upcoming escape, I even packed a small bag in advance—jewels, self-defense tools, and disguise potions to hide my appearance. I decided to leave the fake ID under the bed until the last moment so I wouldn’t misplace it.
‘Perfect.’
Surviving Kid was basically a piece of cake now.
I spent the whole day grinning like an idiot.
After dinner with Seniel, receiving flowers as usual, I went to bed.
I secretly hoped Kid wouldn’t come anymore, but of course he did.
This time, he said nothing except two sentences:
“Lead the way.”
“Play the piano.”
And so, all night long, I repeated piano pieces like a lullaby music box.
Morning came, and just like yesterday, I awkwardly greeted Seniel.
He was still flustered and checked to make sure I was safe, then relaxed with a slightly more anxious face than before. I silently comforted him in my heart, thinking he wouldn’t have to suffer like this for much longer.
And now, left alone again—
I was celebrating the fact that only one day remained until my escape.
I checked the calendar.
Then checked again.
And again, just in case.
There was no doubt—tomorrow was the day of the smuggling ship.
Overwhelmed with emotion, a tear slipped out.
“Finally! Finally!”
I repeated the same word like an idiot and threw open the window in joy.
The spring weather welcomed me—
…or rather, it didn’t.
“What’s with this weather?”
The sky was filled with gray clouds, blocking out all sunlight. The damp smell of earth suggested rain would pour down at any moment.
‘It was sunny just yesterday.’
The gloomy scenery made me uneasy. What if the ship couldn’t depart due to bad weather?
‘As long as it’s not a typhoon, ships are supposed to sail… right?’
This world had holy power and magic. Unless it was a storm strong enough to destroy ships entirely, they would still depart. That was what Bibi’s memories told me.
“Please. Don’t do this.”
Rain wouldn’t stop me from leaving, right? I scolded the sky like a desperate lunatic.
I closed the window, feeling anxious.
‘The ship will sail. No—it has to.’
Someone once said that earnest wishes come true.
I shook off all negative thoughts.
There was no other possibility—tomorrow, I would board that ship.
I barely remembered what I talked about with Seniel during dinner. All I recalled was smiling foolishly and saying random nonsense.
I handed him flowers with a smile.
They were the last flowers I would ever give him.
“Sleep well tonight. Just like you’ve lived diligently so far, keep living diligently from now on too.”
After saying goodbye, it finally hit me that this really was the end.
A strange tenderness welled up inside me. I had no regrets toward Seniel, so words of encouragement came easily.
But the longer I looked at him, the stranger my heart felt. It was like saying goodbye to a friend I’d known only briefly, knowing I’d never see them again.
Feeling odd, I tried to leave quickly.
“Bibi.”
Seniel stopped me.
That was unusual, so I tilted my head.
‘What? Did he notice I’m leaving?’
Even if he had, it didn’t matter, so I turned back casually.
In front of me, he held out a music book and a single flower.
Why give these to me?
I stared at him before slowly accepting them.
“I’ve always wanted to repay you. To thank you.”
“…….”
“Actually… it’s not repayment. I just wanted to give you a gift.”
Why, though?
I looked down at the music book and the rose. For a long time, I said nothing.
I didn’t feel particularly guilty.
Instead, the opposite thought crossed my mind.
‘It’s a good thing I’m leaving now.’
I wasn’t someone meant to stay in this mansion.
“……Thank you.”
At my words, Seniel finally smiled softly.
Seeing him smile so freely made my heart sink. I felt like I was doing something terrible to him.
“I’ll go now. Sweet dreams, Seniel.”
I turned and walked away quickly, almost like I was running.
I placed the music book and rose Seniel had given me on the bedside table.
They weren’t things I had any right to keep, so I didn’t even consider taking them with me.
I prepared my self-defense tools for bed, lay down, and tried to forget about his gift.
Instead, I thought about the island full of hope waiting for me.
Adjusting to it would take time, but that would be a new kind of fun.
‘Just a few hours left.’
My heart pounded again at the thought.
Once I got there, I’d be too busy to even remember this place.
‘And I’ll meet some muscular guy suited to the island climate too.’
My mood improved. My lips curled upward, tension melting away.
In this state, I felt like I could even welcome Kid calmly.
I closed my eyes happily.
“Wake up.”
The usual warning jolted me awake.
Being woken up every time I tried to sleep was irritating, but today I could be generous.
As always, the lamp was lit, clearly illuminating Kid’s face.
He looked at me, then narrowed his eyes as if something displeased him.
I stared back with an innocent expression.
Kid’s face twisted.
“You look awfully happy in front of a murderer.”
My buoyant mood sank instantly.
The reality that I still hadn’t boarded the ship made my blood run cold. I couldn’t afford to get caught right before escaping.
I lowered my gaze without answering.
Any response would provoke him.
Kid suddenly placed a hand on the bedhead behind me and leaned down until his face was inches from mine.
Fear made me instinctively shrink back, but his other hand grabbed my face, blocking any escape.
“People planning to run away from me usually make that exact expression.”
“…….”
“Let me kindly advise you. If you’re thinking anything stupid, drop it now.”
Thankfully my hands were under the blanket—otherwise he would have seen them shaking.
I swallowed hard.
I still had a chance to salvage this.
“H-how could I run away? I’ve never even thought about escaping.”
Kid kept staring at me, assessing my words.
Finally, he released my face.
“Good. I hope you keep that mindset.”
I bit my tongue to stop myself from sighing in relief.
“On that note… tell me. Over the past week, how close have you gotten to Seniel?”
“……We ate dinner together every day. I gave him flowers each time…”
“That’s it?”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
I couldn’t think of anything convincing.
Finally, I spoke about today.
“Seniel gave me a music book and a rose.”
“Oh? Where are they?”
“On the bedside table.”
Kid picked them up, flipped through the book without interest, and put it back down.
“And?”
“……That’s all. I’ll try harder tomorrow.”
His sudden interrogation felt suspicious—like he’d sensed my escape attempt.
My pulse hammered in my throat.
To survive, I had to make him believe I was nothing more than a mouse trapped in a cage.
