Chapter 9
When I arrived at the mansion, it was already well past 4 p.m.
I sent the overly fussy maid, who kept asking where I had been, away and hurriedly began unpacking my things.
“It’s nice not having to silence the servants unnecessarily.”
Even if I made a racket, the servants would leave soon, so I didn’t have to worry about Kid finding out.
Telling Seniel wouldn’t affect me at all. As long as Kid didn’t hear, that was all that mattered.
I rifled noisily through the shopping bag I’d tossed onto the bed. A vest-like protective gear was on top, so I naturally picked it up first.
“Should I put this on now?”
In the novel, Kid hated being out during the day, so he rarely came out unless absolutely necessary. But it was mentioned that sometimes he did appear during the day, which made me uneasy.
“Of course, that only happened after the heroine and he had a fairly high level of favorability.”
Still, it seemed prudent to prepare for any unexpected situation.
“Why didn’t Kid come out during the day again?”
I examined the vest carefully for any torn threads while recalling Kid’s personality.
“Ah, I remember now.”
There were two main reasons he avoided the daytime:
First, he didn’t like seeing people laughing in daylight.
Second, there were too many eyes around for him to commit murder safely.
All in all, Kid was someone whose character left much to be desired.
The chance of Kid appearing during the day was extremely low, but that didn’t mean I could be entirely relaxed.
“Compared to the weak-willed Seniel, Kid could control his own body anytime he wanted.”
Perhaps because he had stronger ownership over his body than Seniel, Kid could appear whenever he wished.
“Even while chatting cheerfully with Seniel, I could run into Kid…”
Though highly unlikely, just imagining it sent chills down my spine.
“Better put it on now, just in case.”
I undressed and put the vest on underneath.
From now on, I should only wear clothes I could put on without the maid’s help. Even if the maid saw me wearing protective gear, it wouldn’t be a huge problem—but she would probably fuss with questions like, “Why are you wearing that?” or “Are you really that worried?” Better to avoid that hassle.
“I don’t want to think about any other annoyances besides Kid.”
I needed to conserve both my physical and mental energy.
I absentmindedly slipped an electric stun device—more accurately, a sexual-energy stun device—under my fluffy pillow, then pulled my hand back.
“They might clean it up while tidying, anyway.”
For now, I placed it on the desk, planning to move it under the pillow just before sleep.
“Surely Kid wouldn’t go poking through my bedroom like that.”
I felt uneasy putting the stun device in the desk drawer. At least in the original, Kid wasn’t shown rummaging through Vivi’s room—but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t.
“Still, it’s better to be caught with something than nothing. At least I could confront him with something.”
Finally, I crouched by the bed to hide my forged ID. Using adhesive I bought at the store, I stuck it to the bottom of the bed.
I looked under the bed. Unless someone deliberately searched, nothing appeared visible.
“Perfect.”
I shook off my hands.
Tomorrow, I could collect Kid’s murder evidence as soon as I woke up.
Exhausted, I plopped down on the floor.
“How am I going to survive tonight?”
I mentally rehearsed what I would say to explain my “intimate moments” with Seniel, in case Kid appeared.
The thought of having to memorize lines in case I lost my words when facing him was exasperating.
“What if he asks for evidence?”
Of course, there wouldn’t be any, but he would insist on seeing proof.
I braced myself, pushing up from the floor.
I noticed some flowers blooming beautifully in the garden. I decided to pick one to give to Seniel.
While Vivi was busy preparing for the “war,” Seniel returned home from the temple. It was already 6 p.m. He looked tired and washed his face quickly.
“To be honest… even though I said nothing happened yesterday, something almost did. I don’t care if you kill someone. I just want to survive.”
He couldn’t focus on work all day.
“Do nothing. Stay still.”
Even being far away from her wasn’t enough, yet she told him to do nothing. She seemed confident, as if she knew everything.
“I just need to stay still, huh…”
It was absurd, but he had no choice but to comply.
“Could she be Kid’s accomplice?”
Why else would she demand he stay still?
“…Even if she is, what can I do?”
Seniel knew his own helplessness. If he had more persistence, he might have found a way to deal with the situation, but he didn’t even have the strength to oppose Kid. He was too exhausted from long-fought battles.
Thinking about Vivi, he even considered:
“Maybe it’s better she’s an accomplice, so I don’t end up dead by Kid.”
He didn’t want to see more people around him die.
Worse, sometimes Kid felt an intense thrill when killing—and Seniel could feel that thrill too. He didn’t want to experience such horrific pleasure, even if the victims had tormented him for years.
He went straight to the dining hall, holding a faint hope:
“Maybe she’ll tell me a proper plan over dinner.”
Had he even told her his usual dinner time? He realized he hadn’t agreed on a time to eat with her.
Worried that she might just be waiting randomly, he hurried to the dining hall, which he hadn’t used in over ten years.
Under the grand chandelier, foods of land, sea, and air glistened on the table. Some were still steaming, freshly served. Though the table hadn’t been used in years, it looked as good as new due to careful maintenance.
A glass worth a month’s wages for a commoner tilted in her hand. She met his gaze while drinking water.
With innocent yet unreadable crimson eyes, she gulped the water and then smiled belatedly.
Her lightly tied pale-pink ponytail swayed gently with her hand movements.
She acknowledged him first.
“Are you here? I realized I never told you exactly when we’d eat.”
“When did you start waiting?”
“Oh, not long. Do you always finish work at this time?”
“…Yes.”
“You must be hungry. Sit.”
Seniel watched Vivi carefully and sat. He hadn’t had a casual meal like this in a long time. Counting the trivial moments of ordinary life made him stop midway—they were pointless.
The greetings ended quickly, leaving an awkward silence.
I glared at Seniel, who looked like honey in my mouth.
Opposite me, he only held his utensils, barely eating. Occasionally, he poked at the food with his fork, covertly checking me out.
“…I’m going to get sick.”
I had no appetite, and eating while being scrutinized made it worse.
“But I need energy to survive until the escape.”
I forced myself to eat, chewing mechanically. No matter how expensive the food was, it didn’t taste like anything.
“….”
Eventually, I put my utensils down. Seeing me do so, Seniel immediately followed.
He seemed to be waiting for me to speak—or to ask something. He wanted to continue the conversation.
“I don’t really have anything to say.”
Contrary to his expectations, I had nothing for him. Unable to resist, I asked honestly:
“Do you have something to say?”
“…I want to know why you asked me to dinner.”
He seemed to think the dinner had some significance.
“It’s what I said in the morning. To survive Kid.”
My calm explanation left him confused.
I understood why. To an outsider, dinner and my survival seemed unrelated.
But there was no better way to explain.
Seniel frowned, trying to comprehend, then eventually stood, looking like his hope had been shattered.
“I need to go outside now.”
“Sit.”
Ignoring me, he turned his back. At the wedding, I had turned my back on the officiant.
The only thing in common between that moment and now was being unable to leave.
I remained seated and spoke to him:
“I survived last night too. Trust me.”
He turned back to me, nervously clenching and unclenching his hands.
Seeing him shaken, unsure how to respond to my illogical words, I understood how to persuade him.
“Will you trust me?”
He needed certainty.
“…I don’t know if I’ll wake up tomorrow morning in one piece.”
At least I had to prevent him from provoking Kid again. If I could persuade him, I could act confident.
“…Can you at least tell me your plan?”
“Sorry. I can’t. But trust me.”
How could I tell him I would run away after hitting him?
“Still, since she’s involved with the heroine… she might find a peaceful life and even love.”
I gestured for him to sit.
“You must be hungry. Sit.”
Eventually, he sat again.
“Good. Tomorrow morning, I’ll greet you right away, so don’t be surprised.”
He briefly frowned, then relaxed, nodding slightly.
“…I’ll stay still.”
Good boy. I secretly exhaled in relief.
I resumed eating, glancing at him. He appeared listless, barely eating.
Though he seemed a little pitiful, I didn’t feel inclined to comfort him. The reason was simple: I didn’t want to get close to him.
After finishing my meal, I put down my utensils. Seniel, apparently not interested in eating, followed suit quickly.
I ignored him and stood.
Outside the dining hall, soft moonlight streamed through the corridor window. My nerves began to sharpen.
“Where’s Seniel’s room? If we’re going the same way, I’ll go with you.”
“…In the annex.”
Hearing “annex,” I glanced toward the distant building.
Not having had a proper introduction from the butler, I assumed the separate building was the annex.
“He lives far away.”
I decided to give him the flower here.
“Then I’ll give you this as a gift. Take it.”
I thrust a single yellow tulip toward him.
“Wh-why…?”
Because of Kid. What else?
“It’s just a gift. Put it in a vase. Got it?”
Unable to resist my insistence, he awkwardly took the tulip.
I hoped I didn’t look completely crazy.
Well, when survival was at stake, what couldn’t I do? I waved my hand to say goodbye.
“Thanks for dinner. Let’s eat together tomorrow too. Good night.”
Don’t worry about me, I added silently and walked away.
Seniel watched Vivi walk away, unconsciously following her steps. He almost offered to see her off but thankfully held back.
“What right do I even have…”
He stopped, staring blankly at the tulip. This wasn’t just a gift to him. It had to be related to Kid.
Was there colorless, odorless poison that could kill in a single night? Was she helping him receive his due?
He smelled the tulip—there was nothing but floral fragrance.
“Or is it a code?”
He couldn’t shake the feeling of being played. Still, there was nothing he could do. He just hoped she survived.
7 p.m.
Back in my room, I quickly bathed with the maid’s help.
Afterward, I sent the maid away and took out my protective gear.
I wore a thin layer underneath my pajamas.
“Does it show?”
The satin pajamas clung slightly to my curves; the bumpy texture of the protective gear was faintly visible.
But there was no other way.
“I have no choice.”
I tied my hair tightly behind my head, avoiding it being grabbed or obstructing my view.
Once done, it felt like I had a small bump on my crown.
I placed the sexual-energy stun device under my pillow.
“Artifact rings on, gear on. Good.”
I lay down sideways, hand under the pillow, feeling the solid body of the device.
It was 8 p.m.
I calmed my racing heart and closed my eyes. To survive the week, I needed energy. I counted sheep, knowing I should rest as much as possible.
Though scared of Kid, the fatigue from yesterday made sleep irresistible.
In my dream, soft pieces of cloth kept slapping my cheeks. Not painful, but unpleasant.
“…Stop…”
I didn’t know if I said it in reality or the dream. It felt so real.
The cloth ignored me, flicking my cheeks teasingly.
Reality was harsh enough, yet my dream tormented me too. Frustration and anger surged.
I couldn’t resist and swung my arm, shouting:
“Stop it, you damn brat…!”
Someone grabbed my arm at the elbow.
I pulled my arm toward me, but they held on tight, unwilling to let go.
After struggling, a chilling sensation struck me, like realizing I was late before even checking the clock.
“No way…”
I opened my eyes and something yellow slapped my cheek again, annoyingly.
Focusing on it, the blurry image sharpened.
By lamplight, I locked eyes with Kid. His eyes curved beautifully.
“You can talk trash like a street thug, huh?”
