CH 10

Excuse me for a sec!

You can buy advanced chapters of this series from this site or my Ko-fi page. It is a flat rate of $1/chapter via Ko-fi page, while I had to raise the price in this site because of the monthly maintenance cut, which is quite ridiculously high. You can go visit here for the how-to. I apologize for the inconvenience, but with the recession and stuff, every cent counts for my survival huhu. I promise you the steps are not that complicated!

“Aaah!”

Before I could understand the situation, I instinctively got up and put my back close to the bedhead. I didn’t even remember the shock device under the pillow. It was so shocking that Kid was in front of me as soon as I woke up.

It wasn’t until a few seconds later that I realized the pillow was under my butt.

‘Ah, my holy power shocker…’

“I-I’m sorry! I thought it was a dream. I never meant to say that to you…”

I didn’t know what to call Kid, so I was at a loss for words.

Kid laughed, ‘Hoho’ and watched me with interest.

My heart was pounding. Even though I wasn’t running, I was out of breath.

I looked over at Kid, tensed. I swallowed my saliva like yesterday, fearing he might have a knife. But somehow, the only thing Kid held in his hand was the yellow thing I’d seen earlier, namely a tulip.

‘Why is he holding that?’

It was a tulip that looked similar to the one I’d given Seniel.

While seriously thinking about why Kidd was holding the flower, Kid squinted his eyes and looked at me.

“You speak as if you don’t know me.” His eyes were full of interest. “Who do you think I am?”

This was an obvious kill trajectory.

Within seconds of seeing Kid, my life was at stake. My lower jaw trembled. I feared that the regret of not wearing three or four layers of protective gear would be my last regret.

“W-Well, I don’t know who you are.”

“Really?” 

The way he looked at me was unusual.

Sweat trickled down my back. I curled up my upper body without realizing it.

“Are you blind, or are you pretending to be tactless?”

It was probably weird that I didn’t call him Seniel, but I had to pretend I didn’t know. I shook my head violently, indicating that I really didn’t know anything.

The tulip rotated in place noisily between Kid’s index and thumb.

He fixed his gaze on me and suddenly brought the tulip to my eyes. My eyes were tightly shut. At that moment, the tulip tapped very softly and touched my cheek.

‘Wait, this feeling…’

The touch wasn’t unfamiliar. It was similar to the touch tormenting my cheek in my dreams. It was obvious that Kid had patted my cheek like this while I was sleeping.

T-This bastard.

There was a saying that one shouldn’t hit people even with flowers, but this guy was someone who hit people even with flowers.

I was furious but couldn’t stop Kid’s mischief, who intermittently pat the tulip on my cheek.

“He’s not a sentimental guy who will decorate his room with flowers just because it’s spring. There’s no way someone who doesn’t have friends would have received flowers. Was this your doing?”

“… Y-Yes… As a gift to get closer to Seniel…”

Even at such a humiliating moment, I hated myself for having to respond faithfully with a submissive attitude.

The tulip that kept stroking my cheeks was now gently rubbed. At the same time, the corners of his lips rose. It was a very murderous smile. “You’re pretty resourceful.”

“…”

“You managed to give flowers to someone who usually refuses gifts and even decorates his room beautifully.” Laughter was mixed with his terribly low voice. It seemed to be the most pleasant laugh I’d ever heard.

Seeing him genuinely happy did not relieve me but rather just thrilled me.

‘If I hadn’t gifted Seniel a tulip, I would…’

The fact that I could change my fate by a small mistake made me pledge to do everything meticulously in the future.

Sweeping my chest, I looked at the tulip on my cheek with gratitude. Then, I looked into Kid’s eyes with heightened emotions.

‘I have to appeal more that I’m useful since he looks so happy right now.’

I learned today that otherwise, a knife, not a tulip, would pat my cheek.

“… In addition to the t-tulip, we also held hands today, and Seniel decided to call me by my nickname. We even had dinner together! It may not be enough to be someone special to Seniel, but I will surely become precious to him in a few months.”

So, please let me live for a week or so.

Still clogged, my throat spat out words as if it sensed a crisis. The fact that I’d seen him yesterday made me a little less scared. But the more I spoke, the thinner my voice grew.

I knew I couldn’t afford to be prideful with my life at stake, but it was so miserable to have to beg like this.

The tulip prowling on my cheek fell.

‘Is it working?’

The tulip fell right into the glass on the bedside table. It looked like Jane had put on a new glass.

“Well, yes. I’ll acknowledge your usefulness. It was more than I expected.”

“Thank you…”

“I thought you’d be shaking without doing anything.” Kid tapped the glass with his fingertips. Perhaps thanks to the tulip, he certainly looked better than yesterday.

‘There doesn’t seem to be a weapon…’

No matter how much I looked around, there was nothing like a weapon in his hand. I looked carefully to see if it was hidden in his pocket. There was no weight in the pockets of the clothes he was wearing.

‘He can kill without a weapon, right? Or did he not plan to kill me in the first place today?’

Come on. Kid couldn’t have come without even thinking of killing me. I was about to let it go when I recalled I’d shouted, ‘Son of a XX’ to him today.

‘Is he going to let that go?’

I thought I would die immediately, but Kid tolerated me enough to let that go. He may not really intend to kill me until I seduced Seniel.

‘Then can I ask him something?’

I gently wiped my sweaty palms on the blanket. I put my hand near the pillow just in case. Craning my neck, I asked in a mosquito-like voice.

“B-By the way… Does Seniel have any criteria for someone to be his special person?”

“What? Are you trying to please me while flirting at the same time?”

Seriously, you…

“No, of course not!”

Kid picked up the water bottle next to the glass without looking at me. He poured water straight into the glass. The sound of water pouring into the glass was particularly loud.

As if he’d been generous, he said in a benevolent voice, “You wouldn’t know even if I told you of his criteria. Well, I’ll explain it to you out of kindness, though. Since you look a little useful.”

Yes. Please tell me. I’ll be careful not to hit those criteria.

Kid lifted his hand from the side table and smiled softly at me. He smiled surprisingly often for someone who didn’t look like he liked to laugh. Seniel didn’t seem to have smiled at all. The problem was that his smile was creepy.

Kid’s smooth lips moved softly. “When Seniel falls in love with you.”

I waited for him to say something more.

‘Is that the end?’

He looked brazen again as if he had said everything he had to say.

‘That’s the standard.’

Even the standards were arbitrary threats.

Kid looked at my face, clicked his tongue, and said, “I guess you don’t understand. Well, I have confirmed your usefulness, so I will spare you until then, as promised.”

As when he came, he went out at will.

There was only a loud sound of footsteps in the quiet room. Perhaps because of his long legs, he quickly moved toward the door of this spacious room. Relying on the dim light, I followed him with my eyes. The door opened.

“Do well.”

Without closing the door, he just left the room. His black cardigan fluttered long like a tail.

Still sitting on the pillow, I looked through the doorway into the gloomy darkness. The sound of burning light rang out in silence.

‘He confirmed that he’d let me live, right?’

Could I survive like this for a week?

When I heard that Kid would spare me, my body felt weak. I slipped down the bed with a groan.

* * *

Perhaps because I was relaxed, I slept soundly after separating from Kid. I woke up in the morning with a stretch.

Before the maid came, I hid the shocker device in a drawer and opened the curtain wide. The morning sun hit my vision.

‘I said I’d greet Seniel in the morning, so should I go to the annex now?’

I didn’t even know where his room was… Should I ask the employees?

While I was thinking slowly, I heard an urgent knock. Even without opening the door, I could predict who was knocking. Except for one person in this mansion, no one would knock on the door so anxiously.

A voice was heard from beyond the door.

“… Lady? Are you inside?”

I told him to call me Vivi, not ‘Lady’.

Learn more

Pause

Unmute

Tired, I reached out to the doorknob leisurely. The door opened so suddenly that the hand trying to grab the knob became empty.

A wide chest was seen before me.

As I lifted my head, Seniel’s pale face came into view. He came in a hurry, and his hair was messed up. The chest before me rapidly expanded and then contracted. He seemed out of breath because he ran in a hurry.

I didn’t feel good about Seniel because of last night’s events but seeing such a pitiful figure calmed my anger.

Tsk, tsk. I said to him half-jokingly and half-annoyed, clicking my tongue. “Do you usually rush into other people’s rooms? And call me Vivi, not ‘Lady’.”

I expected Seniel to say sorry. But as time passed, he didn’t say anything. He just stood there like a stone, staring blankly at me.

I was about to ask what his problem was when a tear fell from his eyes.

Starting with that one, tears gradually spread across Seniel’s face. He gibbered in surprise. “I woke up and… the tulip wasn’t there… I was impolite… out of surprise…”

‘Oh, dear.’

I grabbed Seniel’s arm and pulled him into the room. He was brought in without a hitch. After closing the door tightly, I turned to him.

“I kept my promise. So why are you crying?”

“… Thank God. Thank God.”

He sighed in relief, and then he cried again without a sound. He looked completely different from Kid, who smiled all night madly.

He looked pitiful. He was also the one who’d threatened to kill me, but now he just looked pathetic. Aside from the air around him, Seniel’s face also seemed different from when he was Kid. Oddly enough, it became difficult to think that Kid and Seniel were the same person. Although he had two personalities, I thought they were one person in the end, but now I felt like I was dealing with completely different people.

I was about to raise my hand to comfort him but put it down at the last second. I’m not the female lead. And I don’t want to comfort him. Let’s not forget my role. I just need to get out of here safely.

“If you just keep doing what I asked you to do yesterday, nothing will happen like today.”

“I will do everything you ask.” Seniel nodded like a dog that listened well.

“Okay. That’s all I ask for now. You need to work soon. Stop crying.” I grabbed the doorknob to get him out. Seniel looked at me with wet eyes.

“Thank you.”

Yes. You’re welcome. I waved my hand at him as I opened the door. “See you later in the evening.”

Seniel left the room and stopped walking. Looking back, he opened his mouth with a solemn look. “Yes, see you in the evening.” Having said that, he did not leave immediately. He hesitated, looked down at the floor once, then looked at me timidly. “… Vivi.” He followed everything I asked for because he’d built a little trust. He turned his head immediately after saying my nickname in embarrassment and left.

‘Wow.’

Even though it was neither the atmosphere nor the situation to be beaten by beauty, I was mesmerized by his face. I belatedly shook my head vigorously, trying to regain my sense.

The saying ‘a woman beautiful enough to cause the downfall of a country’ didn’t come out of nowhere.

I’d almost forgotten about my situation.

***

After Seniel left the room, I agonized over what to do with the tulip Kid had put in. I just wanted to throw it away without thinking about it, but my reason for not doing so was very simple.

‘Kid would say something if I threw it away.’

I crossed my arms and looked at the tulip. There was no answer, so I decided to keep it there.

Instead, I rushed to start my plans for the day.

After hearing that Seniel had gone to work, I left the room. Today, I was going to collect evidence of the murder Kid committed.