CH 19

Seniel looked at me, who liked the key. I became flustered because he’d been looking at my face to the point where I felt ashamed. Was there something on my face?

As if he had read my gloomy mind, he said, ‘Oh’ and moved his gaze away belatedly.

I fiddled with the key for a moment. Shouldn’t he go to work now?

“Don’t you have to go to work? I’m afraid you’ll be late.”

“… Do you know what time it is?”

I shook my head in ignorance. How could I know without a watch? I checked to see if there was a clock somewhere in this room. But there wasn’t any.

Like a model student who was late for the first time, Seniel began to panic. No one would blame you even if you were late as a high-ranking official. But Seniel didn’t think so as he greeted me without hiding his impatience.

“I’ll be on my way.”

“Ah, yes. See you tonight.” He quickly disappeared. 

Left alone in the room, I blinked and slowly walked outside to get rid of the self-defense items hung around my waist and change into comfortable clothes.

***

I went down to the piano room on the first floor wearing a loose dress without a corset. I arrived quickly without getting lost because I had a bright sense of direction. As soon as I got to the room, I put the table clock I had brought on the piano to avoid missing the lunch break. I sat down on the piano chair with anticipation. A smile leaked out of me.

I had nowhere to go and nothing special to do today except bring Seniel more flowers.

‘Let’s play today!’

In commemorating survival from Kid yesterday, I decided to present my freedom today.

I put my hands on the piano keys.

***

“You’ve arrived, Master.”

He returned earlier than usual. Seniel nodded at the butler and then looked away. The sound of the piano warmed down the entire first floor.

‘The sound I heard yesterday…’

As a child, Seniel learned the piano very briefly from his mother. He was not very interested in learning. He didn’t know why he was playing it and just played as he was taught.

After his mother died, he completely lost interest in music. He had no deep knowledge of music. Besides, he had a narrow-minded view that all musical instruments sounded the same.

But this time, he could see that his view was wrong.

He was completely absorbed in the sound of the piano, forgetting that Hubburn was standing in front of him.

The butler looked at Seniel and bowed his head. “I’ll let Madam know that you’re home.”

Seniel’s mesmerized mind returned at Hubburn’s words. He hastily caught Hubburn. “There’s no need.” He didn’t want to interfere with her performance. At Seniel’s command, Hubburn’s steps stopped erratically. As Hubburn turned back, Seniel shook his head resolutely. “Ah, I understand.”

Having finished what he had to say to Hubburn, he calmly tried to return to his room. To go directly to his room, he had to pass the piano room, but Seniel inadvertently stopped in front of the piano room and couldn’t take his feet off.

The peaceful sound he mistook for a dream guided him like a magnet. 

A new sound was added to the quiet mansion. The mansion continued to change everywhere Vivi touched: the dining room that warmed every evening, a small flower that decorated his room every day, and the sound of a soft and gentle piano.

Seniel didn’t hate it. However, he was skeptical about whether such a change was allowed for him.

He stood there as if he had been nailed to the end of a song. It was only when the piano sound stopped that he started to think about moving.

He tried to take off in steady steps. He longed to keep listening to the performance and blamed himself for not doing so.

He walked with his back to the piano room. The disconnected piano sound resounded. Even when he turned his back, the sound continued to ring in his ears. The steady march of the sound resembled the master of the performance.

Unconsciously, Seniel thought of Vivi.

[Continue to strive hard to survive.]

He still didn’t understand what she saw and why she said that. In fact, it wasn’t just her words that he didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand what was going on between Vivi and Kid or what the flowers he’d gotten from Vivi every evening had to do with her survival.

She was full of unknown things, but he obeyed her. He was just glad that the person next to him didn’t die.

Vivi had said something incomprehensible and offered to shake his hand.

Vivi had held his hand tightly. Although her hands were much smaller than his, he couldn’t shake it off.

[Let us continue to strive hard to survive.]

Seniel had never replied that he would. Even though he could succumb to everything she had ever asked for, he couldn’t agree with this.

It was still the same today.

‘Do I deserve to strive hard to survive, Vivi?’

It was a question he couldn’t raise because he feared it would be considered a rant. His mouth felt bitter.

Seniel went into his room, where the piano sound was cut off. Only the bright freesias greeted him in a room without life.

***

After playing the piano to my heart’s content, I let go of it easily. I wished I had a score while I played, but despite my disappointment, it was fun enough.

I went out to the garden, picked a plausible flower, and entered the dining room.

***

We finished our quiet meal as usual. Having finished all the work I had to do, I went into my room without hesitation.

There were now three days left until the stowaway.

Since I survived the anniversary, the remaining three days would go smoothly, and I was thrilled with the hope that the end was approaching right in front of me.

After all preparations were made, I lay comfortably on the bed. It was still too early to be relieved, but I felt relieved because I’d crossed a big mountain yesterday.

Now that I have avoided three crises well, I had a strange confidence that I had nothing to fear anymore. I was also confident that that courage would disappear when I saw Kid.

‘Let’s just sleep.’

I was exhausted because I slept on the piano last night. So I closed my eyes and left myself at ease on the bed.

***

“Won’t you wake up?”

I shouldn’t have left my body at ease.

Kid entered the room and woke me from a good night’s sleep. The glass, which had been fine before, was horribly shattered on the floor. I wanted to ask him if he could wake me up normally.

Inside the room lit by a lamp, I got up while chewing on the inside of my cheeks. Kid smashed the glass he had broken with his shoe.

“I told you to play until I told you to stop yesterday.” The eyes looking at the glass turned to me.

I took a deep breath and inhaled. My blood cooled, and my mind went blank. You told me to play until you told me to stop yesterday, but you didn’t even wake up in the middle. If you had woken up, you wouldn’t have left me sleeping.

My head was spinning about whether I should apologize or shamelessly lie that I had continued playing the piano.

Kid laughed at me and patted my head lightly with his index and middle fingers.

“I can hear your head rolling all the way here.”

“… I-I’m sorry.”

Kid’s momentum had softened compared to yesterday, but he was still Kid. I wrapped my arms around my shoulders and examined his mood.

Kid grabbed my chin and lifted my head. There was no way to escape his gaze, and we made eye contact.

“If you hadn’t played until the end, you should’ve stayed in the room until at least morning.”

What’s this? He didn’t know about that, too?

“No way. Did you return to your room before I told you to go?”

“N-No!”

Red eyes that glowed dazzlingly curved. “Then you must have seen my face in the morning.”

“…” I had an ominous feeling. I couldn’t answer right away because answering that I’d seen his face or I hadn’t seen it was equally wrong.

Kid smiled more deeply as he looked at me, who was silent. “How did you feel when you saw me become Seniel?”

I felt like someone had hit my head with a hammer.

“Y-Y-Yes…?”

“You already knew that I was Seniel. There’s no way you don’t know since you have eyes.”

It was true that I couldn’t have not known if I had eyes, but if you asked me out of nowhere like this… Why is my life so hard…

No words came out of me.

“I killed all the people who knew me. What should I do?”

Save me. My teeth chattered every time I trembled. I couldn’t figure out what to answer, so I closed my eyes tightly.

“Scaredy-cat.”

His hand fell off my chin. I turned my head right away, breathing hard.

“I told you that you still have work to do, and I’ll spare you for the time being. I will keep my promise.”

I don’t know when you became such a wise person who keeps your promises. Thank you very much.

“I was going to make you break the piano if you didn’t play it well yesterday. You’re pretty talented.”

“… I can play a little.”

“Do you have any other talents?”

“I do- Of course. I’ll do my best if you ask me to do something.”

I lied because I feared he’d cut me off if I said I didn’t. Kid smiled quietly and pulled something out of his sleeve.

Play

Unmute

‘I-Is it a knife?’

My body trembled as I remembered his gift on the first day. You said you’d spare me. Without realizing it, I closed my eyes tightly. Then the command came from above.

“Open your eyes and hold out your hand.”

“Y-Yes!”

I closed my eyes tightly and held out my hand.

Something metal fell on my palm. I was surprised, but it wasn’t a knife.

‘A key?’

It looked similar to the key I’d received from Seniel today.

“Take it. I don’t need it.”

“Yes? T-Thank you.”

I observed the key because I wondered what it was.

It was similar to the key that Seniel had given me in the morning but in a different color. If the one Seniel gave me was silver, this one was strangely blue.

What am I supposed to do with this? I glanced at Kid, waiting for his next word. I waited, but he didn’t say anything. Eventually, I had to ask a question bravely.

“… Where should I use this key?”

Tsk, the sound of his tongue clicking rang.

“I thought you were bright. Can’t you tell? It’s the key to the piano room.”

“Aha…”

How should I know that?

But I already got the key from Seniel. Did the two keep the keys separately? I seemed to recall that Kid would get angry if Seniel touched his things.

‘One of them is probably a replica.’

It seemed that the blue-colored Kid’s key was probably the replica key.

But what was I supposed to do now?

Holding the key unsurely, I looked at Kid again. While thinking about whether I should bow down to say thank you, Kid clicked his tongue again as if frustrated.

“Isn’t it a basic courtesy to return a gift when you receive it? Wake up.”

“Y-Yes!”

So, last time I got a knife from you, can I return it to draw your face with it?

“Go ahead.”

I woke up with a sad heart because I had no power or anything. I thought it would be dark in the hallway without lights, so I grabbed the lamp in my room.

I glanced at Kid for permission to hold it. Kid said nothing, so I carefully grabbed the lamp.

I walked down the hall with the lamp in front of me.

I heard Kid’s footsteps behind me, and because of that, I couldn’t breathe well. It was just the sound of footsteps following me, but I couldn’t help the creepy feeling that he was chasing me to death.

I reached the piano room and opened the door with the key the Kid had given me.

I went into the room and carefully set the lamp on the floor next to the piano.

Kid naturally sat on the couch. With his long legs crossed and his arms folded, he closed his eyes to see if he was going to sleep from the beginning.

I sat down on the chair sullenly. I adjusted the gap between the chair and the piano.

“S-Should I start?”

Kid just nodded without saying a word.

Without pressing the keys, I ran my fingertips over the keys and took a deep breath. Then I carefully pressed the first note.

The first lullaby song for Kid was Beethoven’s ‘Sonata No. 8 Pathetique 2nd Movement’.

This song was meant to be emotional. There was a part in the middle that went with passion, but overall it was quiet, so it seemed appropriate as a lullaby.

After that, as soon as I finished playing, I exhaled and waited for Kid’s command. Kid, reflected in the lamp, nodded as if he knew I was asking.

“…”

It seemed like I had to hold a solo concert like yesterday.

Next, I played Liszt’s infamous “Dream of Love”.

I hated Liszt’s other songs, and this was the only song I liked. I was confident because I’d practiced it often. I was confident I could put Kid into a deep sleep.

After playing two songs in a row, I checked Kid again.

I only played two songs, but Kid was already asleep very peacefully.

Why did he have to bring me here and torment me? It would be uncomfortable for him to sleep on a couch like that.

I secretly clicked my tongue and put my hands on the keyboard again. I would play a few more songs and sleep.