Chapter 24: CH 21

Translated by Wook

Edited by Wook

While I was thinking about what to say, Kid sat down next to me.

“How can I believe in efforts that are only words?”

I was worried that the shocker I had tucked under my pillow would be discovered. I deliberately fixed my gaze on Kid to avoid looking at the pillow.

“… I once stopped him from self-harming. You know best that Seniel hasn’t harmed himself for a week.”

Kid glanced at me and asked me to continue.

“It’s been a while since he hurt himself, and he hasn’t done it since I stopped him. That means he trusts me. I’ll make him trust me more little by little like this.”

The corners of Kid’s lips rose smoothly. His gaze was still on me, but his reaction wasn’t bad.

“It will break my heart if you die of thinking nonsense when you can be this useful, you know?”

He furrowed his eyebrows as if he were really heartbroken. It was ridiculous. He wanted to kill me. What was so heartbreaking?

“I never thought of running away. Truly. I looked so happy today because I got it as a gift from Seniel.”

Despite my deep appeal, the interrogative atmosphere did not disappear. But I didn’t think he’d kill me right away. Nevertheless, I wanted to get out of this situation.

I thought of something that would make him feel better.

“…… Do you want me to play the piano? I practiced a lot during the day.”

“No.”

I couldn’t figure out what the heck he wanted from me. Should I cry that I won’t run away, back down, or shout at him to catch and watch me?

‘I must say he’s quick-witted, able to guess I’d run away with so little hint.’

Kid suddenly pressed the top of my head with the palm of his hand.

“Now that I’ve got all the information I needed, lie back and pretend to be asleep.”

“… Yes?”

“Sleep.”

An unknown command was issued. I couldn’t resist, so I lay down on my back. Kid got up beside me. The recoil caused the bed to shake.

‘Is he finally going?’

I observed Kid with eyes wide open, full of anticipation. He didn’t leave the room. He wandered around and suddenly began to search through the drawer.

‘Crazy guy.’

He left the chest of drawers open and went straight to the closet. The clothes flew through the air and fell helplessly to the ground.

My heart was beating like crazy. I even closed my eyes because I was afraid our eyes would meet. I couldn’t figure out exactly where he was looking, so I was more suffocated.

For a few minutes, maybe a few decades, all I could hear was him moving around the room. After a while, the noise subsided.

Suddenly, I felt the corner of my bed go down.

“There’s nothing.”

If he had only sat down slightly before, now he seemed to be fully seated on the bed with his legs stretched out.

“But, Seniel’s wife.” His voice was lower than before. The back of my head was damp with sweat. “The jewelry box was almost empty. Didn’t Seniel fill it up for you?”

Crazy guy, I pinched my thighs to keep from crying.

“… Seniel never filled it up for me. And since I’m not very interested in jewelry-!”

Suddenly, a hand came under my pillow. I couldn’t even scream in surprise and just opened my eyes wide.

“What? I was wondering what you were hiding under the pillow. Is this all?”

I was speechless in shock. I’d lost my shocker to Kid. He turned the shocker around to check it out. “Don’t tell me you spent it all only for this.”

With my mouth wide open, I tried to move away from him with trembling hands.

“Seniel’s wife has a knack for surprising people in many ways.”

“…”

“You should’ve hired a useful priest or a knight. This doesn’t even work for me. Well, had you really hired someone, it would only increase the body count.”

“I-I’m sorr-”

“Tsk, such a useless thing.” Kid grabbed my head with a look of disappointment and pressed it again. I was forced to lie helplessly on the bed. “Just keep pretending to sleep until it’s bright.”

Was he sparing me?

Kid just clicked his tongue and didn’t do anything to me. My body trembled. When I forced myself to close my eyes, my eyes trembled, and I felt like I would have a cramp in my face.

I begged him to leave, but Kid seemed unwilling to leave.

I heard a rustling sound next to me. It was as if he had picked up something on the side table. There were only newspapers, a scorebook, and a rose on the side table, so I didn’t know what he’d gotten.

There was the sound of paper flapping. Because my eyes were closed, the sound was louder than usual. In a frustrating situation where I couldn’t sleep and couldn’t open my eyes, Kid said terrifying words. “Will you sleep if I put you to sleep? Should I do just that?”

Anyone who heard it would think he wanted to put me to sleep forever.

“I-I can sleep well. I tend to fall asleep a little later when someone is next to me, that’s why.”

Please get out of here, I asked politely, but Kid didn’t understand. I was out of breath and felt like I would die in my sleep. But tomorrow was my escape day, and I couldn’t die like this.

I mustered up a lot of courage and asked him, “A-Aren’t you going to sleep? I think it’s bedtime.”

“It’s amazing that you understand to tell me to get out of here. But it’s too bad I don’t need to sleep, Seniel’s wife.”

The paper fluttered over. I felt like fainting when I tried to sleep with Kid next to me.

And what did he mean he didn’t have to sleep? Then why did he sleep whenever I played the piano.”

“Oh, eloquent Seniel’s wife. If you don’t sleep, you’ll have difficulty seducing Seniel tomorrow.”

Everything will be solved once you leave.

It was clear that he would watch over me all night like this. He’d searched all over my room, and he still didn’t believe me. He was such an unnecessarily quick-witted guy.

I gave up on kicking him out of this room. I was not going to run away at night anyway, I was going to run away on a sunny day, so it didn’t matter if he watched me.

The room became quiet. My body felt heavy, like experiencing sleep paralysis. It remained in an ambiguous state, neither sleeping nor not sleeping.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, Kid spoke next to me. “I was going to monitor you, but I can’t because this is too boring. I’ll just chase you when you run away.”

“…”

“Seniel’s wife. Persuade me to get out of this room.”

I was dumbfounded when I heard that he would leave after seeing me acting like a clown.

But I was a hostage. I just had to do what he told me to.

“… You said you don’t need to sleep. But proper sleep is good for your health, so why don’t you go to bed now?” It was very convincing even to me, but I heard a sneer beside me. “More,” his voice came with a grin.

“Recently, you’ve been sleeping on the couch. If you go to your room and sleep comfortably, it will be good for your spine and relieve tension.”

“So I have to sleep now?”

“… Yes.”

At the poor persuasion, Kid let out an airy laugh again. Then I felt the bed shake. My eyes were closed, so I couldn’t tell exactly what the situation was, but he seemed to leave the room out of boredom.

‘Finally!’

However, after a long time, I couldn’t hear footsteps. The side of the bed didn’t even feel empty. Rather, it felt like it had become heavier.

I opened my eyes very slightly in doubt and almost passed out.

“What? You told me to sleep.”

“N-N-No. T-That’s not what I-”

Kid was lying on his side, looking at me with his arms crossed.

“You have to persuade me to go away, I didn’t expect you to persuade me to sleep.”

I wanted to deny the reality, but this was the reality. I tried to convince him again, barely holding on to my fainting spirit.

“T-There’s only one blanket and one pillow here… Why don’t you go back to your room and sleep…?”

“After convincing me, you still talk much about what I must do.”

Kid looked sick and tired of me and closed his eyes.

I had so much to say that my stomach was boiling. I couldn’t even feel sad because I didn’t have the strength. Just make it until morning, I guessed. I would definitely run away and never even sleep in this place’s direction.

I closed my eyes. I had no energy to argue with Kid anymore.

Waiting for the morning to come early, I thought of the escape plan.

***

I guessed I fell asleep last night.

It was morning when I woke up softly to the sound of rustling next to me.

“V-Vivi… H-How- Why- What happened last night…” Seniel jumped up on the bed and stuttered as if he had broken down.

Normally, I would have felt sorry for such a Seniel, but today I did not feel sad. I remembered being beaten by Kid last night, so I wanted to give him a blow.

‘Huft. Let’s be patient. I don’t have time for this if I want to meet Ezette and run straight to the port.’

I pressed my finger to my throbbing forehead. I tried to be patient, but my words did not come out kindly. My easiness seemed to have disappeared as the escape time was ahead.

“I put Kid to sleep because he complained he couldn’t sleep.”

“…What? Put him to sleep? That doesn’t make sense.”

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“It does make sense. I’m a little tired right now. So if you’re awake, can you go get ready for work?”

Seniel’s eyes shook at my blunt words. He felt completely different from the impression I had seen at night, so it looked like I was venting my anger at an innocent. They were the same person. How could they look so different?

Seniel looked at my face, not knowing what to do. Looking at the good eyes without any malice, I sighed.

‘I wish we had broken up like that yesterday.’

All my plans to end this with a good farewell fell through. After looking at the scorebook that Seniel had given me on the side table, I sighed again. I wiped my forehead with my hand and said in a softer voice than before, “Please leave.”

“…”

Seniel opened his mouth as if to say something. Then he bit his lip and stood up.

As he opened the door and went out, I looked at his back and said, “Get ready for work, and have a safe trip.” I then looked at him meaningfully, telling him to go. Seniel stared at me for a while with his mouth shut. I had nothing more to say to him. Eventually, he got nothing more from me, opened the door, and went out.

After confirming that he had left, my body lost strength.

‘Let’s get ready.’

I got up from bed, and pulled out the luggage Kid couldn’t find all night from the next room.

***

The suitcase contained clothes, self-defense products, potions, jewels, money, dry food, and video equipment. I packed my bag and went back to my room.

I pulled out the fake ID that was well hidden under the bed and added it to my bag.

After putting the bag on the bed, my preparation to go out without a maid was complete.