Raea frowned at the piece of paper in front of her. An inkwell and feather was placed by its side. “So I have to do this every time I want to use the bathroom, sleep, eat, or drink?” she asked. The headmaster nodded at her.

“And how are you going to stop me from using the bathroom?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at the old man.

“I imagine you don’t want to sit in your own filth,” he said. “Even animals won’t defecate where they eat.”

“And what about sleeping?”

“One of my professors invented a machine that is perfect for keeping someone awake although it is quite useless at literally everything else,” the headmaster said. “It’s a contraption that violently jabs your ribs unless you press a button every ten minutes. Crude, but it works.”

“And you’re positive this is going to convert my wrath into patience, instead of making me angrier?” Raea asked.

“In due time,” the headmaster said. “You’re already an archangel. There’s a limit to what level your wrath can reach. Besides, you heard your parents yourself. I told them it may take a long while, and they readily agreed. That could mean a few years to a few decades. Of course, I’ll be charging your parents for all costs of keeping you alive.”

“Then what’ll you do if I just sit here and refuse to do any of your puzzles without eating or sleeping?” Raea asked.

“I’d like to see how long you’d last,” the headmaster said. “The previous record was five days. When he fainted, I had to bring in an angel of kindness to restore him to acceptable levels of dehydration and starvation. In other words, I won’t let you die.” The headmaster smiled. “Just do a simple cost-benefit analysis: Is suffering worth being stubborn for?

“You have this all planned out, don’t you?” Raea muttered as she stared at the piece of paper. She didn’t let the headmaster see her face because then he’d realize how relieved she was. As long as she didn’t die, she believed Palan would be able to find and free her. He had to—there was no way he was going to live his life with the threat of dying at any time hang over his head. The expression on her face returned to normal, and she raised her head.

“Your parents also wanted me to restore your kindness,” the headmaster said. “Although I can’t force you to be honest or to be kind to everyone, I can still force you to trust others unconditionally.”

“Really,” Raea said.

“Yes, it’s quite simple actually,” the headmaster said. “Have you ever heard of a trust fall? It’s where you stand on the edge of a table and someone else stands behind you. Then you lean over backwards and believe that they’ll catch you. After every kudosu puzzle you do, you’ll perform a trust fall with a new student. If you brace yourself for a fall in mid-air, then you’ll be forced to do another kudosu puzzle and trust fall. Why don’t we do one right now?”

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“Why don’t we not?” Raea asked back.

“I imagine you’d want to take a bath, no?” the headmaster asked. “Even my cat avoids you because you stink. Wouldn’t it be nice to feel clean again?”

Raea sighed. It would be nice. She traveled for a week in the carriage with her parents, but they never stopped to take a bath. They only paused to eat and sleep because they didn’t want to risk revealing her to the outside world. “Fine,” she said as she stood up. The chains shackling her to the wall had enough slack for her to climb onto the table. “I’ll do a fall in exchange for a bath.”

“Good,” the headmaster said as he walked behind Raea. “Just spread your arms out to the side and lean back. I’ll catch you before you hit the ground.”

Raea bit her lip as she shuffled her feet towards the edge of the table. If this was happening before she met Palan, she would’ve believed in the headmaster and fallen without hesitation. Now, her stomach was telling her not to do it, and her head was already throbbing from the impending pain. Perhaps Palan calling on her envy all the time really did erode what little kindness was left in her body after Selena died.

“Well?” the headmaster asked. “To be kind to someone, you have to trust them unconditionally. Could you really heal someone you suspect was going to kill or manipulate you?”

“I know that,” Raea said as her hand twitched. “I used to believe everyone was good. But after experiencing the borderlands for myself, I don’t believe that anymore. For a while, I deluded myself, but I realized what I was doing after Selena died. Not everyone can be trusted.”

“And that’s why you have to relearn how to trust others,” the headmaster said and sighed as he stared at the empty glass bottle on the table. He shook his head and glanced at the cabinet he kept his alcohol in. Maybe he should drink another. There was a movement in the corner of his eye, and he turned back around just in time to see Raea’s head about to collide with his face but not in time to catch her. The two collided and fell to the floor.

“I knew you were tricking me!” Raea shouted as she clutched her head. Tears welled up in her eyes from the stinging sensation, and she curled her knees to her chest—well, as much as she could with the chains restraining her. Her eyes shut as she exhaled through gritted teeth. “I knew it!”

There was no response, and Raea opened her eyes. She saw the headmaster lying beside her with blood pouring from a gash in his forehead. Her face paled at the sight. “Hey,” she said and shook his body. “You can’t be serious.” She lifted her hands and placed them against his neck, checking for a pulse. Raea let out a breath when she found out he was still alive. If he really did die, then there was no way she’d be able to keep her life.

The headmaster shuddered as his eyes fluttered open. Raea quickly released his neck and moved away from his body. He sat up and touched a hand to the wound on his head. “Shouldn’t you have said something before you fell?” he asked while groaning. He stood up before staggering to his desk and pressing a bell that rang with a clear sound.

“You said you would catch me,” Raea said.

“I wasn’t ready,” the headmaster said while holding his head. Moments later, the door to the room opened and an angel wearing a suit walked in. She frowned at the headmaster and briskly walked over to him. Her face paled at the sight of blood, and her hands were enveloped by a white glow before she pressed them to his head.

“What happened?” the angel asked. She turned to look at Raea and froze when she saw Raea’s eyes and wings.

“Nothing,” the headmaster said as he brushed away his secretary’s hands. “Take her to the baths and bring her a fresh set of clothes, but don’t take the chains off of her. You can cut off the robe she’s wearing right now if you have to.”

“But—“

“Please,” the headmaster said.

“Alright, but you owe me an explanation,” the secretary said and pursed her lips. She turned towards Raea. “Come with me.”