Shun POV:
“Master Shun, it makes me glad to see you so active around the Ravendawn mansion.”
Nicholas bowed his head before returning to his upright posture. He placed one hand behind his back as he peered down at me from above.
“...”
My body trembled in front of his pressure. The hairs on my arms stood to attention while cold sweat wet the nape of my neck.
“Dear me, your condition only continues to deteriorate every time I see you, yet my Lady hasn’t mentioned a word of it to me. You must be hiding it well; your concern to not worry her is worth praise, Master Shun.”
‘...’
He dipped his head. I pulled out a piece of paper, prompting Nicholas to raise an eyebrow at my action. I passed it to him before retreating backwards.
“...Are you serious, Master Shun?”
His lips curved into a thin smile as I nodded my head.
“Then why don’t you do something about your attire first? Surely you don’t plan on wearing around those rags forever?”
He handed the paper back towards me, and I wrote down a few lines on it. Nicholas opened the palm of his hand in order to receive my reply.
“...I suppose the time for you to confess your love clearly to my Lady is fast approaching. Your words have made my day, Master Shun. Your movements behind the scenes have already been masked by yours truly, so be at ease. My lady won’t have any idea about what you’ve prepared for her.”
He placed his hand against his chest and bowed deeply. I bowed in response, grateful for his help before taking my leave.
‘...Dumbass.’
My lips curved into a sadistic smile while my eyes turned into half-crescent moons. Blind devotion was such a dangerous trait, but what made it worse was when you treated a potential threat as an insignificant ant that could be squashed at any time.
Nicholas had already been monitoring my movements, so my actions in front of him only served to reinforce the idea that I was planning a tremendous surprise for Chloe to show how much I love her.
As for the extract I had hidden away, don’t forget that there were only two people allowed to enter that room: Chloe and me. She made that clear when she messed with my mind by pretending to be Rachel; that was when I figured out how much she valued that space.
‘Haha...HAHAHAHA!!’
My shoulders heaved up and down as I laughed inwardly, like a madman. I masked my movements by pretending to jump around with joy until I reached the 2nd floor.
‘Justice is coming.’
***
‘...’
I placed Nicholas’s name in the ‘against’ category without hesitation. The extent of his observation was something I couldn’t grasp, but it was possible that he was only allowed to watch me inside the mansion and not outside.
How did I come to that conclusion?
Well, at best, it was just a flimsy guess. Chloe had mentioned that she didn’t mind if I left the room, which by extension meant that she didn’t mind if I went outside either, but she had to be aware of at least everything going on in the inside.
Nicholas was always in the same position whenever I spoke with him...
Wait.
‘...Hm. It is possible.’
The reason Herb took me so far away from the mansion in order to give the extract... Was it to avoid Nicholas’s gaze? Then maybe the pressure he had emitted was, in fact, really weak, but because I couldn’t use this world’s power, it seemed powerful in my eyes?
‘...Herb Moss.’
My gaze rested on his name for a few minutes. If my train of thought was correct, he had helped me in more ways than I was aware of at the time. I pushed his name to the middle of the line between ‘pro’ and ‘neutral.’
I was reluctant to put anyone in the ‘pro’ category, but after recalling all the information from my past conversations, Herb was turning into a strong contender.
I turned my attention towards the last name on the list: Cedric Stringer.
He was the last person I needed to speak to today. I got up and left the room.
***
I crashed into a hard wall and rubbed my sore nose. I looked up and saw Cedric’s well-defined back as he stood in the middle of the hallway.
“...Seriously? Why do you keep bumping into me?”
He ruffled his messy hair and let out an annoyed sigh while moving back into the room. I followed after him, only for the door to slam shut in my face before I could enter.
‘...’
A few minutes later, the door opened, but it wasn’t Cedric who stood in front of me...
It was Camille.
“M-master S-Shun...! I-I can explain... I-I know this looks ba–”
“Quit shouting so much.”
I stepped out of the way as Cedric booted Camille’s behind out of the room. She crashed headfirst into the wall before giving us the thumbs up to signal that she was alright.
My gaze shifted between the topless Cedric and Camille, wearing her maid uniform. My mind went blank as I had no idea what to say in this situation.
“C-Cedric... U-um... Let’s talk later...!!”
Camille bowed her head in my direction and dashed down the hallway. Her face was beet red, while Cedric leaned against the doorway with his hand through his hair. Almost as if this was an everyday occurrence for him.
“So what did you want?”
He clicked his tongue and headed back into the room as I closed the door behind us. Cedric’s chest stuck out, and his six-pack was well-defined. His arms were lean, complimenting his whole physique that gave off the impression he was a more than capable fighter.
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I took a seat at the table he pointed to and jotted down a few lines on a spare piece of paper. He snatched it out of my hands before I could pass it to him.
“...Yeah, I am interested in Camille. You got a problem with that?”
He sat opposite me and put his feet up on the table. Cedric seemed a bit more hostile than usual, so I couldn’t help but wonder if I had interrupted something between the two of them.
I slipped him another piece of paper, and he scratched the back of his head in response.
“Ha. I’m reaching the age where even I need to settle down. She caught my eye about a month ago, and her personality once you get to know....”
His words trailed off as a faint shade of red spread across his cheeks. He coughed multiple times before waving his hand towards me. I thought Cedric was immune to embarrassment, but I guess I was wrong.
“The Summerstone girl? Nah, she is a beauty, don’t get me wrong, but she’s not my type, or rather, I’m probably not her type.”
He dashed the piece of paper back towards me while I noticed a glint of worry in his eyes as his gaze swept over me.
“...Are you really alright? You haven’t said a word this entire time. Why are you even communicating through written notes?”
‘...’
His words stirred the turbulent amount of emotions inside of me that I had tried to seal off. They came tumbling out. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I held my head in agony.
“...Hey, take it easy, man. What’s troubling you so much?”
Cedric patted my back while handing me a bunch of tissues. He waited for me to calm down, and once I did, I opened my mouth to speak.
“I-I... Want to... Escape...”
The words croaked out of my mouth after 2 weeks of being sealed off. I came clean with my intentions, making me wonder if maybe that’s why this time, I didn’t feel such a strong opposing force coming from the muscles in that area of my face.
Cedric narrowed his eyes but didn’t reply. His hand ruffled his light green hair as a long sigh escaped his lips.
“You really are a damn hassle, do you know that? You want to escape from what, exactly? You’re Lady Chloe’s lover, yet for some reason you don’t want to be regarded as that?”
I shifted my gaze to the elaborate dressing covering the mahogany table as a weak voice wobbled out into the atmosphere.
“I... Don’t... Want this.”
“Then I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you better give up now. Not only are you horrifically weak, but once Lady Chloe sets her sight on someone, no one, and I mean no one, escapes her grasp.”
Cedric flipped his legs off the table and got to his feet. He stood in front of the tall glass window that replaced a portion of the wall while furrowing his eyebrows.
“Let’s say you make it out of the estate. The nearest city is a lot further away than you think. It takes roughly an hour by carriage, but you will be on foot. In other words, with your weak body, your time will most likely be double or triple that, if not more.”
He tilted his head back towards me, shooting me a glance out of the corner of his eyes as his lips parted.
“Just... Accept your fate.”
‘!’
My eyes bulged as Cedric crushed any semblance of hope I had formed over the last couple of weeks. I gripped my hair, shaking my head in denial. There had to be a way...
There had to be a way!
The world spun around me, and I collapsed to the floor. My vision blurred while violent convulsions spread across my body. When I’m not Chloe’s plaything, what... Exactly am I? Was my existence really worth the same weight as a grain of rice? Why... Why do I need to suffer like this...?
Two dark blinds fell over my eyes, cutting off my consciousness once they met.
***
When I came to, I was lying on the bed in my room. Chloe’s scent drifted into my nose as I moved towards the large window overlooking the garden.
‘...Is there really no escape?...’
The moonlight illuminated the grass below, reminding me of how late it was. Soon enough, the devil arrived.
*Click*
My lifeless eyes swivelled towards Chloe as she arched her fingers over her breasts. She asked me whether I liked the black and pink nightdress she had chosen, but I simply stared at her with dead eyes.
She dragged me to the bed and pushed me on top of it. The soft touch of her hands made me tremble in repulsion as I watched my clothes leave my body.
Chloe sat on top of my abdomen, peering down at me with euphoric eyes as I glared at her. That ball of flaming hatred inside of me boiled up while the urge to kill her assaulted my mind so much that the blood vessels in my eyes popped.
“Yes... Keep staring at me with those hateful eyes that only get darker with each passing day. The thrill you give me is enough to make me tremble every time I merely think of you.”
Her body quaked, and a loud moan escaped her lips. She hugged her arms while her flushed face went a dark, dark shade of red. Tears rolled down her cheek from the immense wave of pleasure circulating all over her body as her lips parted.
“You are the best.”
My eyes bulged even further when I saw hers leave a light pink trail behind them. The next thing I knew, her tongue was swimming about in my mouth. She overpowered me, holding my arms above my head as she kissed me.
‘Die. Die. DIE!!’
The anger inside of me boiled over, and I thrashed around in the bed, trying to break free from her grip. It turned her on even more. She straddled my crotch, causing my face to contort with disgust.
The night passed by slowly...
Chloe leaned forward, pressing her large breasts against my chest while stroking my cheek. She looked up into my lifeless eyes and smiled.
“Perhaps I’m not very good at this. You are my first man, after all.”
My eyebrows twitched, and I glared at her with vivid revulsion at the remark she had just made. She fanned her fingers over my face, trying to hide the deep blush that emerged as a result of my gaze.
“Don’t worry. Since we have the rest of our life together, I’ll get much better at it.”
*Snap*
Somewhere deep inside of me, I felt something break apart—snap in half as a shadow fell over my face.
“Get off.”
Her eyes widened, and she adjusted her position to get a better view of my face.
“I despise everything about you. I wish you were dead.”
Her eyebrows quivered. Chloe’s wide smile diminished by the smallest amount as I puckered my lips and spat in her face. The ball of spit splashed against her eye, causing her to recoil backwards. I used the same momentum to push her off me.
Chloe’s head crashed against the floor as she fell off the bed. I jumped on top of her and threw my fist down with evil intentions, only for it to stop beside her cheek.
‘?’
It trembled, ignoring my desire to beat the life out of her.
“You can’t do it. You can’t do it because you love me.”
I shifted my gaze to Chloe, who looked up at me with loving eyes. The corners of my mouth rose, followed by my mouth opening. I arched my back, and soon a hysteric laugh filled the entire room as I peered down at her.
“Love you? I was lying when I said that you dumbass!! I hate your entire existence from the very depths of my soul!”
She stared at me with the same loving eyes as my fists rained down on her without mercy.
Her blood splattered across the floor, dying my hands a beautiful black colour. The sight of her blood invigorated me, and the viciousness of my blows increased as I snapped her head from side to side.
‘DIE, DIE, DIE!!!’
Minutes passed by, and I continued to whack away at her with no intention of stopping.
‘?’
The trembling returned to my fist, breaking me out of the daze as I looked at Chloe’s bloodied face. Her bright smile remained. Her eyes continued to look at me with an unbearable amount of love and affection. I watched her bruised-up lips part as I begged my fist to smash her mouth shut.
“Is this how you show your love too?”
My body froze.
A cold shiver ran down my spine, and I stared at her in confusion. I swivelled my eyes towards the blood splattered over my upper body and face before looking back into her eyes. I... I suddenly felt horrified.
I was scared.
Chloe stretched out her hand and caressed my cheek.
“It can only be you.”
“Keuk?!”
Her fist sank into my stomach, launching me into the wall like a missile. The force alone shattered the area behind me, embedding my body into the small crater as I hung over the bed. A mouthful of blood spewed across the sheets, and I saw Chloe get back to her feet.
“Forcefully lowering my defences to the point every bone in your hands wouldn’t shatter from hitting me was much more difficult than I expected.”
‘What...?’
I watched her wipe the blood off her face with the quilt before appearing in front of me. Her hand shot forward, gripping my neck as she dislodged my body from the wall.
“I understand it perfectly now. While your hate for me turns me on like nothing else, something else started to develop inside me over the last month or so.”
Her sadistic smile returned, and her eyes curved into thin slits. A deep shade of red darted across the bridge of her nose as she licked her lips seductively.
“I want to see you 24/7. I want you to be by my side every second of each day. I want you to look at no one else but me.”
Her face grew closer to mine, giving me a front-row seat to the twisted and depraved madness lurking in her eyes.
“Marry me.”
‘???!’
[The Mission difficulty is being updated...]
[Mission: Escape from Chloe Ravendawn
Difficulty: SS
Chloe Ravendawn has expressed her desire to marry you. This is an official proposal from a Ravendawn. Escape the Ravendawn Estate as soon as possible; otherwise, your fate will be sealed.
Time Limit: 72 Hours.
Rewards: Freedom.
Failure: Live your life as a puppet.]
‘...’
I dispelled the floating blue window while Chloe stared at me, waiting for my answer.
“No.”
My head snapped to the side as blood gushed out of my nose. She twisted my chin back towards her flushed face and parted her lips once more.
“Marry me.”
“No.”
*Slap*
...
*Slap*
..
*Slap*
.
Blood splashed everywhere around me as my consciousness faded. Chloe’s soft voice drifted into my ear one last time while I welcomed the incoming darkness.
“If I can’t have you, then no one else can.”