Shun POV:
My eyelids rolled open to a wave of pain. I was bandaged up from head to toe while the room had been restored back to its immaculate condition.
‘System mission.’
[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: 67 Hours.
Rewards: Freedom.
Failure: Live your life as a puppet.]
The increase in difficulty didn’t phase me. It just meant that the feeling of ripping out Chloe’s heart and crushing it into nothingness would be even sweeter than before.
I tore the bandages off my head and threw them to the side. I ignored the throbbing pains pulsating all over my body and left the room.
‘Nicholas Webster.’
It was time for a change of clothes.
***
“Good morning, Master Shun.”
Mildred bowed her head while a faint shade of red tinted her cheeks. The small pair of glasses she normally wore were nowhere to be seen. She had long eyelashes that complimented the cute pair of medium-sized eyes that examined me. Her lips spread into a brighter smile than usual while we faced one another in the hallway.
“Good morning, Mildred.”
Her eyes widened as I walked past her. I had no time to waste on small talk; there was a superhuman I needed to kill. I arrived on the 3rd floor and approached the area where Nicholas was always stationed at.
‘!’
My eyebrows furrowed at the scene before me. Nicholas was standing towards the front of the wide pathway, and I could barely make out the sounds of other voices chatting away behind the two large double doors closed shut.
“Master Shun, you’ve come at a bad time, I’m afraid. My lady will be in a very important meeting for the next 3 days.”
He bowed his head as my gaze shifted back towards him.
“I need clothes, Nicholas, and I need to smell better than I do now.”
He raised an eyebrow at the coherent sound of my voice. I watched his lips curve into a wide smile. He stroked his chin while looking into my eyes.
“So the time has come. Follow me.”
He turned around swiftly and walked down the hallway. I stared at the doors for a few seconds before following after him.
“Master Shun, I’m honestly quite surprised by your complete revival. I suppose talking things out with my lady was indeed the best course of action.”
“...”
I remained silent as I noticed a slight smirk flash across his face. I didn’t bother to question how much he knew about Chloe because I couldn’t care less. He’d learn a lot more once I finished burying her corpse.
“We are here.”
He held open one of the doors on the 3rd floor and beckoned for me to enter. I stepped inside and saw dozens of suits lined up neatly along the wall.
“My lady regularly updated me on your measurements, so I had these prepared in advance. Each suit comes with its own cologne, hand picked by yours truly. Whether it’s a rich fragrance you seek or a manly one; I have it all.”
‘This will do.’
I examined each suit. The quality of the fabric was soft yet sturdy, and unlike the rags I was currently wearing; they were the real deal.
My attention turns towards the cologne sitting on small podiums in front of each suit as if it was part of a shop display. I took my time evaluating the smell of each one until I reached the 8th podium.
It gave off a powerful rich fragrance that was just a tad under being regarded as too much. It seemed to wrap around me, embracing me with an odour that harmonized well with my own.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“You have good taste, Master Shun. This fragrance is called Plein de Bisous in a few parts of Xera, but its main name is Dream’s Devotion. It is worn by men when they want to confess, rekindle, or reassure their female half of the love that they hold for them.”
‘...’
I glanced at Nicholas, who seemed excited by the fact that I had dwelled on this fragrance for so long.
“As you might have guessed, I chose this one because you also plan to give my lady Reverie. The theme you have chosen is a pure dreamlike love, so I hope it meets your expectation.”
He bowed, and I placed the fragrance back down on the small podium. It sat in front of a more casual tuxedo suit compared to the one Nicholas was wearing.
“This will do then.”
“In that case, please take it with you to your room. My lady will be too tired to visit you until after the meetings have concluded, so fret not about your surprise being discovered.”
‘...Then she must be dealing with other nobles.’
I nodded my head and left the room with the goods that Nicholas had prepared. Fortunately, I didn’t bump into anyone else on my way back.
After placing the cologne and the suit in the corner of the room, I locked the door behind me and pulled out a chair. I placed the lavender oil that I had extracted on the table before removing the small cork off the Reverie extract.
‘It stinks.’
The pungent smell was revolting. I gagged while holding it far away from my face; there was no way you could mask a smell this bad by shoving it into a cake.
I flipped the lid off the lavender oil, and a powerful aroma covered the room. It overpowered the putrid smell. I tipped the jar, letting the drops of oil mix in with the extract.
After every few drops, I put the cork back over the vial and shook it around. Depending on the density of the extract, this could either be a huge fail or a huge success.
Seconds passed, and the oil merged with the extract, lightening the darkish purple colour. I removed the cork and let the liquid settle; there was no separate layer, which confirmed the successful combination.
The strength of the pungent smell had decreased by half, but it still smelled vile. I repeated the process a few more times. However, the smell failed to completely vanish. It seemed like the max amount I could reduce the stench by was around 85%.
‘It’s doable.’
Happy with the now light purple vials sitting on the table, I closed the lid on the lavender oil and placed it back at the bottom of the cabinet. Chloe had no reason to check that area because I had never used it before.
The problem was the viability of Lavender over Valerian. I could only hope for the best at this point.
I closed the door behind me and made my way to the kitchen. I didn’t get very far before I bumped into Mildred again.
“Master Shun, may I speak to you for a minute?”
Her gaze shifted to the ground, and I noticed her hands clasped together.
“What’s the matter, Mildred?”
I ran my hand through my messy hair, annoyed by her getting in my way. I observed her eyes shake at my action, causing her gaze to sweep over my body. Her cheeks turned a dark shade of red as she took a step back away from me.
“O-on second thought, I wish you a good day.”
She dipped her head and tried to bolt out of my view, but I grabbed hold of her hand. Her feet froze in place.
“M-master Shun, I–”
I pressed my finger against her lips, causing her to blush. Her eyes half rolled back into her head, and I observed her limbs go limp.
“There’s only one person I have feelings for. She is my everything!”
Mildred’s eyebrows curved inwards, and I caught sight of the sadness that temporarily rested in her eyes. However, her facial expression soon changed as she noticed my eyes signalling to the door next to us.
I moved my finger away, and she bowed her head.
“I apologise, Master Shun.”
We stepped inside the room together, and I handed her a pre-written note. She slowly took it out of my hands before taking a seat beside the table.
‘He’s watching.’
Her gaze shifted back towards me as she smiled.
“Master Shun, you’re truly considerate, but you worry too much. Nothing has happened, and nothing will happen between us.”
‘I need you to not mess up my plans.’
Even if I wanted to be happy about her affection towards me, I could no longer feel those kinds of emotions. I made a circular gesture in the air and she flipped over the note.
Her cheeks turned red once more before the paper faded into dust. She got to her feet and approached the door.
“...I’m not going anywhere, Master Shun.”
I nodded my head while she closed the door behind her. I had told Mildred that I didn’t want her to die... While also slipping in a few compliments here and there.
I needed to sway her as much as possible in the off chance I encountered her during my breakout. More importantly, as long as Chloe Ravendawn was alive, those feelings could put her life at risk.
Well, Mildred wasn’t stupid. She knew not to cross that line, so there was no point in even worrying about it.
‘!’
Bolts of pain speared through my mind, forcing me to lean against the wall as I gasped for breath. I wiped the blood leaking out of my nose and once again ignored the searing pain that got worse.
I didn’t care about it anymore.
Pain was just a figment of my imagination. A by-product of electrical signals hindering me in my pursuit of Justice. I shook my head a few times and darted out of the room towards the kitchen on the 1st floor.
***
“Rollo, is it ready?”
I took a seat on the stall by the table as Rollo stared at me in shock. He rubbed his chin while examining me from every angle.
“...What sorcery is this? You looked like you were on death’s door the last time I saw you?”
“Looks can be deceiving.”
He let out a hearty laugh in response before beckoning me over to a cake that matched the sketch I had given him. I examined the large heart that had ‘CHLOE’ written in bold pink letters.
The greyish flower petals adorned around each layer of the cake came out well. Their colour resembled that of Chloe’s light blond hair, which often looked light greyish at times.
“It’s really well done.”
“It would be since I made it, hahaha. I’ll store it down here so it doesn’t go off. Come get it whenever you’re ready.”
I bowed my head before shifting my gaze to the assortment of Reverie that still looked just as fresh as the day Herb gave them to me.
My lips curved into a thin smile, and I returned to my room. I sat down on the bed, forcing my body to adapt to Chloe’s scent as I closed my eyes.
‘All the preparations are now complete. From here on out, it’s time to counterattack.’
[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: 60 Hours.
Rewards: Freedom.
Failure: Live your life as a puppet.]