106

With immense strength, I quickly lifted my head.

Dante, with a distorted expression, spat out his words harshly.

“If you drink all this sugar water… and promise to eat properly from now on.”

“Marquis.”

“…Then I’ll allow you to take a walk.”

Dante immediately added a condition.

“But, I have to accompany you.”

A walk, huh?

I was happy just to be able to go outside.

“Alright.”

I nodded with a faint smile.

Dante looked at me with an indescribable gaze.

* * *

After putting in all my effort, I managed to finish a bowl of clear soup.

Dante, who was watching me eat as if he was about to devour me, muttered sarcastically:

[No matter how much I beg and plead, you never budge. How am I supposed to live with such frustration?]

Though his words were biting, he still kept his promise.

About a week later, I was able to breathe fresh air for the first time since being dragged to the mansion.

‘The season has already changed…’

When I was first brought to the mansion, it was the height of summer. Now, it was the beginning of autumn.

The once vibrant greenery was slowly starting to tint its leaves with shades of autumn.

“Haa.”

I took a deep breath.

As I inhaled the fresh air, it felt like my lungs were being cleansed.

‘I feel alive.’

Of course, the organization’s members were likely guarding the area, leaving no gaps.

But just the fact that they were out of sight was enough for me to feel satisfied.

‘…It’s beautiful.’

I was standing by the large lake behind the mansion.

The clear autumn sky was reflected in the water, making it look as if the lake and the sky were connected.

I gazed at the deep blue hue for a long time, so bright it almost stung my eyes.

Then, suddenly—

“Don’t go too close to the lake.”

A blunt voice addressed me.

“What if you fall in?”

It was Dante.

With both hands stuffed into his pockets, he was watching my every move intently.

Dante hadn’t taken his eyes off me for even a moment.

…And I found it unbearably uncomfortable.

“I’m not a child. It’s not like I’m going to fall into the lake.”

I replied coldly as I approached the edge of the lake.

Transparent water gently lapped onto the white sandy shore.

I took off my shoes and dipped my feet into the lake.

‘Refreshing.’

A soft smile spread across my lips.

It had been so long since I felt this light and carefree.

For three years, I had been free from the male protagonists.

To me, this sense of freedom had once been so natural…

‘How long will I have to live like this, bound and trapped?’

Suddenly, that question rose in my mind.

I quietly stared at my scarred bare feet.

The wounds had healed, but the scars remained.

Even though Dante had threatened to hang the doctor from the roof if necessary.

The doctor wasn’t a god.

There was no way the countless wounds I had could heal without leaving any trace.

[With time, the scars will fade. I promise!]

The doctor had pleaded, sweating nervously.

At the time, Dante looked like he was truly going to kill him.

[Stop.]

But with just one word from me, Dante let him go.

In the past, I might have attached meaning to such small changes in Dante’s behavior, wondering if he might genuinely love me. But now…

I was too tired for that.

Perhaps the relationship between Dante and me was like my scarred feet.

No matter how hard we try, we can’t return to the way things were before.

Or rather, to be more precise—

Our relationship had been distorted from the very beginning.

‘…If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to end it here?’

My gaze grew cold and distant.

Until now, I had never harmed myself.

Of course, my goal here was to escape, to save my life.

I just wanted to live freely, without being bound to anyone.

So I always thought that hurting myself would be meaningless.

But now…

‘Is it really meaningless?’

I asked myself.

I would spend the rest of my life trapped in this mansion.

Whether as the villainess of this world or as Dante’s pretty little doll…

In the end, it was all the same—being forced to live a life I didn’t want.

If that’s the case—

‘Maybe it would be better to give up now.’

I gazed at the distant horizon.

The sunlight sparkled on the surface of the lake like the scales of a fish, blindingly bright.

Memories of the days when I slept for hours, trying to escape from this reality, flashed through my mind.

‘…It’s okay, even if I end my life here.’

Splash.

I stepped into the lake.

“Elze?”

A suspicious voice called from behind me, but I ignored it.

“Wait, what are you—!”

Dante tried to stop me again.

I took my last breath.

‘It probably won’t be much different from back then.’

And with that, my body slipped beneath the surface.

The ice-cold water engulfed me, all the way to my head.

“…”

The world fell silent in an instant.

The sound of leaves rustling in the wind, the waves crashing on the shore, the chirping of insects…

…And even Dante’s voice calling out to me.

Everything was wiped clean.

The shimmering sunlight on the water’s surface was heartbreakingly beautiful.

It had always been so hard to breathe, like someone was constantly choking me.

But now, I felt at peace.

‘Dante.’

Strangely enough, even as I decided to let everything go, Dante’s face appeared before me.

I wanted to ask him.

If I die like this, will it hurt you even a little?

Will you feel the same pain I felt?

‘…That’s impossible.’

I mocked myself.

‘Why would Dante ever be sad about me?’

I was nothing more than a toy to him, one he enjoyed playing with. Maybe he’d feel a bit of regret, but that’s all.

Dante’s feelings for me were only ever that shallow.

I slowly closed my eyes.

I didn’t want to think about anything anymore.

If I could just fall asleep like this, forever…

But at that moment—

Someone grabbed my wrist tightly and pulled me up.

Swoosh!

I was forcibly yanked back to the surface.

Cold air flooded into my lungs.

“Cough, cough!”

I coughed violently, my chest burning with pain.

And then—

“Are you crazy?!”

The man staring at me with a horrified expression.

Dante.

“…Why?”

I slowly parted my lips.

“Why… won’t you just leave me alone?”

“Elze…”

“You’ve done enough. Both of us have.”

“Shut up!”

Dante suddenly shouted, his voice cracking.

I fell silent.

It wasn’t because I was scared or anxious.

Rather, it was because Dante looked so unbearably tormented.

Like a lost child, overwhelmed and hopeless…

Dante clamped his mouth shut and dragged my body toward the shore.

I didn’t resist.

To be exact, I couldn’t resist.

The moment the cold water touched me, my body lost all strength.

Splash!

Dante cradled me in his arms and carried me to the lakeshore.

All the while, his face remained frighteningly tense.

“…Why.”

After a while, Dante spoke in a restrained voice.

“Why are you doing this?”

His arms, holding me tightly, were trembling uncontrollably.

I was a little surprised.

He had been enraged before, had lost his temper countless times…

But this was the first time Dante had ever truly lost his composure.

“Please don’t do this, okay?”

“…Marquis.”

“Please…”

His crimson eyes trembled violently.

Plop.

At the same time, a warm drop of liquid fell onto my face.

It was a tear.

“…”

A suppressed sob escaped from his lips.

Dante, biting his lip, let out silent tears, drop after drop.

I stared at him, unfamiliar with this version of him.

“…”

The night from three years ago flashed in my mind, a night that now felt so distant.

The night Dante, drunk out of his mind, buried himself in my arms.

The tears that had wet the corners of his eyes.

And me, utterly confused by those tears…

“Do you really want to die? Is that it?”

Dante asked, his voice shaking with sobs.

In the past, I would have shaken my head without hesitation.

I would have said I didn’t want to die.

That I wanted to live.

But now…

“I don’t know anymore.”

I looked at Dante, who was weeping like a wounded beast, and felt an overwhelming sense of weariness.

I couldn’t reach out to him.

Nor could I completely turn away.

…I was just endlessly tired.