Chapter 55
For a moment, she felt a real threat to her life.
If you’re going to kill me, kill me in one cue. Don’t let me feel any pain.
That’s what she was thinking.
“Pfftt.”
Suddenly, the man started laughing.
She was dumbfounded.
Funny, dude, funny.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to eat you right now.”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Are you angry?”
“No, I’m not.”
“You’re angry.”
Fragmented sunlight poured through the leaves. The man’s face in the light was decidedly strange.
Ebony hair that seemed to have absorbed all the light in the world, golden eyes that glowed white in the brightest of places.
‘He’s younger than I thought.’
In the sunlight, the man had the appearance of a boy, perhaps seventeen or eighteen years old. In the mansion, she’d thought him to be a sturdy, handsome young man in his mid-twenties.
Despite her chiseled features, her heart was stilled by this sense of intimidation, of being crushed if she made a mistake.
“Have you finished looking?”
She blurted out as our eyes met.
‘I was looking too hard.’
She backed away, and he laughed, as if amused. His needlessly colorful shell glowed.
“So, why did you come to see me?”
“Well.”
The man descended and stood in front of her.
She asked, meaning to get out of there, but she shouldn’t have.
“Because you made it easy for me to catch him. I thought I’d repay you by making a job that could have been a pain in the arse-“
The man’s eyes rounded.
“I saved your life, after all.”
“Well, yes, you did.”
“So I figured we could bounce that off each other.”
“Oh, yeah.”
So what?!
What’s the bottom line?!
“But I still have questions.”
“Well, what is it?”
Vertical pupils of golden eyes fixed on her.
“How can you see me?”
Her worldview’s weakest sensor sounded an alarm. Avoid it if you want to live.
‘This isn’t something I can run away from!’
There are degrees of disaster.
This was a force majeure.
“… I don’t even know why.”
“I know that much.”
But why is it happening to me?
It was time to figure out how she was going to get out of this demonic spell.
“Arellin, what are you doing there?”
Her body stiffened at the sound of Pession’s voice not far away.
“Uh…”
The Pession with the bucket of water looked at me and shook his head.
She looked back and forth between the man and Pession.
“Hmph.”
The man crossed his arms and looked at Pession.
‘…Isn’t this going to get us into trouble?’
A shiver of foreboding ran through her.
Pession just shook his head, as if he hadn’t foreseen the misfortune that was about to befall him.
“Arellin, what are you hiding here? Did you trick me into not wanting to exercise again?”
“Huh?”
‘What are you talking about?’
She glanced at the man.
The man burst into uncontrollable laughter.
What’s wrong with him?
“You need to exercise to stay healthy.”
“No, that’s not it.”
It’s not that she doesn’t want to exercise, no, she does.
‘Can’t you see the man here?!’
She was so tempted to ask, but…
“Shhh.”
The urge to do so vanished as she looked at the man smiling and putting his finger to his mouth.
How could she ask him anything when he was standing right in front of her?
She just uses her eyes to say, “Is there anything here?” as best she can.
Pession tilted his head, as if her silent shouting was strange.
“Arellin, does your eye hurt?”
“Lady.”
Her breath hitched in her throat.
“No, not that!”
She pointed to the man beside her.
“Huh?”
In the blink of an eye, he’s gone without a trace.
“What?”
As she stared at the spot where the man had been, Pession came up beside her.
“Arellin, what’s wrong? Are you feeling dizzy?”
She looked at the spot where the man had been with a confused expression. She felt haunted.
“Pession.”
“Huh?”
Pession looked confused, even in this situation.
“Did you really not see anything?”
Pession shook his head, still looking puzzled.
***
Life has become a burden.
How come everywhere she goes is a landmine?
Is this some kind of talent?
A talent for stepping on landmines?
“Ha. Life is tiring.”
“Now that’s what a six-year-old would say.”
“I mean.”
She listened to the parenting group’s words in moderation and reflected on the recent events.
She guesses she wasn’t to blame after all.
“Have fun again today.”
“Yeah.”
She arrived at the Imperial Palace escorted by Ern. Today was the day of the collection meeting.
‘I thought I’d just skip it.’
“You’re not coming to the meeting now?”
She couldn’t help but think of Pession’s sour face.
She felt like she’d lost something by skipping the last tea party.
‘I’ll probably be stuck with Pession and the twins today anyway.’
She had half given up on making friends.
But then.
“You can do whatever you want today, Arellin.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t bother, I won’t.”
With a stern look on his face, his fists clenched as if he had made a great decision, Pession dragged Aaron away.
He took advantage of the opportunity to take the twins, who were still blinking in confusion, with him.
‘What is it?’
She’d gotten what she wanted, and it was a bit of a surprise.
She doesn’t think Pession knows about her plans for the Friend Shield. Maybe it’s because of their last conversation.
He thinks she doesn’t trust him, so he’s trying to improve her credibility?
“Wow, mate.”
Her conscience, which she hadn’t realized was there, stabbed her in a way that hurt.
“What is this?”
She wasn’t in the mood to do anything. She felt like a crumpled piece of paper, ready to shrink into a corner.
“There.”
As if she’d been waiting for her, a young girl approached her.
“Watch out for Lady Leslie.”
“…?”
She stared at the Young Lady, who had disappeared with nothing but an ominous flag, and was about to follow her.
“Foot.”
A muffled voice and a hand offering itself to her kept her from falling.
“Be careful.”
The golden eyes twinkled with kindness.
It was the man again.
“You almost fell.”
“Thank you…”
She was surprised by the unexpected warmth. This was a real person, flesh and blood, not a ghost.
She was glad she wasn’t crazy.
“But how did you get here, this is the imperial palace?”
The man laughed as he let go of her.
“Because there’s no place I can’t get in.”
I should report him.
“Report what?”
“Hmph. You can read people’s minds?”
“It’s obvious from your expression.”
“?”
She has been told that no one can read facial expressions as well as he can?
She scatters her presence so boldly, and so many people passing by don’t give her a second glance.
How can this be?
‘Am I the only one who can actually see?’
Still, this is the imperial palace.
A place where the flying and crawling wonders of the continent flow.
“You must have a lot of questions for me.”
“But I’m not going to ask them.”
“Why?”
Staring into those serene golden eyes, her jaw clenched like a clam.
‘How could I ask?’
Despite her façade of calm, the ferocity underneath pricked her skin.
Ferocious, ready to sink its fangs in at the first sign of weakness and snuff out her life at any moment.
“I’m fine.”
“?”
“You’re going to look like a lunatic if you keep talking in here.”
It was good advice indeed. As much as she hates to admit it.
She shut up and moved out of sight, and the man followed her, smiling broadly.
“What do you do with the back of your hand? It’s not going to stay shiny forever.”
“It doesn’t matter because no one can see it but me.”
“Oh, really?”
“Well, there are only a few people in the world who can feel it.”
As the man’s brow furrowed at the ambiguous answer, he looked around.
“By the way, are you alone?”
“What?”
“Don’t you have any friends?”
“I have a friend!”
Where’s Pession!
“It’s okay, I don’t have friends either.”
“I don’t think you have any.”
“That’s too bad, I used to have a lot.”
“Where did all those friends suddenly go?”
“They’re all dead.”
“…”
Stepped on a landmine.
“Why did they all die, you wonder?”
If those curious golden eyes looking at her for a moment seem ominous, she wonders if it’s his mood.
She feels it. This is a death flag, no matter what they say. She is sure of it.
She’s thinking about how to get out of this situation.
“Did you hear? Arellin rang Nadelli at the mini tea party the other day.”
We both turned at the same time at the sound of the voice.
