Chapter 5
The air grew tense.
It felt like my heart dropped straight down. Because of the tension, I swallowed hard. As I did, Sren stepped closer and spoke.
“Rachel. You’re still bad at lying.”
“…I—”
“Well, that part of you is kind of cute.”
“……”
“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice just because you hid him?”
Damn it.
When I saw his red eyes flashing with killing intent, every hair on my body felt like it stood on end.
Then, Sren smiled smoothly and swung the sword in his hand to the side with practiced ease.
The blade left his hand and flew straight—
Thunk.
It pierced the exact center of the wardrobe where Adenhar was hiding.
Watching it happen, I froze in shock and covered my mouth with both hands.
‘I’m done.’
The fact that Adenhar didn’t make a sound was almost impressive.
So this was it.
Sren would cut off Adenhar’s head right in front of me… and then kill me too.
My thoughts spun wildly. But one feeling overwhelmed everything else.
I didn’t want to die by his hands anymore.
Not again.
I couldn’t stand watching his madness anymore.
Fine. If that’s how it’s going to be—
I ran straight for the window.
“Rachel!”
Sren’s desperate voice called out behind me.
I ignored it and threw myself out the window without hesitation.
Damn it. Another precious life wasted.
Still, it was better than dying brutally.
If I was going to die anyway—
Honestly, my mind was probably half gone at that moment. But anyone in my place would understand.
Fear is worse than death.
Endless fear breaks people.
The ground rushed up toward me, my vision wavering.
I probably died.
With that thought, I let my consciousness slip away.
***
A cold sensation touched my forehead.
I shivered violently.
“Mm…”
It was freezing. But maybe because my face felt hot, the cold on my forehead didn’t feel too bad.
My whole body hurt.
It felt like needles were stabbing me everywhere. My head burned and throbbed so badly I felt like I might throw up. I struggled to breathe, gasping.
“Haa… haa…”
Then warmth wrapped around me.
“It’s okay. I’m here.”
The voice was unbelievably gentle, almost angelic.
It made me feel a little better.
Not wanting to lose that warmth, I kept my eyes closed and clung to it tightly.
A doll?
But why does it feel so solid… like a real person?
As my hands wandered unconsciously, a low, wet voice reached my ears.
“Rachel. Just how far are you planning to go?”
Huh?
This voice felt very familiar.
“…I wouldn’t mind going further,” he continued softly.
“But I don’t have a habit of touching patients. It’s less fun if you’re not struggling.”
“…Ah!”
I snapped my eyes open.
Right in front of me was Sren, his ears red, breathing heavily.
“Kyah! You pervert!”
I pushed him with all my strength and hit his chest.
But Sren easily restrained both my hands, then intertwined our fingers so I couldn’t escape. His large hands completely trapped mine.
My face burned as I shouted,
“W-What are you doing?!”
“You’re the one who started it. Don’t ask me that.”
“…Ugh!”
“Do you have any idea how shocked I was because of you?”
He really did look angry.
But unlike before, I didn’t feel killing intent. His eyes were pink, not red. It looked like… worry.
Though I wasn’t sure if “worry” was a word that suited Sren at all.
“Let… go.”
“No.”
“My hands hurt…”
“Deal with it. It hurts less than what I felt.”
I couldn’t say anything.
Silence spread between us.
On top of that, I was pinned beneath him.
The way he looked down at me felt dangerous in a different way. Not like when he held a sword—this felt worse.
Then his head lowered.
I thought he was going to kiss me, so I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.
But what touched me wasn’t his lips.
It was his forehead.
Confused, I opened my eyes. He muttered, sounding relieved.
“Good. Your fever’s gone down a bit.”
Oh.
He was just checking my temperature.
Feeling oddly embarrassed, I complained,
“If you’re done checking, can you move away now?”
Maybe because I felt so terrible physically, I spoke without fear. I expected him to snap back at me.
But instead, Sren just stared at me, still dangerously close, our noses almost touching. After a brief pause, he spoke.
“Were you really planning to die?”
“Huh?”
“Were you going to die right in front of me?”
That was true.
I was scared of seeing another bad ending.
Before I could stop myself, the words slipped out.
“If I hadn’t tried to die… you would’ve killed me anyway.”
“…!”
I regretted it instantly.
Why did I say that?
What would he think after hearing that?
Anxiously, I waited for his response.
Silence.
Then Sren let out a quiet laugh and tilted his head, as if confused.
“That’s strange. Why would you think that?”
“…!”
His eyes dimmed and then slowly turned red again.
I wanted to slap my own mouth.
“I love you this much…”
“S-Sren…”
“Why don’t you understand my feelings?”
“That’s not what I meant—!”
“Ah. Was I not expressive enough?”
This was bad.
He wasn’t listening at all.
I could feel his killing intent rising again.
In my head, I thought, I’m done.
But strangely, my body moved on its own.
“W-Wait! Sren! Calm down.”
He answered with a gentle smile that felt completely empty.
“Calm down? Rachel, I’m not angry at all.”
Liar.
Your eyes are red. You’re about to kill me.
As if to prove it, his grip tightened.
With a cold smile, he whispered,
“Rachel. Stop. Before I seal that mouth of yours myself.”
“…!”
Now even his smile was terrifying.
Then he spoke like he was passing a death sentence.
“From now on, I’ll teach you slowly… just how much I love you.”
In the blink of an eye, his lips crashed onto mine.
Warmth spread across my lips.
I froze, unable to move. Sometimes his touch was teasing, sometimes deep, stealing my breath.
What?
He wasn’t trying to kill me?
Every time before, when Sren felt betrayed, he killed me. I thought this time would be the same.
But instead of death, he was kissing me.
The pain, the heat, the rising tension—it all made my head spin. Sren, however, remained calm and skilled, completely in control.
My breathing grew unsteady. My body went limp.
This is dangerous.
Words like “obsession,” “confinement,” “ruin,” and “hardcore” flashed through my mind. But his grip was too strong to escape.
“…Hng
When I finally gasped for air, Sren pulled away. He looked down at me like a beast staring at its prey.
I swallowed hard.
He smiled mischievously.
“You don’t even know how to breathe.”
“…!”
“Looks like it’ll take quite some effort to tame you.”
W-What?!
My face flushed instantly.
As if he had no intention of giving me a break, he leaned in again. His lips traced from my mouth to my jaw, then slowly down my neck, leaving deliberate, intimate marks.
When his hot breath touched my neck, my body trembled instinctively.
I remembered the time he bit me there.
Noticing, he whispered gently, almost soothing me.
“Shh. Relax. I won’t hurt you.”
