Chapter 6
This bastard…
Does he seriously expect me to believe that?
The moment his hand reached my shoulder strap, I finally saw my chance. As soon as my hands were freed from his grip, I pushed him away with all my strength. Luckily, Sren stepped back without resisting, almost as if he had expected this reaction.
Keeping my true feelings hidden, I replied coldly,
“I understand how you feel now. So stop it.”
Sren’s lips twisted at my words. He soon asked, genuinely confused,
“Rachel. Why are you angry?”
“…!”
“Do you even know who actually has the right to be angry here?”
I was speechless.
He kidnapped me and brought me to this mansion.
He kills people whenever they displease him.
And yet he thinks he’s the one who should be angry?
How can someone be this impossible to reason with?
True to an emotionless psychopath, Sren seemed completely unable to understand what I was saying.
I took a breath and explained calmly,
“Anyone in my position would be angry. You don’t consider my feelings at all.”
At that, his eyes wavered slightly.
For a moment, I thought maybe my words had reached him.
But then, in a much lower voice, he replied coldly,
“Why would you say that? You said it was okay.”
“…What?”
“You told me to put my feelings above everyone else. You said I could do whatever I wanted.”
I was stunned into silence.
When did I ever say that?
No, more importantly… how could that be interpreted this way?
The only person who could have said those words was the real Rachel, before I possessed her.
What was she thinking when she said something like that to Sren?
I hesitated, unsure how to answer. While I stood frozen, Sren’s hand touched my cheek again. With a seductive smile, he whispered,
“No answer? Does that mean you agree with me?”
Once again, his solid body pressed me down.
I quickly covered his mouth with my hand and said,
“That’s changed. I want you to think about others too.”
His eyes darkened mischievously.
Then, without warning, he licked my palm.
The ticklish sensation made me pull my hand away, but he bit it instead.
“Ah…!”
Blood dripped from my hand.
Warm blood soaked my skin, mixed with the sharp pain from his bite. It felt like my heart dropped straight to the floor again.
Now he bites me whenever he wants.
Noticing my agitation, Sren ran his tongue over his blood-stained lips and said,
“It’s punishment. For hurting my feelings.”
“…!”
“So don’t provoke me anymore. I don’t want to break you.”
Only then did Sren straighten up. As he stepped away from the bed, he muttered softly,
“Rachel. Just remember one thing.”
“…!”
“If it’s to have you, I can do anything.”
Even if that means becoming someone I hate.
I knew that much.
With those words, Sren left the room, leaving me behind. I couldn’t take my eyes off his back. Only after he disappeared completely did I finally let out the breath I had been holding.
Once I calmed down, I noticed a basin and a wet towel on the bedside table. Despite how roughly he treated me, it seemed he had taken great care of me.
Seeing that, I let out a long sigh.
“He just keeps getting harder to understand.”
I couldn’t grasp Sren’s feelings.
His love, swinging between tenderness and cold cruelty, terrified me.
Would earning his love really help me clear this game?
I honestly couldn’t tell.
When I opened my eyes again, my body felt completely better.
But I couldn’t stop myself from cursing.
“Damn it. He’s insane.”
In front of me, metal cuffs clinked softly.
Worried that I might try something reckless again, Sren had shackled my hands and feet. At least they weren’t chained to the bed, only to each other.
He had even put a collar on me.
I clicked my tongue.
Am I a dog?
Seriously?
And I noticed something else.
This collar sparks slightly whenever my emotions shift.
Who knows what other functions it has? I had no choice but to be careful.
At this point, dying once might’ve been better.
Sren’s personality was truly awful.
He doesn’t care when he kills me, but hates it when I try to kill myself.
What kind of twisted logic is that?
I really wanted to scream, “Fine, I’ll just die then!” but I held back. If sparks fly just from emotional changes, who knows what would happen if I said something like that out loud?
“I need to find the Door Stones. Fast.”
As I muttered to myself, Adenhar suddenly came to mind.
What happened to him after that?
I had been so busy trying to survive that I hadn’t even checked on him. But if he died, then my life right now would be meaningless anyway.
“First, I need to get out of this room.”
What kind of room doesn’t even have a window?
Without a window, I couldn’t tell the time. And without knowing the time, it was hard to plan my next move. The room was nothing but white walls.
It felt suffocating.
And the silence was eerie.
Did Sren do this too?
“Did he lock the door as well?”
Just in case, I walked over and turned the doorknob. With my hands cuffed together, it was awkward, but the door opened easily.
However, the sight beyond the door hit me like a blunt weapon.
“…Ha.”
Outside stretched a wide corridor covered entirely in plain white wallpaper. No patterns. No windows. Nothing.
Like being trapped in a maze.
In the absolute silence, my breathing was the only sound.
A long dining table in the Crochet family’s dining room was filled with lavish dishes.
Sren sat at the head of the table, untouched food before him. He absentmindedly swirled a glass of red wine, deep in thought. The wine sloshed gently, red as blood.
“Haa…”
A long sigh escaped his lips.
His mind was filled with Rachel.
Remembering her angry expression, his brows furrowed slightly.
“I still don’t understand. Why was she angry at me?”
That anger was the first emotion Rachel had ever shown him.
Rachel had always been gentle and kind.
For Sren, who had been raised like an emotionless doll, conditioned through cruel abuse, she was something new.
His stepmother, the Duchess of Crochet, was a snake-like woman. In front of the Duke, she played the role of a refined noblewoman. In front of Sren, she was no better than a demon.
Even worse was the Duke himself.
He knew everything, yet turned a blind eye. He expected Sren to grow into a suitable heir on his own. Perhaps he was ashamed of Sren’s existence, born of a disgraced mother.
The Duchess never bore a child.
As time passed, her abuse of Sren only grew worse.
Then one day, the Faminion ducal family was invited to dinner to strengthen ties.
Sren disliked the Faminion family too.
The Duchess of Faminion was close to his stepmother, like sisters.
His stepmother was disgusting. She abused him without hesitation, yet wanted to appear kind and dignified to others. At that horrible dinner, her gentle touch made him want to vomit.
As he sat there, hiding his emotions, a young girl spoke to him.
“What’s your name?”
“Sren… Sren Crochet.”
“That’s a very pretty name. It suits you.”
“And what’s your name?”
“I’m Rachel. Rachel Faminion. Let’s be friends.”
Honestly, he felt nothing at first.
He hated her hypocrisy.
Anyone related to the Duchess of Faminion was bound to be the same. Vain, disgusting, and fake.
So he sneered inwardly.
Stop pretending.
Why don’t you show your true ugly self?
You don’t even want to associate with someone like me.
Filled with resentment, he deliberately took the hand she offered.
