Chapter 55
For a moment, I truly felt my life was in danger.
Is this it? Is my life going to end here?
If you’re going to kill me, at least make it quick—so fast that I don’t even feel the pain.
That was what I was thinking when—
“Pfft.”
The man suddenly started laughing.
I was dumbfounded.
Is this funny to you? Hey, I’m asking you—do you think this is funny?
“I’m not going to eat you right now, so don’t worry.”
“Ah… yes.”
“You sulking?”
“No.”
“You’re sulking.”
Sunlight streamed through the leaves, breaking into fragments. Under the light, the man’s face looked distinctly out of place.
Hair as black as ebony, as if it had swallowed all the light in the world, and golden eyes that shone white even in the brightness.
He looks younger than I thought.
In the sunlight, he appeared like a boy of about seventeen or eighteen.
Back at the mansion, I thought he was a well-built young man in his mid-twenties.
Even with features carved to perfection, my heart stayed calm.
Maybe because the oppressive aura around him felt like it could crush me at any moment.
“Had your fill of staring?”
When our eyes met, I flinched without meaning to.
Was I staring too blatantly?
As I slowly backed away, the man smiled, as if amused. His unnecessarily dazzling exterior seemed to shine even brighter.
“So, why did you come looking for me?”
“Mm.”
The man came to stand before me.
I’d asked so he would hurry up and get to the point and leave, but now I wondered if I shouldn’t have asked at all.
“Thanks to you, I caught that thing easily. I was thinking of repaying you for making a troublesome job so easy—”
His eyes curved into crescents.
“After all, I saved your life.”
“Y-yes, you did.”
“So I figured we could call it even.”
“Ah… yes.”
So what?!
What’s the actual point here?!
“But there’s still something I’m curious about.”
“W-what is it?”
Those golden eyes, with vertical pupils, fixed on me.
“How is it that you can see me?”
The weakest-being-in-this-world sensor inside me blared its alarm: Avoid this if you want to live.
This isn’t something I can avoid just by deciding to!
Disasters have ranks.
This one was unavoidable.
“…I don’t know the reason either.”
“I know, at least that much.”
Then why are you picking on me?
I was wondering how I could possibly escape this demon’s grasp when—
“Arellin, what are you doing over there?”
Pession’s voice called from not far away, and my whole body stiffened.
“Uh…”
Pession, carrying a water jug, tilted his head at me.
I glanced between him and the man.
“Hmm.”
The man crossed his arms and looked at Pession.
…If this goes wrong, it could get really bad, right?
A bad feeling shot through me.
Pession just kept tilting his head, seemingly unaware of the danger creeping up on him.
“Arellin, what are you hiding here for? Skipping training again?”
“What?”
What the hell is he talking about?
I shot a glance at the man.
He burst out laughing, as if he couldn’t hold it back anymore.
What now?
“Exercise keeps you healthy.”
“That’s not it.”
It’s not that I was avoiding training… okay, fine, I was avoiding it, but—
Don’t you see the man standing right here?!
I wanted to blurt it out, but—
“Shh.”
The man smiled, pressing a finger to his lips.
With him standing right in front of me, I didn’t have the courage to say anything.
I just tried to convey my thoughts with an exaggerated look—Don’t you see anything here?
Pession seemed puzzled by my silent desperation.
“Arellin, are your eyes hurting?”
“Ugh.”
This is so frustrating.
“No, that’s not—”
I was just about to point at the man beside me when—
“Huh?”
In the blink of an eye, he vanished without a trace.
“What the…”
I stared blankly at the spot where he’d been until Pession came over.
“Arellin, what’s wrong? Are you dizzy?”
Still staring at the empty space, I felt like I’d just been haunted by a ghost.
“Pession.”
“Yeah?”
His clueless expression didn’t change.
“You really didn’t see anything?”
He tilted his head again, still looking completely lost.
Another burden had been added to my life.
How is it that everywhere I go, I step on landmines?
Is this some kind of talent?
A talent for stepping on mines?
“Sigh… life is exhausting.”
“You’re only six years old—how can you say something like that?”
“Exactly. That’s what I’m saying.”
Half-ignoring my caretaker’s words, I reviewed the situation in my head.
Nope, not my fault.
“Have fun today.”
“Mm.”
Escorted by Erne, I arrived at the imperial palace. Today was collection day—the gathering.
I almost decided to skip…
“Are you not coming to the gatherings anymore?”
But then I remembered Pession’s disappointed face.
After ruining the mood at the last tea party, skipping now would feel like admitting defeat.
I’ll probably just get stuck with Pession and the twins again anyway.
I’d half given up on making new friends.
But—
“Today, do whatever you want.”
“Huh?”
“I won’t bother you.”
Looking as if he’d made some huge resolution, Pession grabbed Harun and ran off.
Before I could figure out what was going on, he even dragged the twins—who were trying to latch onto me—away with him.
…What?
I’d gotten what I wanted, but it felt strange.
No way Pession knew about my friend shield plan. Maybe this was because of what we talked about last time?
Maybe he thought I didn’t trust him and was trying to raise his trust score?
“Wow.”
My conscience—something I didn’t even know I had—was pricking me.
“What is this…”
I wasn’t in the mood to do anything. Feeling all crumpled up like a piece of scrap paper, I was about to go hide in some corner when—
“Excuse me.”
A gentle-looking girl approached me, as if she’d been waiting.
“Be careful of Lady Leslie.”
“…?”
I stared blankly at her retreating back, wondering what she meant, and was just about to chase after her when—
“Watch your step.”
A quiet voice and a supporting hand kept me from falling.
“You should be careful.”
Those golden eyes curved warmly.
It was that man again.
“You almost fell.”
“…Thank you.”
I was surprised to actually feel warmth from him.
So he wasn’t an illusion—he was a real, flesh-and-blood being.
I was relieved I wasn’t losing my mind.
“But how did you get into the imperial palace?”
Letting go of me, he smiled.
“There’s nowhere I can’t get into.”
Should I report him?
“Who would you report me to?”
“Gasp—you can read minds too?”
“It’s written all over your face.”
“?”
People always said my expressions were impossible to read.
But even though his presence was practically radiating off him, no one passing by spared him so much as a glance.
How was that possible?
Am I really the only one who can see him?
Still… this is the imperial palace.
A place overflowing with masters and eccentrics from across the continent.
“You seem curious about me.”
“I’m not going to ask, though.”
“Why?”
When I looked into those calm golden eyes, my mouth snapped shut like a clam.
How could I possibly ask?
Beneath that composed facade, I could feel the dangerous wildness prickling against my skin—
the kind of feral intent that could bite down and crush my throat the moment I let my guard down.
“I don’t mind.”
“?”
“If you keep talking here, people will think you’re crazy.”
It was annoyingly sound advice.
I shut my mouth and moved somewhere less conspicuous, and he followed me with a bright smile.
“What about your hand? If it keeps glowing like that, won’t it be a problem?”
“No one but me can see it, so it’s fine.”
“Really?”
“There are a few others who can sense it… but they’re rare in this world.”
Was that supposed to mean it was fine or not?
While I was frowning at his vague answer, he glanced around.
“So, are you alone?”
“Huh?”
“No friends?”
“I do have friends!”
Where’s Pession when I need him?!
“It’s okay. I don’t have friends either.”
“You look like you don’t.”
“That’s harsh. I used to have plenty.”
“And what happened to them?”
“They all died.”
“…”
Guess I stepped on another landmine.
“Want to know why they all died?”
Those curious golden eyes now looked ominous.
Ah… I can feel it. No matter how I answer, it’s a death flag. For sure.
I was wondering how to get out of this when—
“Did you hear? At the last mini tea party, Arellin made Nadelle cry.”
A passing voice made both of us turn our heads at the same time.
