SWRD 16

Chapter 16

…Come to think of it, I ran into Killid in the garden last time too.

‘Does he like gardens?’

Well, in that famous classic Beauty and the Beast, the Beast also liked blooming gardens… I was having such a silly thought when I approached Killid, who seemed to be admiring the garden scenery.

Since we’d run into each other, maybe I should at least greet him. After all, I did owe him recently.

But before I could say a word, Killid spoke first.

“Don’t expect anything.”

…Expect? Expect what? That he’d respond to my greeting?

Wait, how does he even know I was about to greet him…?

“Drugs or poison won’t work on me.”

…Huh?

What the heck is he talking about? I blinked at his words, then opened my mouth.

This bastard, no way!

“I didn’t put anything in the cake!”

“I wasn’t asking you to confess. I’m telling you: don’t bother trying something like that again.”

Unbelievable…!

This damned beast of a man—what kind of misunderstanding is this? What does he take Bella for…? Well, he probably sees her as a villainess.

Still, no matter how villainous Bella is, she’s not low-class enough to drug or poison food… Or… wait, wasn’t there that time she poisoned the tea Elisa was going to drink? Right, I forgot.

Ugh. Fine, I admit it’s a situation where someone could easily get the wrong idea.

But still, this is unfair. This misunderstanding might fit Bella, but it’s definitely not fair to me.

Frustrated, I glared at Killid, then suddenly opened my mouth.

A good idea had just popped into my head.

“The cake I sent you… where is it now? …No, forget it. Don’t answer. I think I know where it is.”

Judging by how he’s talking, Killid probably never even touched the cake after receiving it.

Which means… the cake should still be…

“Follow me.”

I raised my voice toward Killid, who was arching one eyebrow at me.

“I’ve got something to show you. Hurry up.”

Without waiting for an answer, I strode off. Killid seemed to start off leisurely, but he quickly caught up with me. I could hear his footsteps right behind me.

‘Killid’s bedroom… yeah, it’s this way.’

Back when I was planning my escape, I memorized the mansion’s layout. Without hesitation, I headed straight for Killid’s bedroom.

But when I reached the door, I paused.

“Should I go in, or will you open the door for me?”

Killid quietly looked down at me, then reached out and opened the bedroom door.

Is he cooperating because he’s curious what I’m up to?

Well, he’ll find out soon enough.

I stepped into the room that Killid had just opened. It was my first time seeing his bedroom, yet oddly… it felt familiar.

‘It’s almost exactly like my bedroom.’

Then I realized why it felt familiar.

Both my room and Killid’s had the default furnishings. No special decorations, paintings, or ornaments.

‘Well, I guess that makes sense for me since I recently moved bedrooms…’

But Killid? Is he just lazy when it comes to interior design?

As I unconsciously glanced around the bedroom, something unique caught my eye.

A sword.

I cleared my throat softly and looked away from the sword hanging on the wall.

That dream popped into my head. Ugh… my side still aches just thinking about it.

“Did you come here just to sightsee?”

Leaning against the door, Killid watched me and spoke lazily. Without looking back at him, I answered.

“No.”

While answering, I searched with my eyes for that. …There it is!

I quickly headed toward a table placed on one side of the room. On the table was a square tray, with a dome-shaped cover sitting in the center.

It must be in there.

Come out, cake!

I grabbed the handle of the dome cover and lifted it quickly.

“…”

Calmly… I placed the cover back down.

…What did I just see?

No. No way. I must have imagined it. Definitely…

Before I could even process it, Killid—who had approached the table without me noticing—pushed my hand away and lifted the cover himself.

I kept my mouth tightly shut to stop a sigh from escaping.

Under the cover sat a plate with a slice of cake and a silver fork. That much was as I expected.

The problem was… the roses decorating the cake.

And it wasn’t just one or two. There were enough to make a whole bouquet. Why… why are there roses here?

The overwhelmingly luxurious display of roses left me speechless. Was it my imagination, or could I even smell their scent…?

‘Enfi…’

I had just asked her to deliver the cake…

Blaming the one person who wasn’t here, I finally opened my mouth with difficulty.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. The cake is definitely from me, but the roses… they’re not.”

“…”

“Really. Should I swear?”

“Are you done?”

…Of course not. Huff… Thanks to Killid’s indifferent tone, I regained my composure.

‘Sitting between all those roses… it really does look like a poisoned cake.’

But the only things in this cake are flour, eggs, butter… what else goes in a cake again? Right, milk and sugar. That’s it.

Time to prove it.

I grabbed the fork next to the plate. Then I cut a piece from the edge of the cake and put it in my mouth.

Mmm… it melts softly.

…Sweet.

Yeah, sweet things aren’t my taste. But I had a goal here, so leaving any behind wasn’t an option.

I ate the whole slice, leaving no trace, and put the fork down.

Clink. The sound of the fork hitting the silver tray rang in my ears, somehow cheerfully.

“It’s delicious. Maybe because it’s laced with drugs or poison? Makes it even tastier.”

“…”

“Next time, you should try it too. Poison and cake go really well together.”

Now he should know the cake’s harmless. Crossing my arms, I watched Killid’s expression. He remained silent, a slight frown between his brows.

Hmph. Hey, do you regret it? Feel embarrassed for misunderstanding me?

…Or not.

Anyway, I feel much better now that I’ve cleared my name.

Turning my back on the silent Killid, I walked away. It was childish, but for a second, I felt like I’d ‘won’.

‘…I feel fine now.’

As I walked out of Killid’s bedroom, I stopped. I thought about going back to the garden, but then realized there was no need.

I was feeling okay. That suffocating longing that had been tightening around my throat was now quiet.

Who knows when it’ll flare up again… but for now, I’m fine.

Instead of the garden, I headed to the dining hall to find some milk to soothe my sugary tongue.

After gathering my escape funds, I had nothing left to do.

Except for physical training.

“…Haa… haa…”

Lying flat on the training ground floor, I took deep, heaving breaths.

The knights training nearby glanced at me but soon went back to their drills.

‘Guess they’re used to seeing me like this now.’

Well, I suppose it’s about time.

I counted the days in my head. It’s been a month already.

After running the training ground every single day for a month without skipping a day, Bella’s body could now run six full laps without stopping.

Although… this is the state I end up in afterward.

‘Let’s build enough stamina to run ten laps and still stand afterward.’

That should definitely put me above average.

‘If I keep this up, maybe just another month or two…’

Then I’ll be free by summer?

“…Hehe.”

Achieving a goal is always satisfying. Hahaha. Lying flat on the ground, I laughed out loud.

The knights, immersed in their training, now gave me slightly bewildered glances—but I didn’t care.

Then suddenly, I wondered… when was the last time I’d pushed myself like this?

It happened on my way to school.

Out of nowhere, I had a nosebleed.

I was seventeen.

It was summer. I thought maybe it was heatstroke.

I’d never heard of someone getting a nosebleed from heatstroke, but back then, I desperately wanted my symptoms to have an ordinary explanation.

Then, that fall…

“Joo-an-ah!”

I collapsed at school and was rushed to the hospital.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was my mother crying. And after that… news I didn’t want to believe.

‘…We suspect an illness. We’ll need further tests to confirm, but…’

I’d never even heard the name of that disease before. About as often as you hear of people getting nosebleeds from heatstroke.

Later, I found out.

I was only the third person in South Korea ever diagnosed with it.

There were good parts. By consenting to participate in various drug trials, I got free hospitalization and treatment.

But there were bad parts too.

The first and second patients… weren’t alive anymore.