Chapter 78

While Keith and Mari went out to buy more groceries, Enoch introduced me to Mari’s guardians.

Enoch had gone out of his way to make sure Mari could live comfortably. Her guardians were a warm-looking middle-aged couple who worked in magical engineering. They explained that they were crafting a prosthetic arm tailored to Mari’s physique and habits. I clasped their hands firmly and asked them repeatedly to please take good care of Mari.

I didn’t know where this village was, and I wasn’t supposed to know. Enoch smirked when I asked, clearly never intending to tell me.

“We’ll only stay here until Laila contacts us. A week at most.”

“No. Let’s leave after just one more day.”

Enoch looked at me, and I deliberately avoided his gaze as I spoke.

“I’m… uneasy.”

“If you’re not confident, then quit.”

“What?”

“If you can’t even beat her, how do you plan to kill Lindquist?”

“You don’t understand. It’s not like I want to lose control!”

Enoch shrugged irritably.

“Of course you don’t. But you said Mari is the most important thing to you.”

“She is.”

“If the person most important to you could get hurt, and you’d just give up and fold your hands in despair, you might as well quit now.”

“Who said I’d give up?!”

“That’s exactly what you just implied.”

“No, I didn’t! I said it’s not something I can control on my own…”

“Then figure it out.”

Enoch could say things like that because he had no idea how terrifying it was to be unable to control my own body. He didn’t know the despair of failing no matter how hard you tried.

“I may not know what it’s like to lose control, Florence, but if you don’t believe you can win, then everything we’re doing is pointless.”

I stayed silent.

“I’d just be the biggest idiot alive, risking my life for nothing.”

Enoch had always been brutally honest, and I hated him most when he was right.

“If she can take your body, you can take it back. Don’t you dare lose to a mere evil spirit. You were the crazy girl who grabbed Lishi by the hair and threw her around.”

“…I didn’t throw her.”

“Then you slapped her?”

“Yeah, I slapped her too.”

No matter how much I endured Lishi’s jeers and mockery, I had been the first to resort to violence.

“You weren’t the type to just sit there and take it, Florence. You always paid people back two or three times over until you felt better.”

“I couldn’t manage three times…”

If he knew how badly Lishi and the other servants tormented me, Enoch wouldn’t call it two or three times.

But he was right—I didn’t just sit there and endure everything. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I’d explode: grabbing hair, throwing things, screaming and lashing out. That might have given them more reasons to gossip behind my back, but at least it stopped them from treating me as completely harmless.

If I’d just stayed silent and taken it, they would have climbed on top of me entirely. Serving cold soup and overly salty meals would have been the least of it.

“…You’re right. That’s how I was.”

When Laila had taken over my body, how had I gotten it back? I remembered being so furious at Blake’s hypocritical words, unable to just watch him insult Enoch. I had acted without even realizing it, my head boiling with rage…

Saying it would be different from back then, or that I couldn’t be sure I could do it again, was just an excuse. I had to find a way. But still…

“Enoch, if ‘I’ ever try to hurt Mari… you have to kill me. So she can’t use my body.”

Enoch didn’t respond.

“Enoch.”

“Do you even understand what you’re asking me to do?”

I couldn’t meet his resentful gaze. This was my way of clinging to him. I believed that if it came to it, Enoch would spare me the agony of hurting the person I loved most.

“You’re only ever cruel to me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Forget it. This isn’t the first time.”

Enoch sighed heavily and got up. I felt guilty, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel reassured.

We ate, drank, and played. After fooling around with the useless toys Keith had bought, the four of us sat down for a card game. Mari was like a professional. Enoch played seriously against the child who barely came up to his waist, and still lost miserably. Keith had long since given up trying to beat Mari and focused on defeating me instead. I didn’t want to lose to Keith either, so I gave it my all.

Mari never lost a single round. Enoch and I fought fiercely for second place, and Keith was in last place by a landslide. Enoch mocked him mercilessly.

“Try hiding your expressions, you idiot.”

“I was expressionless, wasn’t I?”

“Every time you get a good hand, your shoulders bounce with excitement. It’s hard to pretend not to notice.”

“Hey, when did my shoulders ever bounce…”

“And when you get a bad hand, your nostrils flare.”

Mari and I had already noticed this, so we couldn’t defend him. Keith was easy prey. In frustration, he flipped the table, ending the card game. We tried a few other games afterward, but Keith was surprisingly bad at those too.

Then the drinking started. Only Keith drank, while Mari and I ate the snacks instead. Enoch said he didn’t like alcohol and only drank water. Who was he to call anyone tough?

“…If I hadn’t gone abroad…”

“That’s the fifth time you’ve said that.”

“Cold-hearted bastard. You’re supposed to just listen when someone’s rambling drunk…”

“I’m so sick of it.”

But despite his complaints, Enoch kept Keith company. That was probably his own way of comforting him.

“It’s late. We should go to bed,” Mari said.

“Yeah, you must be tired, Mari.”

“I’ve already tidied the bedrooms. Bee’s warming the blankets for you.”

“You two have gotten close.”

“Bee’s so cute.”

Mari answered that she wished she could feed Bee, and I found her even cuter for it. Bee seemed to like Mari as well—they’d been inseparable all day. Part of me wanted to leave Bee with her, but I couldn’t risk it. I didn’t believe Bee would ever harm Mari, but accidents happen.

“You should go to bed too,” I said.

“Just a moment, I’ll get your water bottle. You’ll be thirsty if you wake up in the night.”

Mari bustled around like a busy little squirrel. I waited quietly in bed until she returned, then pulled her in so she couldn’t escape. She gave in and climbed into the bed with me.

“How’s your arm? It doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“You know Keith’s skill, Florence. It’s amazing—there’s no scar at all. It’s like nothing was ever missing.”

“But something is missing…”

“True, but at least it’s smooth now. If it was lumpy, it’d be harder to attach the prosthetic.”

“You’re so strong, Mari…”

She grinned proudly at my sincere praise.

“Right? I can’t wait for the prosthetic to be finished, so I can get used to it.”

“I heard it’ll hurt at first.”

“It’ll be fine. I bet it won’t hurt.”

“I hope you’re right.”

When the three of us traveled with Keith, we’d always slept close together on narrow beds. We’d start lying side by side, but before long, arms or legs would end up touching. I loved that.

“Go on to bed, Mari.”

“I’ll go after I watch you fall asleep, Florence.”

Mari stepped away from the bed as she spoke, and I didn’t stop her. Jang Hyunji had taken over my body while I was asleep before. Even with Enoch and Keith around, even if I trusted they’d stop me, I didn’t want that to happen again.

“Go back to where Keith is, Mari.”

“Okay. I’ll go.”

Mari pulled the blanket up to my chin and smoothed my hair back from my forehead.

“You still have a bit of a fever, Florence.”

Sleep quickly, please. I nodded off, drowsy, watching the sliver of light through the open door. I could hear Keith’s voice, and Enoch’s.

A small hand gripped my throat.

The blunt end of a wooden stick pressed against my neck, and I gasped for breath. My mouth gaped as I saw the unnaturally wide eyes—greenish-brown, gleaming with hatred.

“Please die, Florence.”