🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 13
The faint metallic scent of blood drifted on the wind, and I lifted my head.
“…You’re bleeding.”
I quickly stepped back from him, blurting out the words. But he, as if used to it, only pinched his nose and lowered his head.
Drip, drop.
Beads of blood slid down his forearm and splattered into a puddle at his feet.
“No, wait—”
“It’s fine. If I stay like this a bit, it’ll stop soon.”
I—it wasn’t fine for me.
“I-I’ll go get someone.”
Lumi looked like he wanted to say something, but I turned and hurriedly fled.
How could a nosebleed be that terrifying…
As soon as I entered the fortress, I ran into Idorian. He noticed me and tried to turn away, but after a moment’s hesitation, he frowned and looked back.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Lumi—he’s bleeding from his nose.”
His eyes narrowed. He looked me up and down, taking in the dishes I was holding awkwardly, and tilted his head.
“What were you even doing?”
“I was going to call someone to help—”
He reached out and snatched what I was holding.
“Why are you carrying this around?”
He stared at the scrubber I had been holding, then gestured toward the bowl in my other hand.
“You don’t do dishes. What are you up to now?”
“No, I’m serious—Lumi’s bleeding!”
I frowned, irritated that Idorian wasn’t even listening.
“Yeah, you said he’s got a nosebleed.”
“And you’re not going to check on him?”
Was this guy even his friend?
“What am I supposed to do about it?”
“…Worry? He might need something.”
“Have you never seen a nosebleed before? Why are you making such a fuss?”
Idorian gave me a baffled look.
“He’s like that often. It’s just his constitution.”
He took the bowl out of my other hand too, as if to say it wasn’t worth worrying about.
“…He gets nosebleeds often?”
Now that my hands were free, I pointed stupidly in the direction Lumi had been.
“By nature?”
My mind went blank. Wait—did that mean the fatal bleeding that killed him in the story… was just a nosebleed?
“How often does that happen?”
It felt hopeless. How often did he have to see blood?
It might be fine when I could run away like today—but what if I couldn’t escape next time?
What if I couldn’t suppress my instincts?
I felt tears sting my eyes.
I had to resist—but I wasn’t sure I could. Resisting the instinct was agony.
“……”
Idorian just looked at me silently, then sighed deeply and closed his eyes.
“So where’s Lumi now?”
“By the well.”
“Let’s go.”
He jerked his chin toward the door.
“What?”
“You wanted me to go, didn’t you?”
I stepped back and shook my head quickly.
“You go first. I—I’ll grab something to wipe with.”
Before he could grab me, I rushed up the stairs. Once inside my room, I closed the door and let out a long, shaky breath.
Somehow, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d dug my own grave.
‘I ran away quickly this time, at least.’
Honestly, I hadn’t even smelled the blood for that long. But the aftereffects lingered.
When I first awakened to Lilia’s blood scent, the reaction had ended once I escaped her. But this time, even after running away and talking with Idorian, my heart was still pounding.
It thudded so violently it echoed in my skull.
‘If this keeps up, I might really… bite someone.’
Pushing that terrifying thought aside, I stripped off my clothes. I had to confirm something.
And when I faced the mirror, I couldn’t hold back a heavy sigh. The veins near my heart were swollen again.
That confirmed it.
The swelling wasn’t just from time passing—it was from awakening.
When I had smelled Lilia’s blood, the same thing had happened: every vein in my body had bulged.
When my heart began racing from the awakening, the veins swelled. The longer it lasted, the more the symptoms spread from my chest throughout my body.
‘Please, just stop beating…’
I pressed my palm against my chest.
I was scared. Terrified.
If anyone found out I was a zombie, all that awaited me was death. Idorian would never spare me. Neither would Heresden or Uben.
Maybe Lilia would pity me—but pity wouldn’t save my life.
‘If I said I’d become a zombie but still had my mind—if I could prove I could control my instincts…’
Soon, the Emperor would send word.
Once he declared this a crisis threatening the Empire’s survival, an imperial decree would go out for a zombie purge.
Even if, by some miracle, the people in this fortress decided to protect me, I wouldn’t survive once the purge began.
So the only answer was not to get caught. Not to give them any reason to kill me.
‘If Lilia had become the zombie instead of me…’
Then Idorian, Heresden, and Uben would all have done everything to protect her.
But I wasn’t Lilia.
I had no illusions left about them. Being abandoned once was enough. They didn’t care about me.
***
Even after Lumi’s nosebleed had completely stopped, Penelope—who had said she’d fetch something to wipe with—still hadn’t returned.
‘What on earth is she doing?’
Idorian resisted the urge to glance back toward the fortress and instead focused on Lumi.
“So, what were you doing out here anyway? You should rest if you’re tired.”
“I was going to help with the dishes.”
“…With who?”
“Penelope. She said she’d call for someone, but she never came back.”
His tone carried a hint of disappointment—but Idorian didn’t notice.
‘Penelope was doing dishes?’
That Penelope—sitting here doing dishes?
She was the kind of woman who’d throw a fit if mud splashed her shoes, who refused to even sit on the ground.
Idorian began to feel uneasy. Penelope Lloyd was unpredictable—and unpredictability was dangerous.
“Did she do anything strange?”
“…Huh? Like what?”
“When you were washing dishes. Penelope Lloyd.”
He couldn’t shake the sense that she was scheming something. But what could she even do, trapped in this fortress all day?
“…Is it even possible to wash dishes suspiciously?”
Lumi blinked slowly, clearly confused.
But that was only because he didn’t know Penelope Lloyd.
Whenever she volunteered for something, there was always an ulterior motive.
Once, she had gone to the temple claiming she wanted to do volunteer work—but she’d snuck into the High Priest’s room to steal his ring. Of course, she was caught immediately, and Duke Lloyd had to pay a massive “donation” to hush it up.
The reason for her foolish act? She’d overheard some ridiculous rumor—that carrying an object the High Priest had long possessed would make your wish come true.
And another time—
“Give me that back.”
“I already washed this.”
“It’s safer to start over.”
Unable to shake his unease, Idorian scowled and reached for the dishes.
Lumi handed them over without protest.
“Then I’ll head off.”
“You’re leaving?”
Lumi looked down at him, then nodded. Left alone, Idorian continued washing the dishes, worried Penelope might have tampered with something.
Then suddenly—
‘My lady asked me to deliver a message. She said she prays for Your Highness’s safe return.’
He remembered Lilia’s words from before.
‘If not for that, I might not have made it back alive.’
And her answer to that—
‘That wasn’t a favor. Are you hurt?’
‘No, Your Highness. My lady truly wished for your safety.’
‘I can’t deny she cared for me, but still…’
‘If she’d wanted to use me to gain favor or advantage, she wouldn’t have told you it was my blood.’
Lilia had said it with unwavering conviction—
‘It wasn’t my blood. It was Lady Swidie’s.’
Had Penelope really never intended to deceive anyone from the start?
“…Haa.”
Idorian stared down at the gleaming dishes and sighed deeply.
He still hadn’t figured out why Penelope had been washing dishes—but somehow, he felt that whatever he was doing right now… was utterly meaningless.
