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Chapter 49
“Tch, what is this.”
Uben muttered as he kicked his blanket.
“…Why is it always me who gets stuck with things like this.”
The moment he closed his eyes, the image of Idorian gently scolding him earlier resurfaced.
“Seriously, so annoying.”
It felt like he had been painted as the kid who talked behind people’s backs.
He hadn’t meant it that way.
Penelope was the one making everyone uncomfortable.
“Penelope is the bad one.”
Uben still couldn’t stand her.
That brief moment when he had thought she might have changed felt so ridiculous now—Penelope was exactly the same as ever.
Whether she made people uncomfortable or not, whether she bothered others or not…
None of that mattered to her.
She always ignored people and tormented them.
Clearly, she was the one who had troubled everyone this time too.
Uben remembered the face of the person who had awkwardly smiled after being rejected.
She had made him hover around, unsure and embarrassed, until he eventually gave up and left—Penelope had acted completely on her own whims.
She meant to bother people!
‘There’s nothing wrong with being a little careful.’
Yes… that was mistrust and rejection.
For some unknown reason, that woman seemed wary of the newcomers.
But what had they done wrong?
Uben couldn’t understand why Idorian suddenly took Penelope’s side.
…Did he also feel uncomfortable around the new people?
‘So don’t speak too harshly about her.’
That phrase suddenly echoed in his mind again, and Uben let out a miserable groan.
If not that—then could it be? Did Idorian know?
‘No matter what it is, you have to be careful with what you say behind someone’s back.’
That he had lied about food going missing just to get Penelope in trouble. That he had complained she never helped with the work…
‘I’ll cover for you just this once.’
Even though he had said that—did that liar go around telling everyone behind his back?
“…So annoying.”
It seemed exactly like something Penelope would do.
The very idea that she would cover for him had been strange in the first place.
She must have tricked him while gossiping behind his back afterward.
‘Why did I believe that until now?’
Humiliation washed over him, and Uben tossed and turned.
Did Idorian, Sister Lillia, and Duke Heresdon all think he was a rotten kid?
That thought made Uben jolt upright.
He was terrified that they might think he was nasty, that they were scolding him for being underhanded.
After struggling like that for a long while, Uben suddenly got up and left his room.
He felt like he needed at least a glass of water if he was going to fall asleep.
The hallway was dark and quiet—everyone seemed to be asleep. Feeling along the railing, he slowly made his way forward.
He reached the kitchen and had just taken a sip of water when he froze in shock and dropped the cup.
Clang!
The shattering glass echoed as the figure leaning against the counter lifted their head.
“Ah….”
It took him another moment to realize it was Penelope.
“Ah—what are you doing here?!”
Uben clutched his chest and shouted.
“What are you doing here?”
“Drinking water!”
“…I wasn’t feeling well, so I came out for a moment.”
Her indifferent tone made Uben frown deeply.
“Then you should’ve made some noise! You scared me!”
He had really thought she was a ghost.
“Seriously… What is this.”
…She must have been staying silent on purpose to spook him.
“Because of you, the cup broke.”
“Uben, people are sleeping. Keep your voice down.”
Penelope let out a soft sigh as she cautioned him, which only irritated Uben even more.
This was all her fault—how annoying!
He was about to say something more when—
Penelope turned away, as if she had no intention of talking anymore.
“…If you’re not sleeping, you should at least say something. Seriously, unbelievable.”
He kept grumbling at how absolutely nothing about her ever pleased him.
Scritch.
A match was struck, and a tiny flame flickered in the dark kitchen.
When Uben turned, Penelope approached holding a candlestick.
“I’ll clean it up. Go back upstairs.”
“…No.”
“It’s dangerous. Don’t touch it.”
She gently pushed him back by the shoulder. Uben stumbled backward.
Setting the candlestick down, Penelope quietly picked up the large shards of glass.
“If you’re not going upstairs, could you bring me some paper?”
She glanced over her shoulder and asked.
After hesitating, Uben reluctantly fetched some paper from the sitting room.
Even then, he stayed put, watching silently until she finished sweeping up the glass.
“By the way.”
Uben finally spoke once Penelope put the broom back where it belonged.
“You told me you’d cover for me when I lied to you last time.”
“…What?”
“So why did you tell people?”
Penelope blinked slowly.
Her face twisted a moment later, as if she had no idea what he was talking about.
“I never told anyone. …Who says they know?”
Only then did his anxious heart settle a bit.
Seeing her expression, it seemed she truly hadn’t told anyone.
“…Forget it.”
Uben slipped away before she could grab him and hurried upstairs.
Lying back on his bed, he thought.
‘So don’t speak too harshly about her.’
Why had Idorian taken her side?
Was it now…
That he no longer disliked her?
Somehow, Uben felt wronged.
The next morning, Penelope took over the kitchen again.
She refused everyone who tried to help.
“…Everyone’s working, and I feel bad just standing around doing nothing.”
“Mister, then please help me bury this.”
Unable to watch anymore, Uben handed a task to the person standing awkwardly nearby.
Honestly, if she rejected him that firmly, he could have just ignored her.
Why did he keep lowering himself like that?
…Did he have no pride?
Uben glared at Penelope and walked out of the kitchen.
If he wasn’t there, she would have no choice but to ask the newcomers for help.
Or she could just suffer alone for once.
He glanced out through the half-open castle gates.
Everyone was busy clearing the zombie corpses piled at the entrance.
Working in pairs, they dragged one corpse at a time far away from the gate.
After hesitating, Uben stepped outside.
Everyone there was someone he knew.
The fruit vendor uncle, the helper lady from the apothecary, the bookstore noona.
It was his first time seeing zombies this close since entering the fortress.
Idorian and Heresdon never let him anywhere near them.
Even when zombies had invaded inside a few days ago, Uben had only seen them from inside the inner castle, through a window.
Up close…
The zombies looked far too familiar.
He even recognized the child from next door. A friend he had played with since childhood.
Even with the red veins covering his entire face, Uben recognized him instantly.
He had seen these people all his life—their faces were burned into his memory.
“……”
A suffocating despair washed over him.
Everyone had become monsters and died, leaving only him alive.
Grab.
Suddenly, someone seized the back of his neck, and his feet lifted off the ground.
