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Chapter 17
“Still, maybe I should gather these up? They look kind of expensive. If I sell them, I might get a decent amount of money?”
They said the Paminion family had been completely destroyed. If I went outside, the Adenhar family said they would protect me—but no matter what, I couldn’t keep relying on them forever. Of course, the best outcome would be to escape and immediately return to my original world.
But judging from that NPC’s suspicious attitude, there was no telling how much of the information he’d given me was actually false.
“I need to find out where Adenhar is too.”
They said Sren hadn’t killed him yet. Then was he still wandering around underground somewhere? Just thinking about him made my chest ache. The image of him protecting me, and of him dying because of me, was etched deeply into my mind like a trauma.
“This time, I’ll definitely help you escape.”
With that firm resolve deep in my heart, I clenched my fist tightly.
At first, I’d done it with the thought of half-hearted revenge. Yet, unbelievably, Sren began preparing lavish meals for me every single day—meals made entirely of vegetables. Seeing the delighted look in his eyes as he watched me, my heart stirred uneasily.
That wasn’t the only thing that changed. When I stopped mentioning Adenhar at all, Sren allowed me to go anywhere in the mansion. If this was the reward for whispering false love to him and acting the part, it honestly felt hollow.
Why hadn’t I been able to do something this simple before? Well, until now, I’d been afraid of Sren. But now, I wasn’t afraid of him anymore. More than that, my hatred toward him was stronger. After experiencing several deaths, I was sick to my stomach of the selfishness he’d shown in trying to bind me to himself.
“Rachel. I wish time would stop right now.”
Out of the blue, Sren said this as he hugged me from behind.
“Why?”
“Because I like hearing you say you love me, and looking at me with such warm eyes.”
“…You’re an idiot.”
“You’ll stay by my side forever, right?”
“Of course. I’ll always be by your side.”
“Really?”
“I told you. I love you. You’re the only one for me.”
At that, Sren smiled as if he were truly happy. My reflection was captured in his clear crimson eyes. The face reflected there looked genuinely happy. Slowly, his lips drew closer to mine. As if out of habit, I gently closed my eyes.
But in truth, it was all a lie. I had no intention of staying by his side forever. When you’ve given me the most pain—when you’re giving me the most emotion—when you’ve forgotten your true nature and let your guard down… that’s when I’ll leave you.
For a while, peaceful days continued. Of course, our relationship was as fragile as glass, ready to shatter at any moment. We avoided saying anything that might upset each other, and on the surface, we pretended to be happy—but our relationship was incomplete. Maybe I was the only one who felt that way.
During that time, I focused solely on finding the Moonstone. As long as I didn’t mention trying to escape or bring up Adenhar, Sren was remarkably kind.
Then one day, Sren made an unexpected proposal.
“Rachel. There’s something I want to show you.”
The place he took me to was underground. When I saw the corridor plastered in stark white wallpaper, memories I’d briefly forgotten resurfaced. The time I’d been imprisoned here. The time I’d nearly been killed by a woman. And… the moment Sren had cruelly killed Adenhar right in front of me.
I thought I’d gotten over it, but the moment we entered the basement, my stomach churned violently. Goosebumps spread over my body as those nightmarish scenes replayed in my mind.
I’d thought I’d done a decent job of not upsetting Sren all this time—was that a miscalculation? I couldn’t understand why he’d brought me here. Watching Sren walk ahead of me, I asked,
“Sren. Why did you bring me here?”
“Because I want to give you a gift.”
“A gift?”
“Yes. I think you’ll like it quite a lot.”
His tone was full of certainty. Then he stopped and gestured with his chin toward a spot.
“That.”
When I followed his gaze, I froze like ice. There, after what felt like an eternity, was Adenhar—his entire body tightly bound in chains, locked inside a massive birdcage.
For a moment, I nearly lost control of my expression. It was hard to call Adenhar’s state normal. His body was covered in red lash marks, his clothes were tattered like rags, and his eyes were closed, as if he’d lost consciousness.
At that moment, I felt Sren’s gaze on me. His eyes were fixed on me obsessively, scrutinizing my reaction in minute detail.
Of course. I’d thought he’d been unusually quiet lately. Coldly, I stared at Sren and asked,
“This is my gift?”
“Yeah. I thought you’d be happy. Your reaction’s pretty disappointing.”
“Did you do this to Adenhar?”
He answered without a hint of denial.
“Yes. I did. Why—are you angry?”
“……”
“Because I turned Adenhar Seperta into that?”
It was as if he’d expected this reaction. His eyes were smiling, but the emotion within them was icy cold. I let out a hollow laugh, then barely managed to rein in my feelings and asked,
“Why did you do that to him?”
Sren’s reply was simple and blunt.
“Because he annoyed me.”
I was utterly dumbfounded. I lightly bit my lower lip, then forced a smile.
“And you still plan to give Adenhar to me as a gift?”
A thought crossed my mind. Maybe he never truly intended to give Adenhar to me at all. Maybe this was just bait—to test my reaction.
Right. I’d thought things were too quiet for a while. There could never be real peace between him and me. After all, considering how terrified I’d been at first—acting like I’d run away at any moment—it must be hard to believe me now, calmly saying I loved him. If I were Sren, I’d feel the same.
Then, with a chilling smile, Sren leaned close and whispered,
“So it was a lie after all, wasn’t it?”
“……”
“When you said you loved me.”
There was something faintly sad in his eyes as he spoke.
“See? The moment you saw Adenhar, you started wavering.”
Sren was truly impossible to read. His trust in me was as fragile as a candle in the wind. That made me angry. Angry at how he never changed, angry at myself for failing to save Adenhar again. Everything twisted together and crushed my insides.
When I remained silent, Sren frowned.
“Your silence pretty much confirms it, doesn’t it?”
I smiled brightly at him. I had no intention of letting him see my true feelings just yet. My reaction must have been unexpected—his eyes wavered.
“Do you really think so?”
“…!”
When I asked calmly instead, he furrowed his brow, clearly struggling to understand the situation. In that moment, without hesitation, I raised my hand and slapped his cheek.
Smack— a sharp sound rang out, and shock flickered across Sren’s face. He looked about to say something in anger, but I was faster. I slapped him again and stared at him coldly.
“I’m disappointed in you, Sren.”
“…!”
“You’re the one who’s been lying to me all along, haven’t you?”
“Rachel…”
“You told me you loved me, and yet you secretly met with Adenhar every day?”
“What…?”
Sren tried to explain, flustered, but of course I didn’t listen. With a voice heavy with betrayal, I sneered,
“Then what’s that?”
I pointed to a handkerchief embroidered with Sren’s initials. He must have dropped it when he came here. It was also an item symbolizing the promise he’d made to me—that he would be bound only to me from now on. Aware of that, my voice dropped even lower.
“Did you break the promise you made to me? You said you’d look only at me.”
“…!”
“Then why show me how much ‘special time’ you spent with Adenhar? Were you trying to make me jealous?”
Sren couldn’t answer easily. He looked as though he’d been rendered speechless by my unexpected reaction. Rubbing his stinging cheek with one hand, he muttered in disbelief,
“Rachel?”
In that instant, I grabbed his tie and yanked him close, smiling coldly.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
“…!”
“That you’re mine. Sren Crochette.”
This relationship will never change.
“How far do you plan on driving me insane?”
“…!”
“Go on. Tell me—who do you belong to?”
Until I escape… I’ll be the one holding the upper hand, playing with him from above.
