THGA 20

Chapter 20

The atmosphere suddenly grew cold. Yet, Phantom answered without changing his expression.

“I just wanted to get into the mood a little. You look quite impressive when you’re on the phone in this room, Master.”

And then, with a flick, Phantom gave a thumbs-up. Watching that, Slen’s gaze sharpened.

“Hmm?”

But as if dismissing suspicion, Slen soon replied indifferently.

“What is it? That’s kind of lame.”

It was a bit awkward, but since it wasn’t entirely nonsensical, it passed smoothly. Only then could I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

I had always thought of Phantom as an enemy while being with Slen. But… did he just help me?

It didn’t seem like he had really been on the phone. Phantom seemed aware that I was hiding here. Yet, he had clearly pretended not to notice. At that moment, Slen, tapping the desk lightly with his fingertips, gestured toward me and said,

“If you’re done talking, you can leave.”
“Yes, then. Please call me again if you need me.”

And with that, Phantom completely left the room. A long silence followed.

Why was he taking so long to leave? I could feel my heart pounding. Now that Phantom was gone, there was no one to help me. To avoid misunderstandings, I had to leave the room without being noticed.

Slen was staring out the window, lost in thought. He kept tapping the desk with his fingertips. For some reason, that sound was unnervingly distracting. But soon, he left the room as well.

Still, one could never be too careful. I pressed my hand over my mouth and held my breath for a while. Yet, I heard no sound from the hallway. Assuming he was gone, I slipped the Moonstone into my pocket and carefully opened the cabinet door.

Looking around, there was no one in the space besides me, just as before. Yet, why did it feel so unsettling? I lowered my body cautiously and headed toward the door, keeping my footsteps as silent as possible.

The moment I opened the office door, a long shadow fell before me. A sweet, low voice echoed above my head.

“What are you doing here?”
“……!”
“Huh? Rachel.”

His voice was very soft, yet I could sense that his mood was very heavy. I slowly lifted my head with a heavy heart.

Slen bent slightly, meeting my gaze. I froze stiffly. At that moment, Slen whispered with a mischievous smile on his lips.

“Come on, answer me. Hmm?”

But I couldn’t respond. His gaze had turned red, signaling murderous intent.

Damn it! I was screwed. That was exactly what I was thinking.

I had deliberately delayed my exit by ten minutes. Who would’ve thought Slen had been hiding outside the door, waiting? I shuddered at his simple, meticulous cunning. I had thought he hadn’t noticed me, but he knew I was inside and had pretended to leave.

I needed to come up with some excuse—what now?

At that moment, Slen looked at me with a dazed, unfocused gaze and said,

“Rachel. Why aren’t you saying anything?”

He seemed angry. His eye color and the overall atmosphere were cold. If I showed even the slightest sign of fear here, what would Slen think of me?

Thinking of what to say, I looked up at him with a wide smile and replied,

“Peek-a-boo.”
“…….”

Ah, relief. A chill swept over my body.

Slen flinched at my words. He stared at me as if he couldn’t understand.

Alright, I admit it. That last move was risky even by my own standards. I had no idea what to say, so I tried to make a joke—but it only made things weirder. Since it had come to this, I decided to go all out. I tried my best to put on a cute expression and said,

“I was going to give you a present… but I accidentally fell asleep inside.”
“What?”

Slen’s expression was full of suspicion.

“You could’ve just come out normally. Why sneak out like that?”
“You’d still be angry.”
“……!”
“If I had just come out, you’d be even angrier, right?”

Slen couldn’t respond. I had hit the nail on the head. I hugged him and looked up, saying,

“I didn’t want to be disliked by you. I only came to give you a present.”
“What present were you going to give me?”

Finally intrigued, Slen focused on what I said. In truth, I had just said anything to avoid the crisis, but it wasn’t entirely a lie. I untied a ribbon from my clothes and said,

“Me. Don’t you like me?”
“……!”

Slen’s gaze wavered rapidly. But he soon smiled seductively and whispered,

“I see. Rachel’s gift… makes me happy.”

Then, in an instant, he lifted me up.

“Ah!”

Wrapping my legs around his waist, he said,

“You said you’d give it to me. Then, today, can I do as I please with you?”
“Mm….”

Even as I responded, I was sweating nervously. I felt like I’d made a huge mistake. Slen was laughing more happily than ever, which made me uneasy.

Whether he sensed it or not, Slen whispered sweetly,

“Rachel. I really like you. I love you.”

That was the beginning. As soon as the words ended, Slen pushed me against the wall. I was quite shocked by his intense reaction. My eyelids trembled, and Slen bent down, instantly capturing my lips.

As if performing a precise ritual, he teasingly sucked my upper and lower lips. As his lips pressed more insistently, my body trembled on its own.

“W-wait, Slen!”

But as if giving no time to speak, Slen whispered while capturing my lips.

“I said I could do as I please today, remember?”
“……!”
“Was that a lie?”

His eyes flashed sharply.

Damn, I messed up.

His sudden triggers were driving me insane. This was my last chance. Eventually, I touched his hair and said resignedly,

“No, do as you wish.”

Finally relaxed, he continued to play with my lips. Heat spread through my body. At that moment, his tongue traced my lips and entered. Overwhelmed by his skill, a moan escaped my lips.

“Haah….”
“Mm…”

Because Slen was rougher than usual, my heart raced.

I worried he might discover I had the Moonstone. That made the tension even greater. But there was no other way—I just had to be careful.

After a long while of tasting my lips, Slen slowly pulled away. Quietly, he stared at me from the darkness. His brilliantly red eyes shone even more vividly. Excited, he raised his chest and pressed a short kiss on my lips again, whispering,

“Then, let’s enjoy this.”

That was the first signal of the long night ahead.

Bright sunlight poured over my face. I slowly blinked and got up. My whole body ached. My legs, especially, felt completely powerless.

Last night, Slen had tormented me without letting go for a long time. The only relief was that he hadn’t discovered the Moonstone. I sighed and glanced at my arms. Bruises were everywhere; no part of my body was unscathed.

Damn Slen.

This incident taught me a hard lesson. From now on, I need to be much more careful with my actions.

“I’m thirsty.”

Biting my lower lip, I got out of bed. My legs kept giving way, almost making me collapse.

“Ugh…!”

Even more infuriating, Slen was perfectly fine. Until the last moment I nearly lost consciousness, he kept insisting for “one more time.” Seeing Slen wasn’t by my side, I realized he had already gotten up. Incredible stamina. He went to bed later than me but got up earlier than me.

He had never tormented me this much before. Clearly, Slen had been displeased about yesterday. Thankfully, I had survived, but there was still an uneasy feeling.

“I was planning to go to the basement today…”

By now, Adenhar might have woken up. But in this state, it would have been impossible.