Chapter 5

Kid woke up gasping for breath and breathing heavily as he sat up. The worn out bed creaked under him.

Today was a very important day for him.

To Seniel, it might have just been the day of some trivial wedding ceremony, but to Kid, it was the day he planned to commit murder. He didn’t have time to be in a place like this.

Kid swept his wild gaze around the room.

The bare room, with only a bed and a desk, had the emblem of the Imperial Church, a reversed rose, on its wall. He didn’t know exactly where he was, but he thought it was a miserable place as he aggressively untied his neatly bound hair.

“I told you not to mess with me, but you never listen. Piece of shit.”

It was a moonless night, so no light leaked into the room, but with his exceptional night vision, he could easily see the open book on the desk. Whether it was a Bible or a scripture, he didn’t care. He just needed something to vent his anger on, so he was about to tear it to shreds.

For some reason, although Seniel had never underlined a book before, he had faintly marked a line.

“Sometimes, taking the long way can be more joyful. Like bonds that deepen only after everything has been experienced. Such bonds cannot be severed, like birds that drink tears together. Become someone who shares their soul.”

There was an underline beneath the phrase birds that drink tears together.

“Bullshit.”

Damn affection deprived lunatic.

Kid swore and tore the book in half with his bare hands, then tossed it to the floor, completely uninterested.

Once outside, he realized this place was far from the mansion, and that Seniel had been staying at an inn.

If he had departed from the mansion by carriage, the trip to his destination would have been perfect, but not from here.

Going from here to the destination would take much more time than expected.

This meant the plan he had prepared for a month was now ruined. Completely messed up beyond recovery. The thought made his blood boil.

Seniel had no idea about the plan Kid had for today, so it made sense he’d do something like this. But for Kid, it only added fuel to his rage.

Kid had no intention of bottling that anger. If he was angry, he was going to let it out.

If this useless interference was all because of Seniel’s damn wife, then it was time to give Seniel a crystal clear warning:

That everything he’s done from the past to now has been utterly worthless.

* * *

By the time he reached the mansion in a public carriage, it was well past midnight.

Kid ground his teeth.

The weak impression Seniel used to give was nowhere to be found.

‘How should I warn him?’

He entered the kitchen and selected a utensil to prepare today’s ingredients. There was everything from knives that cut through bone and flesh to a massive cleaver larger than his palm, but he didn’t even glance at those. Quick kills weren’t his style.

What he chose was a silver knife, moderately sharpened and fitting perfectly in his hand.

With the knife in hand, Kid dragged it along the hallway wall. Screeech. The metal grated harshly, echoing down the corridor.

Where would Seniel have stashed his precious wife? Kid arched an eyebrow as he ascended each floor. If it were Seniel, of course he would’ve tucked her into the best room available.

‘So predictable.’

Opening the door, he saw a trembling figure. The woman seemed to sense her impending death.

He lit a match and stared at Vivi. Her desperate act of pretending to sleep was laughable.

Kid suddenly stopped in his tracks. He was curious. How long would she keep pretending? He stood silently, imagining the best way to kill her that would terrify Seniel the most.

The ticking of the clock filled the silence. She didn’t move. Bored, Kid twirled the silver knife between his fingers.

‘This isn’t fun.’

Then let’s make it fun.

He picked up a glass and let it fall. It shattered into pieces.

“…”

Still not opening your eyes? His gaze narrowed. Now this was interesting.

“You call that pretending to sleep?”

At his amused voice, Vivi flinched. With her already being so terrified, he grew curious what expression she’d make when she saw his face.

Imagine thinking an intruder had broken into this empty mansion only to realize it was your own husband.

Would she gasp and scream? Or quickly catch on and beg for her life?

‘Whatever it is, it’ll make a perfect warning for Seniel.’

“Your acting’s top-notch. If you don’t get up by the count of three—”

At his low threat, Vivi finally sat up.

Cold sweat dripped from her pale face. Her eyes, illuminated by the yellow lamplight, were filled with fear. So were Kid’s.

They studied each other’s faces. Kid’s eyebrow twitched. Something was off.

‘She can see my face.’

Why wasn’t she reacting? As if she knew something. As if she expected this from the start, that she would see Kid do this with Seniel’s face.

That thought left him deeply unsettled.

“You’re scared, but not asking who I am?”

“N-no. I don’t know who you are.”

Kid looked closely at her. If Seniel had revealed his true identity to her, he wouldn’t have bothered sending himself away. He would’ve sent her somewhere safe, not to this dump.

But the Seniel Kid knew wasn’t that kind of person. Would he really reveal himself? No way. And if this woman had turned him in and landed him in jail, things would’ve gotten messy. It made more sense that she left on her own.

Kid looked down at Vivi, who had been holding back tears the entire time. Her trembling made her look pitiful, but that was it. How admirable that she hadn’t even screamed.

He was about to slit her carotid artery cleanly.

He paused, knife halted before slicing.

He had killed to warn Seniel not to pull this crap again. Yet Seniel only ever cried and blamed himself. It never changed.

Looking back, even if he killed this woman now, Seniel would surely defy him again.

‘What should I do?’

If he wouldn’t get the message, then maybe it was time to really mess him up. Ruin his life so thoroughly it couldn’t function.

Vivi’s eyes trembled. She had shut them so tightly.

“Bible, chapter 23, verse 20. Recite it.”

“Wh-what? What?”

Startled, Vivi opened her eyes wide. She was so focused on not dying that she didn’t even register what he said. Kid thought of just killing her, then decided to show some mercy.

“Bible, chapter 23, verse 20. Recite it.”

“B-bible… chapter 23, verse… uh, um… Sometimes, taking the long way can be more joyful… like birds who drink tears together. Become someone who shares a soul…”

She didn’t say the entire thing, but it was a good enough memory.

“Hm. I’m in a thoughtful mood. Debating whether to do something I never do.”

Vivi’s eyes, tinted red from the lamplight, shimmered with tears.

Kid, as if concluding his thought, pulled the knife away from her neck. Vivi gasped, finally able to breathe again.

But just because the knife was no longer on her skin didn’t mean she was safe. She knew it could return at any moment. She stayed alert.

Then he said something completely unexpected.

“Your hand.”

“…Sorry?”

“I hate repeating myself.”

She tightly shut her mouth and quickly extended her hand from under the blanket. It was pale and damp with sweat.

Kid unfolded her fingers and placed the knife in her palm. Vivi stared blankly at it, then looked at him.

Why…?

His crimson eyes glinted. Amused, he wrapped her hand around the knife.

“I’ll delay killing you.”

Huh? Vivi almost blurted it out but bit her tongue. But what he said next left her stunned.

“Seduce Seniel. Make him think he can’t live without you, just like in that scripture.”

Like those foolish birds who share tears.

“I’ll give you plenty of time. I’ll drop by occasionally to check your progress.”

“…”

“One warning: if you run away… well. You won’t like what happens.”

Your best choice is to play along and die less painfully while trying to win him over.

Kid knew well about Seniel’s affection deficit. A wicked man pretending to be kind just to avoid being hated.

Pathetic. But that same behavior had caused Kid years of torment from their father. The memory of Seniel obediently accepting those bribes from his father made Vivi seem useful.

“Oh, and if you don’t repay the debt of being spared … well, that won’t end well either.”

I have no mercy for useless people.

Vivi’s eyes flickered with confusion, despair, and a faint glimmer of hope. If he was going to kill her, why bother checking her progress? Seduce him? Did he even know what he was saying? It sounded like he was telling her to seduce himself.

And how would he even check? It’s not like they shared memories. Should she report on dates, physical progress…?

‘Well… at least I’m not dying right now. I guess I bought some time…?’

He hadn’t even given her a deadline, but still, she had a chance.

While Vivi was lost in thought, he lifted her chin.

“Answer me.”

“Y-yes! I-I’ll do it. T-thank you for sparing me.”

“I’ll check on you without warning, so do your best.”

Kid smiled. It was a murderous smile in more ways than one.

“That knife is a gift.”

Who gives this as a gift? she thought, but she thanked him anyway. Kid, satisfied, turned away with a serene smile.

Vivi couldn’t let go of the knife until he had left and the sound of his footsteps had disappeared.

Only then did she exhale again.

She felt dizzy. The tension drained, and her mind finally began to relax.

‘Was it like this in the original story? Did I die because I failed to seduce Seniel?’

What had happened within that one week? Didn’t I die the moment we met?

Her strength gave out. Her head dropped to the pillow.

‘My life is such shit…’

That was her last thought before she passed out with the knife still in hand.

But Vivi didn’t know…

In the original story, Seniel hadn’t gone on a mission to another temple.

Because she had begged him not to go, terrified of being alone in the empty mansion. He had stayed by her side until she fell asleep, then hurried out, but never got far. That’s why Kid wasn’t as angry in the original story. He still followed through on his original plan.

In the original story, Vivi died wandering the halls alone, afraid of her room. Since Kid had no particular interest in her, he might never have come to see her at all.

She would never know that she had just raised the difficulty level. So, relieved that she had survived, she drifted into unconsciousness, knife still in hand.