Chapter 6

Seniel’s particularly sharp hearing woke him up to the sound of bustling footsteps in the morning.

‘Why am I here…?’

Last night, he had left the mansion and taken a carriage somewhere far away at random. Since there was no business trip to begin with, he simply found an inn and went to sleep. That was definitely what happened, so why did he wake up in bed?

He scanned the room in confusion.

His usually neat hair, which he kept tied up at night, was now disheveled, and the buttons of his shirt, which he always kept fastened, were undone. A bottle of rum he never drank was lying discarded on the table.

Before he could even fully grasp what was happening, his face went pale. The blood in his body felt like it drained out, and his fingertips trembled.

He hurriedly got up and noticed a familiar but unsettling handwriting on a piece of paper on the desk.

“Take better care of your wife.”

The sarcastic tone leapt off the paper.

Seniel immediately went outside.

The servants were startled by his disheveled appearance but quickly turned their heads once they sensed the mood. Then, a moment later, they tilted their heads with puzzled expressions, wondering, “When did the master return?”

Seniel was too panicked to notice their stares. He rushed to knock on a door, but no sound came from within. His already pale face turned ghostly white.

In the end, he couldn’t wait any longer and opened the door.

* * * 

I jolted awake at the sound of urgent knocking. ‘What now? What is it this time?’

Light seeped through the blackout curtains, not fully blocking it.

‘It’s not night. It’s morning…?’

I blinked dumbly. I was completely confused.

Still half-asleep, I didn’t even realize I’d been clutching a knife all night.

All I could think was, If it’s Kid again, I’ll just jump out the window, in a moment of extremity.

When the door burst open, I curled up instinctively. But I quickly realized it wasn’t Kid. It was Seniel.

After all, Kid would never cry like that.

As soon as I recognized Seniel, my body relaxed. The fog in my head cleared instantly.

And with that clarity came anger.

‘Because of you, last night…!’

Seniel walked slowly toward me.

I tend to be weak with the strong and strong with the weak, so I was ready to grab him by the collar.

The knife fell from my hand with a soft clatter.

‘Holy crap. What the heck is this?’

The knife glittered silver as it landed on the blanket.

An awkward silence passed between us as we avoided each other’s gaze. Seniel finally looked away from the knife and down at the floor.

‘Ah… the glass.’

I didn’t plan on hiding that I’d seen Kid, but I didn’t plan on telling either. I just wanted to feign ignorance and wait for a chance to escape the country.

Seniel stood at my feet, glancing between the shattered glass and the knife. Meanwhile, tears fell silently from his face.

Seeing the same person with such a completely different expression from Kid made my anger oddly settle down.

In the middle of this strange silence, Seniel spoke.

“Did someone come here during the night?”

I rolled my eyes. Was there any reason to say yes?

“…No. Oh, that stuff? It’s just… a habit of mine. Like sleepwalking. I should have mentioned it earlier. Sorry if I startled you.”

Kid never told me not to reveal his visit, but just in case, I decided to deny it.

Seniel looked at me with eyes that said, “Please don’t lie.” But I just gave an awkward smile. I didn’t want to get tangled up between him and Kid any further.

I figured he’d let it slide, since cleaning up the mess would be hard for him anyway.

Suddenly, Seniel dropped to his knees onto the shards of glass.

‘Are you crazy?!’

I jumped out of bed and tried to pull him up.

“I’m sorry, Lady Jezline. I’ve been deceiving the world all this time. I finally realize I must atone for my sins. I’m truly sorry.”

“What does that mean?”

Atone? That sounded ominous.

“That murderer who came last night , I mean, the one who’s been terrorizing society, Kid… the truth is—”

Thump. I instinctively slapped my hands over his mouth. This guy must be insane. I glanced nervously at the open door. He must’ve been in such a hurry that he left it swinging.

Hopefully no one heard that.

I glared at him with wide eyes and motioned for him to be quiet, then hurried over to shut the door.

Still kneeling, Seniel stared up at me blankly with his mouth slightly open.

I walked back over and tried to help him up again. But he stubbornly refused to stand.

“I am Kid. The one who threatened you last night… that was me.”

My head began to ache. He looked like he was about to go to extremes for atonement, maybe even suicide. I was firmly against that.

Because, even if he tried, he wouldn’t succeed.

He had a sense of self preservation. A kind of goodness. But sometimes even that survival instinct could collapse. He hadn’t always managed to resist the urge to die.

There had been times when he nearly crossed the threshold of death. But he couldn’t die. Right before death, the overwhelming fear of survival awakened Kid.

So everything Seniel tried to do to atone was meaningless to me. Worse, it was a nuisance.

‘You can’t die until Kid finishes his revenge! No, you’re not allowed to die!’

Kid would only be more enraged by Seniel’s antics. Then any deals we had would be off, and I’d be as good as dead.

I forced myself to calm down and think clearly. I’d survived Kid once. I wasn’t about to blow it now.

I’d just admit it. ‘Yes, I saw you last night.’

And for now, I’d keep him from doing anything reckless and maybe even keep him locked down tonight.

‘Let’s not provoke Kid more than necessary.’

“Can you please just sit down? Watching you like this is painful.”

“…No. I should go. It must be uncomfortable for you to face me, and I don’t want to cause more harm—”

“Sit.”

Unable to resist my insistence, Seniel finally sat. Good boy.

When he sat next to me, my gaze naturally fell to his knees. His pants were stained with blood. If I thought of it as Kid’s injury, it was satisfying. But knowing it was the “other one” who got hurt, I couldn’t feel good about it.

“You should take care of your knee. It’s still bleeding.”

“…Yes.”

After hesitating, Seniel obeyed. White light glowed from his hand, and the glass shards fell out, the wound healing over. I knew this wasn’t the time to be impressed, but still, it was impressive.

I looked away from his knee and stared into his eyes.

“Give me your hands.”

I remembered how Kid told me to offer my hand like a dog last night, and without thinking, I asked Seniel for his.

He didn’t question it and obediently offered both hands. Good boy.

“Since you’re being honest now, fine. I won’t lie either. Someone who looked like you really did come last night. I guess it was Kid.”

“…What…!”

His hands trembled. His eyes, which had just stopped tearing up, welled again.

“But as you can see, nothing happened. A glass broke, yes, but look, I’m unharmed.”

“But the knife…”

“The knife was in my hand. It was given to me as a gift.”

Well… not that kind of gift. But whatever.

“I still find it hard to believe you’re really Kid, but since that happened, I won’t completely deny it.”

“I’m glad… you believe me. Then, I shouldn’t just stay here like this—”

I gripped his hands tightly to stop him from escaping. He flinched and sat back down.

“You say you want to atone. Great. So how exactly are you going to do that?”

Because my life was at stake, I couldn’t help sounding sharp. I knew he was doing his best, but understanding and agreeing were two different things.

The strength drained from Seniel’s hands. He pressed his lips together and fell silent.

“You’re the High Priest. People wouldn’t believe you’re Kid even if you said so. Officially receiving punishment would be difficult. If it were possible, you’d already be in prison or executed, right? Or… are you planning to atone through self torture?”

“…”

I looked at his left wrist. He quickly pulled his sleeve down.

“I’ve heard of cases where people with dissociative identity disorder try to end their lives, but their alter stops them without them knowing.”

I didn’t know the science, but in the novels, the male lead gets angrier and more violent afterward.

Seniel’s hands tensed. His face was etched with deep despair.

I was still angry about last night, but I did feel a little sorry for him. He couldn’t kill himself and he couldn’t stop himself. He couldn’t do anything.

But that was his problem. My life was mine.

I wasn’t the female lead. I didn’t want to carry Seniel’s burdens. It’s not like I had any powers like she would. I was just a regular person with nothing.

“I’ll be honest. I said nothing happened last night, but something almost did. I don’t care who you kill. I just want to survive.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. You’re not the one who owes me an apology. What I do need is your help. I’ve figured out how I can survive.”

Seniel’s eyes widened, as if to say, That’s impossible. His red irises trembled. Silence stretched between us. He looked like a cat broken by being forced to wear socks.

He hadn’t been able to stop Kid in years, and now I, someone who met him only once, was claiming to have a solution? His brain seemed to short-circuit. He parted his lips.

“What do I… need to do? How can I help you?”

It took him a while to form a proper sentence. I patted the back of his hand.

“Do nothing. Just stay still.”

“…What?”

“Don’t sneak out at night worrying about me. Don’t try to find ways to help. I appreciate your efforts to stop Kid, but I need you to just… stay put.”

That way Kid wouldn’t get worked up and suddenly kill me.

Seniel’s gaze shifted strangely.

“…I’m not sure I understand. Are you really telling me… to stay still?”

“Yes.”

Doubt filled Seniel’s gentle eyes again. Suspicion and anxiety mingled. He looked like he was trying to figure out if I was Kid’s accomplice.

In his shoes, I’d be suspicious too if the first person to survive Kid tells you to do nothing? Pretty fishy.

But come on, Seniel. You know Kid wouldn’t cooperate with anyone.

Such a cautious, good boy.

I felt bad for the poor guy, but I had to make an even stranger request. I had to play along with Kid’s threats, even if just a little

“I’m not done. I still have a few more things I need from you.”

Seniel’s gaze steadied a little, as if expecting a real, useful request this time.

“If you’re free this evening… would you like to have dinner together?”