Chapter 52
After a considerable time had passed, Cynthia finally stopped crying.
Perhaps embarrassed that she’d cried like a child, she remained silent, face flushed crimson, even as Segleninde carried her like a princess. Since it was still painful between her legs, making walking difficult, she didn’t mind using him as her personal ride for now.
Perhaps because the quest was completed, the key to the next room appeared in her inventory, and she used it to open the door that had appeared. As Segleninde strode inside, a surprisingly neat room was revealed.
They had reached the second floor. It was time to leave the first floor behind.
Cynthia glanced back at the door closing behind them. Upon reflection, it was truly an absurd quest. Just thinking about the possibility of encountering something similar in the future made her feel dizzy.
‘Still… It wasn’t even a living thing, and honestly, it did feel good. Though it’s hardly something to count as a proper first experience.’
In truth, it wasn’t a significant issue, just a sudden thought. Even more humiliating was that she’d bawled her eyes out while being held by Segleninde. Cynthia shook her head to clear away the thought.
Meanwhile, noticing Cynthia staring at the closed door, Segleninde snapped at her bluntly.
“I assumed you could at least handle something as small as two of my fingers. You seem unusually weak for a human.”
She’d been foolish to momentarily feel comforted by him. Although Cynthia felt drained of all her strength and moisture, she responded sharply enough.
“If you don’t shut your mouth, I’ll kill you.”
“You? Kill me? I’d like to see you try.”
“Obviously, I can’t. On the contrary, you could kill me anytime. But still, who says something like that to someone who’s crying? ‘I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you’—you say it whenever you feel like it. Would you be happy if your fiancée disappeared? Would you be okay if I vanished from this world?”
“Ah… that’s—”
Segleninde’s face suddenly turned stiff.
“…Unacceptable. Absolutely not.”
His expression grew cold enough to send chills down Cynthia’s spine. It was so intimidating that Cynthia herself was startled.
His eyes trembled fiercely, as if gazing at something invisible in front of him, something unbearably frightening—the sight of Cynthia truly disappearing from his eyes.
Swallowing down the unfamiliar discomfort rising in her chest, Cynthia struggled to continue speaking.
“T-Then stop telling me you’ll kill me. I hate hearing that.”
“…If I stop saying it, will you promise not to disappear?”
The question sounded as if he were cautiously testing the waters, carefully gauging her reaction through sidelong glances. His expression was strangely anxious.
Perhaps his favorability had filled about two-thirds by now? Cynthia roughly estimated it and deliberately answered curtly.
“It depends on how you behave.”
“Speak clearly. Will you promise not to disappear?”
Rather than teasing or responding sarcastically, he questioned her with a voice far more chilling than any curse, leaning closer as he spoke. His rose-tinted red eyes flickered ominously.
“Will you stay here, if I promise not to kill you?”
“That sounds like you were planning to kill me before?”
However, because his expression revealed more anxiety than hostility, Cynthia didn’t feel intimidated or afraid. Instead, this confirmed her suspicion that he truly could no longer kill her, giving her even greater confidence.
“Fine, I won’t disappear! Satisfied? So you better stop cursing at me or saying you’ll kill me. Otherwise, I’ll lose interest and seriously call off this engagement.”
She deliberately played her strongest card for confirmation. Inwardly, she grew anxious, wondering if she’d gone too far, but at the same time felt strangely at ease. Even as he glared at her with a fiercely scowling face, his inability to hide his impatience was clear.
Seeing a man of his stature looking so desperately flustered filled Cynthia with an unfamiliar sense of satisfaction.
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