Chapter 85
Cynthia, flustered, rose from the bed and turned toward the bathroom. Through the glass door, beyond the swirling, hazy steam, she could faintly make out the silhouette of the large man standing motionless in front of the door.
He didn’t move at all. He didn’t say a word.
Should she run away, even now?
Cynthia almost let the thought cross her mind, but stopped herself. He could be reading even that. Yet Segleninde remained silent.
Only after a long pause did his voice come from inside the bathroom.
“Now that I think about it, back in the Moon Flower Garden yesterday… when that bastard attacked you.”
“……”
“I was nearby. Why didn’t you call for me?”
The situation from that moment flashed through Cynthia’s mind. When the drugged, aroused man attacked her under the flower’s mist, wasn’t there an option to call for Segleninde? If he could interfere even with her thoughts, couldn’t he have affected her choices, too?
What should she say to that? Cynthia hesitated. She tried her best not to think, but it wasn’t easy.
What answer would keep her alive? Right now, she could only imagine the worst-case scenario.
Then, the sound of water resumed from the bathroom.
“Well, you’re so timid you probably didn’t even think to call me. You must’ve been shocked after something like that.”
As the water flowed and the steam thickened, the man’s figure became more and more obscured, as if buried in the mist. He was stepping away from the door.
After a while, Segleninde spoke again in a much softer tone.
“…I wasn’t asking to put you on the spot, so don’t be scared. Just, next time, call me. I’ll come no matter what. If I hear your voice…”
His voice, too, gradually faded into the steam.
Cynthia watched the bathroom, tense, then slowly backed away. Her knees shook. She let out a breath she’d been holding without realizing it, and it escaped as a trembling sigh.
Just now… Had he been reassuring her? Telling her he wouldn’t kill her?
If what the teddy bear said was true, then even that was just a ploy to push her into the greatest despair at the very last moment and use her as the best possible nourishment.
It wasn’t as if she trusted the teddy bear, whom she’d only just met today, more than Segleninde, whom she’d been with all this time.
The only thing Cynthia trusted was the truth in front of her eyes: that he’d been reading her thoughts all along. That he likely already knew the entire truth. That he was deliberately hiding that fact. That maybe, even the story about losing his memory was a lie.
Like the first time, when he hosted that grand banquet and pretended to be kind to charm everyone, maybe this too—slowly softening his filthy temper and acting more affectionate toward her—was all just a calculated plan to lower her guard step by step.
“……”
Still, Cynthia wanted to trust him. Suspicion and lingering feelings tangled within her, throwing her into confusion.
What was she supposed to do? Was he on her side, or was he an enemy?
At that moment.
1- Wait until Segleninde comes out. 2- Reveal the truth to Segleninde right now. 3- Never leave Segleninde’s side.
Suddenly, options appeared.
Ding—
The sound effect that always played when choices popped up didn’t stop at once, but rang out again and again.
Ding, ding, ding, ding, dingdingdingdingdingdingding.
“……”
Cynthia froze. The choice windows multiplied, crowding before her eyes.
Then, right in front of her, they suddenly stopped.
All the other options vanished, and only that one remained.
As if pleading.
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