Chapter 29
Bang, boom—!
As the sound of fireworks rang out powerfully once again, Zeke rose from his seat and extended his arm courteously, as if offering an escort. He could have dragged me along like a criminal being led away, but his attitude was quite humane.
“Shall we go up?”
“Let’s do that.”
I put on the robe that was hanging on the chair and carefully took his arm. How exactly does one receive an escort? Since it had been so long since I’d had physical contact with anyone other than s****l encounters, even minor skinship felt unfamiliar and awkward. Still, I didn’t dislike the warmth of this man who was solid as stone.
Leaving my bedroom for the first time in weeks, I could see Zeke’s room with its door wide open. An excessively cramped space that didn’t suit his large frame. All that filled the interior was a single bed far too small for him to lie on and a painting hanging on the wall facing my bedroom.
I was about to ask Zeke if it wasn’t uncomfortable, but closed my mouth as it seemed like an obvious question. It’s not like I was someone who could improve his living conditions anyway. I didn’t feel like adding a word just to pretend to be nice.
We climbed the spiral staircase and quickly reached the top floor. I’d heard that maids came and went on the lower floors for housework, but not even an ant was visible on the upper floor. I liked that. It felt like this entire vast castle was all mine.
The top floor was truly empty—completely bare. It seemed like it had been abandoned in its post-construction state, never having been used for any special purpose. Large dust balls rolled around on the floor, and the walls were exposed naked without a single decoration. Still, there were large windows on all sides, with no wooden shutters attached, allowing the wind to flow freely in and out.
I walked toward the window with the best view for watching fireworks. Below the sunset sky, I could see the capital’s downtown area densely packed with red-roofed houses. The colorful tents filling the round plaza, the warm lanterns lighting the streets, the carefree laughter of people—the festive atmosphere was naturally felt.
“I should come out for walks sometimes.”
Even a homebody needs a change of scenery occasionally. A rooftop walk with a nice view would be sufficient. My mood lifting unexpectedly, I unconsciously started humming. Just then, fireworks spread across the sky like blooming flowers. They weren’t as spectacular as the ones I’d seen in Korea, but their simplicity suited the fairy-tale-like village even better.
“Wow… this is nice.”
I’d eaten festival food, watched fireworks, and observed people’s faces, so in my own way, I’d thoroughly enjoyed the festival. For a moment, I stood there absentmindedly gazing at the darkening sky. White fireworks occasionally burst like meteors, decorating the night sky.
While I was looking at the sky, Zeke’s gaze was fixed entirely on me. I thought it was simply to monitor me. But the moment I turned my head and met his eyes—bang, bang, bang—fireworks exploded in those stone-like, emotionless gray pupils. If that look had been simple lust, I wouldn’t have been so confused…
‘Something’s different.’
In the original story, Zeke was a s****l deviant no less than the other two male leads. Perhaps his tastes were even more peculiar than theirs. He would commit dirty acts and then the next day behave as if nothing had happened, further gnawing away at Sylvia’s already deteriorating mental state.
‘With eyes like those, he would commit such acts?’
It just didn’t add up at all.
Actually, Zeke had been like this from the beginning. From the very first impression, he had subtly defied my expectations.
‘Was there some kind of narrative trick?’
Maybe what happened with Zeke was all Sylvia’s delusion. It had occurred at the moment when her consciousness was most clouded, after all. Moreover, Sylvia firmly believed that Zeke despised her. And all the other men who despised her had violated her.
So perhaps Sylvia, thinking that Zeke too despised but simultaneously lusted after her, had seen hallucinations.
‘What the truth is will soon be revealed.’
I stopped my deepening thoughts and looked away first. Zeke opened his tightly closed mouth.
“If you’ve seen enough, shall we go down?”
As if the heat from moments before had all been an illusion, his unchangingly cool voice brushed against my earlobes.
“Yes, that sounds good.”
“Let’s go.”
He guided me to the lower floor without any particular escort. The way down was dim without a single candle.
When I came to my senses, we had already arrived at the second floor. I could see my bedroom at the end of the narrow corridor. Our touching hands were still hot. My tongue was parched dry. He opened the door and let me into the bedroom. Somehow I felt like he might follow me in, so I turned to look back when—
Crack—!
The back of my neck was seized as if bitten by a beast. The metallic scent of blood pierced sharply into my nostrils.
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