Chapter 5
“Why in the world are you going to such lengths?”
At her immediate contradiction, the man tilted his head slightly to one side.
“Whatever you do, this one is going to die soon anyway.”
“Why are you so sure it’ll die? Because it’s weak?”
“Yes.”
The man nodded without the slightest hesitation. Even as he spoke of the pitiful animal’s death, his expression was devoid of any sympathy or empathy, completely dry.
“If I treat it properly, I might be able to save it. That’s my job. So please…”
Even as she kept pleading with him, Prina found the situation itself just shocking. As she stared at him in bewilderment, the man suddenly smiled faintly.
That smile sent another cold chill running down the back of Prina’s neck.
“Name.”
He abruptly asked for her name. A low voice, carrying only a single, simple word. His unwavering gaze was still, and unmistakably, fixed on Prina.
That look was both tranquil and fierce, like a predator watching its prey from a hidden spot.
Why was he asking her name? For what reason?
Her mind was suddenly filled with countless questions she couldn’t answer.
For a moment, her thoughts went blank, as if paralyzed.
No one had ever shown curiosity about her name before. She was called by ominous titles more often than by her actual name. But this man, of all things, was interested in her name.
Yet instead of curiosity, an increasing sense of unease pressed upon her.
“Say it. If you tell me, I’ll give this to you.”
The man, as if doing her a favor, shook the rabbit. The small life, dangling from his grasp by its ears, wavered helplessly like a worthless object, so fragile it looked as if it might snap or break at any moment.
She had no time to dwell on complicated thoughts. She had to save it. She had to rescue it. That was all she could think of. Seeing the rabbit trembling violently in terror, she couldn’t delay any longer.
…Prina.
Her trembling voice came out barely above a whisper.
“My name is Prina.”
Prina, Prina, Prina…
The man, upon hearing her name, rolled it around in his mouth as if tasting it.
Step, step, step.
With the sound of footsteps, the man drew closer and closer. As Prina took a step or two back, she found herself cornered, like prey confronted by a predator at a dead end.
Thump, thump, thump…
Only the sound of her irregular heartbeat echoed faintly in her ears.
As the distance between them shrank, a suffocating sense of pressure made her mind blur.
In contrast, the man was eerily calm, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Even while holding and shaking the pitiful creature, there was not a hint of guilt or agitation on his face.
Before she knew it, he was so close she thought he could reach her. In those leopard-bright yellow eyes, her reflection looked unfamiliar, as if it were someone else.
That’s right, she wasn’t wearing her veil. It was the first time she’d faced herself so plainly, and the first time someone had looked straight at her like that.
“Pretty.”
“…What?”
“I said it’s pretty. Your name.”
It was clearly a compliment. So why did it feel so unsettling?
The languid tone of admiration gripped her by the back of the neck and seemed to squeeze the air from her lungs.
“Alright. Prina.”
As if granting a favor, he abruptly thrust the injured rabbit out to her.
“Here, a gift.”
Suddenly, the sharp smell of blood stabbed at her nose.
This is… a gift?
Prina’s red lips parted as if to speak but only trembled silently.
She took the rabbit with shaking hands, immediately holding it protectively to her chest. The rabbit struggled for a moment, but soon, as if its strength had given out, it went limp in her arms, breathing shallowly.
It had lost so much blood. Could she save it?
While Prina was checking the rabbit’s condition, the man stood still, calmly watching her shocked expression.
“How is it?”
As if observing her reaction. As if he’d just given a young girl the stuffed rabbit she’d always wished for, a look of anticipation on his face.
“Do you like it?”
Who is this man?
Why is he… doing this to me?
A thousand questions flashed through her mind, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask any of them.
She was too afraid.
“…Prina.”
Hearing her name spoken, Prina felt a chill that made her blood run cold, her instincts screaming at her to run.
Hugging the rabbit tightly to her chest, Prina turned and ran with all her might, never looking back.
Discussion
3 Commentspickle3
clearly the true thing to worry about is this guy.
Tize1227
Tize1227