"Killing your own family member?"
The voice in my ear was calm. Too calm.
"I didn't know our family liked doing that."
…Seriously?
I tried to lift my head, but my body wouldn't move.
"C-Cousin… Adela…"
My voice came out rough and broken. Melvina must've messed up my throat.
"Why… are you back?"
Melvina sounded confused. Like she didn't expect this at all.
Tak.
Tak.
Tak.
The sound of heels came closer, slow and steady.
"Hey. Your name was Ian, right?"
The footsteps stopped.
I forced my head up. Just a little. Enough to see her.
Adela.
"No… it's Cyan."
My throat burned as I spoke.
"Ian, Cyan… doesn't matter. Both sound weak."
Her face stayed blank as she said it.
Pfft—
I coughed. Blood spilled onto the floor.
Adela crouched down and grabbed my shirt, pulling me up slightly.
"I didn't have a personal slave while I was staying here—"
She paused.
"—I mean, assistant. I'm taking you."
…That correction didn't help at all.
Adela Levauné.
A genius. A monster. She killed her own parent when she was ten.
Even criminals avoided her.
So yeah… I was finished.
Not quickly either. She looked like the type to take her time.
"Stop."
Melvina's voice came from the doorway.
"That trash is my sandbag. You can't take him."
…Sandbag?
For the first time ever, I felt thankful to her.
"What? You got a problem with that?"
The air suddenly felt colder.
Adela sounded annoyed.
"Don't act like I'm easy to—"
Bam.
Melvina flew before she could finish.
Her head hit the wall hard.
"Y-you—"
Pfft—
She coughed blood… then collapsed.
Out cold.
Adela looked at her.
"Oh. I thought she'd last longer. I even held back."
…She held back?
Adela glanced at her again.
"She's not dead, right?"
My vision started to blur.
Everything felt light… and far away.
"Hey… are you okay?"
She stepped closer, looking down at me.
"You're getting pale."
"Blo…od… loss…"
That was all I could say.
Then everything went black.
"Mmm…"
I slowly opened my eyes.
The ceiling above me was unfamiliar.
…Yeah. Not my room.
I took a small breath.
Lavender.
The bed smelled like lavender—soft, familiar… and very suspicious.
"What the—"
I tried to sit up.
Nothing.
My body didn't move.
I tried again.
Still nothing.
…Oh. Great.
"Oh~ you're awake?"
Her voice came from nearby.
"You slept like a log."
I turned my eyes.
Adela sat in a wooden chair not far from the bed, legs crossed like she owned the place—well, she probably did.
The wind drifted in through the window, gently moving her lavender hair. Sunlight fell across her skin, making her look almost… unreal.
Badum—
Badum—
…Wow.
"She's… really beautiful…"
I stared a little longer than I should've.
Honestly, if she wasn't a terrifying lunatic, this might've been a nice morning.
"So gorgeou—"
Wait.
Something felt off.
Very off.
"…Why am I tied up?"
Ah. There it is.
Adela blinked.
"Oh. That."
She looked away.
…She actually looked away.
"Because you might run after you wake up."
She paused.
"Or something like that."
"…That's not reassuring."
I tried to move again.
Still tied.
Still completely helpless.
And stuck in a room with her.
…Yeah.
This was definitely worse than dying earlier.