Chapter 6
After Elje left—
Thud.
Lucian slammed the back of his head against the wall, unable to contain his anger.
“Damn it!”
No matter how much he cursed, it didn’t ease his frustration.
His sharp eyes glared into empty space.
Why do I have to be trapped in a place like this?
It was unfair.
His mind turned white with surging rage, his insides boiling.
And yet, the thing that bothered him the most—
[“Then make your choice. ”]
That voice, sweet like a poisonous fruit.
[“Either grab hold of a certain way to escape this place… or…”]
Those honey-colored eyes looking down at him so calmly.
[“Keep hesitating like a weakling and get trampled in the end. ”]
Elje Lepherian.
He hated that he was shaken by her words.
In this suffocating situation, she was the only one who had clearly said she would be on his side.
He knew he shouldn’t trust her.
And yet—
…he kept wanting to take her hand.
“…This is ridiculous.”
Lucian let out a bitter laugh at himself.
What was even more absurd—
Was that he kept trying to find meaning in everything she did?
She didn’t question my escape attempt.
Today’s incident would definitely reach the Oppenheimer Marquis.
And Elje would likely be held responsible.
She’ll probably be put in a difficult position.
Victor—
That man’s vile smile came to mind.
[“Since this is such a serious matter, I believe it should be reported to the Oppenheimer Marquis. ”]
That confident attitude, as if he had found a weakness.
It meant Lucian’s escape attempt was treated as a serious matter here.
Lucian clenched his teeth.
Pathetic.
He was frustrated with himself—
Unable to reject Elje’s hand, yet unable to accept it either.
To feel even the slightest hope toward a mere manager of this cursed place—
It made him feel like a fool.
Unable to suppress his anger at this hopeless reality—
Lucian spent the entire night without sleep.
* * *
I staggered back to my room.
So much had happened today that my head felt like it would explode.
“…Ha.”
Letting out a long sigh, I slid down against the door and sat on the floor.
I was exhausted.
Did my provocation work …?
I went over everything that had happened with Lucian today.
He needs to come to his senses soon.
Lucian was the most important piece in my escape plan.
In the original story, he escaped only after awakening his power.
So I intended to help him awaken that power as soon as possible.
But instead of cooperating, he kept bristling at me at every turn.
It was frustrating.
Well… I can’t say I don’t understand him.
He had been suddenly imprisoned in this place by a cousin he trusted.
Of course he would feel shocked, afraid, and betrayed.
I shook my head.
Forget it. Who am I to pity someone else?
I was a walking bundle of death flags in this world.
Instead of worrying about others, I should focus on surviving myself.
Clink.
The key in my pocket made a faint sound.
It was the key to Lucian’s solitary room.
“…”
I took it out and stared at it for a long time.
Then I clenched it tightly in my hand.
The cold metal bit into my palm.
To escape this damned story—
What I needed to do next was…
Dante.
Just thinking of his name made my chest feel heavy, like I had swallowed a stone.
Before Dante returns… I need to take control of the boarding school.
The teachers at Rosenkreuz were just for show.
In reality, only two people held power—aside from Dante.
One was me, Elje Lepherian—his lover.
The other was that annoying man, Victor.
Technically, I had more authority.
“I’m your lover, yet you expect me to be treated the same as Victor?!”
…That’s what Elje had once cried out to Dante.
Because of that, the staff outwardly obeyed me—
But in reality, they only followed my orders after getting Victor’s approval.
But that can’t continue.
If I didn’t hold real authority, it would restrict my movements.
And in the original story, Elje had underestimated Victor—
Only to be completely betrayed later.
The aftermath was so severe that Dante lost even the slightest interest he had in her.
Dante is already getting tired of me. After this incident, he’ll be even more disappointed.
I calculated quickly.
I can’t afford to lose more favor.
Among the male leads, Dante was the one who effectively held my life in his hands.
At the very least, I had to avoid making him dislike me further.
And I need to secure people I can trust.
The staff were out of the question.
No matter what, they couldn’t escape Dante’s influence.
So my target would be—
The students.
Not all students were in the same situation.
Depending on outside circumstances or shifts in succession—
Some might be needed again by their families.
And in rare cases, a student could leave and return to their original position.
Leaving.
Unlike escaping, it meant leaving officially.
But it required Dante’s permission—
And those who left had to swear never to speak about this place.
So far, not a single person had broken that oath.
Because they feared Dante’s influence.
Good.
A faint smile curled on my lips.
* * *
A dark basement, drenched in blood.
Flick.
A flame ignited brightly.
“…Hoo.”
A man exhaled slowly.
Gray smoke filled the air.
With a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips, he glanced down at his feet.
“Rats are fascinating creatures.”
At his feet lay a large man, collapsed and covered in blood.
“No matter how many you kill… they just keep coming.”
Shrugging lightly, the man smirked.
The basement, which had been filled with screams just moments ago, was now silent.
Only his voice remained.
He nudged the body with his foot.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“……”
“Oh, right.”
He smiled lazily.
A chilling smile.
“I made it so you couldn’t answer.”
He shifted his gaze.
Behind him stood his aide, silent as ever.
“So… is this my fault?”
“Of course not, my lord.”
The aide respectfully offered him a clean pair of gloves.
The man removed his bloodstained gloves and tossed them aside, then put on the new ones.
“I have something to report.”
“What is it?”
“It concerns Lady Elje.”
Even at the mention of his lover, the man looked bored.
“It seems Lady Elje made a mistake. She failed to properly secure the door of the Duke of Kaleid’s room.”
“Oh, really?”
He responded casually.
“Well, it’s not like that’s unusual for her.”
There was no expectation in his voice.
“Maybe it’s time to get rid of Elje.”
Elje Lepherian—
A woman like a rose mixed with honey, sweet at first glance.
At first, he found her desperation amusing, so he gave her the position of a lover.
But now—
I’m bored of her.
Her obsessive behavior had once satisfied his emotional emptiness.
But now, even her desperate love was tiresome.
Just another woman, no different from the many who had passed through his life.
“However, it seems her reaction was different this time.”
“Different? How?”
“According to reports, Victor warned her. He said you might be disappointed in her.”
“And?”
The aide continued carefully.
“…She didn’t care at all.”
At that—
For the first time, a faint emotion appeared in the man’s red eyes.
“Oh?”
That emotion—
Was curiosity.
