Chapter 3
I quietly pulled my hand away from the small one that had grabbed it.
I was now facing a demon who would inflict pain greater than death itself.
Strangely, the moment our eyes met, my excitement subsided, and reason returned.
The desperate wish not to die made me calm and collected.
Then I began to worry about how to escape from the final boss.
There was a cozy-looking hotel over there, and part of me wanted to shout at it to get lostâbut if I did that, it would mean dragging the protagonistâs party into a pit of danger.
I donât want that.
So, should I just hold on? But if I did, Iâd end up dead.
As I was deeply lost in thought about what to do, my body was suddenly lifted.
The protagonist who picked me up was Kleta.
âKyah!â
I struggled in surprise, and Kleta held me tightly, trying to calm me down.
âEvelyn, calm down! If you keep standing in the rain, youâll die! Look at your condition right now!â
âDo I look like I care?!â
âYour body is shaking right now!â
âIâm shaking on purpose to keep warm!â
âIs that what you call an excuseâŚ!â
I was about to grab her hair and demand she let me go whenâ
Thunk!
A sharp pain shot through the back of my neck, and my vision went faint.
Even in that haze, I clearly heard Wernerâs voice.
âIt would be better to just knock her out.â
With that unlucky comment from Werner, the world went dark.
Evelyn, unconscious, hung limply in Kletaâs arms.
Werner frowned as he looked at her, like an angel quietly closing her eyes.
She had spat blood through her pale lips, refused to enter the hotel, and made a scene running away.
As if that wasnât enough, she had rolled in the mud; her dress and hair were a complete mess.
And yet, she still struggled in defianceâit was absurd.
Since arriving on this island, Evelyn hadnât been able to properly assess the situation.
No, she hadnât even tried.
The calm Evelyn had only cried when she was lost and scared, and Werner had gradually grown tired of it.
He had tried to understand her fear and comfort her with kindness, but only a few times.
Watching Evelyn complain and wail from the moment she opened her eyes to when she closed them, Wernerâs affection had slowly turned cold.
Cold enough that his feelings for her plummeted to the ground.
âWhat do we do now? Sheâll make an even bigger fuss when she wakes up.â
âWeâll take her inside. Sheâs already here, so thereâs nothing we can do if she throws a fit.â
It would be easier to care for her indoors than out in the rain.
She seemed reluctant to enter due to the gloomy atmosphere, but once inside, she could avoid the rain, and her whining would be at least slightly reduced.
Kleta clicked her tongue in annoyance and suddenly glanced at Evelyn.
Before she had fainted, Evelyn had been very different from the whiny girl now stranded on the island.
Seeing Evelyn irritated and saying absurd things, Kletaâs thoughts drifted to her childhood.
Recalling those days, Kletaâs heart softened a little.
She had liked Evelyn quite a bit back then.
Watching Evelyn quietly resting in her arms, Kleta muttered softly.
âItâs like sheâs back to when she was little.â
ââŚHuh?â
Werner, puzzled by her cryptic remark, asked, but Kleta didnât answer.
To be honest, Evelyn was a mischievous girl, unlike her reputation for being quiet.
She had once been charming, lively, and playfulâsomeone Kleta had felt genuine feelings for.
But that personality didnât serve her well in noble society.
Evelyn had hidden her true self and behaved quietly.
Now, it had become second natureâbut it didnât matter to Kleta.
She had liked Evelyn as a child because they were close, but not anymore.
In fact, Kleta had grown indifferent to her.
She had hesitated several times over whether to leave Evelyn, who whined and refused to act, but couldnât bring herself to do it.
Considering Evelynâs family after their eventual escape, abandoning her was impossible.
The Rodrigue family cherished Evelyn deeply, and Kleta knew that.
So she helped without frowning, and unexpectedly, the unfolding situation was becoming amusing.
Even when Evelyn asked nonsensical questions or acted irritable despite falling into the mud.
Especially just nowâEvelynâs strange behavior reminded Kleta of the little girl she once knew.
Given the circumstances, her true personality must have surfaced.
It seemed that was indeed the case.
Werner, seeing that Kleta wasnât worried even though Evelyn had coughed up blood, tried to change the subject.
âSo⌠what about this little one?â
He pointed to Holloway.
The small, pale child stood out clearly.
Seeing Holloway shivering in the rain, they looked at him with concern rather than suspicion.
After all, he was a child.
They didnât even consider that he might do anything on his own.
When Werner pointed at him, Holloway pretended to be startled, as if waiting for it.
He tightly grabbed the unconscious Evelynâs finger and shook his head vigorously.
Tears quickly welled up in his large eyes.
With small, chick-like tears dripping from his cheeks, Holloway spoke in a trembling voice.
âP-please donât⌠sniff⌠leave me⌠sniff⌠My boat⌠water got in, and when I opened my eyes, I was hereâŚâ
Kleta asked, looking at the child who could barely speak coherently.
âYou were shipwrecked? Can you tell me what kind of ship it was?â
Holloway nodded vigorously as if he had been waiting for the question.
In truth, they had no idea what kind of ship they had been on.
They only guessed they were nobles by the wreckage and their attire.
If such people had arrived on the island, they must have been traveling as a party.
Holloway, trying to explain vaguely, said,
âIt was a huge ship, and many people wore fancy clothes. I think they said they were having a party on board.â
Kleta pondered Hollowayâs words.
If there was a big ship with people in fancy clothes having a party, it was likely the ship they had been on.
She didnât remember any other party ships.
They had assumed they were the only ones on the island since they hadnât met anyone elseâbut that was apparently wrong.
âThen maybe there are more people here. Should we look?â
But letting Evelyn, who had a fever, stay out in the pouring rain could be dangerous.
Werner draped his coat over Evelyn, who was turning pale.
Whether it would help or not, he couldnât just watch.
Kleta glanced at Wernerâs actions and then thought deeply.
Should we split up to search?
Everyone was exhausted.
But there could be another child besides this oneâŚ
Of course, they didnât remember seeing any children on the ship.
The party had only invited adults.
They would not have forgotten a child as beautiful as Holloway.
âLittle one, your family? Were they on the ship with you?â
Holloway shook his head at Kletaâs kind question.
He seemed ready to help if others were mentioned.
His main goal was to get inside the hotel as quickly as possible, not to find anyone else.
âI⌠I was just sent because someone said I could earn money by running errands.â
In other words, he had boarded the ship alone to work.
Werner was slightly surprised, his eyes widening.
After all, a child wouldnât normally help at a noble partyâthey must have had plenty of staff.
Werner asked again, astonished.
ââŚErrands? A child like you?â
âYes. Fortunately, a woman I knew introduced me, so I could get in.â
Seeing Holloway smile innocently, they quietly kept their mouths shut.
Kleta then asked,
âAny other children?â
âNo. The woman barely let me in, too.â
Sensing a deeper story, Werner and Kleta refrained from asking more.
If Holloway was alone, there was no need to search for anyone else.
Adults would handle themselves, and if there were others, they would likely discover the hotel themselves.
They didnât have the obligation to find and protect everyone.
They were too tired and needed rest. It wouldnât be too late to search after a good break at the hotel.
âSo⌠Kleta, what should we do?â
Werner respectfully used her name instead of her title.
Holloway quietly watched.
âIf we wander around, weâll eventually find the hotel. Right now, we donât need to worry about anyone else. We must protect Evelyn firstâsheâs coughing up blood, which means her condition is serious.â
âAnd the little oneâŚ?â
âWeâll take him too.â
âTh-thank you!â
Holloway smiled brightly even in the rain.
Werner and Kleta werenât cruel enough to abandon a child in the storm.
Hollowayâs gaze landed on Evelyn.
He had been watching since they arrived on the island, observing the groupâs relationships.
The most interesting to him was Evelyn.
The girl who had done nothing but cry suddenly changed the moment she saw the hotel.
She even pressed her fingers into the air foolishly.
It was strange that she resisted going inside.
Normally, she would have just sat down and cried.
Maybe sheâs too scared to assess the situation properly.
Still, she resisted entering the hotel as if something awaited inside.
Hollowayâs red eyes glimmered with curiosity.
Did the empress send her?
But it didnât match the empressâs usual methods.
She had never used such an uncertain approach.
Iâll find out eventually. No.
Hollowayâs gaze landed on the hotel as Kleta and Werner approached.
Weâre going to die anyway; no need to know yet.
The heroine Moran watched them as they neared.
When she saw the unconscious Evelyn, she covered her mouth in surprise.
âIs she hurt? Evelyn⌠what happened?â
âI knocked her out,â Werner said calmly.
Cynthia nodded approvingly and gestured to Fridel, who, being of lower status, didnât protest as she placed her hands on the hotelâs massive, rusted door.
CreakâŚ
The eerie sound mixed with the rain as the door slowly opened.
The air inside the hotel was colder than outside, and they shivered.
Once everyone entered, Holloway lifted his head.
He whispered while gazing at the top windows obscured by mist.
âDonât get excited. We have plenty of timeâenjoy it slowly.â
The forest outside shivered in response to his words.
Holloway leisurely stepped inside.
Evelynâs limp body became smaller through the doorway untilâ
Bang!
The door closed.
