Chapter 59

Яҽаԁ ｏｎ Ḱａ​тＲεаɗі​ṅǵСɑϝε

I’ll be honest.

It was amazing.

The kiss with Frey, the sadistic madness she unleashed in the name of helping Alice, even the moments when she pulled my teeth and choked me—

Every last bit of it.

It felt absurdly, unbelievably good.

Not that I intended any of it.

The kiss with Frey? That was to wake Alice up. Nothing more.

At least, I told myself it was nothing more.

I wasn’t trying to enjoy it or provoke something like… this.

Like the fairytales say: a sleeping princess wakes with a prince’s kiss.

Just as Alice in the novel had awakened to Eugene’s kiss, I thought the same logic would apply here.

The problem was that I wasn’t the prince.

My kiss wasn’t enough to fully wake up Alice.

But it had just enough of an effect to trigger Frey’s rampage.

Typical Frey.

Once her true nature surfaced, she showed no restraint.

Normally, Alice acted as her inhibitor, but with Alice out of the picture, Frey had no qualms about tormenting me.

She slapped me, broke my teeth, and choked me without hesitation.

If it had been anyone else, they would’ve resisted, perhaps forced Frey to regain her senses.

But because it was me, there was no one to stop her.

And so, here I was: strangled into unconsciousness, humiliated by losing control of my bladder, and left in a mess.

It was the best~♡

When Frey pressed her soft hips into my stomach, if I hadn’t been choking, I might’ve moaned out loud from the sensation.

I didn’t even use super regeneration on purpose.

If I had, my teeth would’ve grown back, my swollen cheek would’ve healed, and even my bloody nose would’ve stopped.

But I held back. I didn’t want to ruin Frey’s mood.

The reason I fainted so pathetically just from being choked was also because I suppressed my abilities.

The lack of oxygen quickly turned my mind foggy.

My extremities went numb.

My consciousness faded as my vision darkened.

In the end, all I could feel was Frey’s grip tightening around my neck.

The sensation of her fingers digging into my throat—

She seemed intent on breaking my neck.

Not that this was the first time my neck had been broken. I’ve done it to myself before. Call it a… hobby.

Still, something about Frey’s delicate hands desperately strangling me felt different.

When the pressure peaked, I lost consciousness.

And judging by the lingering warmth below, I must’ve wet myself again.

What a shame. Wetting myself at my age… Ahaha, so embarrassing and thrilling all at once~♡

Maybe next time I should try it outside.

Strip down completely, crawl on all fours under a streetlamp, and lift one leg like a dog—

Aha, just imagining it makes my lower stomach tighten~♡

But doing something like that would mean giving up on being human.

Then again, haven’t I already done something similar?

I guess I’m no longer human anyway. Should I start barking?

Woof! Woof?

“…Keh… kuh…”

The first thing I did upon regaining consciousness was cough violently.

Something was clogging my throat—most likely blood pooling in my mouth from my injuries.

I considered spitting it out but decided to swallow instead.

The sticky sensation slid down my throat, leaving me nauseous.

Gross.

I didn’t know how long I’d been unconscious.

It didn’t feel like it had been very long.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling.

“…Ah?”

My chest felt tight, as though something heavy was pressing down on it.

Tilting my head, I saw a cascade of dark blue hair spilling into my vision.

“Frey?”

I called out softly.

The girl was clinging to me, trembling as her shoulders shook.

I heard the faint sound of sniffling.

Even when I strained my ears, her mumbling was incomprehensible.

Frey didn’t respond to my call.

She only hugged me tighter, as though she hadn’t heard a thing.

My body, to put it mildly, wasn’t in a clean state.

I was covered in blood from having my teeth pulled, sweat from my earlier struggles, and, of course, urine from losing control.

If she kept holding me like this, she’d get dirty, too.

Actually, she already was. Her clothes were stained with my saliva.

But staying like this would only make things worse, so I gently nudged her to let go.

“…”

Frey’s reaction surprised me.

The moment I touched her, she recoiled like a frightened animal, her entire body tensing up.

What’s this? A post-mania crash?

Yeah, I know that feeling. I know it very well.

Overcome with ecstasy, she’d pushed me to my limits. Now, guilt was catching up with her.

“Hey, Frey?”

Still, we couldn’t stay like this forever.

We had to get back to work and bring Alice back—

Wait.

I stopped mid-thought, an idea forming in my mind.

After a moment of hesitation, I reached out to gently stroke her hair.

“…Alice?”

There was no reply.

But her trembling grew more pronounced.

It seemed I was right.

There was no way Alice could stay asleep after all that.

In some ways, this method worked better than the kiss.

With slow, deliberate motions, I ran my fingers through her hair, pushing it away from her face.

The dampness from blood and sweat clung to her hair, but the soft texture still remained.

As I lowered my arm, my fingers brushed against her back.

Gently tracing the curve of her spine, I spoke.

“Alice.”

This time, it wasn’t a question but a statement filled with certainty.

Frey—or rather, Alice—shuddered, trembling as if cold.

She clung to me tighter, like a child seeking warmth from their parent.

I didn’t rush her. I waited, patting her back soothingly, cradling her in my arms.

Minutes passed in silence before Alice slowly lifted her head.

Our eyes met, and I saw that hers were red and swollen from crying.

Her tear-streaked face, puffed and exhausted, pulled at my heartstrings.

Alice pursed her lips, but when she opened her mouth, no sound came out.

Even with her tear-and-snot-covered face, she looked endearingly pitiful.

Her shoulders trembled as she wept, a sorrowful, desolate cry.

“I… I’m sorry…”

Her lips quivered as she struggled to form words.

For a while, all she could manage were gasping breaths and silent stammers. Finally, after minutes of effort, her strained voice emerged.

“S-Sorry… I-I’m… so… sorry…”

Her voice was hoarse and raspy, almost unrecognizable.

Tears dripped onto my chest, soaking into my skin.

Over and over, she repeated her apology, fumbling through the words.

“I-I’m… sorry… I’m… so sorry… sorry… I… I’m sorry…”

At first, her voice trembled with every word, but as she kept repeating herself, the stuttering faded.

Alice, who often carried a pen and paper because of how much she struggled to speak, could now utter this one phrase without hesitation.

It must have been from endless repetition, saying it over and over while I was unconscious, and even as I woke.

By the time I heard her speak clearly, she must have said “I’m sorry” hundreds of times, enough to perfect it.

“I… I… it’s my fault… because of me…”

“You don’t have to apologize.” I interrupted.

Alice hadn’t done anything wrong.

From her perspective, it must’ve been bewildering.

Imagine waking up only to find another version of yourself strangling a friend.

Alice was a kind girl.

A pure-hearted soul who empathized deeply with others’ pain.

She felt joy and sorrow for others as though they were her own. For someone like her, today’s events must have been a crushing shock.

Especially since she held me in such high regard. To think I was dead must have been devastating.

“Alice, you didn’t do anything wrong. Why are you apologizing?”

“I… I…”

“I’m fine, Alice. Please, don’t blame yourself.”

The best way to comfort a guilt-ridden child like Alice was through pure kindness.

I tightened my arms around her and leaned forward, gently pressing my lips to her forehead.

“So, don’t cry. Your cute face is all messed up now, and it’s such a shame. You look so much better when you smile.”

“Lu… Lucia…”

Uh-oh.

Her sobbing grew louder.

Did I not show enough affection?

It seemed she’d been deeply scarred by what had happened.

I started to worry. Would this incident strain her relationship with Frey?

That would be a problem. I wanted the two of them to always get along without fighting.

“Alice, Frey—neither of you did anything wrong.”

To ensure things didn’t escalate, I smiled and added, “If the victim is defending Frey, maybe that helps a little, right?”

“You’re upset because Frey hurt me, aren’t you? It’s okay. I asked for it. Both Frey and I just wanted to wake our sleeping princess.”

“…”

“We thought a little shock might work. It was intense, but hey, here you are.”

“If… if only I hadn’t… fallen asleep…”

“Well, I played a part in that. I was careless and gave you a terrible shock, didn’t I? You thought I was dead, and that sadness put you to sleep.”

Honestly, who wouldn’t be shaken after seeing a friend’s head roll across the ground?

Even someone with nerves of steel would be rattled. For someone as delicate as Alice, it was too much.

My reckless desire to put on a show—wanting my head to be cut off in front of everyone—was to blame.

It was a tactic to draw Astaroth’s attention, sure, but I couldn’t deny that there wasn’t any selfish intent behind it.

So if there was anyone at fault, it wasn’t Alice. It was me.

“In fact, I was happy. Because I realized how much I meant to you.”

That’s why I didn’t want her to feel guilty.

I hadn’t suffered at all—if anything, I’d enjoyed every moment.

And I planned to use this experience again someday.

Frey, despite her sadistic tendencies, wasn’t truly malicious.

After all, she was a part of Alice, an offshoot of her personality. The core of her nature was the same.

At that moment, Frey had simply lost control, giving in to impulses she’d been suppressing for so long.

It reminded me of myself in that bunny girl outfit.

The one time I gave in completely to my desires, losing all sense of restraint.

After that, I vowed never to wear the bunny girl outfit again.

I didn’t want a repeat of that reckless frenzy.

And Frey was likely feeling the same way now.

When the excitement subsided and Frey’s mind cooled, she would undoubtedly be horrified by what she had done to me.

Of course, that was just torture.

I enjoyed it because I’m Lucia. If it had been anyone else, it would have left a scar for life—a trauma they could never forget.

Frey would probably carry a massive sense of debt toward me, just as immense as the tears I’d shed.

Even someone as inherently distrustful as Frey wouldn’t be able to suspect me anymore. She’d have no choice but to accept me as Alice’s friend.

Someday, when there’s no longer any need to hide my true nature, I plan to use today’s events as leverage.

Something like:

“Frey, every time I think about that day, it aches right here. This is your fault, so you’ll have to take responsibility.”

I’d twist it as if she were the reason I’d developed a masochistic streak. Frey would have no choice but to become my master.

It would be a win-win situation: Frey would get a punching bag to vent her frustrations, and I’d bask in all the love and attention.

Truly a perfect arrangement.

Mutual benefit. Harmony.

Sure, there’s Eugene as a potential master candidate, but Eugene is far too kind and gentle. Someone like him wouldn’t be able to engage in Frey’s kind of games.

He’s officially dropped from his unshakable first-place position.

Congratulations, Frey, you’re now the top candidate for the role of my master!

I should probably prepare a collar in advance.

I already have a trench coat and whip, so those are taken care of.

Ahh… I can’t wait for our walks~♡

I’m not quite skilled at walking on all fours yet, but practice makes perfect!