Ch.43True Colors (3)

Like a dream, or rather a nightmare, everything passed by in an instant.

Once my manhood no longer stood, Chloe wiped our bodies with a prepared towel, put our clothes back on, and returned to the bench.

Scritch-scratch—

“Ah, ah…”

“Hehe, feels good, doesn’t it?”

Despite everything we had just done, Chloe seemed unsatisfied with merely receiving physical affection.

Wanting not only physical but also emotional affection, Chloe laid my head on her thigh and began cleaning my ears.

Even though my tongue and mouth were stiff, making proper communication impossible, Chloe amazingly pinpointed the itchy spots and scratched my ears without causing pain. The ear is such a delicate organ that even the slightest wrong touch could cause serious problems.

“How many times do you think I’ve cleaned your ears until now? I could do this with my eyes closed.”

“Ah…”

How did she know…?

Even though I couldn’t speak at all, Chloe immediately answered what I was wondering.

“I can tell what you’re thinking just by looking at your eyes. Now… both ears are done, so next is a massage.”

With those words, Chloe smiled sweetly, put the ear pick in her pocket, and positioned my head straight up so I could see the sky.

Chloe’s face, looking down at me, filled my vision completely.

‘…Ugh.’

Why is it that although Chloe is wearing her usual smile, I can’t feel any beauty in it?

It’s like looking at a flower whose petals would all fall off with just a slight breeze.

Literally, it’s a smile that seems like it would crumble immediately if I said something wrong.

Squeeze— Squeeeze—

“Feels good, doesn’t it?”

Chloe deliberately ignores my gaze and begins the massage.

My temples, head, neck, and ears are all caressed by Chloe’s small hands.

Ugh… my body is already stiff enough, and now the massage is giving me too much stimulation.

Squeeeze—

“A…ah.”

“Hehe… it reminds me of when we were young. Back then, you said my massages weren’t relaxing at all and asked me to just walk on your back instead… but judging by your reaction, you don’t seem to think that way anymore.”

Of course, I’d still walk on your back if you asked me to.

Chloe says this, satisfied with seeing me stimulated by her massage.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been able to knead you like this without holding back…”

‘B…brother…’

I had always imagined the day when Chloe would freely call me “oppa.”

But… not like this.

Is she saying that now that we’ve deeply shared our love, no one can deny our relationship, so she can freely call me “oppa”?

“I always thought you were cool and reliable, but seeing you like this, you have a cute side too. Just like a kitten.”

‘…That means Chloe has been planning this for a long time.’

It was about 10 years ago when Chloe stopped calling me “oppa.”

That means… Chloe has been waiting for this day all along— Huh?

“…Tsk.”

Suddenly turning her head in a different direction, Chloe clicks her tongue with a grim expression.

The precarious smile on Chloe’s face instantly transforms into one filled with hostility.

“It’s within the expected range… but still too soon.”

‘What… does that mean?’

Wearing an expression I’ve never seen before, Chloe speaks with a voice full of annoyance and hatred.

She seems like someone other than the Chloe I know.

“I wanted to spend more intimate time with you… but since they’re already here, there’s nothing I can do.”

Swish—

‘What is this…?’

Chloe gently closes my eyelids to protect my eyes, then covers them with some cloth. From the texture, it seems to be the handkerchief I once gave her as a gift.

“Oppa, I’ll tell you the truth about Ines.”

With those words, Chloe stops speaking to me.

She simply places her hand on my chest, silently feeling my heartbeat.

“Hehe… Sometimes I like to reminisce about those days while taking a walk in the garden with my husband…”

“Who… Lady Ines?”

Shortly after, Ines’s voice is heard from a distance, and Chloe, who had been expecting Ines’s arrival, pretends to be surprised as she greets her.

The truth about Ines? What on earth is Chloe talking about?

If only I could move my mouth… Ugh.

……….

SLAP!!

“—Ha.”

“…You bitch.”

…What did I just hear?

Chloe… Ines…

Until now, I vaguely thought they could get along well… but I was wrong.

There’s no question of things getting worse. Their relationship is already at its worst.

“So you’re finally dropping the good girl act?”

“I’ll kill you—”

“Ah, ah…!”

‘Damn it…!’

We’ve long passed the point where this could naturally resolve itself.

At this rate, this will only end when one of them dies.

I need to stop them.

“…!”

“—Ugh.”

After the slap, the two were about to continue fighting, but they froze when they heard my strained voice.

“S… st… op…”

Tremble tremble—

Good… I can move.

The paralytic poison is gradually being neutralized. It’s too slow and I’m shaking badly, but at least I’m moving.

As time passes and the effects of the paralytic poison fade, Claude finally becomes able to move. His trembling hand slowly rises up and positions itself between Chloe and Ines.

“My husband…”

“O-Oppa…”

Chloe and Ines, who were glaring at each other with murderous intent just moments ago, no longer pay attention to each other. They only look at me, concerned only about me.

‘Good…’

Watching Chloe and Ines fight was excruciating torture. They’re both precious to me.

For now, just stopping the fight is progress— Ugh!?

Zzzzt—

“Gaaaaaah…!”

A cramping sensation shoots through my raised arm, followed by a loss of strength and intense pain. My arm drops like a puppet whose strings have been cut.

The pain is so severe that Claude screams despite being unable to speak properly.

“My husband!?”

“Oppa!?”

No… too… weak.

I’m trying my best to keep my eyes open, but the edges of my vision are gradually turning black. This is beyond my control.

The last thing I see are the deeply worried expressions of Chloe and Ines before I can no longer see anything.

………

Oppa, who had been moving slightly, suddenly screamed and then became completely motionless. Even his eyes.

“Why, why… this never happened before…!”

I tested it many times to make sure it wouldn’t harm Oppa. Everyone else just had their bodies paralyzed, but none of them completely lost consciousness like my husband did.

What if something happens to Oppa… if I’ve done something to Oppa… I… Huh?

Tremble tremble—

“Hic, hiik… No, no… no… no nonononono—”

Extremely tense, Chloe’s mind races as she begins to imagine all kinds of worst-case scenarios.

Having concluded that if something terrible happens to Oppa, she would be the cause, Chloe begins to violently shake and convulse.

Her unfocused eyes wander aimlessly, and her mouth, unable to close, continuously repeats the same words.

SLAP!!

“…Pull yourself together.”

“—Wh-what…?”

Ines’s hand strikes Chloe’s cheek.

Ines looks at Chloe with contempt and clicks her tongue. The pain momentarily brings Chloe back to her senses, but she still looks dazed, not fully comprehending the situation.

Swish—

Leaving the dazed Chloe alone, Ines places her hands on Claude’s heart, neck, and nose in succession.

‘…Good.’

My husband’s pulse and breathing are perfectly stable. The main side effects of paralytic poison are respiratory distress and cardiac arrest, but he shows no signs of either.

He’s so healthy that it’s hard to believe he fainted from the paralytic poison. His life is not in danger.

“Haaaah…”

Ines, who had been just as panicked as Chloe though she didn’t show it, realizes this fact and feels greatly relieved.

With extensive biological data from numerous experiments, Ines has absolute confidence in her judgment.

Just then, Chloe’s sharp, panicked voice rings out.

“You, you…! What do you think you’re doing!?”

Chloe, whose mind had been severely shaken, fully regains her senses when she sees Ines touching Oppa’s body as she pleases.

Until just a moment ago, Chloe was only worried about Oppa, but in an instant, she’s consumed by possessiveness and once again shows endless hostility toward Ines.

“What am I doing? I’m checking the health of my husband who just ingested some crazy woman’s poison.”

“Ugh…”

However, Chloe, who had been showing endless hostility, is immediately silenced.

Chloe is aware of her own mistake, and above all, there was no self-interest in Ines’s actions just now.

“Th-that’s… not poison but a paralytic…”

“Are you playing word games now? Anyway, what’s the name of the poison you fed my husband?”

Although Chloe would normally consider anything Ines says to be a lie, even if it were the truth, she can’t do that now. Literally, her one and only Oppa’s life is at stake.

“I don’t know the name… but it’s this…”

Chloe hands over a small vial she had been carrying, and Ines snatches it and examines its contents.

“Sisein, huh.”

It’s fortunate she used the weakest of the paralytic poisons.

It’s so weak that it takes three hours to take effect, and even without treatment, six hours is enough for the poison to wear off completely.

The reason my husband is like this now is probably because he tried to move forcibly before the poison had completely worn off, causing this backlash.

“His life is not in danger.”

“Really…?”

“Believe it or not, that’s up to you.”

Ines, who has no desire to be acknowledged by Chloe, stands up and supports Claude’s shoulder to lift him.

“Wh-what are you doing?!”

“What do you think? We need to lay my husband down on a comfortable, warm bed rather than leaving him out here.”

“Ah, ah… then me too.”

Although it’s coming from a woman she hates, Chloe doesn’t particularly object to this. It’s too obvious and necessary a thing to do right now.

“Tsk… I would have been enough on my own.”

“…”

When Chloe intrudes on Claude’s shoulder that Ines had been monopolizing, Ines clicks her tongue and openly shows her displeasure, but Chloe can’t say anything about it. She’s the one who caused this situation in the first place.

Chloe simply supports Claude’s shoulder silently, her face flushed bright red.