Chapter 54

Read on Kat​Re​ad​ingCafe​

“I… I thought I was going to die…”

Seri trembled as she massaged her neck.

The marks of a tight grip were vividly imprinted on her nape, a clear testament to the force applied.

Her carotid artery had been so constricted that she had almost fainted due to a lack of oxygen.

When her vision began to whiten from the edges, a chilling fear gripped her—she truly thought she might die.

That deadly gaze…

If things hadn’t gone their way, it felt like she might have had her neck snapped right then and there.

Even thinking about it now made her heart sink.

Seri’s expression crumpled into a pitiful whimper.

“We’re lucky we managed to convince her. Any mistake, and I might’ve been killed…”

“Well, I don’t think she fully believed us,” Regina said, rolling up her sleeve and extending her wrist toward Seri.

With a sniffle, Seri leaned in, her dainty lips biting down on Regina’s wrist without hesitation.

A faint trace of the drug seeped into Seri’s mouth.

“She was probably just letting us off the hook. She never fully dropped her suspicions, even at the end.”

“W-what should we do then? If we want to brainwash Lucia, we’ll need to regularly put her under hypnosis…”

As the drug coursed through her system, Seri’s pain began to subside.

Though mild, it was enough to act as a painkiller.

Just minutes prior, the two of them had been desperately pleading with Frey.

To be precise, it was mostly Regina doing the talking since Seri had been too choked to speak.

Regina had done her best to convince Frey that their actions weren’t malicious and that they had only been trying to help.

After all, Frey’s face had been worn with exhaustion.

The dark circles under her eyes rivaled Regina’s own.

Regina had genuinely wanted to help; it was hard to just stand by and watch someone in such a state.

Even if their explanation had seemed forced, there was no glaring contradiction in their story.

Perhaps it was true that Frey had her own struggles—she had clicked her tongue and released Seri from her grip.

She had then told them to get out, and they had bolted from Lucia’s room without hesitation.

The rising temperature in the room…

Frey had clearly been suppressing her emotions with every ounce of her willpower.

She must have been debating whether to let them go or just outright crush them right there.

One thing was certain: one wrong move could have led to disaster.

Regina, with no intention of tempting fate, had grabbed Seri and hurried out without even looking back.

“When I first saw her on the bus, she seemed like such a timid little girl… Was I wrong about her?”

“Timid? Her? She looked like she was ready to kill someone!”

Seri had seen it.

Those eyes filled with an unflinching determination to kill her.

Even if Frey hadn’t intended to actually kill her, she had definitely been ready to snap something—an arm, a leg, or worse.

“Ugh, I don’t ever want to see her again. How can someone so cute act so terrifying!”

The mood had been ruined.

What started as a promising opportunity had gone entirely off the rails.

Seri had been so close to playing with the little chick of a girl however she wanted, only for an unexpected intruder to wreck everything.

Of course, Seri hadn’t intended to go too far.

At most, she’d planned to grope her chest or leave a kiss mark on her neck.

“I misjudged the situation. When she told us to leave, we should’ve just left. All we did was make her more suspicious.”

Seri muttered in frustration, regret filling her voice.

She had intended to erase Frey’s memories—to ensure that today’s events wouldn’t come back to bite them later.

But instead, their actions had only amplified Frey’s distrust. Who would’ve thought she could snap out of hypnosis while under the influence of drugs?

“Regina, what do we do now? If that terrifying little lady is onto us, it’s going to be really hard to brainwash Lucia.”

“We’ll just have to do it anyway. After all, it’s what she asked for.”

Astaroth had given them an order:

To plant a suggestion in Lucia’s mind.

For future plans, when the time comes.

Regina didn’t know when that time would be, but that wasn’t her problem to solve.

◈

Frey opened the window.

The cold breeze from outside seeped in, replacing the stifling air in the room.

She straightened her posture and took a deep breath. Her clouded mind felt a bit clearer, even if it was only slightly.

“…What the hell were those two even thinking?”

They had claimed they acted to help her, but Frey hadn’t believed them for a second.

She was naturally paranoid, and the current circumstances only fueled her mistrust further.

If her own face hadn’t been etched with exhaustion and anxiety when she’d looked in the mirror, she probably wouldn’t have let them go so easily.

She had seriously considered breaking one of their legs and tossing them out the window.

But she had to admit—they weren’t entirely wrong.

Frey did look like someone who desperately needed help.

Her struggles of the past few days had carved themselves into her expression.

Three sleepless nights and skipped meals had hollowed her once-soft cheeks, leaving her eyes lifeless and sunken.

Alice’s face didn’t look like this.

It wasn’t supposed to look like this.

And yet, Frey had made it this way.

As soon as she realized this, all her anger and determination drained away, leaving only cold despair.

“This is the last time I’m letting it slide. If they pull something like that again, I’ll break their legs.”

After all, there was still a tiny chance—just the slightest possibility—that they had genuinely been trying to help her.

Frey had decided to give them one chance.

But there wouldn’t be a second.

If they’d truly meant to help, they should’ve asked for permission beforehand.

Instead, they had gone ahead and used their powers without warning… regardless of their intent, it was an unforgivable intrusion.

Frey turned her attention to the soft sound of breathing beside her.

Lucia was sound asleep, oblivious to the world.

She had even started drooling a little, and Frey grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth.

“Hey, wake up.”

Throwing the tissue into the trash, Frey shook Lucia’s shoulder.

No response.

No matter how hard she shook her, there was no sign of her waking.

Was what those two said true? Was she really not waking up today?

Or worse, had they done something to her?

Should she chase after them and drag them back by the hair?

No. Calm down. Don’t rush things.

Frey forced herself to steady her thoughts.

Alice was still there—somewhere deep inside her.

The only reason she had been so anxious was the fear that Alice might have disappeared forever.

This was the first time something like this had happened.

Everything about it was uncertain.

Nothing was certain.

But Alice’s presence had been confirmed. There was no need to drown in fear and worry anymore.

It’s fine. Alice is just asleep.

The shock must’ve been too much, so she’s in a deep sleep.

It’ll be okay. Everything will be okay.

Frey repeated those words to herself as though trying to convince her own heart.

“…Tch.”

But emotions couldn’t be tamed so easily.

The more you tried to ignore them, the more they clung to you like an unshakable shadow.

In the end, unable to contain her anxiety, Frey leaned closer to Lucia.

She grabbed Lucia’s wrist and shook her harder. Lucia’s limp body swayed under her grip.

“Wake up. Wake up! I need to ask you something.”

Lucia remained unresponsive, lost in her slumber.

If it weren’t for the sound of her breathing, Frey might have suspected she was dead.

“Wake up! You’re the only one I can trust right now!”

Frey’s actions grew harsher.

She wasn’t just shaking anymore—she was gripping and pulling.

Her bandaged fingers pressed into Lucia’s arms and shoulders, desperate for a reaction.

“Alice disappeared because of you, so it’s your responsibility to bring her back!”

If you hadn’t… if you’d just kept your head…

Alice wouldn’t have been shocked into hiding.

She wouldn’t have been hurt. She wouldn’t have vanished into the depths of my mind.

So give her back.

“Give Alice… back… please…”

Frey’s voice, laced with desperation, began to falter.

Her head drooped, and tears welled in her eyes, shimmering like glass.

She knew.

Deep down, she knew.

There was no guarantee that Lucia could bring Alice back.

It was just Frey’s desperate, baseless belief.

A faint hope that Lucia might somehow be able to do it.

When pushed to the edge, people needed something—anything—to hold onto.

And Lucia had become that something for Frey.

The strength in her hands started to fade.

Her grip on Lucia weakened as despair took hold.

Frey leaned her head against Lucia’s shoulder.

She bit her lip to stifle the sobs rising in her throat, but faint, muffled cries still escaped.

Days of bottled-up anguish came pouring out all at once, unstoppable.

Red stains spread across her bandages—her wounds must have reopened. Drops of blood fell onto her hands, stinging faintly.

What if… just what if… Alice never comes back?

Would she have to spend the rest of her life alone? Alone in Alice’s body?

No. That’s unbearable. She couldn’t bear it.

Someone… anyone… help me.

“…Alice?”

A soft, drowsy voice broke through the silence.

Frey’s head shot up in surprise.

Lucia, now awake, was looking at her with unfocused, hazy eyes.

“When did you get here? Wait… are you crying?”

“Hic.”

Frey struggled to swallow her sobs.

Crying in front of someone else? She couldn’t let anyone see her like this. It was too pathetic.

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, sniffing quietly.

But no matter how much she wiped, the tears wouldn’t stop.

“Is this… a dream? A dreeeaaam…?”

Lucia was still half-asleep.

With a foolish grin, she reached out and grabbed Frey’s wrist.

She tugged Frey’s hand—the one trying to wipe away tears—until Frey collapsed into her embrace.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but… it’s okay to cry as much as you want.”

Maybe because she thought this was a dream, Lucia didn’t seem concerned about asking questions.

Instead, she spread her arms and gently wrapped them around Frey’s small frame.

Her hands softly patted Frey’s back. Warmth radiated from Lucia’s touch, sinking deep into Frey’s chest.

“It’s okay… it’s okaaaay…”

What exactly was okay, Frey didn’t know.

Lucia’s drowsy voice stretched lazily as her hands moved to stroke Frey’s head.

Blue and golden strands of hair tangled together.

She could feel Lucia’s breath, warm and steady.

Frey’s face was buried in Lucia’s chest.

Her tears dampened Lucia’s clothes, but Lucia didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.

“It’s okay, Alice. Cry if you need to. Everyone has times when they just need to cry.”

“…I’m not Alice.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m Frey. Call me Frey.”

The words slipped out impulsively.

If she was going to talk about Alice, she would have to reveal her own existence anyway.

For the first time, Frey shared her secret—something she had kept hidden from everyone—on this day, to this person.

She had kept it hidden for so long…

But now, she just wanted someone to lean on.

“Hehe, okaay… Frey. Mmh, that’s a nice nameee…”

Lucia gave a sleepy, bashful smile and planted a light kiss on Frey’s forehead.

It seemed like an unconscious gesture, nothing deliberate.

Her soft arms pulled Frey closer, holding her tightly.

The warmth grew more intense.

There was a sweet scent—a fragrance completely different from Regina’s drugs, yet far more pleasant.

Frey hiccupped as she suppressed her sobs and closed her eyes.

I shouldn’t be doing this.

I need to find Alice as soon as possible.

But…

For some reason, an overwhelming drowsiness began to weigh down her eyelids.

It was as if all the exhaustion she’d ignored for the past few days was crashing down on her at once, and she couldn’t fight it off.

“Ehehe… Frey…”

Lucia’s laughter was so dumb, so carefree.

Here I am, hurting so much, and yet, Lucia, you seem so happy.

And yet, strangely, Frey couldn’t feel annoyed.

Ba-dump.

She could hear Lucia’s heartbeat.

It was warm and comforting.

Like a lullaby, soft and serene. Frey curled up and allowed herself to sink into Lucia’s embrace.

Her consciousness began to fade.

The sounds of the outside world grew muffled.

Breaths, laughter, everything became distant and blurry.

Just before she fell completely asleep, the last thing Frey heard…

…was the gentle rhythm of Lucia’s heartbeat.