Your taste is (6)
"It's me. I heard a noise and came to check. Are you in a lot of pain? Should I call the little Duke?"
"..."
"Rahon?"
Suddenly, he hugged me with an ominous force.
"Rahon!"
"It's so cold here..."
He nuzzled his face into the nape of my neck as if he was being playful. I could feel his cheek and nose rubbing against my skin.
I was frozen in place, unable to breathe.
"Ra, Rahon, huh, Just a moment."
"It hurts..."
"Oh, where does it hurt? Lord Rahon. I can't breathe. Let go of my hand..."
Rahon muttered as he hugged me like a lifeline. His hot breath spread across the nape of my neck.
"I wish it would stop hurting.."
"..."
"Kill me quickly."
Rahon was talking to someone other than me. He clearly had his eyes open, but he didn't seem to notice me.
Only then did I shake Rahon's shoulder strongly.
"Rahon, wake up! Rahon!"
Rahon's eyes, which had been blankly staring at me, gradually widened. His hazy purple eyes finally came into focus.
"... Millennia?"
"If you've come to your senses, please let me go now. Ugh, I can't breathe."
Rahon released his arm without answering.
At that moment, as I exhaled deeply, feeling like I could finally live, he spun around and took over me.
"Why did you come into my bedroom?"
"I heard you groaning so I came to check, and suddenly Rahonhugged me and pulled me."
"What did I say?"
"I just think you had a bad dream."
"So what did you say?"
"You're so sick. You'd rather die..."
Rahon shut his mouth. He didn't seem all that surprised because this was the first time something like this had happened.
"You've sweated too much. If you don't wipe it off quickly, you'll catch a cold. First, change your clothes."
He looked down at me blankly. His voice as if he had just woken up, was cold and somber.
"Stop."
"What?"
"Don't come inside the line."
At this point, I wasn't feeling well either.
I'm sorry for coming into your bedroom without permission, but it's not wrong for me to be worried, right?
"How can I know and keep the line that you have drawn on your own?"
"Don't you understand? I'm telling you not to pay attention to me."
"No. If something like today happens again, I'll do the same thing. If you're sick, I'll worry. If you're having a bad dream, I'll wake you up."
"Why did you become so stubborn when you were so innocent when you were young?"
"Even if you tell me something I don't even remember, I won't understand."
"I'm going to go back..."
Rahon sighed and moved away from me. He sat down on the bed and put his hand on his forehead.
"...I had a dream while I was in prison."
"Prison, huh?"
"I killed a nobleman. When I was eight years old."
Was it true that he said he had killed a person?
I was surprised at how young he was, but I wasn't surprised by the murder itself.
Rahon thrust his face toward me. His smiling face looked pale and innocent rather than evil.
"Do you understand now? You're hanging out with a guy who committed murder when he was eight."
I laughed. If you think about it that way, I was a mass murderer in my past life.
"I'm not scared at all. Hurry up and change your clothes. You stink."
When I deliberately brought up the smell of sweat that didn't even exist, he suddenly stood up. His neck turned red as he turned around.
"I'll change my clothes and take you to the bedroom."
"I can go alone. I came alone when I came back."
As I said that and was about to stand up, the bedroom door opened quietly and Ian came in. He had his sword drawn.
"Shhhh."
He stood at an angle by the window, covering his lips with his finger. There was tension in his eyes as he looked outside.
Rahon asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"Do you think my bedroom is a bathroom? You just come in?"
Then, Ian stopped him from turning on the light.
"Don't turn on the lights. There's an intruder outside."
"...!"
Rahon and I both stopped moving at the same time. Rahon asked quietly.
"How many people?"
"I don't know exactly because I sensed it was alive."
Ian answered calmly and turned his gaze to me.
"Do you notice any odor?"
"...No, I don't smell anything."
Buried in the snowstorm, there was no scent or even a hint of human presence. Ian, who had been silent for a moment, readied his sword.
"It's dangerous if they break into the villa. We'll deal with them before that happens."
Rahon intervened with an embarrassed look on his face.
"I can't use a sword?"
"I know. I'll take care of the other person."
"Do you know how many intruders there will be?"
"It could be less."
"Anyway, you don't know either!"
"..."
No matter how great Ian's swordsmanship is in the Empire, wouldn't it be impossible for him to deal with an assassin whose whereabouts are unknown while fighting through a blizzard?
But I couldn't stop Ian. I was sick and tired of my own helplessness in this situation.
"If you go out, you might die. Even I don't have the talent to revive a corpse. Are you sure?"
"Do whatever it takes to save you both. Don't worry."
Ian stopped talking and looked out the window again. Outside, all I could hear was the sound of the fierce wind.
"You hold out here as long as you can while I deal with those guys. Can you do it?"
"Leaving defense to the healer? You really are a heartless bastard."
Rahon grumbled as he picked up the sword hanging on the wall. The blade was smoothly drawn out, releasing an eerie aura.
"I can't hold out for long. Come back soon."
"Please."
"If you lose an arm or a leg, bring it to me. I'll reattach it without a hitch. If you die by those guys' hands, you die by my hands."
Only then did a faint smile appear on Ian's lips which had been frozen like ice.
"Yes."
As soon as Ian left, Rahon grabbed a white bottle from his bag and grabbed my hand tightly.
"Stay here. I'll just do a few things downstairs and be right back.'
"Let's go together. I can sense them when they get close."
"...Yeah, it would be safer if we stayed together."
We came down to the first floor, making no sound.
Rahon searched the kitchen, took out an envelope, and began dividing the powder from the white bottle.
"...It smells like Montpain."
"It's Montpain powder. If you inhale a large amount of it, you'll faint for a little while."
"It's a trap."
"Yes."
While Rahon was making traps, I focused on my five senses.
How long has it been? It feels like an hour has passed, but I don't know. My back is soaked with sweat.
After a while, Rahon hung the completed trap envelopes upside down over the windows and porches.
If anyone came inside, the envelope would rip and they would be covered in Montpain powder.
As he was carrying the last one and heading towards the back door leading to the kitchen, I heard a faint sound.
Squeak, the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor. I stopped walking immediately.
"I hear footsteps."
"Close?"
"I think it's near the back door."
Rahon nodded and quietly stepped back.
We walked on tiptoe up to the second floor.
As I was returning to Rahon's bedroom after grabbing another sword from Nicola's bedroom. I heard an unfamiliar voice from downstairs.
"Ugh! What is this..."
Thump, the noise continues.
It was clear that someone had tried to break in, inhaled the pouring Montpain, and passed out. A similar sound followed.
Rahon locked the bedroom door tightly and pushed me into the corner.
"Pick up your sword. Swing it without hesitation if necessary. Don't worry about getting hurt. I can heal you all. You understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud crash and the sound of glass breaking. Now the intruder didn't even bother to make a sound. The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs echoed through the villa.
As the sound drew closer, a scent began to catch my eye. It was bitter and pungent, the same scent as the assassin who had attacked me last time.
Creak, the sound of a door opening. It was Nicola's bedroom where I was sleeping. It was not my turn next.
The sound of footsteps sounded like thunder. I was so nervous that my stomach started to churn.
Suddenly.
The doorknob turned and stopped on the lock.
For a moment, the intruder became quiet. It was when I wiped the sweat from my hands and took hold of my sword again.
Kwajik!
A long hole appeared in the middle of the door and an axe blade popped out.
"...!"
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