Odette sat up in surprise.
“Oh, Miss? Where are you going?”
The patient called out to her in confusion as she walked away as if possessed, but Odette had no time to look back.
Just plodding along, heading towards the shelter's door.
And that was the moment she stepped into the place where the woman was.
Ding ding ding ding-!
The bell tower, which should not have been ringing, began to ring fiercely again.
“Keeeeeek!”
At the same time, a tearing sound like a terminal scream is heard from above.
'That's ridiculous...'
It was the sound of a new disaster emerging.
Before she could even grasp the situation, a strong wind began to blow, making it difficult to open her eyes.
‘...What is this? Surely this kind of disaster has never happened in my past life?’
As she barely managed to look around, a new disaster that seemed to have just occurred was flying quickly toward her from right above her head as if aiming for her.
As if swallowing Odette was his goal.
'I can't... I can't move.'
The disaster sucked the air around it at an incredible speed.
In the distance, Sion and John were seen approaching to abolish the new calamity.
'If I hold on, even just for a moment-'
Odett barely managed to hold on to the door of the shelter, but it too was torn off by the winds created by the disaster.
Odette's body, unable to hold out any longer, was lifted into the air in an instant, and the hat she was wearing was ripped off.
“Why around the shelter- Odette?”
“Odette!”
Sion and John, who had discovered Odette, shouted in terrified voices.
But Odette looked not at the two people running to save her, but at a woman on the ground.
Before she knew it, the bonnet the woman had been wearing had been taken off, and the pink hair hidden underneath was fluttering in the wind.
A lovely, harmless face. Front teeth are reminiscent of a rabbit. It was definitely Charlotte.
But what shocked Odette was not the fact that she was Charlotte.
That's right...
'She's laughing right now...'
That was the expression Charlotte was making.
Because the corners of the woman's mouth, staring at the sea, were eerily raised.
Among the greenhouse gardens of the Summer Palace, there is one that the Emperor particularly cherishes.
It was none other than the ‘Garden of a Foreign Country’.
A colorful and unique garden filled with tropical birds and plants.
Every single living thing that made up the place was so valuable that it was worth the price of admission. That's why the Emperor had his caretaker lock it up, and it was only opened on rare occasions when the Emperor ordered it to be opened.
'But today is different.'
The key is in Dolly's hands now.
Rudolph just gave the keys to Dolly. That means he managed to steal them from the caretaker and finished setting up the drinks in the foreign garden.
Now all that's left for Dolly to do is take Karl and Odette with her.
'... I wish I had stolen the key myself. It was nothing compared to dragging Karl to a foreign garden.'
This is because the Emperor was too fond of the 'foreign garden', which resulted in poor key management.
All guests invited to the Summer Palace are the Emperor's closest associates. Even if they get their hands on the key, no one would go in there prepared to be caught by the Emperor.
So what's so hard about getting the manager to drink some cider and then stealing the keys while he's still excited?
But Rudolph actually asked her, 'What's so hard about taking Karl from the infirmary?'
'Ha... you try it! Is this really that easy!'
Dolly had been staring at the infirmary doorknob for several minutes now.
It was because she just didn't dare to open the door. She didn't dare to face the unpleasant, gloomy, and creepy things inside.
'I know. I know. But I can't make Rudolph do it. I have to do it so that he will have confidence in his words when Odette calls him.'
As Dolly hesitated, the image of Odette in the salon came to mind.
'How stupid.'
The shape of the mouth that spoke like that.
Then, anger quickly rose. Dolly gained courage and grabbed the doorknob to open the door.
But as soon as she saw Karl's back standing in the infirmary, her courage plummeted back to rock bottom.
'Can you call that a human?'
Rudolph described him as having a "slick face," but that's only possible when you see a photograph.
When you actually meet him, you don't care about his appearance. The sticky, disgusting air surrounding him-
'...Huh? It's strange? It's not as unpleasant as the last time I saw him.'
At that time, it seemed like it was difficult to even breathe, but now, even though they were facing each other, she had no trouble breathing.
But Dolly didn't let up until the very end and called Karl.
“Hey, you.”
At those words, Karl turned around with an indifferent expression. His red eyes, devoid of any light, met hers.
184 pesetas. He's not that tall, but why does he feel so big?
“What's going on?”
A boring voice without a trace of interest. Even though he is a slave, he still acts naturally and arrogantly as if he were the Crown Prince.
Still, she doesn't think it's 'arrogant'.
On the contrary, if it feels like it should be that way, then she doesn't know.
'It's still uncomfortable, but it's not as disgusting as last time.'
Gulp. Dolly opened her mouth.
“The young lady called... you.”
After she spoke, silence fell.
“Oh, Miss? Where are you going?”
The patient called out to her in confusion as she walked away as if possessed, but Odette had no time to look back.
Just plodding along, heading towards the shelter's door.
And that was the moment she stepped into the place where the woman was.
Ding ding ding ding-!
The bell tower, which should not have been ringing, began to ring fiercely again.
“Keeeeeek!”
At the same time, a tearing sound like a terminal scream is heard from above.
'That's ridiculous...'
It was the sound of a new disaster emerging.
Before she could even grasp the situation, a strong wind began to blow, making it difficult to open her eyes.
‘...What is this? Surely this kind of disaster has never happened in my past life?’
As she barely managed to look around, a new disaster that seemed to have just occurred was flying quickly toward her from right above her head as if aiming for her.
As if swallowing Odette was his goal.
'I can't... I can't move.'
The disaster sucked the air around it at an incredible speed.
In the distance, Sion and John were seen approaching to abolish the new calamity.
'If I hold on, even just for a moment-'
Odett barely managed to hold on to the door of the shelter, but it too was torn off by the winds created by the disaster.
Odette's body, unable to hold out any longer, was lifted into the air in an instant, and the hat she was wearing was ripped off.
“Why around the shelter- Odette?”
“Odette!”
Sion and John, who had discovered Odette, shouted in terrified voices.
But Odette looked not at the two people running to save her, but at a woman on the ground.
Before she knew it, the bonnet the woman had been wearing had been taken off, and the pink hair hidden underneath was fluttering in the wind.
A lovely, harmless face. Front teeth are reminiscent of a rabbit. It was definitely Charlotte.
But what shocked Odette was not the fact that she was Charlotte.
That's right...
'She's laughing right now...'
That was the expression Charlotte was making.
Because the corners of the woman's mouth, staring at the sea, were eerily raised.
***
Among the greenhouse gardens of the Summer Palace, there is one that the Emperor particularly cherishes.
It was none other than the ‘Garden of a Foreign Country’.
A colorful and unique garden filled with tropical birds and plants.
Every single living thing that made up the place was so valuable that it was worth the price of admission. That's why the Emperor had his caretaker lock it up, and it was only opened on rare occasions when the Emperor ordered it to be opened.
'But today is different.'
The key is in Dolly's hands now.
Rudolph just gave the keys to Dolly. That means he managed to steal them from the caretaker and finished setting up the drinks in the foreign garden.
Now all that's left for Dolly to do is take Karl and Odette with her.
'... I wish I had stolen the key myself. It was nothing compared to dragging Karl to a foreign garden.'
This is because the Emperor was too fond of the 'foreign garden', which resulted in poor key management.
All guests invited to the Summer Palace are the Emperor's closest associates. Even if they get their hands on the key, no one would go in there prepared to be caught by the Emperor.
So what's so hard about getting the manager to drink some cider and then stealing the keys while he's still excited?
But Rudolph actually asked her, 'What's so hard about taking Karl from the infirmary?'
'Ha... you try it! Is this really that easy!'
Dolly had been staring at the infirmary doorknob for several minutes now.
It was because she just didn't dare to open the door. She didn't dare to face the unpleasant, gloomy, and creepy things inside.
'I know. I know. But I can't make Rudolph do it. I have to do it so that he will have confidence in his words when Odette calls him.'
As Dolly hesitated, the image of Odette in the salon came to mind.
'How stupid.'
The shape of the mouth that spoke like that.
Then, anger quickly rose. Dolly gained courage and grabbed the doorknob to open the door.
But as soon as she saw Karl's back standing in the infirmary, her courage plummeted back to rock bottom.
'Can you call that a human?'
Rudolph described him as having a "slick face," but that's only possible when you see a photograph.
When you actually meet him, you don't care about his appearance. The sticky, disgusting air surrounding him-
'...Huh? It's strange? It's not as unpleasant as the last time I saw him.'
At that time, it seemed like it was difficult to even breathe, but now, even though they were facing each other, she had no trouble breathing.
But Dolly didn't let up until the very end and called Karl.
“Hey, you.”
At those words, Karl turned around with an indifferent expression. His red eyes, devoid of any light, met hers.
184 pesetas. He's not that tall, but why does he feel so big?
“What's going on?”
A boring voice without a trace of interest. Even though he is a slave, he still acts naturally and arrogantly as if he were the Crown Prince.
Still, she doesn't think it's 'arrogant'.
On the contrary, if it feels like it should be that way, then she doesn't know.
'It's still uncomfortable, but it's not as disgusting as last time.'
Gulp. Dolly opened her mouth.
“The young lady called... you.”
After she spoke, silence fell.
Tick, tick, tick, tick.
The tick of the clock sounded unusually loud to Dolly.
'You're not going to kill me for speaking informally to you, are you? Should I have just spoken formally to you?'
A cold sweat ran down Dolly's back. But, as if Dolly was so scared, Karl quietly got up from the bed.
“Where should I go?”
“Follow me... No, follow me.”
Dolly, who instinctively tried to speak formally, barely managed to finish speaking informally and turned toward the hallway.
Again, again, again.
The sound of Karl's footsteps overlapped the sound of Dolly walking.
'Whew. You're following me.'
In a way, I've overcome the biggest hurdle. Now, all I have to do is go to a foreign garden.
The route has already been planned out. It is a route that uses underground passages that no one uses so that Dolly and Karl will not be caught together.
In front of the damp underground warehouse. As they walked down that hallway, only the sound of two people's footsteps echoed.
'Is it because it's underground...? Why does it feel more and more stuffy?'
At first, her chest felt stuffy, but now she felt a tightness slowly creeping up her throat.
And, as the feeling of suffocation grew, the presence of Karl following behind also seemed to grow.
'Hurry up. Let's go faster.'
It was at that moment that she was about to increase her pace. From behind her, Karl asked a question quietly.
“What is your name?”
Even though it was a trivial question, her heart sank. Dolly gasped and asked again.
“Huh, what?”
Before she knew it, she couldn't breathe well.
“Paula, I found out her name. I was wondering about yours too.”
“Why, why... are you asking that?”
Dolly's voice came out trembling.
Don't answer. Don't answer at all. Her survival instinct was screaming at Dolly.
But at Dolly's appearance, Karl very slowly tilted his head.
“You look scary.”
“...”
“It’s strange. All I did was ask your name, so why were you scared?”
It was an expression of incomprehension. The red eyes looked at her as if they were looking at something completely useless.
Dolly had a gut feeling at that moment.
“Why would I be scared?”
That question isn't about her.
'There's no way that demon would wonder why I'm scared.'
He's thinking of someone else at some point who was just as scared as Dolly.
'Oh, that's disgusting.'
It feels like a snake is crawling all over her body.
“It’s really hard to put people at ease. It’s not enough to just remove their intimidation. It’s no use being gentle. They have a lot to worry about, so it’s annoying... They’re anxious and secretly scared.”
A low laugh was heard.
“Well, that’s cute, though.”
Dolly felt her hands getting damp with sweat.
'Run away, run away.'
Now, no plans or plots were even on her mind. She had no desire to finish the job.
She just wanted to get out of there quickly, so she turned around and tried to run away.
Dada, Dolly ran down the hallway for a long time, but strangely, she felt like she could still feel Karl's presence behind her.
The only sound that can be heard is Dolly's.
'Why does it feel like Karl is following me?'
It was the moment when Dolly cautiously turned around in embarrassment. Suddenly, something hit the back of Dolly's neck.
Dolly's body stiffened and she fell to the floor like a mannequin.
'There was no sound of footsteps, so how were you behind me?'
Although her body couldn't move at all, her consciousness was clear. Dolly really felt like she was going crazy at any moment.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you.”
“Huh, huh.”
A deep sense of intimidation emanated from Karl. That intimidation was destroying Dolly’s reasoning, and even her consciousness was gradually becoming hazy.
“I don’t steal my master’s prey. So, consider it an honor to be my master’s prey.”
A clear emotion was revealed in the eyes that had been blank. Horribly, that emotion was 'jealousy.'
As if being the master's prey was an undeserved and excessive honor for her.
As if the only thing the owner should aim for is himself.
'You're not going to kill me for speaking informally to you, are you? Should I have just spoken formally to you?'
A cold sweat ran down Dolly's back. But, as if Dolly was so scared, Karl quietly got up from the bed.
“Where should I go?”
“Follow me... No, follow me.”
Dolly, who instinctively tried to speak formally, barely managed to finish speaking informally and turned toward the hallway.
Again, again, again.
The sound of Karl's footsteps overlapped the sound of Dolly walking.
'Whew. You're following me.'
In a way, I've overcome the biggest hurdle. Now, all I have to do is go to a foreign garden.
The route has already been planned out. It is a route that uses underground passages that no one uses so that Dolly and Karl will not be caught together.
In front of the damp underground warehouse. As they walked down that hallway, only the sound of two people's footsteps echoed.
'Is it because it's underground...? Why does it feel more and more stuffy?'
At first, her chest felt stuffy, but now she felt a tightness slowly creeping up her throat.
And, as the feeling of suffocation grew, the presence of Karl following behind also seemed to grow.
'Hurry up. Let's go faster.'
It was at that moment that she was about to increase her pace. From behind her, Karl asked a question quietly.
“What is your name?”
Even though it was a trivial question, her heart sank. Dolly gasped and asked again.
“Huh, what?”
Before she knew it, she couldn't breathe well.
“Paula, I found out her name. I was wondering about yours too.”
“Why, why... are you asking that?”
Dolly's voice came out trembling.
Don't answer. Don't answer at all. Her survival instinct was screaming at Dolly.
But at Dolly's appearance, Karl very slowly tilted his head.
“You look scary.”
“...”
“It’s strange. All I did was ask your name, so why were you scared?”
It was an expression of incomprehension. The red eyes looked at her as if they were looking at something completely useless.
Dolly had a gut feeling at that moment.
“Why would I be scared?”
That question isn't about her.
'There's no way that demon would wonder why I'm scared.'
He's thinking of someone else at some point who was just as scared as Dolly.
'Oh, that's disgusting.'
It feels like a snake is crawling all over her body.
“It’s really hard to put people at ease. It’s not enough to just remove their intimidation. It’s no use being gentle. They have a lot to worry about, so it’s annoying... They’re anxious and secretly scared.”
A low laugh was heard.
“Well, that’s cute, though.”
Dolly felt her hands getting damp with sweat.
'Run away, run away.'
Now, no plans or plots were even on her mind. She had no desire to finish the job.
She just wanted to get out of there quickly, so she turned around and tried to run away.
Dada, Dolly ran down the hallway for a long time, but strangely, she felt like she could still feel Karl's presence behind her.
The only sound that can be heard is Dolly's.
'Why does it feel like Karl is following me?'
It was the moment when Dolly cautiously turned around in embarrassment. Suddenly, something hit the back of Dolly's neck.
Dolly's body stiffened and she fell to the floor like a mannequin.
'There was no sound of footsteps, so how were you behind me?'
Although her body couldn't move at all, her consciousness was clear. Dolly really felt like she was going crazy at any moment.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you.”
“Huh, huh.”
A deep sense of intimidation emanated from Karl. That intimidation was destroying Dolly’s reasoning, and even her consciousness was gradually becoming hazy.
“I don’t steal my master’s prey. So, consider it an honor to be my master’s prey.”
A clear emotion was revealed in the eyes that had been blank. Horribly, that emotion was 'jealousy.'
As if being the master's prey was an undeserved and excessive honor for her.
As if the only thing the owner should aim for is himself.
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