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Vivian was at a loss for words.

Serena holding Kyle’s face kept swirling in her mind.

Their faces were way too close.

Close enough to share breaths.

If I hadn’t walked in at that moment, it was all too obvious what they were up to.

Or had they already had more than just a kiss?

Had they already exchanged all the kisses they could share?

It was a strange mix of affection and natural distance.

What if they had… already experienced everything behind my back?

So that’s why, when Serena said she’d stitch him up earlier, I just went along with it without a word.

“…”

These thoughts spread through Vivian’s mind at an uncontrollable pace.

Every time she painted a scene of them together, every time she thought of the feelings they might have shared… her heart tightened painfully.

…It hurt so much.

But the source of that pain was beyond her comprehension.

And along with that pain, a wild rage began to flare up.

The hatred she had almost forgotten when Kyle saved her was now rekindling fiercely.

“…Why are you here?”

As she quietly glared at them, Kyle asked.

His unbelievably calm question made Vivian feel like the last thread of her reason snapped.

“…Why… are you here?”

She repeated Kyle’s words with a chilling tone.

She didn’t even realize how cold her voice was.

Kyle seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if to explain himself, but soon gave up and looked away.

That little gesture was utterly insufficient to quell Vivian’s anger.

“…Right now, why are you just sitting there asking stupid questions?”

Vivian’s voice grew increasingly agitated.

His words sounded like he was annoyed by the interruptions.

He probably didn’t mean it that way, but to Vivian, it felt like nothing else.

The absurd situation and the unbelievable scene only intensified the rage swelling in her chest.

And the more her emotions exploded, the more restless Serena became, trembling.

“Viv, Vivian… It’s not what you think—”

“Get your hands off him, you pest!”

Serena quickly removed her hands and knelt before Vivian.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry—”

“—Shut up, I’ve heard that before. But you’re doing the same thing now, aren’t you?”

“Wahh…ugh…”

Kyle clicked his tongue lightly.

This mustn’t have been comfortable for him.

He looked displeased with the idea of punishing Serena.

That too must’ve added fuel to Vivian’s fire.

The feeling that he was siding with Serena only made Vivian angrier.

Sure enough, Kyle said.

“…Serena was just confirming that I was in her line of sight.”

Vivian immediately used her spell to check the truth of his words.

His eyes burned a bright red.

Vivian cut him off, warning him.

“—One more time, and…”

Kyle couldn’t even imagine how badly Vivian was suppressing her intense rage.

She was careful not to chew on her lips. If she let go for even a moment, it felt like blood might flow.

“…If you lie for her in front of me one more time… just know, she’ll end up on the gallows tomorrow.”

Serena’s body stiffened, and Kyle exhaled as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

He spoke.

“What? You’d execute someone over this?”

“—Over just this?”

Every word out of Vivian’s mouth sounded disgusting to her.

How could their thoughts be so diametrically opposed?

Why couldn’t he understand her feelings?

“…Kyle, you know I’m turning the castle upside down. You know why… have you already forgotten?”

Vivian looked down at Serena.

Serena, trembling, looked like a bad actor.

Every action she took felt insincere, like a ploy to gain Kyle’s sympathy.

…She wanted to spit in her face.

But she suppressed that thought too. Would Kyle even notice her efforts?

Vivian said.

“Anyone who isn’t loyal to me… is of no use. You’re doing exactly what I told you not to, yet you just sat there and lied to my face… how am I supposed to tolerate you? You’re just a liar who shamelessly lies to my face!”

Kyle spoke again.

“…No matter what, it’s not enough to get your head chopped off—”

“—So just behave yourself.”

This was ultimately a warning for Kyle.

Serena’s actions were certainly irritating, but the fact that Kyle was trying to protect another girl in front of her was even more disgusting.

“So you’re saying you’d let it slide if I don’t lie to you.”

“…”

Vivian scanned Kyle up and down.

Seeing him as her captive, her possession, made her hidden true feelings bubble to the surface.

“…Especially for you, don’t you dare lie to me. There can’t be any lies between us.”

Kyle shook his head.

Then he scoffed, as if finding it utterly ridiculous.

“What do you mean, ‘between us’?”

“…”

“Using your mouth, didn’t you say we were enemies?”

…That’s a fair point. But Kyle should know better. It’s both true and false.

He surely understood that.

As she maintained her silence, Kyle turned over on the bed and swung his legs off.

Then he reached out as if to help Serena to her feet.

“Ugh…!”

Serena shut her eyes tightly and backed away from Kyle in sheer fear.

Vivian’s threat to put her on the gallows was now etched deeply in her mind.

Vivian was somewhat pleased by that sight, but she could tell Kyle was not at all amused.

His face finally filled with rage.

Kyle scratched his head in frustration over Serena’s actions.

He had been shirtless to treat his wounds.

When his bare torso came into view, Vivian found herself turning her head away without realizing it.

“But,”

Kyle spoke, his voice cold and cranky.

“What I do is none of your business. Why are you making such a fuss?”

Vivian was stunned.

“…What?”

But Kyle continued without hesitation.

“Whether I sleep with maids or whatever, why is it your concern?”

Vivian felt suffocated.

“…”

She knew she needed to quickly snap out a response, but nothing came to mind.

His daring attitude left her speechless.

“You think it’s so dirty…?”

“—Why is desire dirty? Both men and women have it. It’s all natural; they form relationships and do what they do.”

Vivian couldn’t conceal the crumpled expression on her face.

At seventeen, Kyle seemed to have unexpectedly grown up alone.

His body too.

His muscular frame was clearly not that of a boy.

“…Kyle, you’re saying…”

“Do I owe you an apology for this? If I were to say I did everything with her, what would be wrong with that?”

“K-Kyle…”

“I’m a person too. In my hometown, by this age, it’s expected for someone to have had experiences. Have I done something so atrociously wrong?”

Vivian kept opening and closing her mouth but couldn’t say a word.

Kyle pressed on.

“Chopping off heads like today is fine, but this isn’t?”

“…”

Kyle leaned in closer.

Then he quietly whispered in a voice only she could hear.

“…You were the one who said you wouldn’t do it in the first place.”

Vivian held her breath.

The once off-putting musky scent of him now felt too pleasant even in this situation.

Even in extreme moments, she didn’t want to feel that way about him.

Vivian bit her lip and said something only Kyle could hear.

“…I said I’d do it today. But… you couldn’t hold back and ran to another girl?”

“Is that not allowed?”

Every time Kyle brazenly responded, she felt a stab of pain in her heart.

She wished Kyle could feel at least a sliver of that ache.

“…It’s not allowed.”

“Why?”

With malice, Vivian spoke.

“No matter what the price… if I knew you were a filthy scumbag who rolls around like that, I would never have accepted the contract in the first place.”

Seething rage pricked at Kyle’s forehead. His breath grew ragged.

It was clear to everyone that he was furious.

He said.

“…Even if I’m a scumbag, you still have to pay the price.”

“It’s not ‘even if I’m a scumbag,’ it’s ‘even though I’m a scumbag,’ right?”

Yet even as Vivian spoke, she strangely felt hurt by her own words.

Ultimately, it was a defense mechanism.

She rebuked him first for being disgusting to prepare her heart.

But deep down, she wished he had never had any experiences at all.

The mere thought of him doing such things with another girl made her feel nauseous.

Kyle finally couldn’t contain his anger and placed his hand on Vivian’s face.

The same hands that had killed earlier were now on her face.

But Vivian didn’t push him away.

She knew that if he really wanted to, he could take her precious life in an instant… but she simply accepted it.

He roughly grabbed Vivian’s chin.

“…I didn’t do anything to deserve being called a scumbag.”

Kyle whispered, suppressing his rage.

Vivian, who had forcibly smiled after taking Kyle’s closeness away from Serena, said.

“Who do you think would believe that kind of nonsense?”

“…Do you still think my words are lies?”

Vivian used her spell with trembling hands.

Kyle’s eyes shone a bright blue this time.

The sheer clarity of that color lightened the weight pressing down on Vivian’s chest, almost immediately.

“…Ha.”

Kyle didn’t mix his body with Serena or do anything related to her.

It was hard to believe, but it was the reality.

Kyle then glanced back at Serena and waved his hand.

“Get out.”

“Huh?”

“…I said get out.”

Serena kept glancing nervously at Vivian.

Vivian tried to shake her head.

“Who gave you the right—”

“—Shut up, Vivian.”

At that, Kyle’s eyes glowed dangerously.

Vivian couldn’t help but silence herself under that pressure.

Even when she turned her head to glare at Serena, Kyle, holding her chin, wouldn’t allow it.

She thought she had been in control, but now realized Kyle ruled this space.

Serena seemed to sense it too.

After all, no matter how much someone commanded while being held by the chin, their authority was undermined.

So finally, Serena stood up, limping.

And hurriedly dashed out the door.

Kyle closed the door roughly, looking at the maids standing in line behind Vivian.

—Bang!

Only then did Kyle release Vivian.

“Ugh!”

He threw her onto the bed and locked the door.

—Click!

In that brief action, Vivian’s cowardly nature re-emerged.

…And along with that fear, a strange excitement crawled up her spine.

“What the hell are you doing…?”

Vivian mustered all the courage she could and asked.

Feeling that it might be dangerous to lie on the bed, she immediately got up.

“Do it, here and now.”

Kyle spoke as though he had run out of patience.

“What?”

Vivian asked, as if she couldn’t quite comprehend his words.

But Kyle had already dropped into a seat on the bed.

In the small room, just the two of them alone, with Kyle sitting shirtless.

He gazed at Vivian as if piercing through her, slowly brushing his lips.

The nonchalant nature of that motion stole her breath away momentarily.

“Kiss me. Do it now.”

“N-Now?”

Vivian fumbled over her words, confused.

Her instinct to reject him muddled her mind.

“I’ve paid my price, and you have to pay yours.”

Vivian was so flustered that she couldn’t say anything, but Kyle merely chuckled at her.

Then, with a smug demeanor, he provoked her.

“…Now tell me, who’s the real scum?”

His voice mixed with hatred and desire was oddly entangled.

 

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