Thump.
"......."
Thump, thump.
"......."
Pitch-black darkness. The only sound was the pounding of my heart, echoing loudly from within my chest.
Clutching my chest as if to hold back my bursting heart, I prayed silently that this moment would pass safely.
Creak.
"...L-Lilith. I'm back."
"......."
I didn't respond. From this point on, I had to act with the utmost skill.
Drawing on the acting talent I had once used when I temporarily played the lead role in the Academy Festival's play of Leon and Julia, I slowly sat up in bed, pretending to be nonchalant.
"Yaaawn... Ah, welcome back, Master Ethan...?"
"Lilith?"
"Yaaawn, my apologies. I seem to have dozed off."
Feigning sleep, I slowly rose from the bed, doing my best to act like I had just woken up. It was the only choice I had if I wanted to explain why Isabel was sleeping next to me.
"I’m sorry. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and just closed my eyes for a moment..."
"It’s fine. As long as you stayed put, that’s all that matters."
"I think Isabel fell asleep next to me, too. I remember her lying down with me, insisting on staying by my side until I fell asleep..."
"I asked her to do that. She looked a bit tired from my request, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to let her rest a bit longer."
As we continued to talk, me playing the part of someone who had just woken up, I noticed that Ethan was holding a few paper bags in his hands.
"By the way, what’s that you’re holding, Master Ethan?"
"Oh, these? I picked up a few things at the street stalls on the way back. It’s the last day, so a lot of the stalls were staying open late, trying to get rid of everything."
"Is that so?"
"Lilith, why don’t we eat together? Let’s sit at the table and have a drink of wine, just the two of us—"
Thud.
".......!!!"
As he said that, Ethan placed the paper bags on the table. The sudden movement made me jump up from the bed in reflex.
Rush!
"Lilith?!"
"I-I’ll prepare everything, Master Ethan."
"Sure, if you want to."
I quickly moved the paper bags to the center of the table and adjusted the table top, which had nearly tipped over.
‘That was close.’
There was no helping the fact that I hadn’t had time to secure the table top. The door had opened just as I was about to finish reassembling the table legs and the top, so I hadn’t had the chance to fix it completely.
Luckily, the top wasn’t noticeable unless you bent down to look under the table. I was fortunate that I had at least secured the floor screws first.
The remaining screws, which I hadn’t yet used, were still in my pocket. I’d have to wait for another opportunity when I was alone to finish the job.
"Lilith."
"...Yes, Master Ethan?"
"Come here ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) for a moment."
"...Alright."
...Had he found out?
I nodded cautiously and approached Ethan. As I drew near, I felt the constraining pressure around my neck suddenly loosen.
Clink.
"...I’m sorry for restraining you like this. I wasn’t thinking clearly earlier, and this was all I could come up with."
"...It’s alright, Master Ethan. I didn’t listen to your orders at the time, so I understand why you had to do it."
"Thank you for understanding, Lilith."
"Since you’ve released me now, I assume that Princess Mezzlen’s situation has been resolved?"
"Yes. Just as you said, there were three more vampires trying to kidnap Princess Mezzlen. Thankfully, with the help of the hero’s party and my father, we managed to take care of them all, and we also rescued her maid."
"Are you speaking of Kate? I’ve seen her a few times when I was with Princess Mezzlen."
Though I already knew all of this, I pretended to be hearing it for the first time. Just then, I felt movement from the bed behind me as Isabel slowly began to wake up.
"Yaaawn... Huh? What...?"
Isabel woke up, her face filled with confusion as she hurriedly glanced around the room.
Not wanting to draw suspicion, I tried to act as normal as possible.
"Did you wake up, Isabel?"
"Huh? L-Lilith...? Wh-Why am I sleeping here...?"
"You said you were feeling tired, so we decided to sleep together. Don’t you remember?"
"I don’t remember anything... I thought we were going to the bathroom together..."
"Really? Maybe you were dreaming."
"A dream...? Was it... a dream? It didn’t feel like one..."
Confused, Isabel looked around as she tried to discern what had happened. Then, she noticed that the collar was no longer around my neck and cautiously asked Ethan about it.
"Master, the collar around Lilith’s neck...?"
"I took it off. Things ended sooner than expected, so I removed it as soon as I got back."
"I-I see... So, Lilith didn’t try to leave while I was asleep...?"
"You don’t need to worry. When I arrived, she was still sound asleep beside you. Not that she could have escaped even without your watchful eye, given the restraint she was wearing."
"...The table..."
"Hmm? Oh, you mean these? I picked up a few things from the stalls for the festival’s last day. Would you like to join us?"
"......"
Isabel glanced at the table for a moment, remembering that I had been trying to disassemble it earlier. But I had already put the floor screws back into their original place.
If she believed that the part about the screws coming loose was all a dream, then it would be the perfect crime, with no one ever knowing.
"I-I’m sorry, Master. I failed in my duty and ended up falling asleep."
"It’s fine. Lilith didn’t try to sneak out while you were sleeping, and I’d say that your sleeping beside her actually helped keep her in place."
"B-But still..."
"It’s fine. Come join us. It’s the last day of the festival, and this is a good opportunity to show my appreciation for all your hard work."
"Y-Yes..."
Looking a little embarrassed for having fallen asleep, Isabel quietly walked over to the round table and sat down on one side.
As her hand touched one edge of the table, I subtly placed my hand on the opposite edge.
Press.
"...Huuuh."
Plop.
‘Phew.’
Isabel sat down on the table, putting a bit of weight on it. Fortunately, she wasn’t heavy enough to cause any trouble, and I managed to hold the table steady with one hand.
...The table remained precarious, ready to collapse at the slightest extra pressure. It was a delicate balancing act, and so we continued our awkward conversation into the early morning.
⁂ ⁂ ⁂
When I first came to, the sensation of a hard floor beneath me was the first thing I noticed.
Still in a daze, I tried to get up, but my eyes could see nothing but pitch-black darkness. I fumbled around in the dark, feeling for something to grab hold of.
‘What the...? Last night, I was with Ethan and Isabel at the festival after-party, right?’
Had I drunk too much? I didn’t remember drinking more than a few glasses of wine.
What puzzled me more than the alcohol was the fact that I had woken up on the floor instead of in bed. Even if I had been drunk, there was no reason for me to sleep on the floor when the bed was right there.
Even if I had somehow passed out on the floor, Ethan would have picked me up and moved me to the bed.
‘Did Ethan pass out, too...? He doesn’t seem like the type to get drunk that easily...’
I couldn’t figure it out. For some reason, my thoughts were muddled, like I was floating through a dream.
I reached out, feeling for the magic lamp switch to turn on the light. As I did, my hand brushed against something.
Thud.
"Huh?"
Clatter, clatter.
Something metal rolled away as I touched it.
I picked it up and felt its shape—a round metal bowl, perhaps?
This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēwebnovel.com.
‘Did something fall off the table during the party?’
...I wasn’t sure. I didn’t recall us using any metal bowls during the after-party.
Most of the food Ethan had brought was in paper bags or on paper trays. While I remembered transferring some of it to porcelain dishes, there was no memory of using metal bowls.
In fact, I’d never even seen a plain metal dish like this before. It reminded me of a small, handleless pot, like something you’d use as a dog bowl.
‘A dog bowl...?’
...Maybe it was just my imagination, but the thought of a dog bowl made me realize something odd.
At that moment, I noticed the strange sensation around my neck.
Clink.
"...What?"
The Chain of Obedience.
The cold, metal collar that Ethan had put around my neck was back in place.