I Pretended To Be Dead And Ran Away - Chapter 23

Seeing Reniel’s expression brighten strangely, Ianathas briefly doubted whether what he was seeing was an illusion.

But he soon realized this was real due to the heat and smell of blood on his body, and chuckled.

“Yes, if you can just prove it’s true.”

Rather, it was Ianathas who was confident. Even he, Felix’s oldest confidant, couldn’t get close to him at 3 AM when he had overdosed on sleeping pills.

He was so violent that he would cut down anyone who approached.

Still, remembering how his lord had moved according to her words in the 5th floor duty room last time, he felt a bit uneasy.

Didn’t he even listen when in male form?

No. But that was around 1 AM. Not 3 AM when the drug’s effect was strongest.

“Shall we go then?”

Reniel put on the ring, changed back into a man’s form, and said that as he was about to take a step.

Ianathas couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw his trembling legs. The steps looked so pathetic that he felt he could catch up within 3 seconds if he tried to run away like this.

In fact, Reniel didn’t seem to have any intention of running away, walking with his hands clasped in front of his chest as if in prayer.

He looked like a concave-eyed person, but his actions were more like a squirrel.

As she started going down the stairs, the afterimage of her as a woman earlier overlapped, making her body look even smaller.

The women in the casino Ianathas managed were all assassins, so they were quite tall. Given the physical requirements of the job, being tall and slender was much more suitable.

Perhaps by comparison, Reniel looked even smaller. Though in reality, she was quite tall for a woman.

“But will you be alright? It may have been luck last time, but this time he might not tolerate it.”

As far as he knew, his lord would probably cut her down the moment she became a woman.

His lord, who showed an obsessive fixation on trust, was more than capable of that. Besides, there were often cases of women being pushed into his bedroom and attempting to stab him at his bedside.

Of course, Reniel was much more beautiful than those women, but that didn’t matter.

Ianathas knew well why his ability had developed to suppress his presence. It was to avoid becoming a nuisance to his lord, so he had mastered the method of suppressing his presence.

He only bothered Felix when he couldn’t hide his killing intent for other reasons.

“Are you alright, Ianathas? Your head is bleeding.”

Reniel said that upon seeing drops of blood from his head staining the floor.

“Are you worried about me?”

No. I’m worried about the floor I’ll have to clean.

Reniel swallowed those words and nodded.

“Don’t play tricks. This is no time for you to be worried about me.”

Ianathas smiled leisurely again as he stood behind Reniel. As if telling her to go down quickly.

Reniel sighed and started going down the stairs.

“I just asked because I was worried. This could lead to a more serious injury.”

Reniel said that as if not expecting an answer and continued down.

They were descending the stairs between the 4th and 3rd floors, keeping a distance between them.

“Reniel.”

Felix’s bright smile upon seeing Reniel came into view.

“Where did you go?”

“I left something in my room, so I was coming back down to return to you, Master.”

“Lie. I waited for an hour.”

Ianathas suppressed his presence and pressed against the wall. As if melting into the darkness.

Felix stared blankly at Reniel, clearly intoxicated by the drug. A determination bordering on madness was also faintly visible in those blank eyes.

“Look. I’m coming back down like this.”

“Were you really coming to my room?”

“Of course.”

Reniel naturally asked him for the knife in his left hand. Felix handed over the sword he was holding after looking at it listlessly.

“This is a family heirloom.”

“Hehe, I know.”

She also knew well the mysterious sword of the Le Pelique ducal family that he carried, which wouldn’t rust even if it cut people.

“I manage it.”

She knew well the heirloom that she usually managed and placed in his room. It was mostly kept as a decoration in his room.

“I usually carry something heavier than this.”

“I manage the sword you used on the battlefield too.”

“How? It must be heavier than you.”

“That’s right. I can’t lift that one alone. How do you hold it with one hand, Master?”

Reniel frowned, recalling the two-handed sword he wielded. Felix’s sword was very large and huge. It was something that Reniel couldn’t manage alone, requiring several servants to barely handle it.

“Let’s go now.”

Reniel received the sword and set it down on the floor appropriately. Then she took Felix’s hand and headed towards his room.

Ianathas had seen Felix follow her obediently like this before. But seeing it again now was very strange.

This couldn’t possibly happen.

It didn’t seem to be a dream, perhaps due to the pain from the wound on his body.

“Eek!”

“Too slow.”

Reniel let out a strange scream as Felix suddenly picked her up just as she was about to turn back to look at Ianathas.

“Master!”

“Shh.”

Felix dismissed her like that and headed to the room with her.

“This is pressing on my stomach.”

“So?”

“Please help me so it doesn’t press so much, okay?”

When she asked like that, Felix held her up with both arms.

“Ring.”

“Ah… Yes. Of course. You took the medicine, right?”

“Yes.”

Reniel knew that was an order for her to return to her female form, so she took off the ring.

“Hold my neck.”

“Is that okay?”

Felix stood still as if waiting for her action. Reniel naturally embraced his neck, feeling nervous about the red eyes looking at her.

“Don’t make me come looking for you.”

“I told you, I was coming to find you.”

Reniel smiled brightly, trying to hide her fear. Thinking that she had survived today, she felt a bit relieved.

But feeling she couldn’t bear this fear much longer.

Definitely.

She made up her mind that she must escape.

“Reniel.”

“Yes, Master.”

“I quit cigars like you said.”

Reniel smelled his scent near his cheek at those words. It seemed to have a strangely nice fragrance.

“I didn’t drink alcohol either.”

“Then how did you take the sleeping pills?”

“With water.”

Felix looked like he wanted proper praise from her.

“I’m glad. I’m really happy that you thought about your health.”

When she said that with a smile, Felix smiled along. And without hesitation, he disappeared into his bedroom on the 3rd floor with her.

Left alone, Ianathas was very confused about what this situation was and what he should do from now on.

Reniel was clearly the daughter of the Nirnberg ducal family.

So if she were killed, her stabilizing ability would go to Felix, freeing him from the curse of sleeplessness and stabilizing his magic power.

But.

If the two had become this close.

Is it really okay to kill Reniel?

‘Ianathas, isn’t it funny?’

‘My lord.’

‘I thought I’d be happy if I killed my father. But I feel dirty.’

Ianathas was recalling Felix, who had disposed of his father with his own hands at some point.

Since then, Felix had acted like a broken person.

Ianathas was confused.

It seemed that killing Reniel, who appeared closer now than the previous Le Pelique duke he had longed for, might have a greater impact on him.

“Damn it.”

It seemed he couldn’t kill Reniel right away.

Thinking his lord in his right mind might react differently.

While he’s finding stability like this.

He thought it might be okay to wait a little longer before revealing it.

Reniel was clearly not a spy. And what she wanted was very small.

Everything she wanted was trivial enough to be resolved within the Le Pelique ducal family.

Then is there a need to kill her?

“But…”

But killing her would stabilize his lord’s ability.

“…”

Ianathas really couldn’t do anything due to his constantly changing mind and confusion.

With a glimmer of hope, he completely suppressed his presence and headed towards the room where Reniel and Felix had disappeared.

And he silently turned the doorknob, opened it, and looked inside.

“Ah… Just a moment.”

“Stay still.”

“It tickles. I don’t dislike it, but I’d like it if you weren’t so domineering.”

“I’ll try not to be domineering.”

Felix’s face was touching Reniel’s chest. As if trying to listen to her heartbeat.

“Master, your hair is too soft. That’s why it tickles more.”

“Should I make it stiff?”

Reniel laughed as if finding those words amusing, then patted his back.

“Head, not back.”

“Yes. I touched your back because I wanted to.”

“Then the back is fine too.”

Felix, not in his right mind, leaned on Reniel as if collapsing.

In the end, Ianathas thought he needed to make Felix hate Reniel.