“Don’t lock the door. Understand?”

His words sounded like he’d break in even if it were locked. Liz felt her whole body shudder.

“Yes…… I, I will.”

Her trembling voice answered as Liz nodded her head.

Again and again. Over and over.

Two hours before eleven, Liz had been trembling with anxiety.

Each tick of the clock’s second hand seemed to ratchet her heart rate up a notch.

Time had never felt so menacing.

If she could, she would have sought the company of another, wishing to share in sleep.

But there was no suitable family for that. Lilia was out of the question, and as for her mother…

Being with her mother seemed worse than dealing with Kain.

Finally, when the clock pointed to half past ten, Liz resigned herself and changed her clothes.

Then, she sat in front of her vanity and neatly tied her brushed hair into a single knot. She wore simple, functional clothes, certain that he wouldn’t be taking her to a ball or anything of the sort.

Preparations complete, Liz sat quietly on the bed, awaiting Kain.

Her entire focus was on the door.

Every minor noise from outside made her body tense involuntarily.

Even the creaking sound of expanding furniture made her heart feel like it was dropping.

This was unsustainable.

She felt like she’d die of a nervous disorder before falling into Kain’s hands.

A moment of self-reproach came over her.

‘You fool. You should have run as soon as you found out his true identity.’

But fleeing wasn’t so easy, not after having directly witnessed the overwhelming aura of Kain’s true form.

She felt she would be caught immediately. As long as she remained Liz Berium, she definitely would be.

Finally, the sound of footsteps made Liz’s complexion turn as white as moonlight.

Thump[Dash], thump[Dash].
The sound of footsteps walking down the hallway over the carpet, seemingly in tune with the clock just past eleven, was dignified and heavy.

The footsteps were growing louder.

Liz was so anxious, she wondered if her heart might burst through her chest.

Her head was spinning because it was beating so violently.

She felt like she would faint if she heard a knock.

It seemed better to open the door from her side first.

By the time she gathered her wits, she found herself holding the doorknob.

She flung it open.

Kain stood still, his fist poised to knock.

He looked surprised by her unexpected boldness, but only for a moment.

Soon, he curved his eyes like crescent moons and spoke in a languid voice.

“Were you that eager to see me?”

That… wasn’t the intention.

Although she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, she felt slightly more at ease.

“I should have come earlier. If I knew you were waiting like this.”

“…”

“Time wasn’t passing fast enough.”

He squinted one eye as if he had really been bored waiting.

‘I thought time was passing too quickly.’

But Liz didn’t say that.

“Anyway, you look ready. Let’s go.”

Kain lightly grabbed Liz’s wrist and gently pulled her toward him. Even though he pulled her gently, Liz was helplessly dragged along.

The hallway was dark with the lights off, and no one was passing by. At least, not on this floor.

“There aren’t many people on the lower floors either.”

Kain said, smiling reassuringly at the anxious Liz.

He was wearing a robe, and had yet to put on the hood. He wrapped another brown robe around Liz’s back and put the hood over her head.

“…Where are we going?”

Fear was evident in Liz’s voice.

Judging by his gentle actions, it seemed unlikely he would kill her… but she still couldn’t let her guard down.

“You’ll see if you follow.”

Kain grinned and took Liz’s hand again. This time he held her entire hand. His large palm completely enveloped Liz’s small hand.

Kain led Liz down a different passage, not the central staircase. It was a place where the servants threw away waste, colloquially called the ‘waste stairs.’ Consequently, it had a damp and moldy smell.

Furthermore, it was very dark. Without a lantern, it was hard to see whether it was stairs or flat ground. Just as Liz was hesitantly taking a step,

“Eek!”
Kain suddenly lifted Liz into his arms and began to descend the stairs quickly, like a wild animal.

“We can’t have our young lady getting hurt, now can we?”