IHDOE Ch 57
Water dripped somewhere in the darkness. Pitch black surrounded everything, devoid of even a single speck of light.
Through the dense gloom, a sound like a slithering snake whispered beyond the dark fog. Though the voice sounded far from human, a familiar name tumbled from Satina's lips the moment she heard it.
Katan?
I can't hear you clearly. It's alright, come closer. I won't be frightened. So...
Satina stepped into the darkness until her gaze locked onto something in the shadow. A sharp jolt snapped her back to consciousness. She gasped.
A quick glance around revealed the inside of a cave. Satina blinked away her blurry vision, recalling her last memory.
Right, I fell into the water...
He stood nearby in a light shirt, wet hair clinging to his brow.
[Katan] "Are you awake?"
Startled by his voice, she looked up. Only then did she register her own appearance. Her soaked dress hung in a corner of the cave. Though she wore only a thin slip beneath, the campfire crackling inside kept the chill at bay.
That's right. He dove in to save me.
[Satina] "Where are the other knights?"
[Katan] "All captured."
[Satina] "I see..."
She forced herself to assess the situation calmly. Lekan had mentioned nothing like this during his aerial reconnaissance. She had never expected magic beasts to be lying in ambush. It was her own oversight.
Still, hope isn't lost. Sreans don't devour their prey immediately. The real problem is that I have no forces left.
Most of the knights from House Bersabet had been captured in the attack. All she had left were Cheney, her maid waiting back at the western fortress, and Katan standing before her.
While Katan possessed extraordinary martial power, could he single-handedly fight off the beasts and rescue the knights? No, more importantly...
Why didn't he run away?
Satina narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him. He was stoking the fire with a branch, reviving the dying embers.
Though he had acted obediently thus far, that was solely because of the spell engraved along his neck. The moment he ran, Satina would utter the keyword, ending his life on the spot.
He possessed only one objective: freedom. Escaping slavery was his greatest desire. That was precisely why he had abandoned the female lead during a crisis in the original game.
So why didn't he run?
Had it not been for him, she would have drowned. A corpse couldn't utter keywords. Had he fled right then, he could have seized the freedom he craved. Even with beasts roaming the woods, someone of his caliber could easily escape alone.
Everyone would assume he had been killed by beasts, so no one would hunt for him. In every respect, conditions were ideal for desertion. Yet instead of fleeing, Katan had saved her.
Why? What is he scheming?
Hadn't all his efforts to curry favor with her been for the sake of escape? She couldn't comprehend why he would throw away a clean escape opportunity and remain by her side.
Though he surely felt her intense gaze, Katan silently tended to his work without a word.
[Satina] "Why didn't you run?"
He finally turned his gaze toward her.
[Katan] "Because I am your slave, My Lady."
It was a flawless, textbook answer, just as she expected. Yet, Satina understood her predicament all too well. Back at the estate, if Katan assassinated her, suspicion and an investigation would follow. But not here. Since she couldn't navigate a beast-infested forest on her own, her life rested entirely in his hands until they reached the western fortress.
[Satina] "I didn't ask for a textbook answer. I know what you want most. It's to shed your status as a slave."
[Katan] "..."
[Satina] "I'll ask again. If you had left me alone, I would have died. Why did you save me?"
A long silence stretched between them. Despite sitting near the warm fire, a sudden chill made her shiver. Katan finally spoke, his voice slow and subdued.
[Katan] "I wonder. Why didn't I run?"
[Satina] "..."
He brushed his fingers over the spell encircling his neck.
[Katan] "When I was under the slave trader, I imagined it countless times. If the opportunity ever arose, I would break his neck. I would crush his windpipe before he could utter a single keyword. Yet strangely, I couldn't run. Even though my mind told me to turn around and flee, my feet refused to move."
He appeared helpless as he spoke.
[Katan] "Since you ask for honesty, I will speak truthfully. Do you know what crossed my mind while you slept?"
[Satina] "What was it?"
[Katan] "I thought about kissing you."
Satina froze at the startling confession. His gaze drifted down to her lips.
[Katan] "I thought about tasting the small tongue hidden inside that mouth, thoroughly exploring the mouth that constantly commands me, and consuming everything that spills from your lips."
He continued calmly, his expression entirely stoic.
[Katan] "I wanted to lick your wet skin, like a dog—"
Flushing bright red, Satina hurriedly cut him off.
[Satina] "Stop. Stop right there."
Yet, he maintained his intense gaze, as if leaving searing marks against her skin.
[Katan] "It seems you have driven me somewhat mad, My Lady. No, completely unhinged."
[Satina] "Yes, it seems so."
[Katan] "I don't know what this emotion is, but I know with absolute certainty that I want to remain by your side."
[Satina] "Are you saying you've fallen for me?"
[Katan] "Would giving this emotion a name change anything?"
He leaned in, instantly closing the distance between them.
Her shoulders tensed, braced for him to grab her. Yet, despite leaning close enough for her to feel his breath, he didn't touch her.
[Katan] "After all, I am merely a slave, and you are a noble lady."
[Satina] "I promised to make you a knight."
[Katan] "Even so, I know full well my status could never reach you. You will always shine like a star far above me."
Dark eyes stared intently into hers. She couldn't fathom what thoughts lingered behind his gaze. His look was so deep and dark that she felt it would almost be better if he reached out and touched her.
[Katan] "So keep me beside you."
[Satina] "Katan."
[Katan] "As your slave, as your knight. Forever. Keep only me by your side. If you do, I will pledge my absolute loyalty to you."
Her mind reeled from the sudden turn of events, but rational thought quickly returned.
It was hardly a bad position. Ultimately, it meant gaining another usable piece on her board. Though his feelings might shift over time, once this summer passed and she fled to Planchel, she would no longer be entangled with him anyway.
Satina placed her hand against his cheek.
[Satina] "If you are lying, I will blow your head to pieces."
[Katan] "It doesn't matter."
Turning his head, Katan pressed his lips to her palm.
[Katan] "So use me as you wish."
[Katan's affection has increased by 5.]
[Katan's 'Anxiety' status has been cleared.]
Katan stared down at her exhausted, sleeping face.
With this, those troublesome knights are out of the way.
He had known the beasts had set a trap. Yet, instead of warning the group, he had chosen to herd them into the snare and allow Satina to fall into the river.
Whether those knights died meant nothing to him. In fact, their disappearance suited him better. That way, the only person she could rely on would be him.
[Satina] "Let's name him Katan."
Did she know she had given him that very name in the past (the first life)? Though she had clearly forgotten that fact entirely, the coincidence amused him.
His hand touched her closed eyelids. Her long eyelashes were soft, much like her dress.
His fingers slowly traced downward over the bridge of her nose, past her full lips, and rested against her slender neck.
He wrapped his large hand around her throat. It was a delicate neck, easily encircled in a single palm. Snapping it required hardly any effort. She would die instantly, without ever getting the chance to speak the keyword. But now was not the time. He still had a grander objective.
He whispered her name while maintaining his grip on her throat.
[Katan] "Satina."
He knew she didn't trust him. She was a suspicious woman. No matter how many sweet words he poured into her ears or how affectionately she tended to him, he could see the lingering mistrust harboring in her heart.
[Man] "Let's make a deal. I will give you what you desire most."
He recalled the man who had approached him to propose a deal concerning Satina.
[Katan] "If only you had trusted me obediently from the beginning."
Because she so rarely let him near, he had been forced to resort to such tedious measures.
He whispered against her unconscious ear.
[Katan] "Trust me. It's the only way you'll survive."
Satina returned to the western fortress alongside Katan.
Word quickly reached Tyron that the knights who accompanied her were captured by beasts, leaving only her and Katan as sole survivors.
This time, I'll finally see her beg.
He immediately sought her out. Wandering in without knocking, he sat across from Satina while she ate her meal.
[Tyron] "I hear your knights are all dead?"
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