KFBRV Ch 52

Hostility burned within those crimson eyes.

Zion and Karl never had a bad relationship, even in the "Reverse Harem Route."

Even in the story path where they shared Charlotte, they were usually indifferent to one another, respecting each other's boundaries.

[Zion] "You have absolutely bizarre taste. No money, no power. You actually like a boy who can only survive by clinging to you like a parasite?"

She wondered if something was physically wrong with his mouth for such vitriol to keep spilling out.

[Zion] "What is so good about a thing like this? Is it the fact that he’s a beggar?"

[Odette] "Your Excellency."

[Zion] "Tell me, hmm?"

Why is he doing this? We had an agreement during the negotiations! He promised to leave as soon as he delivered Karl!

As she searched for a reason, only one possibility came to mind.

I should have realized it the moment his Loathing dropped after I cried last time. This disgusting pervert. He must have found the memory of tormenting me and making me weep absolutely thrilling.

There was only one way to deal with a pervert: total lack of reaction.

With her father watching her like a hawk, there was nothing to be gained from engaging with Zion anyway. She ignored him entirely and fixed her gaze solely on Karl.

[Odette] "I’m so happy that you belong to me now, Karl."

She projected her voice, ensuring that the tone her father had forced her to practice for hours reached him clearly. In response, Zion kicked Karl’s knee from behind, causing the boy to collapse.

[Karl] "Kh-ugh!"

As he hit the ground, Zion grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head back. He stared directly at Odette as he spoke.

[Zion] "For the daughter of a Count, your taste is awfully pathetic. Even if he was once the Crown Prince of a tiny, ruined nation, he’s still just a slave now, isn't he?"

Zion’s smile was soft, which only made it feel more predatory.

Is he insane? What is he playing at?

She could not fathom the intent behind such bizarre behavior. There was only one way to check.

Check Loathing.

It felt like a waste of the necklace's limited uses on a man like him, but she had no choice.

[Loathing: 40]

Wait, what? It went down?

It was unexpected. Given how he was relentlessly provoking her, she assumed the level would have spiked.

Just then, Zion noticed she was staring into empty space. He delivered a heavy kick to the kneeling Karl’s shoulder.

Thwack!

[Zion] "It’s problematic if you lose your manners because you're distracted by a slave. Where are you looking when your superior is speaking to you?"

He reached out and seized her arm.

[Odette] "Ah!"

The moment his fingers clamped down, a dull, throbbing pain shot through her, and a scream escaped her lips before she could stop it.

[Ulrich] "Your Excellency!"

Seeing a Transcendent make physical contact with his daughter, the startled Count began to rush forward to intervene. Zion swung his riding whip, snapping it precisely in the direction of the Count’s face.

[Zion] "Do not dare come any closer, Count. If you take a single step, I’ll blow your head off right where you stand."

His voice was a jagged threat. The Count and Ferdinand, both valuing their lives above all else, froze in their tracks.

He knows exactly what my situation is, yet he’s escalating this for no reason?

She thought bitterly.

As expected of a master of interrogation, he certainly knew a variety of ways to torment people.

[Zion] "What? I didn't even grab you that hard… Are you hurt?"

He looked genuinely surprised as he shoved the sleeve of her dress upward.

[Zion] "….!"

There, printed clearly on her pale skin, was a dark, purplish bruise. It was the mark left from the last time he had followed her and gripped her arm while brainwashing her to cry.

[Zion] "You… this…"

Fine. Just go ahead and bully me openly, you bastard.

She assumed he wouldn't be satisfied until he had sufficiently tormented her. The fact that he had threatened her with a torture chamber before, and the fact that his Loathing had dropped by 20 after she cried, pointed to one logical conclusion.

[Odette] "Do you want to grab it again? You can hold it even tighter if you like. I won’t scream like I just did. I only made a sound because I was caught off guard."

[Zion] "Which son of a bitch did this to you?"

[Odette] "Why are you pretending not to know? This is the mark you personally left last time."

[Zion] "…I did this?"

Abominably, he looked as though he hadn't known.

What a waste of an acting performance.

[Odette] "Just grab it comfortably. I’ll endure it well."

[Zion] "Are you mad? Can’t you see the state of your arm? It’s bruised black and blue. If I apply even a little more pressure here, it will leave a permanent scar."

[Odette] "It doesn’t matter. As long as it satisfies Your Excellency’s anger."

[Zion] "What?"

[Odette] "Creating a scene like this in front of my father today… you're doing this to torment me, aren't you?"

[Zion] "What on earth are you—"

His expression froze. She assumed she had hit the mark and flustered him.

[Odette] "You knew exactly how my father would interrogate me if a disturbance was made here. You knew exactly what kind of hell I would face in this house… and yet you're doing this anyway."

Strangely, an "Ah" escaped his lips, and his face went blank. He looked incredibly stupid, as if the thought had never crossed his mind.

As if a man that brilliant wouldn't have known.

His acting—the way he pretended he had no intention of causing her trouble—was top-tier. If she didn't know the core settings of the character "Zion" inside out, she might have actually been fooled.

[Odette] "You can break the bone if you wish. Do whatever makes you feel better, Your Excellency. I promise I won’t make a sound."

For a fleeting second, a flash of something resembling guilt crossed his face. But knowing his personality, there was no way it was actually guilt.

[Loathing has decreased by 10.]

[Loathing: 30]

See? He’s satisfied now that I’m letting him hurt me, so the Loathing dropped.

[Odette] "Just leave quickly after you’ve broken it. Based on the conversation we’ve already had, my father will likely have me thrown in the dungeon and whipped to within an inch of my life anyway."

[Zion] "I…"

[Odette] "You can bully me however you please, but you must honor our deal. Unless, of course, you actually want to kill me using my father's hands."

The Count, who had been watching their whispered exchange with growing anxiety, finally found his timing to intervene.

[Ulrich] "Your Excellency! What could you possibly be discussing with my daughter for so long? This treatment is too much, even in my own home! Please, have some consideration for a father who is anxious about his unwed daughter’s reputation!"

Zion shifted his weight, stepping in a way that physically blocked the Count’s view of Odette.

[Zion] "We were just discussing how the Count’s daughter is a revolting woman."

It was a strange posture, almost as if he were shielding her. With his back turned to the Count, he reached behind him and slipped a piece of paper, held between his index and middle fingers, into her hand. She snatched it instantly, hiding it inside her sleeve.

[Zion] "I was telling her that I can hardly stand the sight of her. You’ve raised your daughter quite poorly, Count."

[Loathing has decreased by 5.]

[Loathing: 25]

[Zion] "That is why I told you not to move. I had a few choice words for your wretched daughter today. Even my patience has limits when looking at your face, wouldn't you agree?"

He spoke with a face that was cold and imperious—the unmistakable face of the Marquis of Kleist, whom no one would dare question.

She had expected him to break her arm, but he simply exchanged a few more sharp words with the Count to smooth over the situation and then departed immediately.

Fortunately, the Count didn't seem too suspicious. He was wearing a broad, greedy grin as he yanked on Karl’s neck shackles with a loud clank and headed toward the annex.

[Ulrich] "Now, get back to your room."

After being dragged back to her room by Ferdinand, she stood by her balcony window, watching the Count move back and forth from the annex.

Everything is already prepared, so it’s fine.

She had already given Damian his orders. He was to swap out every single drug stored in the annex basement. Now, all she had to do was wait for Paula to make her move.

If Paula moves exactly at the promised time, the window for me to act will be...

She checked the second hand on the clock.

[Odette] "Ten seconds left."

Nine. Eight. Seven. Six.

Let’s see just how useful you are, Paula.

Three. Two. One.

And precisely on cue—

[Servant] "M-Master! Something terrible has happened!"

A man's frantic scream erupted from outside the annex.

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