Looking for a Husband to Confine Me - Chapter 33.2
Chapter 33.2
Pazl’s words implied an accomplice relatively close by, though not close enough to fetch more of the liquid. Perhaps the accomplice was also inside the residence…. Footsteps approached. I checked the distance between Pazl and me in the hand mirror. Staircases leading to other floors were located at both ends and in the center of the hallway.
Only the central staircase separated Pazl and me. If he continued past the stairs to the end of the hallway, we would meet.
‘I could avoid Pazl by going to another floor, but ambushing him here….’
I narrowed my eyes, watching Pazl approach the staircase. Just as I carefully started to rise, a thud echoed from the top of the stairs at the far end of the hallway. The silence amplified the sound, ensuring Pazl heard it too.
“…Hmm?”
As expected. Pazl paused, then started approaching slowly, his movements stealthy.
‘Could it be Bashar?’
Or perhaps the noise was caused by Kelliard, still unconscious. I chewed my lip, gauging the distance between Pazl and me. He was drawing closer, but his cautious movements slowed his progress. I tapped the bandages on my left arm with my fingertips.
“Snowy?” Would it understand? I whispered to Snowy, as if confiding a secret. It was a creature entirely different from the children I had known, so I wasn’t sure if we could communicate.
“Could you do me a favor?” I whispered again, gently tapping the white bandages. I was about to give up if it didn’t react this time, but the end of the bandage wrapped around my wrist transformed. With a pop, a small white snake with red eyes appeared. “…Snowy?”
“Hiss?”
Thankfully, it seemed to understand, tilting its tiny head to the right. We couldn’t converse, but communication seemed possible.
“Will you be alright?” I asked cautiously. Snowy stared at me with its crimson eyes, then nudged my left arm with its snout.
“Hiss, hiss.”
Its actions suggested my wound hadn’t healed yet. I smiled faintly at the soft, cooing sounds replacing its voice. Snowy was trying to communicate with me in its own way.
“I’m fine. Something else is more important right now.”
“Hiss….”
It seemed to be considering, its small head dipping down. I checked the distance to Pazl while awaiting Snowy’s response. Then, the white bandages around my left arm unraveled, completely transforming into the snake.
“Thank you. What you need to do is…” I whispered instructions, audible only to Snowy. The cool body slithered off my left arm and onto the floor. As Snowy disappeared, a sharp pain shot through my left arm.
I winced, then left Snowy behind and ascended the stairs, toward the source of the earlier noise.
‘Ambushing Pazl is impossible now, because of the noise from the stairs.’
It was highly likely the noise was made by Bashar. It was crucial to reach him first. I had lost time communicating with Snowy, and Pazl must be closer now. I moved as quickly and quietly as possible. As I reached the upper floor and took a step forward, something lunged at my throat.
“Ugh!” I instinctively recoiled from the flash of steel in my peripheral vision, narrowly avoiding the blade aimed at my throat.
“What the—Amelia? It’s you.” The one who swung the sword without checking his target was my good-for-nothing older brother, Kelliard Hazel. “…Brother.”
“You should announce yourself. You almost got killed.” He chuckled, not a hint of remorse on his face. He seemed only disappointed that his target wasn’t an enemy. He was still rubbing his neck and grimacing, likely having just regained consciousness.
“Anyway, if you don’t want to get hurt, hide somewhere….”
“You, you idiot!” Hearing footsteps ascending the stairs below, I clamped my hand over his mouth. He scowled. I was just as displeased with him, so I wished he would stay quiet.
“Be quiet!” I hissed, releasing my hand from his mouth. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from the stairs.
“Hey, what are you doing?!”
“If you have a brain, use it to figure out why I’m whispering! Now shut up!”
“What?” He snapped. At least he was following me without resistance, probably still disoriented. ‘Why did you have to wake up? You should have stayed unconscious.’
Even unconscious, he was a burden, but awake, he was a downright hindrance.
“Where’s Bashar? Weren’t you with him?”
“He’s in the other room.”
Before Kelliard could finish, I headed towards the room he indicated, making sure to drag him along. I’d rather not bother with him, but leaving him behind would undoubtedly cause problems. He might be caught unaware by Pazl, or worse, expose Bashar’s location. With a stroke of luck, perhaps Kelliard could subdue Pazl… but the odds were slim.
Click. The moment the door closed, I exhaled deeply and, with a shudder of disgust, released Kelliard’s wrist. I quickly scanned the room. It was a sitting area, with another door leading to a bedroom.
“Amelia, what in the world has gotten into you?”
“Shh, be quiet.”
The instant I moved, Kelliard followed, calling my name loudly. I turned to him with an exasperated sigh.
“Do you honestly not understand what’s going on?”
Thankfully, he seemed to grasp my sarcasm, his expression hardening. Then, a sneer twisted his lips, his voice dripping with mockery.
“Amelia Hazel, this is the annex, the sanctuary of the manor. Monsters can’t get in. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes, monsters can’t get in.”
“Then why all the fuss…?”
“But humans can. I shouldn’t have to spell it out for you.”
“….”
Thank goodness. I was worried he wouldn’t understand, but his grim face confirmed he finally got it, albeit far too slowly.
As I reached for the bedroom door, Kelliard grabbed my wrist and spun me around.
“Someone was behind you, downstairs, wasn’t there?”
“Not only was he there, he was following me.”
“Who?”
“…Pazl.”
Now, will you let go of my hand? I stared at his hand gripping my shoulder as I answered.
“You should have said something sooner.”
“There’s no time for this. Will you please let go?”
“If I were you, I would have knocked him flat instead of running.”
Now his gaze accused me of avoiding a confrontation.
“If you had just told me on the stairs, things would have gone much smoother!”
Kelliard clearly imagined himself swiftly overpowering Pazl and rescuing Bashar, earning all the glory. And I, of course, was merely the obstacle preventing his heroic feat.
