Towards the Winter Cabin of Serenity and Madness, Cinderella Runs - Chapter 32
Roel was conflicted about whether to run away or turn away. She realized it would be futile. If Kyden chose to catch her, she wouldn’t make it a few steps before being caught.
Resigned, Roel staggered to her feet and stood silently. She waited for her fate like a criminal, her face filled with fear as she swallowed her tears.
After what felt like hours but were only minutes, Kyden approached her with a deep sigh and stopped in front of her as her trembling got worse. Up close, his expression was a mix of relief, anger, and frustration.
However, he soon swallowed his words and lifted her into his arms. He saw Roel’s distressed state at first glance.
Why isn’t he saying anything? Is he just angry…? She didn’t dare to ask.
Roel clutched at his coat, hoping desperately that he was only angry.
He remained silent, and Roel was terrified. The forest around them was still dark and quiet.
* * *
Back at the cabin, he sat Roel down and pointed to the note she had left.
“What does this mean?”
“…..”
As Roel was silent, he slammed his hand down on the table. Roel’s shoulders trembled in surprise.
“I’m asking what this means!”
His gaze was icy, his voice boiling with rage. Startled, Roel stuttered to speak.
“I, I just felt like a burden… I thought….”
Her mind went blank and she couldn’t find a coherent excuse. Roel folded her hands and bowed her head deeply.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… I was wrong…”
Seeing his anger drained all color from her. Her heart felt like it was torn. Just like when Roniti was scolding her again. She only had thoughts to quickly relieve his anger. It was all her fault. Her stupidity and worthlessness had angered him.
“I’m sorry… Please forgive me, I was wrong.”
“Ha.”
At Roel’s repeated apologies, Kyden straightened up and rubbed his forehead. He was struggling to contain his emotions before turning his back to her and gritting his teeth. He placed his hands on his hips with head bowed.
After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Kyden raised his head again. Roel was still muttering and begging for forgiveness.
Kneeling before her, Kyden met Roel’s gaze. He gently lifted Roel’s lowered face and kissed her lips with a serious face.
Roel’s face was a mess of tears. Her lips swollen and her eyes puffy. Her body was cold and frozen.
As Kyden softened his gaze, Roel pleaded once more.
“I was wrong, all of it. Please don’t be angry. I’m so sorry.”
She hoped for his forgiveness. She hoped he wasn’t angry. She was so scared of the possibility of being hated that it felt like she was going to die.
Roel was caught in a panic, unable to see anything other than Kyden’s current anger. She couldn’t think about anything else.
Kyden sighed softly before speaking.
“….I’m not angry.”
“…..”
“I just want to know what the problem was… Did you not like me?”
There was no problem with Kyden. The real issue lay within Roel herself. Her guilt, the unbearable fear, and her fragile self-esteem were the problems.
Eventually, Roel struggled to open her mouth. She knew she had to say something. If she didn’t explain, it would just make him even more angry.
Roel’s eyes darted back and forth. She was contemplating speaking honestly but she found herself unable to speak.
Confessing to fleeing after killing someone required a lot of courage.
Furthermore, what made her hesitate even more was the realization that Kyden might not have heard anything about her in the village. Given Kyden knew limited people in the village, it was likely he was unaware of her past.
A cowardly and sly part of her wondered if revealing everything might unnecessarily disappoint him. Wouldn’t it be worse to reveal something that he was ignorant of? Her cunning and cowardly heart was whispering to her.
She didn’t want to disappoint him and she didn’t want to make him angrier. Roel did not want to be remembered as a terrible person who killed a relative and ran away.
“Did you leave to go back home?”
“No, no.”
“Then why did you leave?”
“It, it was just a joke!”
“What?”
“I was hiding around the cabin, planning to surprise you, but then I, I got caught in a trap and hurt myself…”
Caught in a trap on her way back to the cabin, it was fortunate that Roel hadn’t strayed too far from the cabin. She was found nearby so she hoped to be understood.
Kyden, seemingly couldn’t believe her explanation, squinted. Roel lifted her skirt to reveal her ankle.
Her ankle was injured and torn. The sight of her swollen, twice its normal size right ankle, marked by cuts and bruises was serious. As she was engulfed in panic upon seeing Kyden’s anger, Roel hadn’t even realized the pain she was in.
“I was caught tightly in the trap, and it took a while to free myself.”
“….”
“If Kyden hadn’t come, I might have died there…”
After finishing her excuse, Roel swallowed hard. As she looked at the ankle with her own eyes, the pain started to intensify.
Roel bit her lip, attempting to bear the pain. At the same time, Kyden’s expression also twisted.
