Towards the Winter Cabin of Serenity and Madness, Cinderella Runs - Chapter 43
Perhaps she heard Kyden’s voice from afar, Roniti exclaimed with all her might.
“Hey! Is someone there?! Help me, please!! I got caught in a trap chasing that devilish b***h!! Help!!”
Roniti’s desperate cries reached them, causing Roel’s face to drain of color. As she began to turn around, Kyden’s large hand covered her eyes. He gently redirected her gaze and muttered indifferently.
“A monster got caught.”
“….”
Roel froze as Kyden scooped her up and continued up the mountain. Despite Roniti’s screams echoing behind them, he remained calm as if he heard nothing. Roel, unsure of what to say, opened and closed her mouth silently.
They soon arrived at the cabin, and Kyden set her down. He fixed her with a sharp look, his piercing yellow eyes demanding an explanation.
Roel felt an overwhelming urge to clarify the situation. She could no longer avoid it.
“Kyden, I… About what happened, you see…”
Her words stumbled out awkwardly, but Kyden shook his head, guiding her to a chair. He knelt before her and lifted her skirt to inspect her injuries.
“Let’s take care of these wounds first.”
“I went to the village to get medicine…”
“I know, you left a note.”
“But the person who chased me, she’s my…”
Kyden clicked his tongue as he examined her torn legs.
“Tsk, this is the medicine?”
“Yes, but… she’s my aunt, and she was chasing me because…”
Kyden seemed uninterested in her explanation, focusing instead on applying the medicine she had painstakingly gotten for him.
“That’s for you, Kyden…”
“That wasn’t your aunt, it was a monster.”
“….What?”
“Sometimes they disguise themselves as people and attack. You must be careful not to fall for their hallucinations.”
Roel blinked in disbelief at his words.
A monster? That can’t be. She looked exactly like Roniti. She even knew all about Roel’s mistakes.
Kyden, who had been applying medicine to her leg, looked up. His steady gaze met Roel’s, soothing her anxiety.
“That’s why I told you it’s dangerous out there. The forest is full of all kinds of monsters.”
“A monster?”
“Yes, a monster.”
Facing his unwavering gaze, Roel felt confused. Has she really seen a monster? Was it possible that she had been experiencing hallucinations? Had everything she saw and heard been a trick of the monster?
If so, then Roniti had never chased her, and those harrowing, piercing cries were just figments of her own fears.
She felt dazed, as if wandering through a thick fog. Anxiety, relief, and doubt tangled messily in her mind.
As Roel stared vacantly into space, Kyden stood up. Placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, his calm, low voice pulled her back to reality.
“Stay calm.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to deal with what’s caught in the trap.”
“Don’t go! It’s dangerous!”
Startled, Roel grabbed his arm. Whether it was a monster or not, she was scared. She didn’t want Kyden to face whatever it was.
“If I leave it, it’ll become a bigger problem.”
He said, gently removing her trembling hand from his arm. He gave her shoulder a reassuring pat before turning from her.
Roel couldn’t stop Kyden from leaving. She watched helplessly as Kyden walked out of the cabin.
‘Was it really a monster? Really?’
She wondered if she was losing her mind. She knew that the only way to calm her confusion was to confront it again. But Roel couldn’t bring herself to follow him.
She was terrified he might learn everything. She felt pained by the secrets she couldn’t bring herself to confess. And she felt a deep loneliness, fearing her ugly sins would forever isolate her in darkness.
Roel curled up like a frightened child and waited for Kyden to return.
Clack-!
The door burst open, and Kyden returned. Roel trembled with fear, watching his expression closely for any signs of change or hints about what he had encountered.
Kyden raised an eyebrow as he looked at Roel, who was curled up on the chair.
“What are you doing over there?”
“…”
“Come here. You need to apply some medicine on.”
Groaning slightly, he sat on the bed, slowly removing his shirt and pants. His solid, imposing physique was revealed. He patted the bed next to him, urging the frozen Roel to come closer.
“Aren’t you going to put the medicine on me?”
