Chapter 4: The Doll Sheds Blood Again

They say human affairs are like the story of Saeongjima… ups and downs.

Right now, I can’t move.

Of course, it might be because my body is a mess, but I’m also held in Lilac’s arms, unable to even lift an arm.

I’ve been like this for two hours.

‘How did it end up like this…’

I remember Lilac feeding me stew, and then burning the roof of my mouth and my insides because I ate it wrong. After that, I suddenly vomited blood, and then…

‘I screwed up…’

I lost consciousness after vomiting blood, and when I opened my eyes, my clothes and Lilac’s pure white uniform were stained red.

In short, I have to compensate for that…

Glance. Glance.

“?”

The pure white uniform… no, the uniform stained murky with blood keeps bothering me, so I keep sneaking glances at Lilac, who is still holding me.

‘Save me…’

As I kept glancing furtively, Lilac, who was behind me, spoke first.

“Does it bother you that much?”

Isn’t that obvious?

Her expensive clothes were ruined because of me.

As a proper (former) citizen of the Republic of Korea, this isn’t something I can just overlook.

Being a (former) Korean to the bone, I can’t help but worry.

“Of, cou- Khm. Of course, it bothers me. Khm.”

I answered while still watching her reaction.

No matter how cold-blooded she is, she wouldn’t demand an astronomical sum from a kid with a broken body, right?

Still, just in case, I answered timidly.

Life is unpredictable.

But somehow, my throat feels a bit better… I dismissed it as just my imagination.

“Don’t worry and sleep.”

Whether I was being cautious or not, she didn’t seem to care much.

Lilac covered both my eyes with one hand.

Putting aside the worry about the uniform, could I even sleep like this?

We were still sitting on the chairs at the table.

There were no tents or anything like that in the campsite.

They brought cooking tools but apparently didn’t pack tents or such things.

‘Something about knights needing to know how to get deep sleep anytime, anywhere.’

I thought it was absurd.

Sleeping like that, you could get bitten by bugs, catch a cold, or get an upset stomach. Perhaps in this world, they don’t care about such things.

Apparently, the knight order was supposed to return today, but due to the variable that was me, they ended up camping.

I felt a bit sorry about that, but the knights actually liked it.

Saying things like, ‘When else would we get to camp if not for times like these?’…

‘Could they be a perverted group that actually enjoys catching colds?’

I didn’t even want to think about it.

Pat.

As I shook my head left and right, thinking creepy thoughts, a hand landed on top of my head.

My eyes were covered by Lilac’s hand, and my head was stopped by her other hand.

“Just sleep.”

A cold voice came from behind.

It felt stuffy without sight.

But she was the boss, so I followed her words.

I worried if I could really sleep like this, but as I closed my eyes and leaned against her, letting go of miscellaneous thoughts, I felt drowsiness wash over me.

And so, leaning against a woman for the first time in my life, on an incredibly uncomfortable chair, my first night after possession passed.

A bright morning dawned.

When I opened my eyes, everything in the campsite was gone except for the long wooden bench I was lying on.
Thinking they cleaned everything up while I slept made me feel sorry again.

‘Just a bundle of trouble, aren’t I.’

This felt just like waking up at my relatives’ house during the holidays.

“You’re awake?”

As I made a sheepish face, Lilac asked from nearby.

Her tone seemed softer, but maybe not.

My throat was dry from the morning, so my voice wouldn’t come out. I answered with a slight nod. Then she came towards me and raised her arm.

Flinch.

As Lilac approached and reached out, I unknowingly flinched and closed my eyes.

But her hand only took the jacket that had been covering my body.

It seemed holding me until morning was too much, even for her, so she had laid me on the bench and covered me with her jacket.

Pat, pat.

Lilac put on her jacket, straightened the wrinkles, opened the water canteen she held in one hand, helped me sit up from my lying position, and let me drink.

Gurgle, gurgle.

The water touching my lips flowed down, wetting my lips, mouth, and throat.

It seemed I had no jaw muscles, as the water kept spilling, which felt wasteful.

‘Just how broken is my body?’

After finishing the water, I spoke with my newly hydrated throat.

“Thank you.”

This time, I said it all at once.

It was short, but it was something.

This damn body seemed to barely have any muscles.

After offering my thanks, I looked up at Lilac.

Lilac placed the empty canteen on the bench and sat behind me where I was sitting.

Then, just like yesterday, she hugged me.

“……”

I don’t know why Lilac is doing this.

Being powerless and weak, I just let her do as she wishes.

“Aren’t. You hungry?”

Lilac pulled my stomach closer to hers and asked.

It felt a bit strange as she rubbed my stomach while speaking…

Anyway, I answered.

“I am, hungry… but what can I, khm. do? Right now. Cough. I don’t think I can, eat anything right away.”

It was the first time I spoke at length, and it was tiring.

If just talking consumes this much stamina, what am I going to do in the future…

Maybe I’ll gain some weight if I eat some food.

My body is practically skin and bones right now.

Perhaps dissatisfied with my answer, Lilac narrowed her brow and spoke.

“We’re going to the Duchy soon.”

‘I see. So they’re returning now. Is this the end of the road for me…?’

“Want to come with me?”

That was a relief.

I thought she was going to abandon a person who couldn’t even use their body.

I felt slightly relieved, but a question arose.

“It’s, not a problem, khm. if I go with you… But if I go, I’ll just be a nuisance-.”

“You agreed then. It doesn’t matter. I’ll take care of it.”

Ah.

Judging by her tone, my opinion was excluded from the start; she just asked out of courtesy.

A bit cheeky.

But what can I do when I have no power?

“Is that so.”

“Yes. So you don’t need to worry.”

Her words did reassure me.

At least it seemed I wouldn’t starve to death or anything.

‘If she’s taking a commoner, it’s probably to make me a maid in the noble house, right?’

That wasn’t bad.

Except for the fact that I can’t work.

“I can’t even work.”

“I told you not to worry.”

As if reiterating her point, Lilac brought her hand up with a slightly annoyed expression and covered my mouth.

It became a similar scene to yesterday.

While my mouth was covered by Lilac’s hand, the old man in the suit suddenly appeared.

It was the old man I saw yesterday.

“Lady Lilac.”

Lilac ignored the old man who bowed deeply in respect and gestured with her hand.

It didn’t seem strange for a noble child.

“The two escaped Majin have been eliminated.”

“Good work.”

As the old man was about to disappear with a swoosh, Lilac raised her hand towards him.

Still covering my mouth with her other hand.

“Ah. Wait. Butler, bring a carriage from the Duchy.”

The old man, called Butler, nodded in reply before disappearing.

Where does that old man, no, Butler, keep popping out from?

As I harbored that question, Lilac seemed to read my thoughts and explained.

“He’s our Ducal family’s butler. He’s quite skilled in assassination, so I trust him somewhat.”

‘What on earth is this Ducal family that they employ such an outrageous person as a butler?’

“You’ll be seeing him often from now on, so get used to his face.”

‘So, I really am going to work at the Ducal estate. But what kind of work am I supposed to do?’

Since my mouth was covered, I nodded twice.

It felt like a leash had been fastened.

‘It won’t be dangerous, right…?’

Judging by how Lilac treats me, it doesn’t seem like she’d harm me.

But just in case, it seemed better to stay tense.

Though it would likely be meaningless.

“The carriage should arrive down below soon. Let’s get going.”

The wealth of the Ducal family really is something.

To come to such a remote countryside, and so quickly, it must be quite an expensive carriage.

I was sad I couldn’t even ride a Mercedes in my past life.

Though comparing it to this is wrong, of course.

As I was thinking that, Lilac stood up from her seat and picked me up.

I’m probably the only one reminded of someone picking up a slightly large doll.

Basically black, the door featured a dragon motif in gold and red, and ornate golden threads decorated the entire exterior.

I envied the nobles who still had money left over after pouring so much into this.

If I become a maid, I should ask for a high salary.

Not that I have the guts to.

Lilac, holding me, opened the carriage door and entered.

The interior was also splendid, and the space was wide enough to lie down with room to spare.

Lilac placed me down inside the carriage and said she would go get the knights, closing the carriage door.

Come to think of it, I wondered where the knights went; it seems they were still in the forest.

I didn’t see them, so I thought they had returned first.

And so, I killed time lounging on the carriage seat, evaluating the knights.

Then, I sensed movement outside the carriage, and footsteps began.

Thud. Thud.

As the footsteps grew closer, my faintly beating heart began to pound strongly. Thump-thump.

Those weren’t Lilac’s footsteps.

Lilac barely made any sound when she walked.

It couldn’t be the knights either.

Lilac went to find them first; they couldn’t have missed each other.

Someone unfamiliar, neither Lilac nor the knights.

That presence approached the carriage.

“Are you sure there’s a girl inside?”

“I saw her with my own eyes. Definitely.”

“Then let’s finish this quickly and go back. I don’t want to get nagged by the Commander.”

At least two.

I heard the conversation of mysterious men.

The mention of a ‘girl’ seemed to refer to me rather than Lilac.

Seeing the carriage crest, they wouldn’t call Lilac a ‘girl’.

Unless they called her by name.

No matter how I thought about it, the ‘girl’ was me.

Creak.

The carriage door opened, and an unfamiliar man entered.

I rolled my eyes to check the man’s hand.

A well-sharpened dagger.

I could feel the sharpness that could easily cut through ordinary skin.

Sensing death, I shouted with all my might.

“Save me—!!!”

Stab!

But unfortunately.

My cracked voice couldn’t even come out loudly.

And the dagger the man thrust pierced through my abdomen.