CH 7

“Dad, that beggar is sleeping in my room!”

The shouting brought the boy to his senses.

‘What was I doing?’

Dazed, he couldn’t think straight.

Soon, he heard thumping footsteps and a shout from the orphanage director.

“You, worthless child! I asked you to pay for your meals, and you’re just hanging around?”

Suddenly, the boy realized the situation he was in.

He fell asleep while cleaning Heiron’s room, the son of the orphanage director.

“Th-that was my mistake. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.I’m sorry, Director.”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Heiron’s feather-filled duvet looked so cozy that he leaned his head against it and fell asleep.

“Since you didn’t do your job properly, there will be no dinner tonight. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Go to the solitary room and reflect on what a lazy, selfish child you are until tomorrow morning!”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

No matter how much the boy begged for forgiveness, it was no use.

The director shoved him into the cold attic.

The boy went to a corner and curled up as best he could. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.He tried to think of happy, joyful memories to take his mind off the cold.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

However, the only thing that kept wandering in his head was the director’s wife’s affectionate voice that soothed the angry Heiron.

“Good boy. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Don’t be angry, sweetheart.”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

The voice pierced through his fevered mind like an ice pick.

‘If I were Heiron, I’d never be a bully.’

‘If I had a mom, I’d be the nicest kid in the world.’

‘I would do everything I was told to do and be a good boy so I could help pay the bills.’

Again, and again…….

As he thought about these ‘what ifs’, he ended up sobbing under his breath.

The boy curled up into a ball and swallowed his sobs to endure the loneliness. 

His hands and feet grew cold and numb, but his body continued to heat up. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.He felt like a snowman abandoned in the summer sun.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

At this rate, it seemed that his whole body would melt, and in the end, he would disappear from the world forever, leaving behind only wet spots and tattered clothes.

He wanted to scream for help, but his throat was swollen, and it was hard to breathe.

‘Maybe I’ll die like this without ever seeing my mom’s face.’

In such fear, the boy barely whispered the words he had never let out of his mouth before.

“……Mom.”

‘I am here.’

‘Can’t you just hold me just once before I melt away like a snowman?’

‘If I was destined to disappear, I wanted to melt away in the arms of someone who loved me.’

It was just then.

Someone grabbed his limp hand and held it tightly.

‘……who?’

A large, warm adult hand.

He tried to open his eyes, but he didn’t have the strength to move a single eyelid.

“No matter what…. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.happens… … I will protect you.”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

A voice whispering like a lullaby, so cozy it could bring tears to his eyes.

It didn’t melt the boy like snow but made him more and more solid. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.He couldn’t understand what was being said, but it was reassuring to hear.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Then something as soft as a petal touched his forehead and fell away.

“Sweet…… dreams, Leo.”

At that moment, the boy’s eyes fluttered open.

The dazzling morning sunlight spilled white onto the bed where he lay.

He looked around quickly, but all he could see was an empty chair at his bedside.

“……Dream?”

But the warmth on his forehead was too vivid for a dream.

The boy murmured, rubbing his feverish forehead.

“I wonder who Leo is.”

It was a riddle he could not answer now.

* * *

The sun rose in the early hours of the morning.

Thoma stretched out on his back for the first time in a long time.

“So, this is life.”

He couldn’t be happier that the pesky little boy was nowhere to be seen.

Whether it was the nightly scares with the story of Belinda or the fact that his complexion was getting darker by the day, he hadn’t returned to the quarters last night.

‘He must have made a big mistake and got kicked out, right?’ he thought gleefully.

Giggling at the empty bed, Thoma suddenly felt a chill and rubbed the back of his neck.

Was the window open? Why did it give him the creeps…….

“Let’s see, you look good. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.The way you’re lying there with your legs stretched out.”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah, lady?”

For whatever reason, he could see Belinda standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.

He stood up quickly, but it wasn’t out of fear, it was out of politeness.

A body that will take care of Sybel, who will become the head of the household.

There was no reason to fear a noblewoman who had fallen from grace.

‘I have to do that…’

A strange chill ran down his spine.

Belinda’s gleaming eyes and the way one corner of her mouth twitched into a smile were breathtakingly terrifying.

Again.

Belinda took a step closer.

“You know, I don’t like it when anyone messes with my stuff.”

Thud.

Belinda’s clenched fist touched Thoma’s forehead.

That was all it took, and Toma’s legs instantly gave out and he fell limply to the bed.

“But what happens when your muscles have rotted away and you’re looking like a sprouted potato?”

Thud.

Belinda’s high-heeled shoe aimed and slammed squarely into the space narrowly in front of Thoma’s crotch.

“Hic!”

By a hair’s breadth, Thoma managed to preserve his dignity, but he was far from relieved.

“How dare you put your hands on what’s mine.”

“Ugh,” Thoma choked out as Belinda’s fan crushed his dry throat.

He couldn’t lift a finger to get rid of the fan, because the look in Belinda’s eyes was like that of a madwoman.

“Take it away. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Sorry, I’m sorry…….”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

“That’s weird. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.I thought you knew better than anyone what happens when you make eye contact with me.”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Puck.

At Belinda’s elegant sarcasm, Thoma fell flat on his face, oblivious to the crack in his knees.

But there was no time to feel the pain.

With a flick, the tip of Belinda’s fan touched the nape of his neck.

“If this happens again, you know better than I do what will touch your neck instead of this fan.” 

He didn’t dare to breathe, as if the thing against his throat really was already blade. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.It was too much to bear.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

And so it was that Thoma could not rise from his seat for a long time after Belinda had left.

* * *

“Well, that feels good. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.You got caught by me. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Very simple, boom!”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

How dare you bully my boy?

Belinda came out of Thoma’s quarters and wiped her hands with a refreshing face.

The testimony of the servants, who had been assembled since dawn, had unraveled Thoma’s behavior.

As it turns out, this wasn’t the first time he’d thrown out a new servant for being too impudent.

With a lighter expression on her face, Belinda was walking down the hallway spinning her fan.

In the middle of the dark corridor, she stopped, as if she’d spotted something.

A low gasp escaped Belinda’s lips as she stared blankly into space.

“Oh?”

For the first time in the past week, the sync numbers had changed.

***

As if the peace of the past week had been a lie, the Blanchette mansion was in an uproar this morning.

“The lazy bastards. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.How many times do I have to tell you to roll out the red carpet where I step!”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

“Have the best patisserie in the kingdom bring me limited edition macarons of each type.”

“They’re hard to get, you idiot. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.You could always beg in front of the shop.”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

I, Belinda Blanchette, the culprit behind the noise in the mansion, held my head high as I made ridiculous demands and enforced my whims on my hired help.

After ranting and raving for a while, I glanced at my sync stats.

Thanks to all the misbehavior that I had gradually accumulated, my sync numbers were climbing.

Two days ago, at dawn, I realized it only after I got rid of the bully who bullied Leo.

The actual conditions for raising the synchronization level.

Acting indifferent like Belinda? Naturally, I tried it on the first day of my possession.

However, the synchronization level, which did not budge at that time, changed when I kicked Thoma’s ass.

I wondered what the difference was, and the answer was simple.

It was that both the “body” and the “mind” acted like Belinda. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.To be the perfect Belinda, I had to become her mentally as well as physically.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

It seems like I’m gradually stepping on the accelerator toward the death ending, but what can I do?

“For the sake of my Leo, I’ll play the part of the main villain.”

Before escaping this place, at least let’s say the main character’s name for once properly!