CH 14

“…..Senior?”

The quiet monitor flickered for a moment before changing its screen. It showed a man who claimed to be Day entering the central control room.

The man tilted his head and met my gaze, as if he was concerned about my lack of reaction. His golden irises, reflected in the light, shimmered like dewdrops on the sun. Amidst the tense crevices of his composed and gentle expression, something burst out.

Ah.

It was a sigh.

A sigh for my own ignorance for not being wary of the man dressed in a prison officer’s uniform. At the same time, I gasped at his unrealistically attractive appearance which took my breath away.

How close was he staring at me?

If I had exhaled even a little louder, my breath might have touched the tip of his nose, like a veil.

Similarly, if his tightly closed lips had just opened slightly, revealing the relaxed smile he had hidden while opening the door, his cool breath would have also touched my nose.

I couldn’t avoid his gaze.

When I faced Deon, I felt as if I had fallen into a trap of overwhelming fear. However, these golden eyes seemed to coil around my face like a snake, erasing my very existence in an instant.

He was a man with both masculine lines and beauty. Despite the concerned expression on his face, the surreal atmosphere seemed to have been carved out of a divine plan.

“You’re not saying anything. Are you hurt somewhere, Se…?”

So I ended up grabbing his firm wrist without even realizing it.

It was because I felt a sense of fear from his approaching touch. However, despite his actions appearing guarded to others, his gentle gaze suddenly sharpened.

“I’m sorry. I was too absent-minded…”

Instantaneously, I seized his thick wrist that couldn’t be grasped by a single hand and deftly wrapped my fingers around it, as if I had intended to do so from the beginning.

“Is Day alright? I came here after hearing the news and was worried that something was wrong with Day.”

This person is Day. He is Lemony’s junior, whom I knew. I don’t know why the hell he’s pretending to be a prison officer in front of me, but pretending not to know is my best option for now.

I hypnotized myself and placed my hand on his loosely tied necktie. What should a senior do when they meet their juniors? I assumed that since I had checked his wrist, I should also check other places as well, using my high-level intuition.

While roughly pulling the necktie and mumbling words of concern, suddenly his thick and long fingers slightly bent and covered the back of my hands.

“Senior.”

It seems like the small, white hands were swallowed up in the huge man’s hands.

“If you tie it like this, it’ll come undone even more.”

He soon took my hand and gently applied pressure like an adult teaching a child how to walk, helping me grip the tie tightly.

“If you’re not trying to take it off, it’s better to tie it like this.”

In the midst of his deep, husky voice, a hint of laughter bubbled up.

Without a second thought, he deftly bent my fingers and gripped my hand tightly, almost as if he was attacking it. The tie peeking out from his shirt collar tightened slightly.

It was a peculiar sensation. Despite my efforts to resist his touch, I found myself caught in his grasp.

“….Ah, I see. I didn’t know, it was my first time tying someone else’s tie.”

Finally realizing the situation, I cautiously withdrew my hand, but the snake-like hand grasped my wrist as if finding it amusing.

“That’s nice.”

The mask of innocence that he had seemed to wear was peeled off.

“Because I’m your first.”

The man was smiling, his lips curled as if he was about to fall in love any moment. His calm gaze and golden eyes showed an interest in me.

The way he acted and his relaxed smile was not Day’s. From the moment he took my hand in his, he had been slowly shifting his behavior.

The awkward atmosphere tightened in an instant.

It had to be Day. If this man was Day, then I was safe.

“By-by the way, the situation is not good.”

Pretending to ignore the subtle change, I continued talking. After observing me for a while without saying anything, he finally took his eyes off me.

“That’s right. But I’m glad that Senior Lemony is still alive.”

It meant he was going to watch me for now.

Finally, the breath I had been holding escaped my lips. But this was just the beginning.

Ian Ermest.

The youngest son of the Duke of the Southern Empire, Ermest.

According to the original work, the Duke Ermest family has been serving as faithful hunting dogs for generations to the Southern Empire imperial family. The Duke of Ermest was responsible for everything the imperial family wanted to conceal in secret, and in the process, Ian ended up being imprisoned as a first-class prisoner on behalf of the Crown Prince who caused an accident.

It was unbelievable that such a golden youngest son was imprisoned.

If it were me, I would have opposed it even if I got dirt in my eyes, but the situation was different for the emotionless Ermest family.

The Duke Ermest family was originally a group of demigods.

Half-human, half-vampire creatures began to emerge, possessing unimaginable power and unrealistic goals of secretly taking control of the Southern Empire. It is said that one of their plans was to serve the imperial family to gain their trust.

Thanks to them, the Goldtrian imperial family of the Southern Empire, who had completely trusted the Duke Ermest family, began to show a more cruel face than demons.

The kind Emperor who only looked at the Empress began to enjoy both men and women under the protection of Duke Ermest.

The brilliant mind of the Empress, who took control of the politics and social circles of the Southern Empire, thanks to the intelligence gathered through the information network of Duke Ermest, which she obtained by tearing someone’s mouth apart overnight.

The solemn Crown Prince, who said he could sacrifice even his life for the honor of the Goldtriam family, actually envied Duke Ermest. The two families, who continued their eerie symbiotic relationships like light and shadow, eventually twisted and fell into the Crown Prince’s jealous admiration.

The reason was that the Crown Prince, who realized that the Ermest family was not human but a demigod, began to enjoy blood like them. In the end, the Crown Prince’s heinous act of killing 40 women and attempting to bathe in their blood was disguised as Ian Ermest’s hobby.

In fact, Ian Ermest didn’t enjoy taking blood baths. He just liked blood more than other family members.

However, this one fact alone was enough to justify imprisoning Ian in Dreys Prison in place of the Crown Prince.

As a half-human, half-vampire creature with a particularly strong vampire tendency, Ian had a fierce desire for blood. During his missions, if he came across a woman he liked, he wouldn’t kill her but instead would imprison her and continue to drink her blood. This peculiar hobby of his was also a headache for the Ermest family.

As a result, Ian was imprisoned as a fifth-class prisoner in Dreys Prison. And a few days later, for an unknown reason, he became a first-class prisoner.

The reason was not mentioned in the original work.

Of course, I have read the entire story, but the genre of 『The Shackles on My Hands』 was an R19 romance, so all the character settings existed solely for the sake of the scenes.

The only thing I remember is the scene where Ian, who tasted the smell of raw meat from the hands of the female lead, Leilia, imprisoned her in his cell, gently comforting her and holding her neck against the door.

In summary, this description implies that Ian is a psychopath.

Sweat started to form in the palms of my hands as I paced around in the air. Although I didn’t know why Ian Ermest was showing interest in me, the situation was better than it was with Deon. As long as this man continued with his strange act, there was a corner to escape.

“I think we’d better take a look at the situation.”

I spoke with a poker face, swallowing my dry saliva without showing any signs. Since I was playing the role of a senior, it seemed better to use a tone that would try to protect him as much as possible.

“You’ve only been working here for a month, so it’s unfortunate that this kind of situation is happening. For now, Day will be waiting here. The central control room is safer than other places. I’ll go to the other place to see how the situation is going.”

As I tried to slip out of the room without drawing attention, a broad figure in a thick uniform blocked my view.

“Are you saying you’re going to investigate the dangerous areas, Senior?”

Damn it. As I expected, it didn’t work.

“No. Everywhere is dangerous.”

I’m not sure what to say.

I feel like I need to say something to resist that charming face.

“And Day also has something else to do.”

He tilted his head with a smirk, as if finding the sudden change of topic amusing while maintaining his relaxed attitude.

“…do you mean me?”

“Yes, we’re in a state of emergency. So Day is obliged to follow my orders as a first-class prison officer.”

The man, who had been controlling the situation with a relaxed attitude, had a slightly narrowed gaze at the tone that sounded like an order, but surprisingly, he accepted my command, which seemed to be unconvincing.

“Of course, Senior.”

What the hell is your intention?

I asked while trying to hide my collapsing expression.

“In the past, Day had moved from Building B to Building C in a short time, right?”

“Yes.”

“Can you go to the 7th floor of Building B again and come back? We’re out of food, but there might be some left in my private room on the 7th floor of Building B.”

“Okay, I understand.”

“When you come back, let’s share the food together.”

“Are you giving it to me too?”

I tried to say something to wrap things up quickly, but it was the first smooth conversation that had been interrupted.

His steps, which were about to pass in front of me, stopped.

“Of course. Aren’t you hungry Day?”

“…I’m hungry.”

I wonder if this man also gets flustered at times. When I looked at him with widened eyes at his unexpected trailing off, he quickly caught up to me with big strides and whispered in my ear, seeming embarrassed.

“I have a somewhat picky taste.”

As I realized what his “picky taste” meant, I froze like an ice block.

“When you come back, give me my favorite food.”

The man who glanced at my lower lip secretly, slowly walked away from the central control room with a leisurely step.

I must leave this place no matter what.

◆

Desperate footsteps began to move.

As soon as I entered the emergency exit, which led directly outside, a spiral staircase made up of endless steps stretched out before me. The sound of footsteps became faster and faster. Whether it was because of the thought that I had to run away as fast as possible or not, my mechanically moving feet had now left my will.

“Damn it.”

Why did I only realize it now? Swearing words burst out of me in desperation.

The “picky taste” that he mentioned earlier probably referred to my blood.

I finally realized why he chased me all the way to the 6th floor when he aimed a gun at Deon. Goosebumps appeared on my palms.

“You can comfort me a little more.”

I realized at that moment. Ian was staring fixedly at my palm, which was stained with blood. At the time, I thought he was just worried about me, but the situation would be different if he was ‘Ian Ermest’.

This man chased after me by sniffing my blood.

It was then.

As I almost slipped and stumbled on the slippery marble staircase, I quickly grabbed onto the railing. Just then, the footsteps that had been one step ahead of me abruptly stopped from above.