After Carol’s merely ceremonial state funeral ended, I was drinking in my bedroom. It’s not that I wasn’t busy. Until this moment, it had been my routine to sleep like the dead after an excessive amount of work. But even after overworking, I couldn’t sleep. So, I started drinking to pass the time after work.Eventually, I would finally get a light sleep in the middle of the night and wake up in the morning. For some reason, I didn’t feel sleepy during the day. However, spending sleepless nights alone was too painful, so I continued drinking late into the night when even the castle staff were asleep.
Whether my mind was going crazy, or it was something about my body, no matter how much I drank, I never felt good. My thoughts just became a bit duller, and the frequency of remorse decreased. That alone was enough reason to drink. To maintain just the right level of intoxication, as if adding water to a leaky vessel, I kept slowly pouring alcohol into my body. At the very least, as long as I was drinking, I didn’t feel bored or overwhelmed by sadness.
One evening, after sitting on a single-seater sofa and drinking for about three hours, the bedroom door creaked open. Narrowing my eyes to look, I saw a beautiful woman standing there. It was Enrique, dressed in somewhat provocative clothes.
“――How did you sneak in?” (Yuri)
“Does it really matter?” (Enrique)
I filled my glass to the brim with whiskey and downed it in one gulp. I felt a burning sensation in my throat, and a unique aroma pierced my nostrils. Dealing with this idiot was going to require more alcohol.
“You’re drinking a lot.” (Enrique)
“That’s right.” (Yuri)
“If I were an assassin, you’d be dead by now.” (Enrique)
“Go ahead and give it a try.” (Yuri)
‘No matter how much I drank, I couldn’t get drunk. I’ve tried it countless times, but just like before, there’s always a core part of my mind that remains clear. Maybe it’s because we don’t get along, but I can’t lose my reason. My reflexes and motor skills might be dull, and my reactions might be slow down and becoming clumsy, but I didn’t think I couldn’t fight. Even if it resulted in my death, it wouldn’t really matter. I probably wouldn’t feel any regret.’
“That’s why I like you.” (Enrique)
Enrique approached me and gently touched my cheek. Her hand, perhaps adjusted by some secret technique, felt warm, soft, and moist as it clung to my skin. She perched on the armrest of the single-seater sofa, placing her legs over my knees. She was in the way.
“If you don’t intend to kill me, leave.” (Yuri)
“Heh, you’re lonely, aren’t you?” (Enrique)
Her hand, which had been stroking my cheek, slipped into the gap in my shirt at the collar. She caressed me from my shoulders down to my chest. Her bare chest pressed against my face through a thin layer of fabric.
“Stop it, you’re annoying.” (Yuri)
“You’re sad because Carol-sama passed away, aren’t you? Shall I fill that void for you…?” (Enrique)
Enrique whispered in my ear. Then, she shifted her hips on the armrest to press herself against my side. Her slender legs slid between my thighs.
“It’s okay… You can do whatever you want with this body. Just like you did with Carol-sama, you can use me however you wish.” (Enrique)
“Stop it.” (Yuri)
I felt like a bug with too many legs was crawling all over my skin. Enrique’s tongue touched my neck, trailing up to my ear.
“Heh, how did you play with Carol-sama’s body…? How did you make her cry out…? Tell me…” (Enrique)
‘If I hadn’t been drinking, I would have exploded in anger already. But the alcohol made everything feel like a chore, and though a dark anger swirled violently within me, it remained suppressed.’
“I said stop…” (Yuri)
‘I said it almost as a wish. I knew she wanted to provoke me, but couldn’t she consider my feelings? No, she probably had thought it through and chose this moment, when my wound from losing Carol hadn’t healed, to provoke me.’
“How about here…? Or here…? Did you touch Carol-sama like this…?” (Enrique)
Even as I tried to remain emotionless, Enrique used her voice and body to reach my heart. She licked me with her tongue, pressed her body against mine, and slipped her hand inside my clothes.
I was nearing my limit.
“Hey, Yuri, can I get on top…?” (Enrique)
When Enrique imitated Carol’s voice and lifted her hips to straddle me from the armrest, my heart broke. As if swept away by a released torrent, my body moved on its own. I grabbed Enrique’s slender neck. I stood up and threw her down. I pinned her neck against the sofa cushion. Clenching my molars tightly, I squeezed her throat with all my strength without holding back at all.
“Do you want to die that badly―?” (Yuri)
Enrique smiled faintly even as his thin neck was being strangled.
‘If this is what you wish for, then I will grant you the death you desire.’
I tightened my grip on her slender neck even more and applied my full weight on her. Enrique’s throat emitted a frog-like sound. Frothy saliva dribbled from the corner of her mouth and ran down her cheek. Her eyes, filled with madness, looked at me with satisfaction as I strangled her. Enrique’s face gradually turned a bluish-black, and her body convulsed.
After a while, she became still.
I had killed Enrique.
—
When I placed both hands on her chest and performed CPR, Enrique regained consciousness on the twelfth compression. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ N0ᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.
“Gah! Ka――ah, ha!” (Enrique)
‘That should do it.’
I returned to the single-seater sofa and poured a fresh glass of whiskey.
‘Honestly, this woman was exhausting.’
“Kah――huff, huff.” (Enrique)
Even a perverted woman like her had a body that wanted to live. Upon reviving, she was desperately breathing with her entire being. Seeing her body working so hard to cling to life, desperately sucking in air, I felt pity. With a brain that irredeemably twisted, her body had a tough time. I felt deep sympathy for her body, burdened with Enrique’s brain despite having no sin of its own. I felt such sorrow that I almost cried.
‘Imagine having to put up with the whims of such a pervert for a lifetime.’
“Don’t push your luck.” (Yuri)
I blurted those words
I downed my whiskey in one gulp.
‘Maybe my own body deserves pity too.’
The alcohol began to take effect, and my anger-fueled excitement gradually faded into indifference.
“Ha, ha… did I die?” (Enrique)
Enrique’s voice was terribly hoarse, probably because I had crushed her throat.
“You did. I resuscitated you.” (Yuri)
‘It’s good you managed to come back to life. Or maybe it’s bad. If she hadn’t revived after three minutes, I would have given up completely.’
“Aha, haha…” (Enrique)
What’s wrong, did she end up with some lasting damage?
“It was so moving… Ah, it’s a pity to be alive…” (Enrique)
‘She’s truly beyond saving.’
“If you’re satisfied, leave.” (Yuri)
‘No, seriously, just leave already.’
“Yes—ah.” (Enrique)
Enrique tried to stand up but collapsed to her knees. Apparently, she couldn’t even manage to stand up.
“Ha… goodness…” (Yuri)
Feeling thoroughly reluctant, I knelt next to Enrique, placed my hands under her back and knees, and lifted her up.
“Ah—”(Enrique)
I carried her to the bed and laid her down.
“Sleep here tonight.” (Yuri)
“Yes… thank you…” (Enrique)
‘Thank you for what? You’ve been nothing but a nuisance.’
I grabbed a bottle of whiskey and a glass and headed to another room.