## Chapter 254 – Malice (17)
As soon as the two entered, Reina stared blankly at the closed rift before asking Low,
“Ryoo went with her… is that alright?”
Low answered slowly, as if he had already expected it.
“Yes… that child also has one truth they must realize….”
“Let’s go for now… can you offer me a cup of tea?”
Reina was worried about Veronica and Ryoo, who had disappeared, but she also knew that Low would never harm them. All she could do now was to serve Low, who intended to stay here for a while, with the utmost care in Veronica’s stead.
●
The intense sunlight, almost blinding, made Veronica instinctively frown.
She was barely getting used to the clear sky, so different from District 4. As Veronica slowly opened her eyes, she saw a small cabin, an endless forest, and beautiful flowers everywhere. She could hear the sound of water flowing in the distance, so there seemed to be a valley as well.
District 3 was the most likely place to find such a peaceful area, but it was dangerous to jump to conclusions. First, she needed to figure out where she was. Veronica turned to Ryoo, who was standing blankly beside her, and said,
“Wait here.”
Veronica left Ryoo alone in front of the cabin and headed into the forest. Ryoo urgently called out to her retreating figure,
“W-Wait a minute! If you move around recklessly like that….”
About ten minutes passed. Veronica, who had been walking straight ahead, suddenly reappeared behind Ryoo. Veronica looked around with a bewildered expression.
She didn’t give up.
But if she could escape by simply walking, Low wouldn’t have said those meaningful words. Despite repeated failures, Veronica continued to move in different directions, but eventually, she always ended up back at the cabin.
The wandering that began in the bright, intense sunlight only stopped after the sun had set.
Veronica sat down on the grass with a weary expression, clicked her tongue, and opened her mouth with a resigned tone.
“Looks like I’m trapped here.”
Ryoo, who had been watching Veronica waste her time from the grass without entering the cabin, spoke with an incredulous expression.
“You’re only realizing that now?”
Veronica bit her nails with an anxious expression.
“I don’t have time to be doing this….”
In contrast, Ryoo seemed relatively calm.
“Won’t Low let us out when the time comes?”
Veronica stood up, glared at Ryoo, and opened her mouth.
“Yes, that’s the problem. When do you think Low will let us out of here? You can be so calm because Low might let you out if he gets lonely.”
“It’s not just me, Veronica. Low cares about you too.”
Veronica chuckled and replied,
“Don’t be presumptuous.”
But she didn’t seem to dislike it entirely as she scratched her head and spoke in a calmer voice than before.
“It doesn’t seem like there’s a way to get out of here….”
Veronica’s brow furrowed again. Watching her go through so many facial expressions in an instant was quite amusing.
“The problem is that necklace….”
It was obvious, but this was not an environment where Veronica could work. The surrounding space was made of Low’s magic, so Veronica’s abilities didn’t work, and there was no equipment to speak of. In other words, it was a space solely for rest.
Ryoo cautiously stood next to Veronica and pointed to the cabin.
“Let’s go inside for now.”
“Yeah… nothing will be solved by staying outside.”
The interior of the cabin, which she was entering for the first time since arriving, was spacious enough for two people. A bookshelf filled with books covered one wall, and a small flame was constantly burning in the fireplace facing the sofa, without any firewood. A faint magical energy could be felt in the wooden cabin, and it even felt like her body and mind were melting into comfort.
After passing through the living room and seeing the only bedroom, Veronica said to Ryoo,
“You sleep in the bed.”
“Me?”
“Why? Don’t tell me you want to sleep with me? Sorry, but I’m not an easy woman who gives it up just because I slept with you once.”
“I never thought of that….”
Ryoo said that because she didn’t want to have a relationship with someone she didn’t want to, but Veronica, who took it as, ‘You’re a woman who doesn’t have an ounce of sexual appeal, no different from a man!’ made a strange noise with a resentful expression.
“Eeeek…!”
Veronica chased Ryoo out and slammed the door shut, saying,
“Then get out! I’m going to sleep in the bed! And I’m going to shower first!”
Veronica let her hair down, barely caught her breath, and slowly looked around the room. A bed just the right size for two people to sleep in, and a small wardrobe. Veronica checked her condition once again.
Her clothes were torn and dirty from fighting Reina and Low in succession, and from wandering around the forest all day. She couldn’t possibly sleep in these clothes. She opened the wardrobe, and fortunately, there were quite a few spare clothes inside. They all looked clean enough to believe they had been taken care of until yesterday.
“There are clothes to change into.”
It was nice to change into new clothes in the wardrobe, but all the clothes inside were silk pajamas, which she rarely wore.
Veronica stood in front of the mirror in an awkward pose and muttered,
“Is this all Low’s taste? Luckily, the size fits….”
Feeling a little sorry for chasing Ryoo out, Veronica came out to the living room wearing white pajamas, noticed Ryoo’s gaze, and preempted him before he could say anything.
“D-Don’t laugh!”
Ryoo had no intention of laughing at her. Rather, he was captivated. Until now, the Veronica that Ryoo had seen was someone who wore work clothes and sweated profusely, someone far from being feminine. Ryoo stared blankly at her for a moment before revealing his honest feelings.
“I wasn’t going to laugh?”
“Then what’s that face you’re making, grinning at me?”
Was he smiling? Ryoo touched his face in disbelief. And he had to admit it. She, in her different attire, was an attractive woman enough to captivate Ryoo’s heart.
“…It just suits you.”
Veronica’s face instantly turned red at the small compliment. She had never worn these kinds of clothes in front of other people, so this was the first time she had received a compliment that they suited her.
Veronica avoided Ryoo’s eyes and tried to maintain a haughty attitude, saying,
“The bed is quite big… if you want, I don’t mind sleeping together. I-It’s not like I want to sleep with you, so don’t get cocky!”
Ryoo chuckled at her image, which was completely different from her first impression. Her tone was still sharp as if it were thorny… or so one might think, but the red blush on her face revealed her true feelings.
“Okay. Then let’s sleep together later.”
Veronica added one more thing as if not to forget.
“W-We’re just sleeping together! If you do anything weird while we’re sleeping, I won’t let it slide. Got it?”
Unlike her threatening words, there was a hint of anticipation in her eyes. He pondered for a moment how to take this situation, but eventually nodded and replied.
“I understand. I will never lay a finger on you, Veronica.”
Veronica was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected answer, but she couldn’t help it since she had brought it upon herself.
“Aren’t you sleepy yet? Let’s get some air for a bit. There’s something I want to show you.”
“We’ve been outside all day, and you want more air?”
“You were just in front of the cabin. And when an adult tells you something, just say ‘Yes!’ and follow along.”
Veronica put on the shabby coat she had worn when she came here over her pajamas and forcibly dragged Ryoo outside by grabbing his wrist. Veronica went into the forest and sat down in a flower-filled clearing.
“How is it? Not too bad, right?”
It was a common sight even if you just went to the back mountain of Aser, but Veronica, who had spent most of her time in District 4 except for her childhood, found this scenery to be completely different.
“You know? There are no flowers in our district, so I’m honestly envious when I see things like this.”
He decided to humor her for now.
“Why don’t you take some and plant them?”
“Do you think they’ll grow well if I plant them? In that hot place? These weak ones can’t survive there… All I can do is support them from below so that this upper side is peaceful. Because it’s something someone has to do.”
“You’re much more thoughtful than I thought, Veronica.”
She playfully pushed Ryoo’s shoulder and replied,
“What? Do I look like such an ignorant woman to you? That’s only true for muscle-brained idiots like Orca.”
“That’s true.”
Whenever he heard the Demon Kings talking badly about Orca, he somehow felt a little relieved.
“I was a little overwhelmed at first… but taking a break like this doesn’t seem so bad.”
“Low sent you here to rest a little. He’ll let you out of here when you’ve rested well and your condition improves.”
“Yeah, I have no choice but to believe that now.”
Veronica and he didn’t have any other conversations after that, but it had been a long time since silence didn’t feel awkward. Just sitting still and feeling the breeze made her heart quite peaceful.
Then, Veronica cautiously opened her mouth.
“U-Um….”
“Yes?”
She was staring intently at him. Her lips kept twitching as if she wanted to say something. And finally, as if she had made up her mind, she took a short breath and barely managed to utter the words that had risen to the back of her throat.
“…Thank you.”
Veronica’s slightly smiling figure blended in with the night view, making it feel like she was melting into a painting.
