## Chapter 256 – Malice (19)
Veronica barely managed to get out of bed, her eyes bloodshot and hollow, as if she hadn’t slept a wink all night. She felt a surge of resentment towards Ryu, who was sleeping soundly beside her, seemingly oblivious to the turmoil he had caused. She could feel herself changing ever since this man had arrived.
Watching him breathe steadily, completely unaware of her inner struggles, made her want to play a mischievous prank. She pinched Ryu’s nose, obstructing his breathing, and watched his reaction. Soon, Ryu’s face turned red, and he woke up with a startled expression.
Veronica chuckled and said to him,
“You’re awake?”
Ryu took a deep breath, stretched, rubbed his sleepy eyes with his fingers, glanced at Veronica, and sighed deeply.
“You’re being awfully playful this early in the morning.”
“Let’s get some breakfast. I don’t know about now, but you used to be a slave, so I assume you can do some housework?”
“Huh? Breakfast?”
Ryu had only ever been served freshly prepared meals by the mansion’s chef. He had never cooked for anyone himself. Besides, Acer hadn’t brought Ryu along with the intention of making him do chores.
Veronica looked taken aback and said,
“You can’t? Then what can you do?”
Ryu pondered for a moment, scratched his head, and replied sheepishly,
“Night, uh, nighttime activities?”
Hearing that, Veronica ran a hand over her face as if she had a headache and shook her head.
“Look at the state of District 7… I thought Acer had been acting strange for a while now, and it’s all because of you.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Veronica chuckled at Ryu’s audacity and said,
“Well, you certainly made him brighter. The only side effect is that he’s become a bit of an idiot?”
In the end, the conversation concluded with Veronica preparing breakfast. She grumbled, but despite her appearance of someone who only ate raw protein, she began cooking with skillful movements. Ryu, drawn by the appetizing aroma that he used to smell at the mansion, hovered near Veronica and asked,
“What do you usually eat, Veronica?”
“Me? I just have some bread or porridge for breakfast and start working right away. I’m only doing this for you.”
She stopped there, realizing something was off, and her ears turned red as she began to stammer an excuse.
“I-I mean, doing this for you doesn’t mean I like you or anything. It’s just that if you’re hungry and can’t use your strength properly, I won’t be able to face Lord Low…”
Seeing that, Ryu chuckled and replied,
“Okay.”
“What’s with that look? I mean it!”
After a series of twists and turns, Ryu finished his meal with a satisfied smile. Veronica, seeing this, asked,
“Is it good?”
“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much, but it’s delicious. How did you make it taste like this…?”
Veronica flicked Ryu on the forehead, who had a genuinely puzzled expression, and dragged him outside.
“Let’s go for a walk after you finish eating. I get restless if I stay here.”
Even though it wasn’t his intention, Ryu stretched, feeling refreshed as he was hit by the cool breeze as soon as he left the cabin, as if relieving all his worries.
“It’s nice to relax like this sometimes.”
He didn’t know how long he would be in this space, but he had everything he needed.
The fact that his abilities didn’t work could be seen as a critical weakness, but since Low had created the space himself, there was no real threat.
A space solely for relaxation.
Of course, Veronica didn’t like it. She felt that her skills were deteriorating even as they spoke. But there was no way out for now, so she simply accepted the situation.
Ryu, following Veronica into the forest, opened his mouth in an excited tone.
“I like forests.”
“Isn’t that just because you’re a dragon? Dragons like to hide in forests or caves.”
“Maybe. But I spent most of my time with Acer and Low picking flowers in the forest… I think that’s why I have good memories of it.”
“Hmm, flowers… I haven’t seen one since I came to District 4. We’re all tough guys, so we don’t give each other things like that. Wouldn’t they prefer a hammer?”
“Surely not. Why don’t you give them one first, Veronica? People will change little by little if you do that.”
Veronica playfully flicked Ryu on the head, her face flushed, and said,
“H-How could I do something so embarrassing?! Me, giving those guys flowers?”
Veronica recalled the sight of her subordinates swearing and shouting at the drop of a hat. She still couldn’t forget the sight of Reina, who had the second-highest position among the women in District 4, shouting across the room, “I’m using it, you bitch!” when Reina was looking for her missing hammer before starting work.
Giving flowers to those crazy women with that kind of sensibility? She would be lucky if they didn’t laugh in her face. Ryu rummaged around for Veronica, who was deep in thought, and snapped off a yellow flower that resembled her hair color and held it out to her.
“Here, just take it.”
“Well… it’s not bad.”
Unlike her words, Veronica kept smiling as she looked at the flower. She thought that it wouldn’t be bad to feel this way.
“No one has ever given me a flower before. Honestly, it doesn’t suit me, does it?”
Saying that, she stroked her arm muscles, which were noticeably different from those of an average woman. Even if the women around her were all similar to her, she knew that this was not the body of an ordinary woman.
Sometimes, she would look at the dress she had cherished in her closet since she was a child, not her sweat-soaked work clothes, and imagine herself wearing it. But when she thought of that image, it was as if she was being thrown into a cruel reality. The thigh muscles revealed under the skirt and the clothes that were so tight they seemed about to burst. No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t suit her.
Veronica smiled awkwardly, but Ryu asked back in a serious voice.
“Why do you think so? It’s true that your body is different from other people’s, but I think that’s what makes you so unique. Um… like, healthy beauty?”
Veronica’s face turned red, and she stammered.
“W-What are you saying? Are you a pervert? What’s so good about a woman like me…?”
Ryu smiled playfully and replied,
“I never said you were good. I just said you were attractive.”
Veronica’s face was still red, and she didn’t know what to say, so she pursed her lips. She glanced at Ryu’s face, but his expression was still full of mischief. Looking at that face made her feel stupid for thinking so hard.
She scratched her head and replied curtly, but one could vaguely feel the soft heart hidden within her rough words.
“Tch, I’m an idiot for asking you.”
Then, Veronica strode forward as if trying to erase unnecessary thoughts. The forest was quieter than she expected. Perhaps it was only natural. Ryu and Veronica were the only people there, so only the chirping of birds could be heard from time to time, and even the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves and bushes created a peaceful atmosphere.
Ryu followed her leisurely and opened his mouth.
“You walk fast, Veronica. Is it true that women are all about their lower bodies?”
“You’ll be like this soon if you work like me every day. You can tell you grew up pampered in the mansion.”
“I’m training in my own way. Charlotte and Acer sometimes train me too…”
Veronica scoffed at those words.
“So that’s how you trained to become someone who only knows ‘nighttime activities’? That’s quite impressive.”
Ryu shrugged his shoulders as if he was embarrassed.
“It might be a more useful talent than you think. Veronica too…”
Veronica, sensing that Ryu was about to mention what had happened back then, pressed her hand over his mouth and shouted urgently.
“Y-You’re crazy?! How could I have forgotten about that!”
Veronica took her hand away as if she had given up, wiped the saliva off on her pants, and continued walking. After walking for a while, they came to a small stream. Clean water flowed gently, and lush grass and wildflowers bloomed around it.
“This place has a nice atmosphere. I didn’t see it yesterday.”
Veronica bent down and put her hand in the stream. The cold water enveloped her fingertips, making her feel a little better. But her head was still complicated. Was it okay to spend time here like this?
Ryu sat down next to her and quietly looked at the stream. He could see small fish swimming in the water. He reached out and flicked the water slightly, then said playfully.
“You don’t need to think too much, Veronica.”
“What?”
“Well… you just seem anxious. Why don’t you relax while you’re here?”
Veronica glared at Ryu.
“What do you know?”
“I still don’t know much about you. But if even I can see that, doesn’t that mean it’s pretty serious?”
She sighed and looked down at the stream again. Her face, reflected in the water, was more vibrant than usual, with all the fatigue gone. She needed rest, that was definitely true. But it wasn’t an easy problem for her to accept, having lived her whole life working.
A small smile was unconsciously forming on her lips in the reflection.
●
How much time had passed outside was no longer important. What was certain was that it had been well over a month. But did it matter? Perhaps weeks, months, or years had passed, but the passage of time no longer had any meaning for them.
Only a peaceful day spent together, and a life of finishing the day, continued and repeated. There was no boredom.
It was now a time when it was natural for each other to be in each other’s lives.
As soon as Veronica opened her eyes in the morning, she naturally headed to the kitchen and asked Ryu. The action, which continued like an old habit, naturally took out the food ingredients from the shelf without looking.
“What do you want to eat?”
An familiar voice followed her question.
“I’ll have the usual, please.”
“You impudent bastard…”
Even as she said that, Veronica’s hands were naturally preparing a simple breakfast with familiar movements. When she brought out a simple sandwich, Ryu naturally took the sandwich in his hand, gently laid his head on Veronica’s thigh, and said in a languid voice.
“Umm… the moderately firm texture is the best.”
“Get off, you’re heavy.”
Veronica frowned and tried to push him away, but Ryu calmly readjusted his position. Veronica laughed helplessly as if she had lost, and naturally ruffled Ryu’s hair. As if she was used to this man’s pranks.
“It’s comfortable and nice like this.”
“Only you are happy. I want to go back right now.”
“Do you know how many times you’ve said that?”
“…What, what are you talking about.”
Veronica turned her flushed face away and said curtly again.
“Get up and move around a bit. You’re not going to stay like this all day, are you?”
“But there’s nothing to do even if I do that.”
At those words, Veronica pondered for a moment, then flicked Ryu’s forehead with her finger. Then, she muttered in a small voice.
“T-Then pick some flowers for me…”
Ryu momentarily doubted his ears. It was the first time since they had come here that she had asked for flowers directly.
“What did you just say?”
Veronica still avoided Ryu’s gaze and muttered.
“N-Never mind. You can just forget it if you didn’t hear it.”
But there was no way Ryu would let it go. He raised his upper body, brought his face close to Veronica’s, and stared intently at her face.
“Did the Veronica just ask me to pick flowers for her? The same person who said, ‘What am I going to do with these?’ when I gave them to you?”
“N-No? You must have misheard me?”
“Liar. I can see your face is red.”
Veronica’s face turned even redder, and she got up abruptly, moved away from Ryu, and gritted her teeth.
“Ugh! You’re so persistent. I just told you to do it because you were whining about having nothing to do! Okay?”
Ryu simply chuckled at her shout.
“Yes, yes, I’ll go pick flowers for you, Veronica.”
Her face turned as red as a beet, and she screamed.
“Ugh, really!”
As soon as Veronica’s one-word scream ended, Ryu went outside. Veronica looked out the window and saw Ryu walking into the forest.
Before long, a faint floral scent spread from beyond the forest on the wind. The subtle scent spreading in her nose brought a pleasant languor.
Along with the scent, Ryu appeared with dozens of flowers in his arms. The faded green, bright yellow, and light pink flowers sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight.
Even more sparkling was the sight of a man with a bright smile on his face, holding a bouquet of flowers and smiling brightly at her.
Veronica was momentarily speechless at the sight. Really for me?
As if answering her question, a small petal fell on her toes as the wind brushed past. A small yellow petal that resembled her. Only then did she realize.
That everyone had fallen for this man in this way.
