“So… Catherine, please.”

David buried his face in their intertwined fingers, spitting out those words with difficulty like vomiting up what was inside. Hot fever and cold sweat mingled and settled down.

Only then did he feel that the touching skin was excessively hot. Catherine realized that what she had thought was merely her hands being cold had actually been a mistake.

“Please don’t listen to the evil thing’s words.”

It will destroy you. It will show you what you want and whisper the words you most desperately wish to hear, then destroy you… David’s voice came through quite clearly when he said those words.

“You don’t need to trust me. But I truly…”

The voice that had been clearly audible suddenly faded like it had lost strength. Because of that, the voice that followed wasn’t clearly heard. And there was no chance to hear it.

Suddenly, she saw pitch-black shadows falling over the dimly shining red light. Catherine felt a presence approaching above their heads and turned.

A familiar figure had appeared at some point, looking down at the two people from very close by. She could see it holding a black cane.

Catherine, who glimpsed that form, found the suddenly appeared vision of the previous Count strange and raised her gaze a bit higher.

The next moment, meeting those red eyes, Catherine realized it wasn’t the previous Count. It was the evil thing. The evil thing’s pupils slid downward like they were slipping.

Then, seeing David who was practically clinging to Catherine while only exhaling rough breaths, the evil thing’s lips curved deeply.

The evil thing approached Catherine and David, holding the cane in one hand. Standing close to them, it looked down at David with a dry expression and spoke.

“Pathetic.”

Then Catherine blinked at its more natural attitude than before, watching it slowly close and open its eyes for several seconds like sighing.

It had been the same when speaking about faith… but now the evil thing truly resembled Saul.

From its straight and upright steps to the gestures that followed its movements, trivial body language, the dry expression and voice revealed on its face, the low and neat tone and calm manner of speaking…

Everything was exactly like the Saul that Catherine remembered. If she hadn’t met its eyes, and if she hadn’t known of the evil thing’s existence, Catherine would have mistaken it for Saul…

“Catherine.”

Catherine, who had been looking at the evil thing, turned her head at David’s whispered call. At the same time, she felt hands that nearly embraced her, wrapping around her shoulders. In the moment she turned, David pulled Catherine toward him.

She had no presence of mind to resist or react. Catherine, whose attention had been stolen by the suddenly appeared evil thing, was pulled along in a daze, nearly falling into David’s arms. 

Her body, losing its center, fell backward, and solid arms caught her body. Then she was pushed back. When Catherine finally came to her senses completely, she could see David’s back blocking her way between her and the evil thing.

Cold sweat rolled down his contoured cheeks. It slid down like a many-legged insect crawling and gathered at the tip of his chin. Then it fell.

Drip. Drip. The falling wasn’t ordinary. Catherine was about to place her hand on David’s shoulder when she saw the evil thing’s gaze looking down at David fall to her and stopped. 

Catherine’s eyes narrowed somewhat as she faced that dry expression. Suddenly, she could see the evil thing’s lips twitching.

Hmm. However, the evil thing that seemed about to say something soon stopped twitching. Instead, it exhaled a low, heavy breath, making a sound like air resonating in its nostrils. Then it wiggled the fingertips holding the head of the cane.

Tap. Tap. Tap. It tapped with such clear movements that it created the illusion of hearing tapping sounds. Then, gripping it tightly, it looked away from Catherine, tilted its head slightly, and asked.

“Do you intend to keep staying like that?”

The evil thing’s tone in asking this was somewhat distant from purely seeking an answer. It sounded like mocking. No, it wasn’t that it sounded “like mocking” but was actually mocking. 

The evil thing’s gaze looking down at David, and the words that followed, proved this.

“This makes you no different from a hunting dog.”

The evil thing lightly touched its chin with the hand not holding the cane, like gently rubbing it. Then, with an expression lost in thought, it opened its eyes shallowly and once lifted and lowered the cane forcefully.

Thud. The sound of striking the thick carpet was heard. The evil thing whispered in a warning tone.

“Stay still.”

Then I won’t threaten you. Speaking, the evil thing lowered its hand to grip the middle part of the cane and extended its head toward David. Then it struck his shoulder.

Because the evil thing’s unexpected action was extremely swift, both Catherine and David couldn’t react immediately.

For a moment, a sound like striking bone with a blunt weapon rang out. Gasp. Unable even to scream, the sound of David gasping was heard.

As David crouched holding his shoulder, thud, the small sound of something falling was heard.

The evil thing, with the groaning David before it, swung the cane once more to strike away whatever had fallen. In an instant, something that appeared pure white flew away, and the sharp sound of it hitting and breaking rose.

“David!”

Catherine, who belatedly grasped the situation at that sound, hurriedly approached the crouched David.

However, David, while gripping his shoulder and gritting his teeth to swallow the pain, pushed away Catherine like blocking her from coming forward.

“Run, away.”

Then he whispered in a barely gasping voice. Catherine, hearing those words, frowned, unable to understand David’s attitude.

“What are you saying right now?”

Catherine couldn’t help but ask back in disbelief. Run away? Setting aside his attitude of telling her to flee and leave him alone, Catherine doubted whether he had really heard what she had said.

At the same time, the sound of the evil thing clicking its tongue briefly was heard. Though she thought it wouldn’t be heard, those words seemed to have reached the evil thing as well.

The sound of the evil thing, strangely contorting its eyes, bursting into hollow laughter followed.

Then, after a brief pause, the evil thing twisted its lips once more in laughter at what was amusing about David’s words.

Then it lightly shook its head and asked back without hiding its incredulous gaze.

“Didn’t I tell you to act like a gentleman?”

Because the evil thing said this while looking at Catherine, Catherine blinked, not understanding the sudden words for a moment. However, she soon realized who the familiar-sounding words were directed at. Catherine’s gaze fell to David.

David also looked up at it with an expression of belatedly realizing the evil thing’s words were directed at him.

However, he didn’t seem to understand those words. Rather, he seemed to be trying hard to ignore the evil thing’s words. But he couldn’t do the same with the following words.

“How dare you try to manipulate the master of Cavendish under the false pretense of protection.”

Does he need your protection? Or do you not respect him? And the way it glanced at David was extremely insulting.

“…!”

David’s breathing, who had kept his mouth shut like he didn’t want to react to the evil thing’s words, could be heard becoming disturbed. David, who had stirred his body once like getting angry, soon closed his eyes tightly like feeling dizzy.

Taking advantage of that gap, the evil thing’s gaze fell to Catherine again.

“Catherine.”

The evil thing’s call resonated quietly. Catherine, who had been unconsciously fiddling with the family ring on her right ring finger, lifted her head.

Their eyes met. It looked at Catherine with the same dry expression as usual. And it asked only one thing.

“What do you want?”

“Don’t listen.”

Two voices overlapped and rang out. The evil thing whispered, and David advised in a voice mixed with groans.

“I wanted to show you everything if possible, but…”

The evil thing added, staring at Catherine with red eyes.

“Please, don’t listen.”

David’s voice followed like an echo behind those words.

The situation doesn’t seem favorable. The evil thing’s gaze briefly touched David and fell away. Catherine…! David’s voice, like it was difficult to call out loudly, rose shallowly after spitting out a short cough, then subsided.

“Tell me what you want.”

David’s back was heaving like he was gasping for breath. To Catherine, who was watching this for a moment, the evil thing spoke again.

“Anything is fine. You may continue the wager or end it.”

I will follow your will. Seeing the truth or burying everything depends entirely on your hands. At the sudden proposal, Catherine closed her mouth.

The evil thing’s words were explicit. If she continued the wager, she would see the truth, but if she buried it like this… Catherine looked at the gasping David.

If she ended the wager, what would happen to what he wanted to know? Saul? The evil thing? Questions without answers floated in her head. Catherine, please. 

Along with David’s low voice, he reached out his hand like trying to hold onto Catherine. Catherine stepped back, avoiding David. Catherine? Leaving behind his confused call that rose up, Catherine stood up.

“If I end the wager…”

Then, avoiding David’s gaze as he tried to twist his crouched body to look back, Catherine stepped back one more step and lifted her head.

The wall touched her back. Looking directly into the red eyes, Catherine asked.

“Can you promise that all of this will end?”