6.

So Eze managed to escape outside.

Thud.

Unable to contain his anger, Lucian slammed the back of his head against the wall.

“Damn it!”

No matter how much he cursed, the frustration didn’t subside.

Lucian glared at the empty air with fiery eyes.

‘Why do I have to be trapped in a place like this?’

He felt unjustly treated.

His mind was blanketed in raging anger, and his insides were boiling.

However, the most turning point seemed to be…

[Then make a decision.]

The voice, fragrant like a poisoned fruit.

[Either firmly grasp a certain way to escape from here, or…]

The honey-colored eyes gazing down on him, cold and indifferent.

[Or waver weakly and end up being trampled.]

Elze Lepherian.

She was the only one who clearly declared that she would stand by him in this suffocating situation.

He knew he shouldn’t trust her.

Yet…

…he found himself tempted by her outstretched hand.

‘Seriously, this is not funny at all…’

Lucian couldn’t help but chuckle at his own absurdity.

The most ridiculous part was that he was giving meaning to Elze’s actions one by one.

‘That woman didn’t even question my escape.’

Today’s escape attempt by Lucian would undoubtedly reach the ears of the Marquis of Offenheir.

Elze would probably be questioned about it.

‘She must be quite uncomfortable.’

Victor, was that his name?

The sinister smile he used to give to Elze came to mind.

[This matter is so significant that it seems we should report it to the Marquis of Offenheir.]

With a self-assured attitude as if he had found a weakness, Lucian bit his lips.

His escape from the school must have been dealt with seriously.

Lucian gritted his teeth.

‘How pathetic.’

He felt frustrated for being unable to refuse or hold Elje’s outstretched hand.

He felt like a fool, harboring such measly expectations even in front of the school’s caretaker.

Unable to contain his anger towards this suffocating reality…

Lucian spent the night with wide-open eyes.

* * *

I stumbled back to my room.

Today had been too eventful, and my head felt like it was going to explode.

“Haah.”

Letting out a long sigh, I leaned against the door and plopped down.

I was extremely exhausted.

‘I wonder if my provocation… was effective.’

I recalled today’s events with Lucian.

‘He should regain his senses soon.’

Lucian was the most critical piece in my escape plan.

‘In the original, Lucian succeeded in escaping after awakening his abilities.’

So, I was also thinking of somehow helping Lucian awaken his abilities faster.

But seeing him standing there so stubbornly, even when I rushed and held his hand to move quickly…

It was frustrating.

‘Well, I can’t say I fully understand Lucian’s feelings either.’

He was suddenly brought to the school and imprisoned by his cousin, a complete surprise.

He must have been flustered, scared, and trembling with betrayal.

As I thought about that, I unconsciously shook my head.

‘Enough. Who am I to pity someone else?’

I was a bundle of death flags in this world.

Instead of sympathizing with each other, it’s better for me to focus on my own concerns and decisions.

Click.

The sound of the key I had put in my pocket echoed.

It was the key to the cell where Lucian was imprisoned.

I reached into my pocket and took out the key.

“…”

Staring at it for a while, I tightly clenched my fist around it.

The cold sensation of the metal seeped into my palm.

The escape from this damn book.

If I wanted Lucian to succeed…

‘Dante.’

As I recalled that name, my heart felt heavy as if I had swallowed a boulder.

‘Before Dante comes back… I need to take control of the school.’

The teachers at Rose Cross Boarding School were merely figureheads with nominal titles. In reality, the ones with power were two caretakers, excluding Dante.

One was me, Elze Lepherian, who happened to be Dante’s lover.

The other was the unfortunate Victor.

Though I had more authority by default,

<I’m your lover, yet you want me to be treated the same as Victor?>

…I had complained to Dante with tears and tantrums.

Due to that, the staff would outwardly respond with “Yes, yes,” pretending to follow my orders.

But in reality, they would only execute my commands after getting permission from Victor.

‘But from now on, it can’t be like this.’

If I didn’t take control, there would be inconveniences, and more importantly, I needed to avoid any mishaps with Victor.

In the original story, Elze ignored Victor and received a heavy blow to the back of his head.

The repercussions were so severe that even Dante’s fleeting interest in Elze disappeared.

‘Dante is probably getting tired of me by now, and with this Lucian incident, he must be even more disappointed.’

I quickly calculated in my mind.

‘In that situation, I can’t further erode his fondness for me.’

Dante was a man who held my life in his hands, so at the very least, I had to prevent him from developing any more negative feelings.

‘Besides, it’s better to have someone trustworthy on my side.’

But it can’t be any of the staff employed by the school.

No matter how hard I try to make them mine, I can’t escape from Dante’s shadow.

So, the target of my conquest is…

‘The students.’

Not all students are in the same position.

Depending on the external circumstances or the reversal of the succession competition, some students might be needed in the outside world again.

And in very rare cases, some may return to their original places after leaving the school.

Leaving the school.

Unlike escaping, it is a legitimate way to leave the boarding school.

However, it can only happen with Dante’s permission, and those who leave must pledge not to reveal anything about the school.

So far, there hasn’t been a single person who broke that pledge, mainly because they feared Dante’s influence.

‘Alright.’

I twisted the corner of my lips.

* * *

The underground room was filled with exhaustion and darkness all around.

Thud!

Flames blazed brightly.

“Phew.”

A man let out a long sigh.

Gray smoke filled the space thickly. With a cigarette hanging between his lips, the man rolled his eyes, looking down at the figure sprawled at his feet.

“These little rats are quite fascinating,” he remarked.

Underneath the man’s feet lay a sturdy body of a young man, soaked in blood, sprawled out.

“Kill them, and kill them again…”

Gazing at the fallen body, the man playfully shrugged his shoulders.

“They just keep coming out.”

In the underground room that had been filled with terrifying screams not long ago, now, eerie silence pervaded. The only sound that broke the silence was the man’s muttering.

The man narrowed his eyes and playfully nudged the fallen man’s body with his toe.

“Why don’t you answer?”

“….”

“Ah, right.”

The man instantly softened his expression and smiled lazily.

It was a creepy smile.

“I’ve made sure you can’t answer.”

The man glanced briefly behind him.

The secretary who had been standing quietly behind him spoke up.

“Is this my fault?”

“How could it be, Your Grace?”

In response, the secretary politely extended a clean pair of gloves.

The man took off the blood-stained gloves, dropped them carelessly on the ground, and accepted the new pair of gloves.

“I have something to report.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about Lady Elze.”

Even though he heard the name of his lover, the man’s face still appeared indifferent.

“It seems Lady Elze made a mistake. She didn’t properly check the locks on the solitary confinement where Duke Kalleid is being held.”

“Oh, really?”

The man responded casually.

“Well, Elze has made such mistakes not just once or twice.”

There was no anticipation or excitement in his voice when talking about his lover.

‘It’s about time to get rid of Elze.’

Elze Lepherian.

A woman who seemed to be made of roses and honey, one bite would give you a sweet taste.

At first, her desperate pleas for his love amused him, and he allowed her to stay as his lover, filling his need for affection.

‘But now, it’s becoming boring.

Her turned-away obsession might have somewhat filled the void of Dante’s lack of affection in the beginning.

But now, her clingy behavior, claiming she loves him, has become tiresome and repulsive, just like any other woman who has come across him.

“However, according to the report, Lady Elze’s reaction was slightly different this time.”

“Her reaction was different? How so?”

“According to the report, Victor warned Elze.”

“Warned her?”

“Yes. The Marquis may be disappointed in Lady Elze because of this incident, but…”

The secretary spoke cautiously.

“…she didn’t seem to care at all.”

At that answer, a faint emotion flickered in the man’s crimson eyes for the first time.

“Really? Elze?”

The name of that emotion was curiosity.