Chapter 3-1: A Family Lunch

After finishing lunch, some servants led by Sir Geoffrey cleared the table.

After that, Kayden deliberately accompanied the father to discuss in the office.

Leon who was cursing Nam Shin inwardly, reluctantly left the guest room so as not to be late.

Dennis, who had been looking at her from time to time, seemed truly helpless when she suddenly stood up from her seat while pulling on her gray backpack and coat, and he did not know how to proceed.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He had thought a lot about finding a common topic between them inside his head, but he did not dare to say it, and he sighed sadly following her.

"Dennis?" She said looking at him innocently as soon as they reached the parking lot for him to stop.

"Oh, of course" he replied.

He didn't want to complicate things with her. However, she noticed his strange look towards her.

And How beautiful her voice sounded when she said his name to his ears.

"Then.. Can I talk to you and tell you something?" she said, while he stiffened for some reason and narrowed his gaze.

"Sure. I'm listening" he stated with a serious expression and then clenched his jaw.

“Well. The thing is… I…” She hesitated, looking from afar.

She didn’t know how to phrase the sentence correctly in her head so she stammered.

She knew he was nervous, but she didn’t understand why.

And along the way, I watched him carefully; while he remained silent.

“Can… can we forget the past and start a new page together?” She said, determinedly determined, peeking out as she cheered.

“I… I know very well that I made a mistake. Therefore, I want to correct our relationship.”

“Although I don’t know much, I will try my best. Please?” With a flushed face and a guilty tone, she said all at once; This caused him surprise and his eyes widened.

'That was the longest sentence he had heard from her so far!'

At that time, he confessed. But it was the first time he had seen her like this.

‘Is this also called a confession?’

"Of course. Silly girl” He inhaled deeply, smiling, and shook his head repeatedly in the affirmative, impressed amidst a joyful expression.

Immediately after that, she surprised him with a tight hug. "Thanks"

He was happy, despite his confusion.

He had never expected such a sweet gesture from her, one day.

As a result, he hugged her gently; inhaling the scent of peony and lavender emanating from her and the strands of her pink hair.

Automatically after that, he closed his eyelids, contemplating the moment silently as she did.

And feeling her in his arms, willingly, before they separated was so sweet and surreal.

"Let's go"

××××

Chapter 4: Distorted Memories

Compared to the previous situation, it was really hard for her to forget the memories.

On that day of that year, amidst the dense fog and flashes of the past; she met Cadris for the first time.

He was a young man in the prime of his adulthood.

He had elegant American features with a lean, solid body, strands of light yellow and wheat hair, green eyes with a sharp jaw.

Without her realizing it, her little feet, led by those white hands, had stopped shaking.

Her feeling of madness, amidst her previous screams of resistance and wailing, was like a symphony of war. Harmful.

Automatically after that, he ordered the place to be evacuated and then calmly approached her and broke her siege.

The friendly smile he threw at that six-year-old girl made her look at him with a blank look and a confused mind; before she inhaled his soothing scent, and her tension slowed down.

"It's okay. I'm here, I'll get you out"

When her little feet stepped on the cold floor again, and her eyelashes sparkled; he whispered in a sweet, soft voice while trying to get closer to her; while he surrounded her cheeks with his hands and her breathing became disturbed.

It was really hard for her to bear.

"Shhh... You're okay now .Breathe” he whispered to her repeatedly, like a soothing sleep lullaby, in his embrace.

And the warmth emanating from him was strange and unfamiliar.

Suddenly, her eyelashes trembled, and her limbs quickly grabbed him as a spontaneous reaction, when he straightened up from the floor, carrying her.

"Are you coming with me?" He asked, and she looked at him with incomprehension.

"We will go together far away from here, no one will hurt you" he repeated, with a reassuring, giving smile.

"Just.. be obedient, and nothing will happen to them. I've taken care of it" She tilted her head hesitantly, so he sighed and added.

Immediately after that, her eyelashes quickly sparkled brightly, like a puppy, and she nodded.

×××××

Step by step, he led her outside.

The white room, the solid bed frame, her two sisters; the familiar, similar faces, the Modern technology, the lab, the security guards, the study, and so on.

They had completely shrunk in size, over time, as she climbed into the helicopter.

Also around that time of that year, Cadris had once told her that this world was a programmed game whose population could easily be replenished.

And because she believed it, she really believed his words and supported him.

Ultimately, someone had to sacrifice for the safety of others.

About 100 feet off the ground, she kept her eyes on the landscape and big city landmarks that looked like elaborate Lego toys, for the first time.

At that time, she was sitting next to him.

The cool breeze, the sunlight, and the clear sky seemed new to her.

Looking at it, she was not okay.

When Kadris got off the helicopter, in a mountain house on the remote road, she froze in place unsteadily; she suddenly felt threatened and uncertain.

‘Why was she with him?’

This place was completely unfamiliar to her.

The wooden design of the ground house and the landscape in the garden were striking.

When she looked at the dewy green grass, her limbs stopped moving forward cautiously.

With a confused expression, she raised her head and then looked towards Kadris, contemplating.

'This thing, it could have threatened her life!'

Just then, he walked towards her with a gentle smile and looked particularly attractive.

"Look. It's safe" he said, walking over him repeatedly, demonstrating patiently.

In the end, she bit the inside of her cheek, sighed secretly, and then tried to get off.

"Ummm...!"

This feeling, it wasn't bad at all. As a result, she smiled at him faintly and continued.

When she wanted to advance towards him, more, she suddenly fell to the ground and lost her balance.

This was out of the usual script.

Somehow, her memories brought her back to her last moments. To that cruel, contemptuous look.

Under the mask of love.