Chapter 3: M!@a...$r-..y?
"Kael, look! This color really suits you!"
Mary beamed as she tugged him into a blue suit.
"But… hmm, this one makes you cute too," she added, swapping it for a brown outfit before Kael could even blink.
"No, no, no... this one's even better!" Now he was in black coat, and Mary clasped her hands in delight.
Finally, with a nod, she declared, "This won't do. Everything suits you! I'll just buy them all." She produced a checkbook with terrifying speed. Making Kael immediately sweat in nervousness.
"W-wait!" Kael finally broke his silence. "I'll pay for it. Just… charge it under my name…"
And that was when he asked himself:
('How did it come to this?')
Ah, right. The "date."
Sneaking out of the academy had somehow led Kael into his current predicament. Trapped inside a men's boutique, being dragged from one outfit to another like a living mannequin. Honestly, it was more exhausting than sitting through three hours of Professor Mayhem's monotonous lectures. At least during those, he could take a nap.
He never imagined Mary would have this much energy. From one place to the next, cafés, restaurants, shops, clothing and jewelries stores... he'd lost count of how many they'd visited. The sheer number of paper bags he was carrying said enough.
It was torture, really. For someone as frugal as Kael, watching Mary spend money so freely felt almost painful.
Come think of it... If she save 10 gold per day... she could buy a land after a year!
Despite saying that he will pay for his own clothes, Mary however, only smiled at his protest.
"Kael, you dislike spending the most, especially when it's your family's money. So… let me pay instead."
That wasn't wrong. Despite being the son of a baron, Kael never liked throwing around wealth he hadn't earned.
But how in the world did she know that? No matter where he looks, he never told it to anyone. The question sat on his tongue, but he swallowed it down.
" I just… feel uneasy letting Lady Marionette pay—"
"I told you to call me Mary, didn't I?"
"... Um... Mary..."
"So cute! I wish I have a camera in this era so I can record that expression of yours!"
('What the hell is a camera?')
And just like that, Kael was defeated. Utterly, quietly defeated. With a sigh, he sank into the nearest couch, deciding that resistance was far too much effort.
As he leaned back, closing his eyes, Mary suddenly stood as if something important had just struck her.
"Ah! That reminds me. I need to check on something. Will you wait for me?"
Kael gave the smallest of nods, feeling too exhausted to give a small reply. If anything, the quietness of the room while she was gone might be the first peace he'd had all day.
The moment Mary left, Kael seized the opportunity. With a quick glance around, he pulled out a small, suspiciously wrapped book from his bag.
The title glared up at him like a curse.
[How to Become the Perfect Boyfriend: A Professional Love Expert's Guide!]
"Ergh…" Kael grimaced. The words alone made him want to bury his face in the couch. But at nineteen years old, with the romantic experience of a rock, this was all he had.
If only Mary had scheduled the date next week, or at least tomorrow! He could've prepared properly. But no... she had announced it suddenly, and the only preparation he managed was faking a bathroom break at the library just to smuggle this book out.
And it wasn't because he wanted to impress her. Absolutely not. Of course not. This was purely for politics! Family honor! Stability of ties! He tried to convince himself so.
Still, the embarrassment of the cover was too much, so he had taped over the title and wrapped it in parchment like some kind of forbidden grimoire.
He flipped to the first page.
[A man should always initiate the date with a sweet and romantic restaurant or café.]
Kael froze as his mind replayed the morning where every café, every plan was initiated by Mary.
"…Ah. Right."
He turned to the next page.
[He must sweetly compliment his woman, and always strike conversation with her.]
His stomach dropped instantly. As far as he remember, he had been quiet the whole time. Of course, not out of dislike. It's just… he wasn't the chatty type. For him, Talking was energy and energy was precious.
But he still took note of it after all, he wanted to be a proper man for their next date at least.
Next page.
[He must treat her, gift her jewelry and flowers.]
Kael closed the book slowly. His eyes twitched for a moment when he remembered... Every single thing, every gesture, every coin spent had been done by Mary.
"Wait… doesn't this make me the woman in this relationship…?" he muttered completely horrified.
Suddenly, his blood ran cold. His pride as a man was under siege.
"This won't do!" Kael whispered fiercely, flipping desperately to the very last page.
[And finally… you must have a big dic—]
SLAM!
He clapped the book shut so hard the sound echoed, then hurled it to the floor.
"This is a goddamn devil book!" he hissed. For once, even his laziness couldn't hold back his outrage. He slumped back on the couch, utterly drained. "Woah… I'm so tired…"
His eyes drifted to the shop door.
"…Come to think of it… she's been gone a while."
The thought slipped into his mind like a cold draft. How long had he been reading that cursed book? Thirty minutes? An hour?
Unease pricked at him. He rose sluggishly to his feet, shaking off the fatigue with effort.
'Did something happen to her…?'
His brow furrowed. Without another thought, Kael made his way toward the back door. Where the last place he had seen Mary go.
Something was wrong.
The room was silent, unnaturally so.
Not a single guard patrolled, no receptionist lingered at their post, not even a stray maid or butler moved about.
Mary had insisted they have their "alone time," but Kael knew very well the truth: servants will always watch and guard their master, especially those higher status.
Yet here, the corners were empty, and Kael can't spot a soul from the window.
Kael's chest tightened. Each step toward the back door echoed too loudly against the marble floor.
Then it hit him.
A stench so heavy it clawed into his nostrils. The smell of rotten putrid made his stomach churn violently.
He staggered into the nearby wall, nearly retching.
"…Decay animal?" he muttered hoarsely.
His eyes dropped to the ground and froze.
Across the marble floor stretched a dark, glistening smear.
A trail of blood can be seen as though something heavy had been dragged.
Kael's throat closed up, but his legs moved before he could think. He followed, finding himself half running for his dear life.
And then he saw it.
A familiar body of Mary.
She laid crumpled on the floor as her white uniform was ruined, soaked in blood.
Her abdomen was torn open. Her intestines spilled out like coils of butchered rope, shredded and smeared across the tiles.
Chunks of meat clung wetly to her dress, and her pale arms twitched weakly in the pool of her own viscera.
Her black hair fanned across the floor, strands sticking to her bloodied cheeks. Her lips parted as if to speak, but only a wet gurgle slipped out.
Kael's body locked. His vision began to tunneled, while bile crawled up his throat. Cold sweat poured down his temples, tracing icy paths along his skin.
He find himself couldn't move, he couldn't breathe.
It was as though the world itself had stopped, leaving only the stench, the blood, and the horror of Mary's broken body before him.