(unedited)

Lucy-faced Liel sat at her desk in the office and picked up a pen.

He’d come here to take care of her business. He had nothing to do until she got back anyway.

The nib settled on the paper and the jagged letters began to form.

It was Lucy’s handwriting, a far cry from Liel’s neat cursive.

* * *

Aside from my anxiety, the meal went well. It didn’t even take me ten minutes to finish it.

After a while, when Mamon took the utensils away, I laid down again.

I washed my face.

I felt a surge of irritation.

Why do I have to be like this?

Tears welled up in my eyes.

My jaw tightened in frustration and anger. I couldn’t think of anything else to do, so I tried punching the air.

Of course, it didn’t help my frustration.

Okay, let’s stop this nonsense and calm down.

There’s a silver lining to everything. That’s what my grandmother used to say.

Of course, my grandmother didn’t expect Liel to do this.

Still, thinking about her seemed to calm me down a bit. As much as I fought it.

With a cooler head, I tried to organize my thoughts.

Liel likes me, so he turned evil and became a demon. As a result, he became a demon and I was imprisoned by Liel.

Not only that but I was told that I should try to make myself like him while I was trapped here.

‘Do you think you can do that……?’

The last one is impossible for a person with normal common sense. It’s hard to love a crazy person unless you’re a crazy person.

Or maybe loving him meant being trapped here and slowly going insane.

Whatever the case, in this state, it wouldn’t be strange if any good feelings I had for Liel fled.

I’m sure it would…….

“I’ll come running if anything happens to Lucy, too.”

To erase them all at once—

“You can do anything to me.”

Liel had too much place in my memories.

Only the good ones.

“Sniff—.”

I tried not to cry, but tears escaped. I rubbed at the corners of my eyes with the back of my hand.

At the same time, I heard the door open.

“I was going to say something and leave it at that, but I couldn’t help myself, since it’s not healthy to lie down right after eating.”

“…….”

“Oh, have you been crying, I’ll get you a handkerchief, but for now, just wipe it on the quilt.”

Never mind, just let me be alone…….

* * *

Sobbing hard, my head cleared, and with a clear, sober mind, I tried to think about my current situation and what I should do next.

First of all, I didn’t know how long Liel would keep me locked up.

If, as he hoped, I showed a genuine liking for him, maybe he would let me out…….

Somehow, that seemed very unlikely. If he was going to let me out so easily, he wouldn’t have locked me up in the first place.

Besides, even if I told him I liked him in this state, he wouldn’t believe me.

He’d think I was just trying to get out of here.

No, if that’s the case, why would he lock me up?

Next, I tried to guess at Liel’s current state of mind.

I wonder if he’s sane now. Not at all, from what I can tell.

Without exaggerating in the slightest, it was almost as if he had taken on a new personality to my eyes. I wonder if that’s the case. With his blackening, the original Liel disappeared and another personality took over…….

Or maybe that damn snake had turned Liel’s personality into a devilishly mean one.

Suddenly, I was on a rampage to defend the Liel I knew.

It didn’t change the fact that he had me locked up.

Whatever it was, Liel was blackened, and there was no way he was going to let me go so easily, was my current conclusion.

“What about my work, anyway? Even if I left the manor to the servants, the people who work in the manor are paid at ……..

The good news was that the contract was for a year, so even if I was gone for the next year, the maids and butlers would still be able to pay their salaries.

Besides that,…… losses would come pouring in, but for six months to a year, I could somehow…….

No, what if it’s fine for a year, I won’t be able to get out by then.

The more I thought about it, the darker the future became.

In the end, I thought to myself.

I thought about it for a while and then stopped.

No matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t know when Liel started liking me, and hell, I would never know he liked me until he told me.

It’s bleak.

I didn’t realize I was so clueless.

Wait, am I clueless, or is it that Liel did not make it obvious?

I scrubbed my face vigorously with my hands as if I were washing my face.

Squeak—

I heard the door again.

It must be Mamon again.

I don’t know where Liel went, and he hasn’t been seen since I woke up. It was ridiculous that he was wandering around while I was locked up.

With that in mind, I turned to Mamon, who was approaching.

“Mamon, I’m going to give you an example, and you can decide who’s at fault.”

“…….”

“Number one, Liel, he locked me up because he said he liked me. Number 2, me, for not recognizing the feelings of my captor. Number 3, you, for letting it happen.”

Isn’t it number one? I think number three is a bit wrong. I’m guilty of neglect.

It was an unfair judgment, but I wanted someone to know that it was unfair.

“Two?”

I don’t know how long I waited, but a man’s playful voice cut through the brief silence.

It was Liel’s voice. I thought for sure it was Mamon again, but instead, it was the owner of the room returning.

Surprised, I scrambled to my feet and stared at Liel, who confidently chose number two.

He was back, with his black hair and human eyes.

“…….”

Where’s your conscience?

Maybe that’s why I wasn’t gasping for air like I was last night.

It was just the right amount of scary, and I couldn’t hide the ridiculousness of it, my expression giving away my true feelings.

Then Liel took off his white gloves and said.

“Why don’t you make it four? I locked you up to think about me, and you mistook me for someone else.”

You’re saying I was wrong after all.

I don’t know why you put number 4 in there, but how would I know who’s coming in here in the first place?

“I won’t even let you talk to Mamon in the future.”

At this point, I don’t want to talk to you any more than I want to talk to Mamon.

“……Don’t do that.”

Honestly, I didn’t like either of them, but if I had to choose, I’d rather have Mamon.

When I thought about it, if I had to see Liel’s face the entire time I was trapped here, I could have gone insane.

So for my own sanity, it was good to have at least one more person to talk to…….

“Lucy, this is when you say you’ve been lonely without me.”

Now he even gives me his own personalized answers. The more we talked, the more I realized that this was not the Liel I knew.

Even if he is, the way he speaks, the way he’s softer than he is pushy, it’s all the same to me.

“Give me my friend back, you freak…….”

My head sank back into my hands again, barely able to keep my cool. I curled up in a ball as the grief I’d been holding in came rushing back.

Soon, overhead, Liel spoke wistfully.

“Your friend is here, but he doesn’t want to be your friend anymore. You’d better change your mind.”

By the way, aren’t I scared of him anymore?

He even sounded a little excited. I couldn’t understand this monster’s mindset.

I’m not scared of anything.

If I wasn’t scared, I wouldn’t be cowering.

As I said to Mamon earlier, I am weak and weak and weak. Weak against the strong and weak against the weak.

“Let me out of here now. Then I’ll overlook everything you did to me…….”

This was my desperate bluff.

“And I want my friend back.”

I decided to bluff and say whatever I wanted.

But what he said next was enough to break my heart.

“Lucy, do you think I’ve become someone else?”

There was a hint of surprise in his voice as if he was serious.

“You’re not suggesting that I’ve developed a second personality since this happened, are you?”

I, I am…….

I’d rather you tell me I’m right.

I shook my head and glared at Liel, as if to say don’t crush my hopes, and he smirked.

“I didn’t realize you were so imaginative.”

What came back was a mockery.

“I’m perfectly fine.”

I am saying this because you don’t look it. 

“But it’s kind of exciting that you just worked up the nerve to ask for me back.”

Nothing to be excited about. If I’m mistaken, stop talking, it’s embarrassing.

But Liel’s cheeks were flushed with excitement. What the hell is this……?

“I hope you like me soon.”

“Are you crazy……?”

“Then I’ll be even more excited than I am now, right?”

Finally approaching the bed where I was sitting, Liel looked down at me and muttered.

“Lucy, I’m so happy right now.”

The smile on Liel’s face as he locked me up and told me he was happy was exactly as he claimed.

I’m speechless for a moment.

“At least this way you won’t leave me.”

Then I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. (Liel)

He said it as if I could leave him at any moment.

After hearing that, I vaguely wondered if that was why I felt so bad about turning my back on him the day we fought.