22. The Worthless Act of Playing Dead

Although I didn’t know why, the direction from Louis IV suddenly changed. He handed over the key before I had to reluctantly stretch out my hand, sparing me from the inevitable sour lament from Kephir afterward. Immediately after… he provided us with two options.

From her completely revealing attitude and the content of the choices, it was clear she wasn’t playing any tricks and was serious. So my choice was simple—cling tightly to Kephir’s thigh and make a run for it!

As for the journey back, Kephir’s complaints filled with acidity, after a long time of finally being able to cling back to the big shot’s thigh, sounded as pleasant to me as the song of a yellow oriole.

“Were you hesitating because you saw Sister Wang’s legs?”

“Nonsense! That’s absurd!”

Wasn’t it a matter of necessity back then? I wouldn’t get lost in Her Majesty the Queen’s… beautiful legs.

After that, we successfully slipped through the secret passage and made it outside the palace. The crisis was averted, and everything that followed was quite simple. If possible, I would have liked to run far away, but Kephiel believed that with our current identities and abilities, no matter how fast we ran, we would still be caught by the people of Louis IV. Instead of flailing around like a headless fly, it was better to just… not be in such a hurry to escape from the start .

So, in the end, the place we returned to was Kephiel’s family territory, in her private residence. To put it simply: after going around in circles, we were just back home…

At this moment, late at night, after Miss Nilu, who must have also been tense all day, went to rest, I quietly slipped into Kephiel’s room. The look she had given me when I returned, combined with what the script told me, made it clear.

【Kephiel wants to see Oujilide alone.】

Sure enough, in the dimly lit bedroom, Kephiel didn’t say what she had when I came back, “I’m going to sleep now.” Instead, as soon as I closed the door and finally adjusted to the dim light, she came at me from nowhere with a body check, immediately following it up with a V-shaped chokehold!

“It hurts, it hurts, my old back is going to break, Kephiel!”

“…”

Kephiel behind me didn’t react at all, and since I was “attacked from behind,” I had no idea what kind of attitude she had while hugging me tightly from behind. Judging by the strength that felt like it could crush me, Kephiel was definitely still shaken from the incident with Louis IV.

So, let’s check the script? For example, how is Kephiel feeling right now, to let me find the right approach?

Just as this thought crossed my mind, the script almost appeared as well, and I slapped myself hard on the forehead.

At a time like this, relying on something like the “script” to guess a girl’s mood made me feel utterly useless! As a man, I should rely on myself in this situation!

As for Kephiel’s current mood, I… although I wasn’t entirely sure, I could roughly sense it.

“Kephiel.”

I looked at the moon outside the window, not in a hurry to break free from the big shot’s embrace. “Are you… scared?”

“…”

There was still a silence behind me, but Kephiel’s actions became increasingly bold, shifting from hugging my waist to draping her arms over my shoulders. And this proved that I was right—Kephiel was indeed very scared.

Was she afraid of Louis IV’s impending revenge, or was she worried that her family would be implicated in the retaliation? No one stipulated that being the true protagonist meant one couldn’t be afraid, and what I needed to do was to ensure that Kephiel wouldn’t remain “afraid” forever.

“Don’t worry, Kephiel. No matter how bad the outcome is, I can secretly slip out and reappear as Oujilide. You won’t have to take responsibility for my appearance; I can just claim that I intentionally deceived you with a ‘ prophecy,’ and no one can blame you for your actions.”

I wanted to continue explaining something, but Kephiel immediately grabbed my clothes and turned me around.

Only then did I realize that Kephiel looked nothing like someone who was afraid; her expression was fiercely determined.

“No!”

“So I’m just stating the worst possibility, I haven’t…”

“If that situation really occurs, I will take you away from the Great Ying Empire!”

Kephiel’s words were so straightforward that I was left dumbfounded upon hearing them.

Isn’t this just eloping!? Big shot, don’t casually set strange flags, or I’ll be dragged into it too!

Not to mention, if I had the guts to elope with you and ruin your script, wouldn’t my life also be in danger?

“Kephiel, wait a moment…”

“Don’t wait!”

I wanted to explain something to Kephiel, but she wouldn’t listen to me.

In this… close proximity, where our noses could almost touch, after Kephiel said that, I had a very bad feeling about what would happen next.

Don’t be fooled by her intense gaze fixed on me now, as if she’s shy; the script describes things completely differently from how Kephiel is acting!

【Kephiel is wondering whether to kiss first or confess.】

Why do the protagonists have so many complications?

I have to do something; if I don’t interrupt this, I’m afraid something even more troublesome might happen tonight.

I admit I’m despicable, lusting after her body; if it really comes to that, I would definitely be unable to refuse. Isn’t this just the development of “after the great battle, there must be a bed scene”?

“Ahem, Kephiel.”

Helpless, I had to speak up, and at the same time… I also wanted to ease Kephiel’s worries in my own way. She wasn’t thinking something like “as long as I’m completely consumed, Louis IV won’t be able to touch me,” right?

“The prophecies regarding you have never had any discrepancies, not before, and not in the future. So… even if this time Louis IV has set his sights on me and won’t spare you either, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“Don’t think about running away with me. With the ‘prophecy’ in place, I won’t run into any trouble, and… ahem, well…”

Looking at Kephiel shyly lowering her head, I found myself hesitating for a moment.

“Isn’t there still you?” Should I even say this? What if I say it and the next second I get pushed down mercilessly? Could I resist? If I resist, would it be seen as attacking the protagonist, and I’ d be dead by tomorrow?

“Rest, shall we? Do you want me to lie here playing dead next to you?”

“Um… um…”

Fortunately, both Kephiel and I were timid; at the critical moment, she let go of my hand, and I asked a boring question, then obediently lay down like a zombie next to Kephiel, playing dead and not moving at all.

“Oh, I…”

“Zzzzz…”

I didn’t hear anything at all~

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