Chapter 24 (2/2)

Like a trained dog.

Ragnar was trembling with fear.

‘…Ricarda doesn’t look scary. So is he scared because he’s big?’

As I looked at him who lowered his head quietly with his mouth closed, I had no choice but to forcibly pull Ricarda’s sleeve.

Ricarda who was looking at Ragnar with the eyes of an observer, answered my call with his eyes wide open.

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Daphne?”

I laid a blanket on the ground and patted it with my hand.

“Ricarda, sit here, too.”

“Eh?”

“Hurry up and sit.”

When I pulled his sleeve again, Ricarda sat on the blanket with a confused look on his face.

Only then did Ragnar’s tremors stop a little.

‘As expected, you seem to hate big guys, don’t you?’

If I inferred from what he said earlier, it looks like he had been abused.

That fear was probably the result of discipline.

Really, he is similar to me.

But I had the will to escape, and Ragnar couldn’t have had that, and since he was hypnotized, he couldn’t have thought about it too.

Phew, I had no choice but to sigh.

Ricarda, who sat next to me, seemed to have noticed, but he erased his perplexity and became quiet again.

“Ragnar.”

“Uh, uh.”

His reaction was slow as if he was not used to others calling his name.

I opened the lid of the thermos bottle with an empty cup in front. As I moved, the eyes of the two men turned to me at the same time.

Not caring whether their eyes were on each other or me, I opened the thermos and poured the cocoa in the cup.

The warm cocoa was still emitting white smoke with heat in it.

I put down the cocoa filled with cups in front of Ragnar.

“Drink it.”

“…what is this?”

“Well.”

I concocted the words by looking at Ricarda’s countenance, who is looking at the cup of cocoa with a bewildered face next to me.

“It’s the most delicious, warmest cocoa in the world. My favorite one, but I’ll give it to you.”

“…can I drink?”

“I gave it to you to drink.”

In response to the abrupt answer, Ragnar carefully grabbed the cup and began to drink cocoa with a slurping sound.

As I watched Ragnar drinking with his face buried in the cup, I tapped Ricarda’s hand next to me.

“I’m sorry for giving it to him.”

“Hoo-hoo. It’s okay! Daphne’s favorite cocoa in the world can be made again when we return back.”

Ah.

I was going to pass today’s snack naturally like this.

I don’t know why, but at his proud look, I couldn’t even say that it was alright.

Not knowing what to do, I nodded my head and at that moment I heard the sound of Ragnar opening his mouth with a voice.

“It’s delicious!”

To him, whom with his unique purple eyes staring at me, I nodded my head as if to acknowledge.

It’s sweet, right, so it’s delicious.

As if it was really delicious, the borders around his mouth that existed a while ago had already disappeared when his eyes lit from excitement and he licked everything on his lips.

‘He is naive.’

It felt like I was taming him with something delicious. It felt a bit weird.

The atmosphere seemed to be going well, so I wanted to stop for today, satisfied.

At that time, Ragnar’s face suddenly hardened, as if he had noticed he was too excited.

“No, I mean… it was de-delicious…”

He lowered his guard then tightened it again.

In response to the ever-changing response, I shrugged my shoulder as if it were okay.

Curious of what he would do now, I knowingly looked at Ragnar and then as if my stare was burdensome, he slowly opened his mouth to say something.

“…Da-ph-ne?”

“Yes.”

Ragnar mumbled.

He bit his lips, clenched his fist, opened it, couldn’t stay still, and finally spoke with difficulty.

“Daphne, don’t you find me gross?”

“Do I have to find you disgusting?”

He shut his mouth to my question.

As if to say something, he flinched again, dodged his gaze, and spoke in a small voice.

“My eyes are gross. Everyone finds it gross…”

“I thought it was a little unusual.”

When the hypnosis was lifted, the whites returned, but the pupils were still torn like reptiles.

However, he looked like a sullen puppy with his head down.

“Ragnar, look at my legs.”

“…Ah.”

He opened his eyes wide, surprised at seeing the bandage that had been wrapped around my legs.

When I came out to a bright place, I saw Ragnar’s pupils narrow.

I spoke as if it was not a big deal.

“I can’t walk alone because of my legs. So I go around in a wheelchair.”

“Ah…”

“Are you disgusted with me like that?”

“…No. No, it’s not gross.”

“Me too. You’re not creepy.”

He didn’t forget to add a few words to his lingering appearance.

“So don’t look away and talk looking at me.”

I looked at his eyes gently.

When I saw his sparkling purple eyes, I didn’t feel bad because it seemed to show the color I had lost.

“I like purple, so give me a good look.”

“…until when?”

Ragnar’s voice was quivering.

I could see that his hand was burning red in the cold.

“Give me your hand.”

“?”

“Quickly.”

Surprised by my sudden remark, he carefully reached out of the cage.

It was cold when I touched it.

While placing the pink gloves, Ricarda had brought, in his hand, I said.

“Until you are deemed as safe.”

“……”

“I’m asking you to keep showing me. I’ll come over every day.”

There was no return to that remark.

No, there was no need for words.

Because I could see his white corpse- like face, glowing red as if it were lively.