Barbara’s pen paused on the page, the ink bleeding into a small dark blotch, like the shadow in her eyes that she couldn’t hide.
She didn’t press further, only reaching out to tuck the hair scattered across Soren’s forehead behind his ear, her fingertips brushing against the tip of his ear.
“As long as it sounds nice.”
Her voice was soft like melted honey, but she suddenly reached out and gripped Soren’s wrist.
“Listen, my heart is beating so fast, and it’s all because of you.”
Soren could clearly feel the rapid rise and fall beneath his palm, like a bird frantically thrashing inside a cage.
He wanted to pull his hand back, but Barbara gripped him even tighter, her fingers almost digging into his flesh.
“Oh, right,”
Barbara seemed to suddenly remember something, pulling a small silver bell out of the nightstand drawer, a sky-blue ribbon tied to it.
“I had the blacksmith make it yesterday.
The sound is very soft; it won’t disturb you.”
Without waiting for Soren’s reaction, she knelt down and tied the bell around his ankle.
The ribbon was tied a bit tight.
Soren subconsciously pulled his leg back, but she held his knee down to keep him still.
“There, that’s perfect.”
Barbara stood up and lightly kicked his calf.
“From now on, no matter where you go, I’ll be able to hear you.”
Soren stared at the swaying bell on his ankle.
Barbara seemed very satisfied with his reaction.
She sat back down by the bed, picked up her notebook, and flipped to a new page.
The sound of her pen sliding across the paper was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
[2:40 p.m: Tied the bell on Soren.
Test reaction: good.
No violent resistance.
Obedience level increased.]
Once she finished writing, she looked up and smiled at Soren, reaching out to pinch his chin, forcing him to look at her.
“You don’t mind, do you?
I’m just so afraid of not being able to find you.
What if someone hides you away without a word, just like they did to my sister?”
Soren’s throat tightened; he couldn’t squeeze out a single word.
He remembered the way Barbara looked when she found him that day…
Even though she was smiling, there was not a trace of warmth in her eyes.
It was like she was looking at a lost-and-found object, not a human being.
“I’ll come keep you company tonight.”
Barbara spoke suddenly, her tone carrying an unquestionable certainty.
“I’ve already told my sister.
Your leg hasn’t healed yet, so you need someone to take care of you.”
She reached out to stroke Soren’s hair, her fingertips gently brushing over the crown of his head.
“This way, I’ll know if you kick off the covers at night, or if you’re secretly staying awake.
If you can’t sleep, I can sing you a lullaby, just like comforting a little plushie.”
Soren’s body froze instantly, the tip of his tail tightening uncontrollably.
He could picture the scene at night: Barbara lying beside him, her breath falling against the side of his neck, perhaps even squeezing his wrist like she was doing now, listening to his heartbeat until dawn.
And the bell on his ankle would chime with his every subtle movement, exposing his every action to her gaze.
“I…
I can manage on my own.”
Soren’s voice trembled as he tried to resist.
“But I want to keep you company.”
Barbara interrupted him, the obsession in her eyes practically overflowing.
“You are mine, so of course you must stay where I can see you.
Otherwise, I’ll worry, and I won’t be able to sleep.
Would you really have the heart to make me suffer?”
She picked up the plushie from the table, stuffed it into Soren’s arms, then reached out to wrap her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his chest.
“Look, even the little plushie is keeping you company, so of course I should keep you company too.
Let’s do this every day from now on, okay?
We’ll eat and chat together during the day, sleep together at night, and never, ever be apart.”
Soren clutched the plushie in his arms, feeling cold all over.
The fabric of the plushie was soft, yet it felt like a branding iron, burning his palms with pain.
He could smell the sweet floral scent on Barbara, feel the rise and fall of her chest, and hear her soft breathing, but all of it made him feel suffocated… he was like a butterfly trapped in a spiderweb; the more he struggled, the tighter it wrapped around him.
Barbara seemed to notice his stiffness, looking up with a hint of grievance in her eyes.
“Do you not like this?
But I really like you so much, and I want to be with you every single day.”
She reached out and touched the bell on Soren’s ankle, which let out a string of soft chimes.
“I’ll be good…”
When these words spilled from Soren’s throat, they carried a tremor he didn’t even notice himself, like a child who had done something wrong begging a parent for forgiveness.
His fingertips unconsciously tightened around the plushie in his arms, squeezing its tail out of shape.
He didn’t dare look up into Barbara’s eyes, staring only at the notebook hanging by her side, terrified of seeing even a single word on that page that would make his heart panic.
Hearing this, Barbara’s fingertips gently brushed against the skin on the back of his hand.
The touch was as soft as cotton, yet it carried a strength that would not allow him to break free.
She pulled up one of Soren’s hands, wrapping both of her hands around it and stroking it back and forth.
“That’s good then…”
Her voice was as gentle as ever.
Having left those words, she let go of Soren’s hand, turned, and opened the door.
The door hinge creaked, bringing a gust of wind that slightly thinned the sweet floral scent on her, but failed to take away the oppressive atmosphere in the room.
Only when the door closed with a “click” did Soren dare to look up, staring at the tightly shut door, his chest still rising and falling continuously.
He sat on the bed, his back already soaked with cold sweat, the sticky fabric clinging to his skin with an indescribable discomfort.
For some reason, a wave of heat began to make his whole body burn.
His cheeks started to flush, and the sweat on his forehead dripped down his jawline like a broken string of beads, dripping onto his collar and spreading into a small damp patch.
“So hot…”
Soren gasped with an open mouth, panting heavily as his chest heaved, his breathing turning ragged and rapid.
The room was terrifyingly quiet, save for his heavy, ragged breathing and the occasional soft, delicate chimes from the silver bell on his ankle.
Soren leaned against the cold wall, trying to calm himself down.
I can’t…
In the end, Soren tremblingly reached out his left hand, and the sound of a door opening suddenly rang out.
“I knew I’d see this scene~”
When Barbara pushed open the door, she still wore that signature soft smile, the corners of her eyes curving into a sweet arc, the sky-blue tips of her hair swaying gently with her steps.
Yet that smile did not reach her eyes; instead, it hid a certain knowing certainty.
Her leather shoes tapped against the floor, making a “tap-tap-tap” sound.
The rhythm was as even as a pre-calculated beat, striking Soren’s heart step by step, tightening his already panicked nerves even further.
Walking to the bedside, she intentionally slowed her pace.
Her gaze swept over Soren’s sweat-drenched collar, his trembling hands clutching the plushie, and finally rested on his flushed cheeks.
“If you refuse, it must be very painful, right?”
Her voice was as light as a feather, yet it carried an unmistakable probe.
His grip on the plushie tightened further, the plushie’s tail squeezed out of shape, making even the faint resistance in his heart appear utterly weak and powerless.
“No…
you saw wrong.”
The sweat on his forehead was still trickling down, dripping along his jawline into his collar.
Barbara, however, acted as if she hadn’t heard his defense.
She leaned in closer, her fingertips gently brushing aside his sweat-drenched bangs, her tone carrying a hint of deliberate teasing.
“Really?
But your face is so red, and your hands are shaking, you know.”
Soren felt his skin crawl under her gaze.
He hurriedly tried to change the subject, his voice filled with pleading.
“Aren’t you supposed to go out for something?
You don’t…
you don’t have to worry about me too much.”
He wished so desperately that Barbara would leave quickly, even if only for a moment, to let him catch his breath.
But the moment the words left his mouth, Barbara’s pace suddenly quickened.
In a few strides, she was right in front of him, her cold fingers abruptly gripping his chin, forcing him to lift his head.
The force wasn’t immense, yet it carried an irresistible firmness.
The soft smile on her face faded, replaced by a touch of smugness she couldn’t hide at the corners of her mouth, while the obsession in her eyes peeked through a little more.
“Lying is bad, you know.”
…