The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 84

While eating, Sasha looked around and suddenly recalled the thought that had stunned her before getting out of the carriage.

The second monster that had fallen right in front of her, plunging Kyler into instant terror. The reason it remained so vividly in her memory…

“What…? I can’t understand…”

Those were the words she had spoken to the monster, which hadn’t attacked her but only made sounds.

Unlike the first one, which had attacked Kyler as soon as it landed, the second one had noticed Sasha and approached her slowly.

And instead of a deafening cry, it had made sounds to her as if trying to speak.

That’s why those words had come out so naturally. The monster had been talking to her.

Kyler watched her eat, steadily putting food in his own mouth, chewing, and swallowing. He found each dish incredibly delicious, and she thought Jeff might be a little disappointed cooking for such an unreactive master.

After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to speak. Even though she didn’t know much about this world, she could well imagine the danger of what she was about to say still, she opened her mouth.

“Hey, Kyler. I was too distracted to think about it then, but I think I should talk about it.”

This timing, when they seemed to have finished eating, felt right. Sasha spoke, a little hesitant. She didn’t forget to look into his eyes.

Kyler, sensing her serious and tense mood, put down his fork and focused on her eyes. She felt strangely nervous and relieved by his gaze.

“When the monster appeared here, the first one attacked Kyler right away, didn’t it?”

“It did. I thought it would, so I’m sorry, but I had to throw you away.”

“I know. You saw where to throw me so I wouldn’t get hurt. I wasn’t even injured, just bruised. You’re amazing, really.”

He seemed a little embarrassed by her praise. It was truly amazing how this man had such softness inside his seemingly tough shell.

Oh, she was getting sidetracked again.

“But, do you remember what the second monster that came down was like?”

Kyler frowned slightly at Sasha’s question.

The memory of that day was so shocking that he remembered every detail vividly. So, he had a rough idea of what she was going to say.

He didn’t show it and just nodded. He looked like he was trying hard to maintain a gentle smile while looking tense.

“That monster slowly approached me and spoke. The only sound I could hear was ‘Keeeee,’ but that’s just how it felt. That monster was trying to say something to me.”

Sasha felt her voice stiffen with tension as she spoke. Unlike when she was thinking about it in her head, when she thought she could speak without getting nervous, she was getting more and more nervous.

Saying it out loud made her realize how absurd her thoughts were.

After speaking, Sasha looked up at Kyler. His reaction and answer were now up to him.

She had been worried, but now that it was happening, the pressure of waiting was greater than she had expected. She always thought she could see the emotions hidden behind his expressionless face, but now she couldn’t see anything.

Her vision narrowed, and she could only see his face.

First of all, he wasn’t surprised. She could tell that for sure, even though his expression was hidden behind his blank face.

It seemed he had remembered even while she had briefly forgotten. That there was something between her and the monster at that time.

Even though he was running towards her at an incredible speed, focused only on her, he had felt it.

Then, it wasn’t just her imagination.

Sasha bit her lower lip, enduring the silence that felt like a minute, like ten minutes. She pressed down with her teeth, but it felt like it was still trembling, so she bit down harder.

Then he moved very slowly. He raised his right arm and reached out to her, his fingers coming up to her lips.

Soon, his firm thumb gently pressed and rubbed her lower lip. His touch persistently pressed and rubbed, making her release her lip from her teeth.

“Don’t bite like that. Look, it’s about to bleed.”

His voice was so gentle. Why was he talking to her in such a gentle voice, really…

The tension that had been building up seemed to break and overflow. Even her exhale sounded shaky.

“You were nervous.”

“Of course, I’m nervous. It’s like,  I’m a monster in human form.”

At her words, Kyler finally raised one corner of his mouth in a smile.

“Could such a thing be possible?”

“I don’t know.”

Her soul had flown in from somewhere else and taken over the body of a young lady in a place she had never heard of, Could such a thing be impossible…?

Considering her situation, it felt like anything could happen, which was scary.

Kyler, unaware of this, thought she was making a funny joke out of nervousness and raised the other corner of his mouth, giving her a deep smile.

“I’ve never seen a situation like this in my life either. Monsters are beings with many secrets, and we don’t know much about them, but even Geranel, who is called a monster user, is known to have difficulty controlling them perfectly. Therefore, no matter what situation arises regarding monsters, we may be taken aback, but we can understand, and just because it hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean it’s a lie.”

She was amazed that he believed her. She felt like she could tell this man where she came from.

“But,  doesn’t it seem strange at first glance? That a monster tried to talk to me. Anyone would think so. That I’m a monster.”

Ah, as she was talking, something suddenly flashed in her mind. If it had been Sasha, she might not have thought that way.

“Kyler, Isn’t that why I had to live in the attic? Because I’m a monster.? Something deeply related to monsters?”

Until just now, she had just been thinking of conveying some memory from the past, but suddenly her eyes began to tremble with fear.

She hadn’t experienced it herself, but there were memories left in her body. She was most comfortable being alone, but when she was alone at night, her heart would suddenly beat fast for no reason.

And sometimes she would tremble with fear of being alone, and she would crave sausages…

And yet, there was something she was most curious about. Why had Sasha’s parents abandoned her in the attic? She was lonely every night, and she wanted to get along with people, but she was afraid to talk to them.

She thought that those things were the memories of the previous Saya.

“I think that’s it. That’s why they wouldn’t let me meet people and just raised me in the attic. Why, why didn’t they kill me? If I’m a monster, shouldn’t they kill me? Would I have flown through the mountains as a monster living under Geranel’s control?”

Sasha suddenly became uncontrollably afraid of her own emotions. To be exact, she became afraid of herself, and her head became dizzy.

As she rambled on, Kyler pulled her into his arms. Sasha helplessly followed his strength and was seated on his lap.

“Let go of me. I,  I don’t even know what I am.”

As Sasha fell deeper into fear, Kyler remained motionless, firmly holding her waist with one arm and pressing her head against his shoulder with the other.

“Sasha.”

He called her name. But to her, who was experiencing a split between ‘she’ and ‘I,’ that name felt like a distant stranger’s name.

“Sasha! Sasha!”

Kyler continued to murmur her name. The sound echoing above her left ear brushed gently through the air. Then, the name, which was called softly like a whisper, sounded as if it were piercing her ear when pronounced in a firm voice.

“Sasha!  You are Sasha. I think I can be your proof.”

Kyler whispered a languid voice into her ear, and between the hand stroking her back and the hand caressing her ear, he steadily called her name.

Proof…?

Sasha stopped struggling to get out of his arms at his words. But she couldn’t even lift her body out of his embrace.

“Yes, proof.”

His voice sounded as if he were reading her mind. Kyler didn’t loosen his arms around her. It was as if his eyes, full of faith, were gazing at her.

“Sasha, proof that you are not a monster. Without even needing such proof, just looking at how you’ve been, you’ve never been such a strange being.”

The leap of thought stopped abruptly there. Somehow, it felt like if he said so, it must be true.

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