As Keira expected. Not long after, she was already cornered and Adage even personally came to pick her up this time instead of sending his attendant. Keira had no idea how Adage came at the perfect time. It was like he was watching from the moment she caught the attention of the knights. Keira thought she successfully ran away from Adage’s eyes but turns out, she had never escaped in the first place. It was not just the people on the lit streets that came for her, someone had already been tailing her in the dark.

When Keira woke up again, it was not the cold alleyway that she woke up to. She woke up in a large comfortable bed, completely different from the stone-cold floor. Keira was laying on her back, with a comfortable quilt covering her. Her body still clearly aches. This was no surprise for her, so she calmly examine the empty room while still laying on her back.

The room had a warm interior. It was not like the previous place that Aster once prepared for her in the first world where everything looks like it was prepared specifically for her. This room looks comfortable but you could definitely see the luxurious quality and design, albeit it is lowkey. It was equipped with everything a noble needed.

‘Is this Adage’s room?’ Keira thought.

Keira raised her right arm up. Her arm was in bandages that covered almost the entirety of her arm. Her left arm was a little bit better as you can still see the majority of the pale skin.

“Haaa…”

She actually hadn’t thought that her body was actually covered in wounds. Though, the wounds on her outer skin were not severe because she could still move her arms with only dull pain present. Nonetheless, slight pain is still pain, and the small aches in her body add up, making her slightly uncomfortable. And pain is something Keira does not welcome with open arms.

‘Tsk tsk, only a masochist would like pain.’

Keira carefully propped her upper body up with the support of her elbows. She immediately winced, but still mindfully proceeded with her action.

Now that she had fully sat up, the quilt slid down to her lap, covered her lower body, and revealed more of her wrapped-up figure.

She was wearing a simple white nightgown with blue ribbons. Underneath, she had bloomers on, so Keira rolled up her nightgown to inspect her stomach. Her stomach was dressed cleanly, hiding the hideous bruise. She could even feel a slightly cool sensation on her belly, from the medicine put on her stomach.

Seeing her now clean figure made Keira let out a long sigh again, she thought, ‘Maybe it is actually better to with the male lead in the meantime. At least I won’t have to risk dying on the streets, from my wounds or hunger. I could escape when System 999 returns anyway. Though, it would be costly.’

Now Keira was starting to truly consider just staying still and recovering under Adage’s care. But Keira just had a very strong feeling she shouldn’t stay around this male lead. Something just screams in her to ‘escape’.

Keira pondered that there is a high chance that the ‘bug’ would have followed her. Even though her system informed her that the chances of the bug reappearing is low, considering that it had followed her to the next world, it would not be surprising if it showed up again.

‘Perchance, this bad gut feeling I am having is due to that terrifying fact that the ‘bug’ showing up. Ezekiel was already crazy enough, I don’t want to face 3 blackened bar that has stacked together.’

Keira didn’t feel any cool sensation on her feet, so this is a good sign that she was not shackled at the very least.

‘Maybe, it’s really better to just stay here...’

But is it really better? Keira shook her head and gave herself a slap on the cheeks.

She thought, ‘Still… I should try looking for a way to escape, while Adage is still not present. My legs weren’t injured anyway, so I could move freely while being careful of making rough movements on my stomach area.’

Keira removed the quilt from her body and proceeded to put her feet on the ground to stand up. Before she could even take one step to stand, Keira felt an incredibly sharp pain in her leg. Her surroundings shifted and she fell to the carpeted floor. Instinctively, she reached out her arms that managed to timely react and cushioned her fall.

Confused about why she fell on the floor, Keira twisted her head to look behind her legs where the pain originated from.

Keira felt the world around her stop.

Her eyes constricted. Her forehead dropped a cold sweat. Her heart beat rapidly. Small tremors formed on her body from the appalling sight.

Her lower leg was wrapped in gauze, which was now slowly being dyed red from Keira’s abrupt movement.

Keira felt she could not even breathe as the air was stuck in her throat from shock. This was happening to her for Keira understood. She knew what he had done to her—Adage had cut off her achilles tendon.

She was now crippled.

That was why there were no shackles.

That was why there were no guards watching her.

That was why Adage left her alone in the room.

Because there was no need to…

She couldn’t move even if she wanted to.

She felt everything around her had spun. Her ears were ringing. Her thoughts ran amok.

‘Did he leave me alone to make me realize my helplessness? Did he make me play the game of cat and mouse in the town to make me realize how I’m just playing in his palm all this time and that I could never escape him?’

Keira felt nauseated from the ideas that burst into her mind.

Adage not only healed her but also wounded her severely that she could not even stand because of the terrible stabbing pain.

‘Has he… finally gone insane?’

Keira tried her best to make her brain engine run properly, but her head was too chaotic.

‘This is only the third world… Will it remain the same in the following worlds? Or will it get worst from here?’

“Umph—!”

The nausea became worst. Keira covered her mouth. She was already dry heaving. Her eyes became misty from the small tears forming. She wanted to vomit everything out in her stomach, but nothing came out as her stomach was empty.

All the thoughts disgusted her. Her mind and body were subconsciously reacting. She could not even explain why she was this repulsed.

While Keira was still trembling in fear and dread, the door of the room opened. 

TimeArt

Hehe...