Karen Florence (14)
Building something up takes time; tearing it down takes almost none. People are no different. Whatever life a person has lived, whatever values they have forged for themselves, destroying them turns out to be easier than you'd think.
It's finally over.
By my own reckoning, the violation had dragged on far longer than any one act had a right to. It hadn't been quite as bad as the day I'd cut into Bianca, but it was a wretched experience all the same. Wasn't it remarkable, though? How each fucked-up moment somehow managed to hit a fresh new low.
Even as I grumbled inwardly, Rihardt withdrew from Karen at last. What he'd left behind slid from between her thighs — seed and blood mingled, falling in slow, heavy beads. There was far more blood than I'd expected, enough that even allowing for a torn maidenhead it seemed excessive. Perhaps he was simply too large, and Karen had torn for it. And even if that was all it was, there was nothing I could properly do for her. I had no medical knowledge to speak of.
I was checking on Karen's condition when Rihardt came over.
"That was quite enjoyable."
A promising reaction. Apparently the ruin I'd staged had been, more or less, to his taste.
"I'm glad it pleased you, my lord."
He looked me over at his leisure, then flashed a grin. A moment later his index finger pressed firmly into my chest — dead center on my nipple.
"But what am I to do about this? I've gone and marked you somewhere rather embarrassing to show in company."
He tipped his head down to survey me. Across the flawless white skin of my breast, the imprint of his teeth stood out stark and clear. He'd bitten me in passing, now and then, while he was occupied with Karen. Watching him stake his claim like that — what a son of a bitch.
"You know, Lucy, I'd assumed you'd be indifferent to pain. Imagine my surprise — you cry rather adorably."
He wasn't wrong. While Karen was being violated, a scream or two had escaped me as well. He bites down hard, that bastard.
"Anyone would hurt if you bit them like that."
"Hmm."
Had my answer somehow failed to please him? Rihardt simply stared at me in silence. I wished he understood how much psychological pressure that stare alone put on me. No — knowing him, he'd understand perfectly, and do it all the more. Unable to bear it, I tacked on an afterthought.
"……Were you, by chance, displeased?"
He answered with a radiant smile.
"You were terribly cute."
I had asked whether he was displeased, and in place of an answer he'd left me nothing but a useless impression. So which was it? Displeased, or not? I studied Rihardt with an unreadable expression, then lowered my head.
"……Thank you for the compliment."
"Honestly. I've gone and fallen for you all over again, Lucy."
"Is that so."
Who knew the words fallen for you could be so unwelcome? I was hardly the vessel to bear the weight of the man's affection.
"Hmm. I can just barely give you a passing grade — today, at least."
Today, at least? When I shot him a questioning look, he continued with perfect nonchalance.
"Well then, shall we clean up first? We've made rather a mess of things, one way and another."
"……I'll see to the cleanup myself. You should go on up ahead, Young Master Rihardt."
"And here I'd rather liked the idea of cleaning up together, for once. Besides, there are things you and I need to discuss anyway."
Light as his tone was, his resolve looked absolutely fixed. That he wouldn't leave me alone today — such consideration nearly brought tears to my eyes.
"As you wish."
When the one above has decided, what can the one below possibly say? What a bitter station a maid's is.
By the time we finished with the basement and stepped outside, a wind was blowing. It was cool enough to make the fevered heat of that underground room feel like nothing more than a bad dream. Looking up, I found the sky just beginning to pale; we must have passed quite a long night. As you've probably guessed, we had emerged not through Rihardt's room, but through the external passage. It was to deal with Flee, Karen's beloved horse. Naturally, Rihardt stayed at my side.
"Must we kill her? Wouldn't it be better to run her off somewhere far — sow some confusion for anyone tracking us……?"
Rihardt shook his head at my suggestion.
"Karen's mare is clever, and loyal to a fault. Drive her away as hard as you like, and she'll still circle the land where Karen used to be. Killing her is the cleanest answer. And above all — no troublesome clues left behind."
"……I see."
There was nothing to refute. I led Rihardt to the tree where Flee was tied. Spotting us, the mare gave a soft, petulant whinny, as though scolding us for taking so long. Then she tilted her head — she seemed to have realized that Karen Florence wasn't with us. Rihardt drew a dagger from inside his coat and threw it with a snap of his wrist.
Thunk! He hadn't seemed to put much force behind it, yet the blade buried itself squarely in Flee's head. It must have punched clean through her skull; there came a sound like a ripe fruit bursting. Thud! Strength gone, the mare crumpled to the ground.
How could anyone die so cleanly? Not a flicker of change crossed Rihardt's face, and that inorganic dryness of his frightened me anew. Flrrt, flrrrtl. Her sphincter must have let go — an ugly sound came from beneath the horse's tail. Watching it, Rihardt spoke.
"You've had a long day, Lucy. I'll take care of cleaning this up."
"I'll help."
"The thought is appreciated, but you'd only be in the way."
Rihardt rolled up his sleeves as though it were nothing. In barely half an hour he had a serviceable pit dug — and quite a deep one at that, a good six feet, give or take. Digging looks simple enough, but it's brutally hard work, and I knew exactly how absurd it was for him to make it look effortless.
"What's with that stunned face?"
"Because I can't quite believe you and I are the same kind of person, my lord."
"I dug a hole. Is that really worth all this fuss?"
Maybe if you'd had a shovel. You dug it with your bare hands.
"Ah, that reminds me — I noticed earlier that you've got quite the touch."
"……What touch would that be?"
He stopped mid-sentence, then simply gazed at me. It was still the small hours, and the forest, shut away from the sun, lay in deep gloom. Rihardt's eyes glinted, ominous as a beast sighting its prey.
"You know."
Must you keep talking in riddles? Someone suddenly says 'you know' and expects me to follow along? I was midway through a full catalogue of inward grumbling when his expression eased.
"You have a flair for staging."
"Staging?"
Rihardt nodded at my question.
"For all her delicate looks, Karen has a steadier spine than you'd think. For a girl that stubborn to crumble the way she did, your staging must have truly shone."
"That was only because you laid the board so well, Young Master."
He had provoked Karen's jealousy and fanned it for me; I had merely aimed for the crack he'd opened. In other words — a coward's method, built on the girl's tender feelings for him.
"Plenty of fools couldn't make use of a board that's been laid for them. In that respect, you please me a great deal, Lucy. I find myself wanting to see what you grow into."
This was not a man who scattered such praise carelessly. Which was precisely why a chill of foreboding crept over me.
"And by that, you mean……?"
"I intend to put you to better use from here on."
His impure intent was out in the open.
"You mean to acknowledge me as your accomplice?"
"Aw, where's the fun in granting that so easily? Does becoming my accomplice look like such a simple thing to you? Well — show me results, and I may view your candidacy favorably."
"……Results?"
"Yes. I'll give you a few more chances — so break Karen, thoroughly, just as you did today."
So that was it. That was why he'd said today when he spoke of a passing grade. In that arid gaze of his, unlike before, I caught a faint glimmer of expectation.
"What direction should I take, then?"
"I intend to leave all of that to you as well."
"All of it — to me?"
"Yes. I'm curious, Lucy, about your way of doing things."
Dusting the soil from his hands, Rihardt stepped close and cupped my left cheek.
"You, who pity her so — I can't wait to see how you break her."
I was floored. I didn't even know what face to make at this damned man. All I could do was gape at him, dumbstruck.
"You're clever, Lucy. You'll live up to my expectations, won't you?"
"And if I fail to meet them?"
The words were out before I could catch them. If I failed to please Rihardt — what came after was painfully easy to imagine.
"Didn't you promise me yourself, with your own mouth? That you'd be my plaything."
A full day and night without sleep — my head must have turned to lead.
"I'm tired. My words came out wrong."
The hand left my cheek. Rihardt gave a soft snort of laughter.
"Well, you would be. Hounded by that Karen, and up all night on top of it."
"Then grant me some time to rest, if you know so much. I'm not a superhuman like you, Young Master."
Honestly, I felt close to collapsing even then; I was holding upright on willpower alone. Seeing the state of me, he gave a measured nod.
"Fine. Rest well today — in my room."
At last, a full day of honest rest. Just as I moved to breathe my sigh of relief, I caught the words that didn't belong.
In your room?
"……I beg your pardon?"
My face must have gone as white as a squid hauled fresh from the net.
"You wound me, recoiling like that."