The Performance
"Ack! Ow, that hurts!" The icy grip around my heel made every hair on my body stand on end. The strength drained from my fingertips where they clutched the top of the wall. I scratched desperately at the stone, but the force dragging me downward was mercilessly steady and powerful.
"Let go! Yua, you really...!"
My shout echoed uselessly into empty air. Instead of answering, Yua gave my leg another sharp yank. With a sickening snap, the thick ivy stem supporting my weight broke like a scream.
Thud!
"Ugh, damn it..."
I crashed onto the hard dirt floor, landing hard on my backside. A stinging pain shot up my spine and I grimaced. Coughing in the cloud of dust, I lifted my head to find a polished shoe tip inches from my face. It was Yua.
She stood perfectly composed, not a single thread of her uniform out of place, gazing down at me as if she'd been there the entire time. In her hand was the communication board.
The scratch of chalk against wood sliced through the silence with eerie calm.
It would've hurt less if you'd come down when I told you to.
"You... You did that on purpose? Were you trying to kill me?"
I pushed myself up from the ground, shouting. But Yua's expression didn't flicker. Instead, she stared at the dirt I was trying to brush off my clothes, then roughly seized the cuff of my sleeve.
Follow me. To your room.
"No! Why should I? Let go!"
I twisted, trying to free my sleeve. But Yua clenched her jaw and began dragging me deeper into the mansion. The sight of her tightly corded jaw muscles made me shut my mouth on instinct. This was the face she made when she was truly furious.
All the way down the corridor she never once looked back. Her measured footsteps rang sharply against the marble floor. Servants who saw us jumped aside and flattened themselves against the wall, but Yua didn't spare them a glance.
"Hey, slow down! My ankle hurts!"
My protests were met with silence. If anything, the hand pulling me only tightened. Like an owner hauling a runaway puppy, her stride held no hesitation.
I was dragged all the way to my room. The moment we stepped inside, Yua shoved me onto the bed. Then she turned and slammed the bolt home with a harsh click.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing? Why did you lock the door?"
I sprang up from the bed. Without even pausing to breathe, Yua dragged a chair in front of me. The loud bang echoed through the room. She sat down, placed the board on her lap, and gripped the chalk so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
The only sound in the room was the relentless scrape of chalk against wood. Yua pressed the letters with enough force to carve holes in the board.
Did you see that ivy vine earlier?
The inside of the stem was completely rotten and hollow. If you'd climbed even a little higher, it would have snapped and you would've fallen headfirst.
"That was... but I was being careful..."
Careful? Do you even understand what that word means?
Her handwriting grew rougher and larger. She erased the board and wrote again.
When you returned from the war covered in injuries, what did I say? I begged you to please take care of yourself. Yet you're sneaking out? Over the wall, of all things?
"I just felt suffocated! Do you have any idea how torturous it is to be trapped in this house all day? I'm a person too. I have things I want to do!"
At my outburst, the tip of Yua's chalk stopped. She kept her head bowed for a long time, motionless. The room filled with nothing but my ragged breathing. The longer the silence stretched, the more an inexplicable guilt twisted inside me.
When she finally moved the chalk again, the sound was softer. Her hand trembled as she carefully held the board out to me.
Can't you just stay by my side?
"What...?"
If you disappear from my sight, I can't even breathe. I'm terrified you'll be bleeding somewhere again. Terrified someone will hurt you again.
A single transparent droplet fell onto the board with a soft plop. The ink around it immediately began to blur. Yua never lifted her head, but her shoulders were shaking.
Was asking you not to leave such a difficult request?
I said I'd go with you. I suggested we take the carriage and travel safely.
"That's... because if I'm with you, I can't do what I want to..."
I couldn't finish. The board on Yua's lap was already ruined with tear stains.
I climbed off the bed and knelt in front of her, taking her small hands in mine. They were ice-cold. The terrifying strength she'd used to drag me was gone; now they felt heartbreakingly fragile.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I never meant to make you worry..."
Instead of answering, Yua gripped my hands tightly enough for her nails to dig into my skin. It was a desperate, clinging hold. She lifted the board and wrote a new line among the smeared letters.
Never... Never do that again.
"All right. I promise. I won't even go near the wall anymore."
Yua finally raised her head. Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes bloodshot and swollen. She stared straight into mine and nodded, as if confirming the vow.
We stayed like that for a long time. I wiped her tears away, and she brushed the dirt from my clothes. The fierce confrontation from earlier felt like a lie. All that remained in the room was warm, humid air.
Yua stood and prepared the tea tray. The kettle was already steaming, as if she'd prepared it in advance. She pressed a warm cup into my hands. The fragrant aroma of the leaves brushed my nose, melting the tension from my body.
Scratch. Scratch.
Finish your tea and go wash up. Look at the state you're in.
"Fine, fine. I'll wash in a bit."
I grumbled as I took a sip. Yua gave me a small smile. Though she made no sound, that smile felt gentler than any words could have been.
"But... it really hurt when you yanked me off that wall, you know? No apology for that?"
When I tossed out the teasing remark, Yua snatched the board again and wrote in enormous letters.
That was entirely your own fault!
"Okay, okay. It's all my fault."
I took another sip and glanced at the wall outside the window. The ivy had been a failure. Who would've thought the stem was rotten? Still, in a mansion this vast, there had to be more than one way out. The gap behind the western warehouse, the underside of the supply carriage... Dozens of new routes were already forming in my mind.
The fragrant tea Yua had brewed for me had, paradoxically, only hardened my resolve to escape.
It's not like this is my only chance.
Satisfied, I drank the rest of the tea while anticipating the next opportunity. I simply had to wait until Yua's vigilance slipped, until that fleeting moment when she thought, The young master has finally come to his senses.
Once the cup was empty, Yua cleared the tray and rose. Before opening the door, she held out the board one last time.
You must wash before sleeping. You promised, remember?
"I know. I'll be the cleanest person in the world tomorrow morning."
I waved with exaggerated cheer. Yua gave a quiet nod and left. The door closed, and the bolt slid into place with a heavy click.
Out in the corridor, Yua paused in front of the door. She stood listening to the sound of Leo humming inside the room. Then, slowly, she lifted her head.
The sorrow that had drenched her face drained away like receding tide. The redness in her eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by a cold, razor-sharp gleam. She roughly wiped away the last traces of tears with her sleeve and curved her lips into a faint, mysterious smile.
As expected, Leo is so easy to handle.
I pulled a small bottle of eye drops from my pocket and tucked it deep inside. Back in the garden when I'd glared at him, I'd already predicted exactly how this would play out. No one understood better than I did that Leo rebelled against forceful commands but crumbled completely at any display of weakness.
The trembling shoulders, the watery eyes, the way the letters on the board had blurred with tears, everything had been meticulously staged to keep him trapped inside the mansion.
As I walked down the hallway, I erased the board. Then, on a fresh page no one else would see, I wrote in tiny characters.
It was a list of every possible escape route Leo might target next.
1. Western warehouse gap — Seal by tomorrow morning.
2. Kitchen supply carriage — Order the driver to increase inspections.
3. Tree near the northern moat — Instruct the gardener to prune immediately.
I hadn't missed a single glance he'd stolen toward the window while drinking his tea. I already knew exactly what he was plotting and where he would strike next.
Young master, you will never leave this mansion.
My gaze grew icy. Leo's escape wasn't mere rebellion. It was the destruction of the world I had protected, flinging him back into those horrific external threats. Even the sight of him believing he'd tricked me and feeling triumphant was unbearably adorable.
While he racked his brain for his next scheme, I was already laying traps two or three moves ahead. To me, this game was both amusement and sacred duty.
I headed toward the kitchen with light steps. I was already looking forward to the stunned expression on his face tomorrow morning when he discovered the "perfect escape hole" behind the western warehouse had been bricked up tight.
What face will you make tomorrow while trying to deceive me, young master?
I mouthed the words silently, without making a sound.