By Zephyria 
Chrissy did not respond, as if agreeing. However, his displeased expression suggested he hated admitting it.
Ah, what a pitiful sight.
Nathaniel thought mechanically. To be in a position where he could only look up at an unbeatable opponent with that frail body, capable of nothing.
The cane, which he had dropped during the sudden attack, lay lonely a few steps away. Slowly, and with no other choice, Nathaniel staggered toward the cane.
“So.”
Only after leaning on the cane did he stand straight and turn to ask Chrissy.
“Is that the end of today’s event?”
It was not easy to tell if he was being sarcastic or expressing regret. Chrissy remained silent for a moment but soon answered as if nothing had happened.
“It is the end, unfortunately.”
Surprisingly, his resilience was quite good. He even added with a smile:
“Still, today’s event was pretty decent, wasn’t it?”
“Ah, indeed.”
Nathaniel nodded readily and wore a meaningful smile.
“You are the first person to attack me from above my head.”
That was only natural. There weren’t many people in the world taller than Nathaniel. Because of that, he had never felt the need to check above his head, and Chrissy had seen right through this. Though it failed, the attempt wasn’t bad. The fact that Chrissy hadn’t considered the outcome felt refreshing to Nathaniel. He stroked his chin with one hand as if thinking, then spoke.
“Was this situation not in your calculations? I could have killed you right here.”
It could have been anger or displeasure at the audacity of such an act; it could have been for any reason. No one knew that Chrissy was imprisoned here, and even if someone found out, Nathaniel had more than enough money and power to bury the matter. Chrissy surely knew this as well.
“Because this was the only choice I had.”
This was the expected answer. Nathaniel asked again.
“Even though you might have died?”
That was exactly what he was curious about. Did he not think Nathaniel would kill him? While it would be difficult for Chrissy or ordinary people, it was nothing for him and a few others. Of course, Chrissy was well aware of that fact. The man before him had tried to burn his eyes and had not hesitated to strangle him. Yet, despite that, Chrissy looked up at him with a stoic face and said:
“And?”
Nathaniel said nothing for a while. He simply stared intently at Chrissy’s face, as if trying to gauge whether the man’s words were sincere.
“What is the purpose of going this far?”
After a period of silence, Nathaniel finally spoke. Chrissy unconsciously frowned. Did he have to repeat what he had already said several times?
“I believe I told you I want to save Detective Simmons.”
Nathaniel fell silent again. His faintly furrowed brow, however, made it seem as though he didn’t believe Chrissy’s words.
They certainly weren’t related.
The investigation into Chrissy had been completed long ago. Aside from working together on a case by chance, there were no points of contact between him and Detective Simmons. And yet, he would go this far for such a person?
He looked down at Chrissy, lost in thought for a moment. If Chrissy truly believed that, Nathaniel would have to change his approach. A person with a ‘mission’ is not easily broken. If Chrissy was moving with the ‘mission’ to save Simmons, he would endure any hardship. There would be a limit, of course, but it would be a waste of unnecessary time.
Thinking this far, Nathaniel’s gaze suddenly shifted to Chrissy’s legs. He was wearing a shirt that clearly belonged to Nathaniel, but his lower half was bare, just as it had been in the morning. He had managed to wear the oversized shirt by rolling up the sleeves, but perhaps it was better not to wear pants at all. The place where his fingertips lingered was one of Chrissy’s ankles. Seeing it swollen compared to the other ankle, Nathaniel’s gaze stopped there.
Soon, leaning on his cane, he strode toward Chrissy with larger steps than usual. Before Chrissy could react to the sudden situation, Nathaniel stopped in front of him in just three or four steps.
“Are you hurt?”
At the sudden question asked while leaning his upper body in, Chrissy was momentarily flustered and tried to pull back. However, once again, Nathaniel was faster, grabbing Chrissy’s bare ankle with one hand, and Chrissy unconsciously gasped. Nathaniel glanced at Chrissy, who had turned pale with shock at the realization that he had almost triggered another electric shock, and then looked back at the ankle.
“You really did something reckless.”
He spoke as if it were pathetic. In truth, it was one of his few sincere remarks. A scrap of paper would be more useful than this body. Nathaniel had already seen this man become covered in wounds several times before his eyes. Why did he throw himself into danger so nonchalantly every time?
“You didn’t actually want to die, did you?”
When Nathaniel asked suspiciously, Chrissy let out a scoff, as if it were absurd.
“Hardly. I would never do something like commit suicide.”
He couldn’t kill anyone, but he couldn’t kill himself either. The possibility of someone else killing him was a separate issue from taking his own life. That was why he had ended up in this state. If he had been able to kill Nathaniel or threaten him using his own life as collateral, the result would have been different.
At Chrissy’s words, Nathaniel remained silent for a while with a dark expression. What is he thinking now? Chrissy wondered, but soon gave up. How could he possibly know what this man was thinking?
Just as he thought that, Nathaniel suddenly wrapped an arm around Chrissy’s waist. As a startled Chrissy gasped, Nathaniel spoke immediately.
“Stay still. As you can see, your leg is in this state, so I can’t carry you elegantly.”
And just like that, Chrissy was hoisted up, practically folded in half over Nathaniel’s shoulder. Flustered, he hurriedly turned his head, but all he could see was the back of the man’s head. Carrying Chrissy as carelessly as if he were a sack of junk, Nathaniel began to climb the stairs. Every time he moved his feet, Chrissy’s whole body jolted and his vision swayed, making him feel nauseous, but he couldn’t resist strongly for fear of falling.
What is this, suddenly, what is this.
It didn’t take long for the same words to repeat in his head. Eventually, Chrissy buried his face in his hands and spat out a curse under his breath.
Chrissy thought he would naturally be locked back in the gloomy small room where he had fallen asleep the previous day, but his expectation was completely wrong. He lowered his hands at the sound of the door opening, and after unconsciously frowning at the bright light, he soon became bewildered. The spacious and neatly organized room was familiar. It was the very bedroom he had sneaked into during the day to find the key to the study. The few paintings on the wall, the elegant statues and tea table, and even the giant bed in the center were all as they were. And surprisingly, Nathaniel placed Chrissy on that bed.
But that wasn’t the end. Before Chrissy could say anything, Nathaniel turned away and returned holding a small key in his hand. Then, the dog collar that had been tightening around Chrissy’s neck the whole time was removed. Chrissy looked down at the leather object in disbelief and then looked back up at Nathaniel.
“What… is this.”
Barely managing to speak, Chrissy asked while looking at Nathaniel with a face full of distrust.
“What kind of trick is this now? What are you plotting?”
Instead of answering, Nathaniel sat on the edge of the bed and reached out. His long fingers touched the ankle, and as Chrissy flinched, Nathaniel finally spoke.
“By tomorrow, it will be so swollen that it will be hard to even walk. So let’s take a break from the games for a while.”
The word ‘games’ grated on his ears, but there was something he wanted to ask first.
“This is your bedroom. Are you telling me to sleep here?”
Nathaniel answered, his hand still resting on Chrissy’s ankle.
“I won’t force the Prosecutor to do anything. It would be very troublesome if the other leg became unusable as well.”
After doing every kind of coercive act imaginable, he was going to leave only sex to free will—just how great of a pervert was this man? Chrissy let out a sigh of disbelief.
“Is it not your taste to keep me in that room and abuse me?”
At Chrissy’s sarcasm, Nathaniel unexpectedly smiled.
“I didn’t create that room. It was originally in this house.”
His tone was leisurely as usual, but it felt as if he were teasing him. Chrissy looked at him with a gaze full of suspicion and repeated the same words.
“It was originally there?”
“Yes.”
Nathaniel gave a short nod and added:
“Currently, probably only two people know of that room’s existence.”
And then, with a strange smile, he gazed at Chrissy.
“Because everyone who first created and used that room is dead.”