I Became The Male Lead’s Female Friend - Chapter 53

Chapter 53

✾

Rudrick began to tremble little by little. It felt really weird.

Unable to understand any of his father’s words, an instinctive fear creeped up from his feet and engulfed him.

Rudrick wanted to run away immediately. But in the end, he couldn’t move. His father’s eyes looking down at him were gleaming strangely and cruelly.

Without realizing it, he already begged for forgiveness.

“Oh, father. I, I was wrong, I…”

“I’ll tell you the answer.”

My father smiled more than ever, showing his teeth.

“They’re all ‘created‘.”

At that moment, Rudrick began to step back. A warning struck him that he must get out of here quickly rang in his ears.

However, his father easily overpowered him as if he knew Rudrick would try to escape.

Like a wild beast hunting its prey, he grabbed him with agile movements and threw him to the floor in an instant.

Rudrick groaned in pain as his head hit the floor hard.

But his father raised his hand and rang the bell without giving him a glance. Then soon after, the knights rushed into the room.

“Take him away.”

At the words of his father, the knights pulled Rudrick’s arm and dragged him.

No matter how hard he struggled, they didn’t bulge.

A lukewarm liquid flowed down his forehead. Rudrick painfully tried to open his eyes to glance at his father.

From afar, my father was whispering something.

‘You’ll also be the same.’

That’s how Rudrick was imprisoned. In a confined space without a single light, with corpses exuding a rotten smell.

For quite a long time.

✿

I don’t even know how many days have passed. Days continued just like yesterday, today and maybe tomorrow.

Rudrick was locked up in a warehouse.

No, I don’t know if I should call it a warehouse. It was like a large garbage dump in this place filled with rotting corpses of beasts.

But I didn’t know at the time. Where I was thrown, and where my father locked me up.

Being dragged by the knights like a dog, I didn’t have time to come to my senses, and as it was, I was thrown to the floor and the door slammed shut. This place without a single window soon turned dark…

So Rudrick didn’t see it yet. Where he was imprisoned.

At first, I thought it was just a warehouse with a dirty floor and smashed broken objects. My father locked me in a warehouse to break my habits.

However, I felt strange when I started to smell the rotten bodies around me.

It smelled awful, like rotten food, and it’s so terrible as if something burnt.

Rudrick later noticed that the fishy, musty stench waft all over the place.

Then realizing it belatedly anxiety crept up. What in the world was this place that stinks like this, or was this not an ordinary warehouse?

Rudrick hurriedly covered his nose and looked around only then. However, it wasn’t easy to distinguish the surroundings since his eyes had yet to be accustomed to darkness.

But as I got used to the darkness for a while, I started to see the surroundings that had been buried by darkness little by little… My eyes widened at what I saw.

“…!”

The first thing I saw was a carcass of an animal with a twisted neck.

The corpse, whose blood clotted as if it had just died, was looking at Rudrick.

At the terrifying sight, Rudrick unknowingly retreated back.

Then something else was also revealed under his feet. It was the remains of someone.

Rudrick quickly glanced to another place, and there was also a dead body.

This time, I turned to look elsewhere. There was also a body there.

Wherever I looked, wherever my gaze headed, there were only corpses and carcasses.

Only then did I realize.

This place was not a warehouse. It was just like the dump where dead bodies were thrown, a garbage dump where the bodies that were difficult to dispose of were discarded.

And I was abandoned there.

“Urgh… Ah…”

Rudrick stepped back slowly, like a madman.

The feeling of kicking every corpse each step I took gave me goosebumps, but I had no time to think about it.

Why did my father imprison me here? Has he really abandoned me to this place?

I thought it would only take a few days to endure this hell, but was this something that has lasted for more than a few days? How long could I last here? One day? Two days? Three days? A week? A month? Otherwise…

‘Forever?’

Soon after, Rudrick’s head was filled with the idea of escaping quickly.

If I stay here any longer, I’m sure I’ll go crazy. Eventually, it was clear that I would also rot with those corpses.

So I must leave this place. Right now…

Rudrick looked around hastily.

But there was no small crack in this pitch dark place, and all I could see was a pile of corpses stacked on top of each other.

Eventually, I rushed back to the door.

Not only did I knock on the door, but also slammed the door open with my fist, kicked it, and bang the door open desperately with my whole body.

But no matter how hard I tried, the door did not move.

Finally, I started screaming and knocking on the door crying.

“Father… Father…!”

At first, I called out to my father.

I begged forgiveness for meddling, that I was wrong, and that I won’t intervene again or talk back at him. I begged and prayed that if my father gave me one more chance, I would become an obedient child whom my father liked.

But there was no sound that could be heard from outside.

And then next, I tried calling out to my mother.

I’m sorry I couldn’t stop my father at that time, I’m sorry for pushing you, mother, when you ran to me, but I was scared then, and I’m still scared, so could you please help me? Please…

But there was still no sound of help.

Next, I called the name of the servant, and the name of the knight who I used to train with.

Even butler, who sometimes looked at me pitifully, and even called out to the knights who dragged me here.

But there was still no one…

Rudrick’s frantic knocking on the wall slowed down.

I no longer had a name to call…

I couldn’t even hear any sound at all.

Rudrick stopped moving and banged his head against the wall. Then he muttered the name that he endured to cry for and ask for help.

“Dahlia…”

Then tears began to pour out from my eyes.

Eventually, Rudrick’s body collapsed to the floor. Sitting down in front of the door, Rudrick burst into tears.

I couldn’t figure out what went wrong and where.

Was it a problem that I tried to change? Should I have kept holding my breath like before?

I never knew whether my father would forgive me, or when I would be able to get out of here.

For now, I just want to see Dahlia madly.

Rudrick searched through his pockets without realizing it.

Then I felt a soft cloth that I had cherished so far not to be caught by my father.

‘After you cry, wipe your tears off with this handkerchief.’

It was the handkerchief I received when I parted with Dahlia.

The only handkerchief that I’ve kept in my arms until now,

Rudrick immediately buried his face on the handkerchief.

The handkerchief became dirty with endless tears and dirt from his face. Nevertheless, Rudrick didn’t raise his head. Rather, he dug deeper.

As I was doing it, it felt like Dahlia was there for some reason, and my fear lightened a bit…

‘And when the handkerchief is all wet from your tears…’

Rudrick muttered blankly.

“How long do I have to wait?”

But no answer came back.

Enduring the suffocating silence, Rudrick suddenly foresaw that the answer would not return in the near future, perhaps for quite a long time.

But there was nothing I could do. I just hope this hellish time would pass by, as I have no choice but to hug this handkerchief and bury my face on my knees.

Such a nightmare of the first day has passed.

✿

On the second day, Rudrick stopped crying.

Instead, I chose to wait. Enduring was something I have been doing since I was young. Because it’s what I do best.

If I endured a little, anyone would get me out of here, that they would have no choice but to take me out, and that my father wouldn’t abandon me.

That’s what I thought and lived through this hell.

Still holding on to the damp handkerchief. Thinking that I should wash the handkerchief first when I go out later.

On the third day, Rudrick suddenly began to fear.

What if my father had forgotten me? What if he doesn’t want to get me out? So do I have to rot here with the carcasses of the beast?

Would I be mixed along with the corpses that I couldn’t even determine its shape?

So I knocked on the door again and began to shout. Even if they don’t free me right away, I hope they don’t forget that there’s someone here.

Shouting, wailing, still knocking on the door with all my might.

Still, there’s no sound of someone’s presence outside.