Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 167

Facing Nigel, Cecilia calmly clasped her hands over her abdomen and greeted him.

“Oh my, who do we have here… Sir Nigel? It’s been a long time. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“A long time? Ha, you crazy b-tch. Still as brain-dead as ever, I see.”

Cecilia frowned in displeasure at his crude insult.

“If you’re going to talk about sending someone away, at least make sure to do it properly.”

He tapped the side of his temple and responded,

“Didn’t I send your mind here on a one-way trip first? Your body’s supposed to crawl over on its own.”

“I’m not exactly in a position to crawl, am I?”

“True. No matter how empty-headed you are, even you’re not that pathetic.”

The large figure that had been leaning against the door suddenly loomed forward. His long legs moved, and with each step, traces of labor still clinging to his uniform fell away.

Soon, he was standing right in front of Cecilia.

“Wait, let’s talk this out— Ugh…!”

In an instant, her frail body was yanked toward him. They were so close she could feel the heat of his breath on her skin.

“If you want, I can separate your soul and set it free. Mercifully, all at once.”

“…”

Cecilia glared at him, her eyes sharp like daggers. Their hostile gazes clashed, sparks flying between them.

“Killing someone here would send you to prison, Sir Nigel.”

“Well, you’d enjoy that, wouldn’t you?”

“Me? Not at all.”

Cecilia placed her hand on his chest.

“…!”

She looked up at him, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“What would I do if you were gone?”

“…”

Her fingertips trailed up his chest like a snake, but he didn’t move.

“They say even a bad relationship is still a relationship…”

She brushed her hand along his sun-kissed neck, still he didn’t move.

“If this long relationship ended in something as mundane as death…”

“…”

“It would be such a waste of all the emotions I’ve invested.”

Her gaze continued to explore him, observing the trembling in his pupils, the slight quiver of his eyelashes, his ears perked up against the golden light, and his tightly pressed lips.

He didn’t push her away.

Cecilia smiled.

The contrast between his expression, as if he was ready to tear her apart, and his tensed shoulders, shaking as if about to lunge, was amusing.

‘You think you’re so manly.’

Suppressing her laughter, she trembled slightly, holding back a smile. Despite the fact that this man had come here ready to kill her, she remained so composed that she could barely contain her amusement.

After all, she had conquered him once before.

Once subdued, a person remained in the palm of her hand. And as proof, he had come to her like this, showing off his desire.

…Until his hand grabbed hers as she tried to wrap it around his neck.

“…?”

She had been too complacent.

He seized her hand and pulled it down. She thought that was the end of it, but he held onto it firmly. She realized now that it wouldn’t end with just that.

“Ah…!”

Her scream was as brief as the last gasp of a condemned prisoner granted a merciful death. With her hands bound, she found herself suddenly on the sofa.

Lying down against her will, she lowered her gaze. The beast-like eyes before her burned with intensity as they approached. His legs pinned down her skirt, making it impossible to push him away.

A tearing sound from the underskirt’s fabric, lined with delicate lace, reached her ears with an alarming sharpness.

Yes, he was a man after all. He had a man’s body. If he decided to attack, she had no way to resist.

“…”

She glared at the face hovering above her, as if trying to kill him with her eyes alone.

With effort, she parted her lips.

“What… do you think you’re doing…?”

She barely managed to avoid stuttering.

But he remained silent, staring down at her for a long moment. Just as she had attempted to dominate him earlier, he was now reasserting control in his own way, his dominance undeniable.

What might have been mere seconds felt endlessly long. The sheer difference in physical strength rendered Cecilia powerless.

Even a player is just a piece on the board. You can’t always be on top. He imprinted this simple truth on her in the most straightforward way possible.

When he finally smirked, his lips curling into that familiar expression she knew too well, she felt a strange sense of satisfaction, even as she hated the sight of his smug face.

“You’ve got guts, charging in like that, but you should know your place.”

“…”

“You think people die peacefully, just like that?”

Cecilia twisted her hand, gritting her teeth as she cursed under her breath.

“You bastard…”

A gleam flickered in his crocodile-like eyes. He couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter, sitting up. At the same time, the candlelight on the table flickered, casting shifting shadows on the ceiling.

“Why poke a sleeping lion if you’re not armed with a sword or shield?”

“…”

She had expected him to charge at her furiously, and she had anticipated he’d try to bite her head off.

But she hadn’t expected him to express his anger in such a calculated way.

“If you want to die gloriously, do it in bed of old age. There’s no need to rush it like this.”

Nigel was at ease. He clearly believed he held all the cards.

It was a bitter pill to swallow. How could she be at the mercy of someone like Nigel… someone like him?