Chapter 79: Date Disrupted

The charger set in Eve’s designated spot was still there, but Eve herself was nowhere to be seen.

Was she angry that I’d been gone so long and decided to hide?

Or was she broken again and out for repairs?

If Master still hadn’t brought Eve back from the company yet…

I didn’t even want to imagine that.

“Didi, where is Eve…”

Master’s expression darkened.

It wasn’t a question that should have required such deep thought, but he couldn’t bring himself to answer for quite a while.

From his manner, I realized something was wrong.

As Master hesitated to answer, a wave of unease welled up inside me.

“Nothing happened to Eve, right?”

After wandering the streets for so long and finally coming back, if Eve’s repairs still weren’t finished…

Did that mean something truly serious had happened to her, something that was hard to fix?

Master’s eyes narrowed slightly, and then he finally opened his tightly pressed lips.

“Didi, don’t be startled. Listen carefully.”

“There was a minor accident. Eve’s body was broken, but her memory chip is safe. As long as we get a new main body…”

My breath caught.

The moment I heard that Eve’s body was broken, I couldn’t take in anything else.

Eve was broken?

I froze, my eyes wide.

Master kept saying something, but his voice just became a distant humming sound in my ears.

“H-How did…”

“She ran out alone from the company building… Didi?”

Suddenly, my vision turned blurry.

Master’s figure became hazy.

Realizing that tears were streaming down my face, I quickly turned and ran to my room.

“Didi.”

I heard Master calling after me, but I didn’t look back and hurried up the stairs.

Once I reached my room, I locked the door behind me and collapsed to the floor.

Hugging my knees with both arms, I curled up as small as I could.

Was it because I’d mentioned that Eve seemed off that all this happened?

Every time I’d seen robots on the streets that looked similar to Eve, my chest had tightened painfully.

But each time, I’d comforted myself, thinking Eve must be doing fine at Master’s house…

The thought that I’d trusted so carelessly, not knowing Eve had gotten into an accident, made me feel truly ashamed.

Even if I had known Eve was broken, there wouldn’t have been anything I could do after leaving home.

I’d probably have just wandered around in grief, getting even more lost.

But still, it all felt like my fault, and that was unbearable.

I’d left Sophia to help with dinner preparations and came upstairs without a word…

Now, I didn’t even have the courage to go back down.

I thought maybe Sophia was waiting for me, so I tried to leave the room, but the tears just wouldn’t stop.

I was afraid to go down to the living room.

The thought of facing Eve’s empty spot made me feel like I’d crumble on the spot.

With no strength left, I laid down on the bed.

Unbearable things kept piling up like snow, tightening around my throat.

I just wanted to shut myself down.

It didn’t matter if I never woke up again…

I just wanted to escape from this painful reality.

I hid under the covers and cried in silence.

By the time my tears had finally subsided, darkness had already fallen outside the window.

I couldn’t do anything until sunset, just lying on the bed.

The wounds I’d gotten while wandering outside still stung.

Now even my chest ached so much I couldn’t tell where or how I was hurting anymore.

After a long while, I sensed someone outside my door.

It wasn’t the light footsteps of Sophia, but the heavy sound of dress shoes—so it had to be Master.

Master knocked on the door from outside.

After a long silence with no answer, I heard the doorknob rattle, but I’d locked the door earlier, so I wasn’t too worried.

“Didi, open the door.”

Right now, I didn’t want to see Master’s face.

I wished he’d just leave me alone, but he insisted on calling me.

When Master called my name again, I forced myself to get up from the bed.

Standing in front of the door, I quickly wiped my tear-stained face and unlocked it.

Master seemed to freeze when he saw my face, all blotched and messy.

“…Didi.”

Master looked down at me, who wouldn’t meet his gaze, and called my name softly.

I kept my lips tightly shut and refused to lift my head.

Haa… A short sigh sounded above me.

“Get dressed. We’re going out.”

“Right now…?”

“Yes. And wash your face, too.”

Master’s fingers gently stroked my damp cheek.

That affectionate touch, after such a long time, felt strangely unfamiliar.

When I instinctively pulled away, an awkward silence fell between us.

Avoiding Master’s gaze, I forced myself to speak.

“Where are we going?”

“A date.”

What…?

I looked up at him in disbelief.

The moment my eyes met Master’s calm blue gaze, the words I’d been about to say caught in my throat.

“I don’t want to go.”

I turned sharply, trying to head back to the bed, but Master grabbed my arm and stopped me.

Then, with ease, he lifted me up and slung me over his shoulder.

“Master!”

“Oh well. Looks like you’ll be going on a date in your pajamas.”

“Put me down! Why!”

I struggled and protested, kicking my legs in the air as if I’d fall off Master’s shoulder, thrashing my body, even tried hitting his strong back, but Master refused to put me down.

“William, are you going out?”

“Yes.”

We ran into Sophia in the hallway, but she only saw Master off and didn’t even ask if I needed help as I squirmed.

Just like that, we passed through the front door and stepped outside.

The humid air pressed down on my chest even more with every struggle, and Master’s firm shoulder made it even harder to breathe.

Master strode over to a waiting car, opened the passenger door, and set me down.

I tried to get out immediately, but as I struggled, my slippers slipped off, leaving me barefoot.

As I hesitated, looking at the damp ground—had it rained while we were inside?—the passenger door closed.

Master returned to the driver’s seat.

As if he didn’t want to give me a chance to escape, the car started moving right away.

There was no way I could jump out of a moving car.

Helplessly, I hugged my knees and stared out the dark window.

A date…?

Back in the past, just hearing Master say he wanted to go on a date would have made my heart flutter so much I couldn’t stand it, but now, I felt nothing.

I’d definitely told Master I didn’t love him anymore.

But had he just ignored what I said?

If not, he wouldn’t be acting so bewilderingly now.

This wasn’t the time for me to be doing this.

The moment I heard that Eve was broken, I’d run off, unable to hold back my tears, so I hadn’t even heard how serious her condition was.

I needed to find out how badly she was damaged, and go help right away…

I didn’t have time to be dragged around by Master’s ridiculous request for a date.

“I contacted Thomas and told him to repair Eve.”

“He said he could get a replacement body within three days, so just wait a little.”

Three days.

Hearing a specific timeframe helped calm the anxiety swirling inside me.

I wanted to go see Eve right now, but Master had said he wouldn’t be going to the company for a while either.

Three days—I could wait that long.

As we drove down the dark road, the inside of the car grew quiet again.

It was already late enough that most people were asleep.

Since Master had brought me out in pyjamas, surely he wouldn’t make me wander around outside.

Maybe he just wanted to go for a drive and then head back…

But the car kept heading deeper into the city centre, and soon stopped in front of a large hotel.

Master got out, and then the passenger door opened.

“Get out.”

With those words, he held his hand out to me.

His palm was open, as if telling me to take it and stand up.

Staring blankly at the fancy hotel entrance behind Master, I mumbled,

“This is a hotel…”

“That’s right.”

Master nodded without a hint of hesitation.

A date.

The word Master had used before we left home echoed in my mind.

The word I’d brushed off earlier now began to bother me.

I stared at Master’s outstretched hand for a long moment before I finally spoke.

“Um… I don’t have any shoes.”

Master’s gaze moved from the seat to my bare feet, which were fidgeting.

His slow gaze down to my toes made me embarrassed for no reason, and I curled my toes tightly.

After a moment, Master leaned toward me.

“Put your arms around my neck.”

Just as he said, I carefully put my arms around his neck, and Master lifted me up in one smooth motion.

Eek!

The sudden movement made me cling to Master’s neck with all my strength.

He must have been uncomfortable, but Master just smiled.

Master handed the car keys to the hotel staff, still holding me in his arms, and walked into the hotel.

“William?”

The moment we entered the lobby, a familiar voice called Master’s name.

Turning my head in the direction of the voice, I saw a familiar face a few steps away.

The resemblance to Master was unmistakable.

After a long time, it was Father.