Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey - Chapter 1571: A Mob’s Story: Part-3

Chapter 1571: A Mob’s Story: Part-3

Penelope’s POV

Even though I was buried in studies and forced myself to ignore everything else, one desire refused to fade… I wanted to spend time with the boy I love, even if it meant double the work later.

It was never easy.

My schedule rarely allowed even a moment to breathe, yet I forced gaps into it.

This was the only way I could reach his class as fast as possible, the only way to see him without losing everything I had worked for.

Some sacrifices had to be made to gain something greater, and I accepted that truth without hesitation.

After all, once I reached the Elite class, everything would change.

We could walk together without worry, speak freely every day, and exist side by side without the weight of distance pressing between us.

Just imagining myself beside him like that filled my chest with a quiet warmth, the kind that made every struggle feel worth enduring.

Still, beyond all plans and ambitions, I simply loved being with him.

That alone was enough reason to endure anything.

Every year, when his birthday came, I pushed aside my schedules, even knowing it would later take a toll on my body.

For a man who understands me the way he does, who has stayed by my side and supported me through everything, this level of sacrifice felt insignificant.

If anything, it felt too small compared to what he deserved.

Most of the time, I took him out to eat somewhere quiet, somewhere we could talk and laugh without interruption.

Those moments were simple, yet they lingered longer than anything else. But during my third year, I wanted to give him something different, something that would remain with him even when I was not there.

So I decided to bake a cake just for him!

He had also been asking, again and again, to see my room.

Each time, I avoided the answer, teasing him or changing the subject.

But this time, I decided to allow it, quietly holding onto the thought that this night would belong only to us.

Getting permission from the warden was not easy. She was not someone who allowed such things, not even once. But she had seen my efforts, my sleepless nights, my unwavering discipline.

Perhaps that was why she relented, allowing me something she would deny anyone else.

I was genuinely grateful to her.

The night wrapped the dormitory in a soft hush. In that silence, I led him inside, step by careful step, my heart racing louder than our footsteps.

Sneaking my future boyfriend into the girls’ dormitory sent a sharp chill through me.

Every shadow felt like a witness, every sound like a warning. It felt wrong, dangerously so, as if I were crossing a line I could never step back from.

Yet, I kept moving forward.

Just as I was about to reach my room, a door creaked open.

Thud.

A girl stepped out, and both of us froze instantly, our bodies stiff with shock. For a moment, the world seemed to stop.

Then she simply smiled.

“Go have fun,” she said, her voice thick with sleep as she covered a yawn.

Relief and embarrassment crashed into me at once.

It was not like I was the only one who had done this. I had seen other girls sneak their boyfriends in before, heard whispers, caught glimpses.

It was not unusual.

And yet, my face burned.

’We are not having any fun!’ I screamed inwardly, my cheeks turning red as I quickly pulled him along.

As he stepped inside, I noticed the girl glance at him again, her lips curling into a knowing smirk.

For a brief second, he flinched under her gaze, as if something about it unsettled him.

Maybe he was just nervous?

I chose not to think about it.

Inside my room…

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

A strange warmth spread across my face. I lowered my gaze, unable to meet his eyes, my fingers curling slightly at my sides.

He turned toward me slowly.

With each step he took closer, my heartbeat grew louder, heavier, like a drum echoing inside my chest.

His presence filled the space between us, narrowing the distance until it almost vanished.

Just as his arms began to open, reaching to pull me into him—

“W-Wait!”

I pushed him lightly, my face flushed, my voice trembling as it slipped out.

“I… I have something else,” I said, trying to steady myself.

Before he could respond, I guided him to the chair and gently covered his eyes with my handkerchief.

“Just wait for it,” I whispered.

He nodded cutely.

He was so cute.

Carefully, I brought the cake to the table.

It was larger than I had imagined when I first started. Layers of chocolate and vanilla, slightly uneven but made with care, every detail shaped by my own hands.

It was imperfect, yet it felt like the most precious thing I had ever created.

I placed the candles on top, adjusting them one by one.

It was big.

Too big, perhaps.

We would have to eat all night to finish it.

The thought made me smile faintly.

I turned off the lights, letting darkness settle around the room, then reached for the matchbox.

Empty?

My expression stiffened.

’Tsk.’

“Just wait here,” I said quickly, trying to hide my frustration, “I’ll be back.”

Before he could say anything, I slipped out of the room and hurried down the corridor.

As I moved, I noticed a shadow lingering at the corner of the hallway.

I paused for a fraction of a second.

Then continued on.

At the warden’s room, I knocked softly and explained what I needed.

“He must be one of the lucky ones,” she said, her lips curving into a gentle smile. “A girl like you, going this far just to make him happy… It’s rare.”

I shifted slightly, feeling awkward under her gaze.

“To make a cake with your own hands…” she continued, her voice drifting into nostalgia. “When I was your age, I never even thought of doing something like that….”

She began to ramble, her words slowing, softening, as if she were speaking more to her past than to me.

I forced a small, polite smile, even as impatience stirred within me.

I needed to go back.

Still, I could not interrupt her.

That would be disrespectful, right?

Without her help, it might not be possible after all!

After a few minutes, she noticed my expression and blinked, returning to the present.

“Oh dear, forgive me. You should go-”

I left before she could finish.

Five minutes had already passed.

My steps quickened into a run as I moved through the corridors, my breath growing heavier with each second.

When I reached my door, I stopped, my hand resting against the doorknob as I tried to steady myself.

Then—

“Ah”

My brows furrowed.

Did I hear that correctly?

Girl voice?

Did someone enter my room?

Did someone find him?

A sharp panic shot through me.

Without thinking, I pushed the door open and reached for the switch.

The lights flooded the room and,

“Mathew, are you—”

“Yes~ Aahhh~ harder~ aayesss~”

My voice died before it could finish.

For a moment, I could not move.

I stood there, frozen, my mind refusing to understand what my eyes were seeing.

On my bed—

My future boyfriend, Mathew…

And another woman above him.

Their bodies tangled, their movements abrupt as they froze under the sudden light. Both of them turned toward me, their expressions shifting from shock to something unreadable.

But I could not react.

I could not think.

I could only stand there, staring at the scene unfolding before me, as if the world had quietly broken without making a sound.

Seeing their bodies tangled together, clinging, holding, connected… my stomach twisted violently, and before I could even understand what was happening,

“Vvvvvoooo—”

Vomit spilled out of my mouth uncontrollably.

I gasped heavily, my chest heaving, tears blurring my vision as I looked at the woman above him.

She let out a sly smile.

“Oops~”

As if she had simply slipped and ended up on top of him.

She stood up slowly and began walking toward me, her bare body unashamed, her expression playful yet sharp. With a sly curve of her lips, she said,

“Looks like we got caught, hubby~”

Her voice rang loud and clear, echoing inside my skull.

Hubby?

W-What?

What is she talking about?

I had only ever heard that word when my mother called my father like that… like a nickname, something intimate.

When did they…?

My vision trembled. My legs shook beneath me. Sweat formed across my forehead as my mind began connecting everything on its own, even without hearing the truth from them.

Yet—

Like a pathetic, desperate woman, I forced the words out.

“W-What’s going on…? Ha… D-Did you mistake him for someone else?”

My voice came out hollow, fragile, as if it would shatter at any second.

The woman smirked.

“Mistake for someone else?”

Her eyes suddenly turned cold.

“Did you just call me a slut, bitch?”

“N-No-”

Before I could react—

Slap!

Her hand struck my cheek with force.

“W-What…?”

I clutched my stinging cheek, pain spreading through my skin as I stared at her, completely lost.

What is going on?

Shouldn’t I be the one slapping her?

For touching my future boyfri—

My thoughts stopped abruptly.

Yeah.

He was not my boyfriend.

Yet… yet… like a hopeless girl, I turned my eyes toward Mathew, silently begging him to say something, to fix this, to deny it.

But he only scratched his head, avoiding my gaze… as if he was apologising without words.

I… I didn’t understand why, but—

“S-She forced you, right?”

My voice trembled, my heart clinging to that one fragile hope.

’Please say yes… please…’

“I-I shouldn’t have left you alone… t-this is the girls’ dormitory after all… they might have mistaken you… ahah… aha—”

Slap!

Another blow.

“Arh!”

I fell to the floor from the force, my body hitting the ground hard.

She looked down at me, her eyes cold and merciless.

“Forced him? Bitch… he is my boyfriend.”

“H-Huh…?”

B-Boyfriend?

When?

My eyes drifted toward him again. He was still on the bed, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

“N-No… no! You are lying. He loved me—”

Slap!

Again.

Her hand struck me, and before I could recover, she grabbed my hair and yanked me up, forcing a scream out of me as pain shot through my scalp.

She dragged me toward the mirror and shoved my face toward it.

“Loved you? The hell are you saying…?”

“Did you even look at your face? You ugly piece of shit. Look at yourself.

Look how disgusting you are, and you still have the nerve to covet my man?”

She slammed my face closer against the mirror, forcing me to look.

My reflection… stared back at me.

Tears, sweat, shame… all of it laid bare.

I… I didn’t know why, but when she said that word… “Ugly”… I found myself looking at the mirror.

For the first time in my life… I truly saw myself.

I, who never cared about anything except working hard, studying, pushing forward without ever stopping… on this day, I was forced to look at who I really was.

Dishevelled, dry brown hair, rough and lifeless.

Darkened eyes that carried the weight of countless sleepless nights.

Hollow cheeks that had long lost their softness.

A small, unremarkable nose.

Thin lips, now smeared with vomit.

Thick, unrefined eyebrows.

A stiff neck.

A hardened body shaped by strain and training rather than care.

Rough skin.

Buried beneath it all, calloused hands that told the story of endless effort.

“And look at me,” she said.

She stepped beside me, her flawless naked body reflected in the mirror.

It felt like comparing a carefully crafted chocolate cake… to a piece of burnt bread.

Huh?

So that’s…. a woman’s body?

Then… what am I?

Seeing the emptiness in my eyes, she smirked, then suddenly shoved me down with force.

“Even if you were reborn 100 times, you could never compare to my beauty, bitch!”

Slap!

Her hand struck me again, harder this time.

“A worthless nobody like you dares to even look at a Golden Star… Do you even understand what the hell is wrong with you?”

She grabbed my chin and forced my face to turn toward him.

“Look at him. My man. Someone who will shine like a star.”

He stood there, silent, his eyes lowered, avoiding everything.

“And you… someone like you thinks you can stand beside him?” she continued, her voice filled with disgust. “Fuck, I get annoyed just thinking about it.”

Her fist slammed into my face.

Pain exploded.

Warm liquid streamed from my nose.

“Arrhh—”

She smiled faintly, almost amused, before grabbing my breast tightly.

“Even these…” she sneered, squeezing harder, “are not even worth looking at. You couldn’t even sell yourself as a prostitute… hahah…”

Her laughter turned sharp, as her grip tightened, pain spreading deeper and deeper.

“P-Please… it hurts… ARRh—”

Slap!

Another strike.

She leaned closer, her eyes locking onto mine.

“Tell me the truth. You wanted to sleep with him, didn’t you? You wanted to have his child so you could cling to him… just like a parasite, right?”

Her fingers dug into me painfully… It… It hurts!

“Instead of spreading your legs for everyone, you chose him, didn’t you? RIGHT?”

“Arrhhh! M-Mathew!”

I cried out for him.

It hurt.

It hurt so much!

But he didn’t move.

He just sat there, silent, as if none of this concerned him.

“He won’t come,” she whispered coldly. “He already knows what you are. Nothing but something beneath him. His side bitch!”

As she leaned closer, the smell of them together, the memory of what I had just seen, twisted violently inside my stomach.

“Vvvvvooommm—”

I vomited again, my body convulsing uncontrollably.

“FUCK, BITCH!”

BOOM!

Her foot slammed into my stomach.

Pain erupted as I was sent rolling across the floor, my body crashing to a stop near the table where the cake rested.

She groaned in fury.

“Disgusting bitch! How dare you stain me with your filth! I’ll kill you!”

She stormed toward me, her steps heavy with rage.

As if she were going to really kill me.

N-No… S-Someone stop…

But then—

He moved.

Mathew stood up and grabbed her, whispering something into her ear, trying to calm her down.

For a single moment… a fragile thought appeared.

He didn’t abandon me…?

Hope?

A foolish, fleeting hope.

Like hell!

The very next moment, she walked toward me again, her lips curling into a cruel smile.

“Well… your beloved said he liked my birthday gift more than yours.”

With a sudden motion, she shoved the cake off the table.

It fell onto me.

The soft layers broke apart, cream and crumbs smearing across my body.

My entire day of effort… gone in an instant.

And all I could do was stare at it with hollow eyes.

She looked satisfied.

Happy.

“Come on, hubby. Let’s continue your birthday gift in my room.”

She took him away.

And I…

Lay there.

Covered in vomit, blood…

and the remains of the cake I made for him.