Chapter 16: Side Character x Mafia Boss (16)

Lyra slowly sat up on the massive, plush mattress, stretching her stiff shoulders.

"...Ow, my neck," she groaned softly.

She lifted her hands to inspect her arms and immediately froze, looking down at her wrists. The dark bruises left behind by the rough hemp ropes had been neatly covered with fresh white medical bandages, smelling faintly of cooling aloe ointment.

She blinked, her dark eyes widening in genuine confusion.

"...Huh?"

She lightly touched the soft gauze with her index finger. "Wait a second... they actually treated my wounds? Who put bandages on me?"

She tilted her head, her brows furrowing. "I didn’t know terrifying mafia kidnappers were this incredibly attentive and nice to their hostages. Is this five-star kidnapping service?"

Then... her eyes suddenly snapped wide open as realization hit her like a bucket of ice water.

"...Wait!" She gasped, sitting up straight. "Where is Elena?!"

The System paused for a fraction of a second, running a quick scan through the mansion’s structural layout.

[ The Female Lead is completely safe and uninjured. ]

[ She has been placed in another guest suite on the opposite side of the east wing. ]

Lyra let out a massive sigh of relief, sinking back against the soft pillows.

"Thank goodness..." she breathed, clutching her chest. "If something had happened to her because of me, I would have never forgiven myself. Hey, check the mission progress stats for me real quick."

A bright, translucent blue screen instantly materialized in front of her face.

Ding!

[ Mission Status Update ]

Alastair Voss - Obsession Level: 60%

Main Pair - Romance Progress: 50%

Main Narrative - Plot Progress: 45%

Lyra’s eyes lit up as she stared at the rising numbers.

"Look at that! It went up again!" She happily clapped her hands together once, a proud grin spreading across her face. "Looks like the Male Lead has really fallen hard for the Female Lead during this dramatic kidnapping sequence! Everything is speeding up!"

She turned to the floating blue interface, seeking confirmation. "So we’re still completely on track, right? No world collapse imminent?"

The System gave a virtual nod of agreement.

[ Correct, Host. ]

[ As long as the Male Lead’s obsession stat toward the Female Lead successfully reaches 100%, the core narrative will be locked in, and your mission will be considered fully completed. ]

Lyra placed a hand over her beating heart, closing her eyes in relief.

"Whew..." she murmured. "For a second back in that dark alley, I seriously thought I had messed up the entire universe beyond repair."

She reached her arms over her head, letting out a long, satisfying stretch before finally swinging her legs over the side of the bed to examine her surroundings. The room was massive- decorated with dark furniture, high ceilings and an enormous crystal chandelier hanging above.

"...So." Lyra scratched the back of her messy head, looking around the opulent bedroom. "What exactly am I supposed to do now?"

She looked up at the ceiling, waiting for guidance. "I’ve never actually been kidnapped by a dark romance anti-hero before. What’s the protocol here?"

The System hesitated, its digital interface pulsing slowly before answering after a short pause.

[ ...Neither have I, Host. ]

Lyra stared blankly at the empty air, her expression completely flat.

"...You’re an advanced, universe-hopping System," she pointed out deadpan. "Of course you haven’t been kidnapped."

[ My extensive database recommends staying completely calm and waiting for the antagonist’s next move, ] the System stated matter-of-factly.

"...That’s it?" Lyra raised an eyebrow. "That’s your grand, amazing strategic advice? Just sit here and wait?"

[ Yes. ]

Lyra let out a loud, dramatic sigh, throw her hands up in the air. "You are seriously so wildly unreliable when it actually matters."

She slipped out of the comfortable bed, her bare feet sinking into the ridiculously soft, plush carpet beneath her. Tiptoeing quietly across the room toward the heavy wooden double doors, she reached out and grabbed the silver handle.

Click.

She pulled back. The door didn’t budge an inch.

"...Locked."

She grabbed the handle with both hands and pulled much harder, putting her weight into it.

Still completely locked tight from the outside.

"...Figures," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Standard hostage treatment after all."

She turned around and strolled over toward the massive floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the estate grounds. Parting the curtains, she peered down at the manicured gardens below.

"...Yeah, I’m definitely on the third floor," she observed, estimating the height. "Plunge to my death or shatter both ankles. No chance I’m climbing out of here like an action star."

With another deeply defeated groan, Lyra trudged back over to the king-sized bed and flopped face-first onto the pile of soft silk pillows.

"So..." she mumbled into the mattress, her voice muffled. "I am officially a helpless, locked-in kidnapped hostage."

The System replied in its usual cold, matter-of-fact tone:

[ Correct. ]

Lyra grabbed a nearby silk pillow and dragged it over her head, covering her entire face.

"...My life has become so ridiculously weird."

After what felt like absolute forever, the quiet inside the room was finally broken.

Click.

The heavy double doors slowly unlocked and creaked open.

Lyra instantly sat bolt upright on the bed, her dark eyes darting toward the entryway, every muscle in her body coiling with nervous tension.

A young, neatly dressed maid walked softly inside, pushing a silver three-tiered food cart ahead of her. The moment the cart crossed the threshold, a overwhelmingly rich, mouth-watering aroma exploded through the grand bedroom.

Roasted seasoned chicken with golden crispy skin.

Freshly baked buttered bread rolls, still steaming.

A rich, fragrant vegetable soup.

A slice of chocolate cake.

Even a glass bowl overflowing with fresh, imported fruits.

Lyra’s dark eyes instantly sparkled, her mouth watering as her stomach let out a loud, traitorous rumble.

"...Whoa."

She stared at the sprawling feast in unadulterated disbelief, completely forgetting for a second that she was supposed to be a helpless, terrified hostage.

"Do kidnappers seriously get to eat this ridiculously well every single day?!" She looked up at the maid with genuine, sparkling admiration. "You guys are so ridiculously kind!"

The young maid almost dropped the silver serving tray right onto the floor.

"...K-Kind?!"

The maid stared at Lyra as if she had just heard the single funniest, most absurd joke in the history of the world.

Kind...? The maid screamed in her own head, cold sweat breaking out on the back of her neck. Does this naive girl even have a single clue whose house she is standing in right now?! Our Boss buries rival syndicate leaders in concrete blocks without so much as blinking an eye... ’Kind’ is literally the absolute last word on earth anyone would ever use to describe Alastair Voss!

The maid secretly glanced around the spacious, sunlit guest suite... then looked back at Lyra.

A wildly beautiful, chaotic young woman...

Sleeping peacefully in one of the Boss’s absolute finest personal guest suites on the upper floor.

Her rope burns had been treated personally with high-end medical ointments by the Boss himself.

She wasn’t chained up or thrown into a dark, damp basement cell like every other intruder in the estate’s history.

Instead, she was being served fresh, hot, five-star gourmet meals on silver platters.

The unbelievable realization slowly hit the maid.

Boss...

Our cold-blooded, merciless Boss... has finally fallen for someone!

The shocking thought almost made the poor maid faint dead onto the carpet right then and there. After working in this dangerous, high-stress mansion for years, she had never once seen Alastair treat a single living soul with this level of delicate care. Not even his highest-ranking mafia allies or influential political business partners!

Meanwhile...

Lyra noticed the maid standing completely frozen, staring at her with wide, terrified, and intensely analytical eyes.

"...Um..."

Lyra leaned her head slightly to the side, whispering under her breath to the invisible interface beside her. "System."

[ Yes, Host? ]

"Why do I suddenly feel like she’s feeding a chicken a lavish meal right before sacrificing it on an altar?"

The System went completely silent for a long moment, processing the observation.

Then, it replied in an unusually serious, solemn voice:

[ ...Host. ]

[ I strangely, deeply feel the exact same way. ]

Lyra immediately wrapped her arms tightly around herself, gasping in horror. "I knew it! They’re literally fattening me up so I’m easier to deal with!"

The maid blinked, snapping out of her trance. "...Miss? Did you say something?"

Lyra instantly flashed a bright, cheerful, entirely fake customer-service smile. "Haha... nope! Nothing at all! Just talking out loud to myself! Don’t mind me!"

The maid nodded awkwardly, placing the silver dishes neatly onto the wooden dining table in the corner of the room. "Please enjoy your meal, Miss," she said, giving a polite, quick bow. "I will return later to collect the dishes."

With that, she quietly turned around and walked back toward the heavy wooden door.

Click.

The door closed softly behind her.

Lyra sat on the edge of the bed, holding her breath and waiting in complete silence.

"..."

"..."

Five seconds passed.

Ten seconds passed.

"...Huh?"

Lyra frowned, her brows knitting together in confusion. She tilted her head toward the door. "Wait a minute... she didn’t lock it."

She slowly climbed off the high bed, her bare feet touching the soft carpet without making a single sound.

Step...

Step...

Step...

She carefully, anxiously tiptoed across the massive bedroom until she reached the ornate door. She raised her hand, her heart pounding like a war drum against her ribs as her fingers wrapped around the silver handle.

"...No way in hell..." she whispered under her breath.

She gently, slowly turned the handle downward.

Click.

The latch slipped out, and the door opened inward half an inch, revealing a sliver of the corridor outside.

Lyra’s eyes became completely round as saucers.

"It..." She gasped, her jaw dropping. "It actually opened!"

She quickly looked over her shoulder toward the floating System screen. "...Do dangerous, high-profile mafia kidnappers usually just forget to lock their hostages inside their rooms?"

The System immediately answered in a tone filled with utter skepticism:

[ ...No. Never, Host. ]

Lyra slowly peeked her head out through the crack, scanning the empty, quiet marble hallway stretching out before her.

A mischievous, dangerous smile slowly spread across her face.

"...Hey, System."

[ Yes, Host? ]

"I think..." Lyra whispered, her eyes gleaming with chaotic excitement, "...it’s officially escape time."