Apocalypse: I Have A Multiplier System - Chapter 445

Chapter 445: Chapter 445: Leticia’s Story
Leticia carefully handed Su Jiyai the cup of tea.

The scent of calming herbs drifted around them—soft, warm, a little sweet.

Su Jiyai took a sip and let out a quiet sigh. “Mm. This is nice,” she said. “You’re good at this.”

Leticia smiled shyly and sat down beside her, knees tucked under her.

Su Jiyai looked at her for a moment.

Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out the necklace—the one with the tiny glowing farm inside the glass bead.

The soft light shimmered in the dark.

“I have something for you,” Su Jiyai said with a smile.

Leticia blinked. “For me?”

Su Jiyai nodded and handed her the necklace. “A gift.”

Leticia held the necklace in her palms like it was the most precious thing in the world. Her fingers gently brushed the tiny house inside the bead.

Her eyes sparkled, reflecting the soft glow.

“Wow… it’s beautiful,” she whispered. Then she looked up, eyes full of curiosity.

“Will this… will this protect me? From people who want to bully me?”

Su Jiyai looked at her seriously. “What kind of bullying do you mean?” she asked gently.

Leticia didn’t answer right away.

Her lips pressed together tightly.

Her hands clutched the necklace close to her chest like a small shield.

Su Jiyai didn’t rush her.

Instead, she leaned back against the tree again and looked up at the stars. Her voice was calm and soft.

“You know… I used to get bullied too,” she said. “Back then, I thought… if I stayed quiet, it would stop. If I just endured, maybe things would get better.”

Leticia turned her head a little, listening.

“But the truth is,” Su Jiyai continued, “not speaking up… was my biggest mistake. It gave them more power. I should’ve told someone. I should’ve fought back in my own way.”

Leticia looked down at her hands, holding the necklace tightly.

There was a long silence.

Then, quietly, her lips moved.

“My mother hated me,” she whispered. Her voice trembled like a paper in the wind. “She… she treats me as if I…am not her daughter at all.”

Su Jiyai stayed quiet, giving her space.

Leticia’s eyes shimmered, and her voice got softer and shakier.

“She would lock me in a room for days. No food. No light. Just… just silence. I was so scared.”

Su Jiyai clenched her hands quietly.

Leticia blinked quickly, trying to stop the tears from falling.

“And… my stepbrother…” Her voice broke. “He used to laugh when she hurt me. Sometimes… he would hit me too. He said it was fun.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks now, even though she tried to wipe them away.

“I tried to be good. I really did. I thought if I was perfect, they’d stop. But nothing I did was ever enough.

They would wake me up at 4 am, ask me to wash all the clothes. It is easy to wash clothes. I have been doing it since I was 8. But the water is too cold. My hand would be frozen.

Since we couldn’t afford nutrient pills, they asked me to make one from the chemical ingredients at home.

My cold hand couldn’t even open the bottles properly. Sometimes, the liquid spilled on the table.

One time, it splashed on my arm and burned. But I didn’t cry. I just bit my lip and kept working.

They said if I didn’t finish by sunrise, I wouldn’t get breakfast. But even when I finished, I never got any. They’d eat everything and tell me I didn’t work hard enough.

Then I have to clean the mansion all by myself. At first it was only 3 floors and 10 rooms. But recently, my stepbrother brings his classmates who litter the floor 5 times a day.

My entire day goes in cleaning…I don’t get enough time even rest. Then it’s dinner time, and I finally get a leftover pill.

I did everything in the hopes that my mom would love me. But she doesn’t even spare me a single glance. Why does my mom hate me so?”

Leticia sniffled and wiped her face again.

“I kept telling myself to be strong. But yesterday, they crossed the line! My mother said that I should be married off to the Old Eric.

He is 82! And he had already killed his five wives after beating them. I don’t want to get married to him! So I ran away! ”

Su Jiyai’s eyes widened. Her hands slowly curled into fists.

She didn’t speak right away. Instead, she reached out and pulled Leticia into a gentle hug.

Leticia froze, stiff at first, then melted into it. Her small body shook as quiet sobs escaped her lips.

“I didn’t know where to go,” Leticia whispered. “I just kept running. In the end, I accidentally entered the Night Vipers’ territory and almost died.”

There was a slight pause before she said softly,

“Ragnar. Thank you so much for rescuing me.”

Su Jiyai held her tighter. “You’re safe now,” she said softly. “No one’s going to force you to marry anyone. Not while I’m here.”

Leticia sniffed and buried her face against Su Jiyai’s shoulder.

“I was so scared,” she whispered. “I thought I was going to die out there.”

“You were brave,” Su Jiyai said. “You stood up for yourself. That takes courage, Leticia. You did the right thing.”

Leticia lifted her head slowly. Her eyes were red, but there was a tiny spark of hope there.

“Really?” she asked in a shaky voice. “I’m not… selfish for running?”

“No,” Su Jiyai said firmly. “You were saving your life. And your life matters.”

Leticia looked down at the necklace again, her fingers brushing the glowing glass.

“I don’t have anything, though. No money. No skills. But since you gave me a gift. I will give you a return gift. It’s not with me, when we return to my home. I will give it to you.”

Su Jiyai’s heart skipped a beat.

Though the interaction may seem normal, the reality was…it wasn’t….

As a person who has suffered bullying, she knows the reality.

A bullied person at the beginning may try to fiercely tell the world about the injustice he or she is suffering, but after a year or so, they lose their spark and subconsciously hide their scars.

Until and unless they become close to a person, they won’t reveal those scars.

She did save Leticia, but it wasn’t enough to make Leticia’s guard go down.

If Leticia was talking about all the things she had suffered just because Su Jiyai had asked a question, then it means…Leticia had planned the entire conversation.

To be precise, from the beginning, Leticia laid the trap for Su Jiyai by asking her the question, ‘Will this… will this protect me? From people who want to bully me?’

She wanted Su Jiyai to take the bait before she(Leticia) continued.

Su Jiyai’s eyes narrowed just a little.

Not in anger.

Not in suspicion.

But in awareness.

She gently pulled back from the hug and looked at Leticia with soft, thoughtful eyes.

Leticia had tears on her cheeks, but now there was a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

It wasn’t a fake smile… but it wasn’t completely innocent either.

Su Jiyai had seen that kind of look before.

It was the smile of someone who had learned to survive by reading people.

By carefully planning what to say and when to say it.

Leticia wasn’t lying—Su Jiyai could feel that. The pain was real. The fear was real.

But the way she told the story… the timing… the pauses…

It was all too perfect.

Too smooth.

Like someone who had practiced it before.

Su Jiyai didn’t judge her for it.

Instead, she gave Leticia a small nod.

“You’re smart,” she said gently.

Leticia blinked. “Huh?”

“You knew exactly what to say to make me listen. You knew how to guide the conversation.”

Leticia’s body tensed for a moment.

Her hands slowly lowered from her chest, holding the necklace a bit loosely now.

“I… I didn’t mean—” she started, but Su Jiyai raised a hand.

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “You’ve been hurt. A lot. And you’ve learned how to survive in a cruel world. I understand.”

Leticia looked down, her lower lip trembling. “I wasn’t trying to trick you.”

“I know,” Su Jiyai said. “But you were testing me. Whether I would help you or not.”

Leticia stared at the necklace again. The tiny glowing farm inside shimmered like a little world all on its own.

“I thought… maybe if I told you everything, you’d understand why I ran,” she said softly. “And maybe… You would take me with you.”

Su Jiyai knew it.

Leticia’s sweet: “It’s not with me. When we return to my home. I will give it to you.” Was a test for Su Jiyai.

She wanted Su Jiyai to say,

“You don’t need to return to the home anymore.”