Chapter 56: No Answer

The child was always lonely.

Always.

The mother locked the child in the house to hide the traces of abuse, and the child, who loved that mother, did not know that resistance was an option.

In a space with not a ray of sunlight, filled only with the smell of alcohol and faint lights, the child grew up looking only at the mirror.

The face in the mirror resembled the mother, who was more beautiful than anyone else in the world. Whenever the child saw that face, they often fell into the illusion of looking at their mother.

Whenever the face in the mirror smiled, the child was captivated by the illusion of the mother gently smiling. At some point, the child began to talk to the mirror.

“Today… Mom hit me with a golf club… But it would have been better if she had hit me with her hands… Because then I could be closer to Mom…”

In a reality where no answer would come, the child continued talking to themselves.

But one day, a sound broke the silence.

[Hello?]

In the dark dawn, at a gloomy time when the sunlight had not yet touched the ground.

The child made their first friend.

***

Lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The darkness felt even heavier than yesterday, weighing down on my heart. It was unbearably hard, but I could endure it this time because I was not alone anymore.

I slowly sat up and called for the servant. Today’s morning duty would be Luna. She was a simple and naive child, and although her foolishness was usually bothersome, today, it felt rather comforting.

“Luna, I feel like having some meat… Is it possible?”

I spoke to Luna as usual with a longing gaze. At my earnest expression, Luna flinched, then quickly nodded. Her innocent reaction seemed even more endearing today.

The meat Luna brought looked quite appetizing. The large pieces of meat on the plate were glistening, and the soup beside them looked warm.

I picked up the knife and fork to cut the meat. The juicy, thick meat fibers were cut smoothly, and the savory scent tickled my nose. As I took the first bite, a natural smile spread on my face at the crispy yet tender texture of the meat.

I picked up a piece of meat with my fork and offered it to Luna.

“Luna, have a bite. Aang~”

Luna visibly flinched and took a step back. She probably hadn’t tasted such high-quality meat before. Unable to resist my persistent urging and the fragrant smell of the meat, Luna eventually leaned forward.

I leaned in to feed her the meat. At that moment, my knee hit the table, causing it to tip forward, and the steaming soup spilled onto Luna’s body.

“Kyaa!”

A sharp scream burst from Luna’s mouth. Her maid uniform was thick, so there was no worry about burns, but she was greatly startled by the sudden situation and fell backward.

“I-I’m sorry, Luna!”

I hurriedly took out a handkerchief and handed it to her. Luna, seemingly concerned about burn marks, frantically wiped the soup off her clothes.

While she was still in a panic about the situation.

I quietly hid the knife in my hand under the pillow.

***

“Fuck. I refuse.”

A curse spilled from Iris’s twisted face. Her black eyes were filled with disgust, contempt, and deep shame.

“…Is that the way you speak to a superior?”

Viviana’s cold voice made Iris flinch, but instead of backing down, she raised her voice in protest.

“My lord, you should order what should be ordered. Do I look like someone who would say such sweet things?”

“No, you don’t.”

“I will never do it. It goes against my nature. Just kill me instead, my lord.”

“Then perhaps you should try dying first and then decide.”

Iris’s words were cut short by the hint of malice in Viviana’s voice. A memory of being beaten so badly by the lady that it was hard to find an unbruised spot when she had accidentally called the favored lady a prostitute came to mind.

“I told you to hurt her, not to call her a whore!”

Viviana had never looked so furious before.

In the end, Iris let out a sigh and resigned herself to her situation.

When a superior gives an order, you must obey. As much as she wanted to quit on the spot, the salary she was receiving was too good.

Besides, because of the contract she had signed, she couldn’t leave even if she wanted to…

“Remember this. The moment Tina sheds a tear, you must make her the happiest person in the world.”

“…Ugh, this is such a ridiculous demand.”

Iris clutched her head in agony, as if she were dying.

“Stop whining and just do it. I’ll exempt you from training in return.”

“…Understood.”

Accepting reality, Iris glanced at the clock. It was almost time for her to attend to the needs of the pampered lady. However, perhaps because of the harsh insults she had hurled before, her heart felt heavy.

“…I’ll go now since it’s my turn.”

“Sure. If you notice anything strange about Tina, report it immediately.”

Viviana turned her gaze away from the retreating Iris and started thinking about her beloved pet.

That adorable face, the blush tinted with shyness, and that bashful smile—she was more feminine than any woman Viviana had ever seen.

And yet, she was tired of that lovely bottom?

“As if.”

Could such a thing even be possible?

Viviana clenched her hand, recalling that addictive sensation like a drug, and then opened it again. No matter how many millions of times she caressed that luscious, pale bottom, she would never grow tired of it.

That delightful bottom she touched every night. The grip that fit perfectly in her hand. She had only gone a day without it, and already she was feeling withdrawal symptoms.

But even so, she had claimed she was tired of it, only to force Tina to break the mask she was wearing.

Asking to touch her breasts had been in the same vein. With a remark that seemed to desire only her body, she aimed to wound Tina and make her remove the mask she was hiding behind.

…Though there was a bit of personal desire mixed in as well.

“Just a little more.”

The end was truly near now. Viviana instinctively sensed that Tina’s mask was on the verge of shattering. Once it did, her true self, hidden beneath that thick facade since she had been kidnapped by Mardian, would be revealed.

From that moment on, Viviana intended to pour all her love into Tina.

For whatever reason, Tina was desperately trying to hide her true self. So Viviana had resolved to help her realize the truth, directly.

She would show her that she didn’t need to wear a mask. She would make her see that her true self was far more irresistib… no, far more lovable.

She didn’t want to torment Tina either.

But for Tina to live in the world as her true self, Viviana had to break her spirit thoroughly at least once.

“It’s all for you… Just once, surrender everything to me, Tina.”

Imagining the pampered lady’s bottom, Viviana continued to squeeze the air with both hands.

***

“Hello, Iris.”

Seated on the edge of the bed, she greeted Iris.

She still offered a warm smile, even to the person who had called her a whore yesterday.

But was it just her imagination, or did that smile seem somewhat weak? Her skin was always pale, but today it seemed even more ghostly. Looking at that smile, a strange sense of unease swept over Iris.

‘Was it because of what I said? Did it hurt her?’

The order to inflict pain had come from her lord, but the word ‘whore’ had been Iris’s own decision.

It was true that she gained benefits by smiling and flirting with others, but calling her that was definitely a mistake.

However, words once spoken could never be taken back. Iris decided to think positively.

‘I can always apologize later.’

If only she would cry once, letting out all her sorrow. After that, all Iris had to do was be kind to her.

Though Iris was not a naturally generous person, for some reason, she found herself wanting to smile at the young lady.

“May I ask you to help me with a bath?”

While Iris was lost in her thoughts, the young lady asked with a bright smile.

She had previously teased Iris by showing herself naked. Just thinking about that moment made her heart pound.

To be parading around and showing such a sensual and alluring body to just anyone… Iris thought perhaps her master’s suggestion to correct the young lady’s habits might not be a bad idea after all.

With a faint smile, Iris nodded.

A bath was one of her rights, after all.

Iris led her pet lady to the bathroom. She filled the large tub with warm water, scattering fragrant candles and flower petals that were good for the skin.

Normally, Iris would have done a cursory job, but feeling guilty about her harsh words last time, she took extra care this time.

After finishing the preparations, Iris returned to the young lady.

Without a word, the young lady followed her, and they walked down the long hallway together.

An awkward silence hung in the air today. Iris pondered whether to say something, but it was the pet lady who spoke first.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said, Iris…”

“Maybe… I really could be a whore.”

She spoke with a light smile.

Seeing her faint smile, Iris’s heart sank.

She wanted to apologize for her careless words yesterday, but she knew she still needed to be stern with her, so Iris kept her lips sealed.

“Thank you for preparing the bath.”

They had arrived at the bathroom.

The young lady moved to enter the bathroom and tried to close the door behind her. But Iris instinctively reached out and stopped the door from closing.

She felt an urgent need to hold her back. The look in her eyes seemed so dim, like she might sink into the darkness at any moment.

The young lady looked at Iris with startled eyes, then soon gave a playful smile.

“Oh, do you perhaps want to see me naked again?”

Caught off guard by her unexpected remark, Iris stepped back, flustered. The young lady, smiling slyly, closed the door in that moment.

Iris stood there, blinking blankly at the door, then slowly shook her head and took a step back.

‘…Well, she should be fine.’

Seeing her joking around, Iris felt she still had some energy left. There seemed to be no need for great concern.

Iris took her position a few steps away from the door. Guarding the pet lady was part of her duties, even if she was in the bath.

Ten minutes passed. Then twenty.

And when thirty minutes had gone by, Iris felt a strange sense of unease.

It didn’t take a long time.

Young lady usually took around an hour for her bath, and Iris herself would spend about thirty minutes when she bathed.

However, the bathroom was strangely quiet. The sound of water splashing could only be heard at the beginning, and after that, there was no noise at all.

Under normal circumstances, Young lady would have said something by now, but for some reason, there was no sound at all.

A sense of unknown dread crept over Iris as she knocked on the door twice.

There was no answer.

Wondering if perhaps Young lady hadn’t heard, she knocked louder this time, but still, the only response was a deafening silence.

A sudden chill began to engulf her entire body.

“Young lady, are you okay?”

This time, she called out directly, but once again, all that greeted her was an ominous silence.

Her heart began to race.

Without a moment to think, Iris tried to open the bathroom door, but it was locked from the inside.

“…I’m coming in.”

Iris made up her mind and decided to force the door open.

She broke the doorknob and kicked the door hard. With a loud crash, the door, which had been firmly closed, burst open, and dense steam spilled out from the hot bathroom.

Through the foggy mist, the inside of the bathroom slowly came into view. Several candles flickered, emitting a faint fragrance, but amidst that sweet scent, a strong and metallic smell of blood hit her nose.

Iris immediately fixed her gaze on the bathtub.

And then.

“Ah, ah…”

Her eyes widened, trembling as if shaken by an earthquake.

Inside the bathtub, Young lady lay quietly with her eyes closed. On the surface, she seemed to be peacefully asleep. With her lovely appearance, she looked like a painting while she slept.

But Iris, overwhelmed with fear, couldn’t help but scream loudly.

“No, no!!!!!”

The water in the tub was disturbingly red.

Iris, staring at the scene with a mixture of despair and shock, let out a painful cry and, gripped by a bone-chilling fear, ran toward Young lady.

Thud— Thud—

Her heart was now pounding as if it would burst.