Chapter 3

The attic was dark even though it was still daytime. The only light came through a window smaller than Vivian’s height.

“Scary……”

Sniffling, Vivian crouched down where at least a little light reached. The dust kept making her cough.

“D-Daddyyy—”

No matter how sorrowfully she called, the daddy who had supposedly gone to heaven never answered.

It was evening when the rain started to fall.

Vivian, who had cried as though squeezing every drop of moisture from her body, began nodding off little by little.

Maybe it was fortunate that she was exhausted enough to fall asleep from crying. The attic on a rainy evening felt even gloomier than before.

Just as she was drifting into sleep, a chill suddenly ran down her spine and goosebumps rose on her skin.

“W-What?”

With her ears perked up like a rabbit’s, Vivian anxiously scanned the room.

Then she met a pair of eyes staring at her from the darkness.

Squeak squeak.

“……”

Squeak?

“Kyaaaaaah!”

Vivian let out a shrill scream at the sight of the attic’s first guest—a rat.

Maybe it wouldn’t have been this scary if it had been smaller.

Maybe it would have been a little less frightening if its eyes hadn’t been gleaming in the dark like that.

The rat looked bigger than her forearm. Terrified out of her mind, Vivian scrambled toward the door.

“Ahh!”

But she tripped over a box lying on the floor and tumbled forward with a loud crash, rolling once across the ground. Still, she didn’t even feel the pain.

“M-Mister! Ma’am! P-Please open the door. I was wrong! There’s a rat here, a rat! I’m scared! Waaahhh!”

Bang bang—she pounded desperately on the door with her tiny fists. Maybe they sensed something was wrong, because footsteps approached from outside.

Vivian’s face brightened instantly.

They were coming to open the door!

But—

BANG!

“Kyaak!”

The sound of someone violently kicking the door from the other side startled Vivian so badly that she fell backward. Soon an irritated voice followed.

“Hey! We’re trying to eat dinner, quit making so much noise! It’s just a stupid rat! If you don’t want to stay locked up until Sunday, then shut up!”

“M-Mister, I’m sorry. Please let me out. I’ll apologize to Peter too. I’ll even kneel if you want me to. I’m really scared. Okay? Y-You don’t even have to give me bread. I’ll work really hard. I’ll do anything you tell me!”

Even at the pitiful, tearful begging of the child, the person beyond the door sounded indifferent.

Ron smacked his lips while picking food from between his teeth and spoke.

“You’ll do anything I say?”

“Yes, yes! So please, Mister!”

“Hm, alright. Wait a second.”

Soon after—

Clack, clack.

The sound of a key unlocking the door echoed out.

Vivian, who had been sitting collapsed on the floor, sprang to her feet.

“Mister, thank you!!”

Ron didn’t even bother replying. He simply waved his hand irritably, gesturing for her to follow him.

Afraid he might change his mind, Vivian hurried after him at once.

‘Ow ow.’

As Vivian descended the stairs behind Ron, she noticed pain in her hand and looked down.

She must have scraped it badly when she fell while running from the rat. There was a wound on her palm, and a little blood had begun to seep out. She quickly wiped it on the apron she was wearing.

“What’s this? Honey, why did you let her out already? Just earlier you were saying we should lock her up for two more days.”

Mary frowned deeply when she saw Vivian enter the dining room. Across from her, Peter gave Vivian an irritatingly smug expression.

“I let her out because there was a reason to. Vivian. Sit over there for a moment.”

“Yes!”

At the mention of being locked up for two more days, Vivian answered in an especially energetic voice.

‘Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I sat at a table!’

Ron and Mary never allowed Vivian to sit at the dining table. In the first place, the only food they ever tossed her was hard black bread, so there had never been a reason for her to sit there anyway.

“Mom, my elbow hurts.”

Peter whined dramatically to Mary, deliberately showing off the injury he got from falling on the stairs. Vivian pouted at how annoying he looked.

“Oh dear, let’s put medicine on it after dinner, my son.”

“Mmm. I don’t want to. It stings when you put medicine on.”

“But you need it so it heals quickly.”

“……”

As Vivian watched the affectionate mother and son, her expression gradually darkened.

Because she realized that she would never receive warmth like that again.

Just then, Ron returned after leaving his seat. In his hands were some papers and an ink bottle.

“Alright, Vivian. See this? You just dip your thumb in the ink and stamp it here.”

“W-What is this?”

“Does that matter? You said you’d do anything I told you, so quit talking and hurry up.”

Something was written on the paper, but Vivian had never properly learned how to read, so she had no idea what it said.

A bad feeling crept over her, making her hesitate.

Ron suddenly grabbed her arm hard.

“Ah! T-That hurts, Mister!”

“You can’t even read anyway, so why are you trying to be cautious? Do you think I’m trying to do something bad to you?”

‘You’ve done plenty already!’

Swallowing the words she couldn’t say out loud, Vivian stiffened her body and resisted with all her strength.

But a young child who barely got enough to eat couldn’t possibly overpower a grown man.

Ron practically poured the ink over Vivian’s hand.

Tears welled up in Vivian’s eyes from the pain that felt like her arm might be ripped off.

“I-It hurts…”

“If you don’t want it to hurt, stamp it already!”

The paper Ron was roughly shoving toward her was none other than an engagement document.

A document promising that Vivian de Lambert and Peter Dozier would marry once they became adults.

Ron had picked it up earlier while taking Peter to the clinic.

Normally it required signatures, but for children too young to write, a thumbprint could be used instead.

And so, just as Ron forcibly straightened Vivian’s thumb and was about to press it onto the paper—

BANG BANG BANG.

Someone pounded violently on the front door.

“What the hell? Which bastard is trying to break down someone else’s door at this hour?”

“You go check. It might be something urgent.”

Mary urged Ron irritably.

Ron threw Vivian’s hand aside and stomped off angrily.

‘Oww…’

Vivian rubbed her throbbing hand with the other one and swallowed back her tears.

She didn’t know who had come, but she almost wished the visitor would drag Ron away forever.

And perhaps the heavens had suddenly decided to grant Vivian’s wish—

“Aaaagh!”

“Honey! What’s wrong? Who’s there?”

Ron screamed.

Mary jumped up in shock and hurried toward the entrance to see what had happened.

“Kyaaaah! H-How are you—!”

When even Mary screamed, Peter and Vivian naturally turned toward the doorway too.

“A g-ghost!”

“Peter! My son!”

Mary hurried back into the dining room. Ron staggered backward as though trying to block something from entering.

‘What is it? Did a bear show up or something?’

Vivian wondered if she should hide under the table.

“Mom!”

Peter buried himself in Mary’s arms, and Mary wrapped around him protectively.

At the same time, the intruder stepped into the dining room.

He was at least a head taller than Ron.

His brown hair looked even darker from the rain soaking it.

The man’s face was covered in rough, messy beard growth, and his body was so muscular that even the large cloak he wore couldn’t fully hide it.

The man rapidly scanned the dining room as though searching for something.

Then his blue eyes locked onto Vivian.

The murderous aura surrounding him instantly faded.

“……”

Her body was still as small as the last time he had seen her.

Her once adorably plump cheeks were hollow now, and her eyes were red from crying, her lips chapped.

Anyone could tell at a glance that she was an abused child.

The man swallowed down the emotions surging within him and called out to her.

“My daughter.”

It was a voice filled with deep sorrow, yet overflowing with longing and affection.

Though slightly roughened, it was not an unfamiliar voice.

No—rather, it was the very voice Vivian had yearned to hear even in her dreams.

Vivian’s eyes widened, and her vision blurred with tears.

She rubbed her eyes harshly with her dusty sleeve before staring at the man.

Then Vivian opened her mouth.

“Who are you?”