Prologue
Scrrrk.
Waking with a start in the darkness, the sound Vivi heard was metal scraping against a wall. She told herself she must have imagined it and blinked back tears.
Scrrrk.
Vivi pulled the blanket up to her chin and clamped a hand over her mouth. In the mansion where there should have been no one but her, the heavy footsteps of a man were growing louder.
Creeeak. The door opened.
She heard something like a jackknife being flicked open. Right beside her came a fssst—the strike of a match—followed by a soft click as a lamp was opened.
Vivi knew that if she didn’t run now, she’d never get another chance. But her body, crushed by fear, wouldn’t move an inch.
She could feel the room brighten under the lamp, yet she still couldn’t open her eyes. The noises that had filled the air just moments ago fell silent, as if they had never existed.
As if he were waiting to see how she would react.
Crash. Suddenly, a glass shattered violently.
“So, you call that pretending to sleep?”
At the voice—tinged with boredom and cruelty—Vivi flinched before she could stop herself. She wanted to beg for her life, even now, but her body still refused to obey her.
“I know you’re awake. And yet you won’t get up.”
I can’t, Vivi cried silently, tears welling. Just then, a shadow loomed over her head.
Something sharp yet soft pressed into her cheek. Blunter than a blade, firmer than cotton.
“Your acting is top-notch.”
He was poking her cheek. The longer she stayed silent, the faster the taps came.
“If you don’t get up by the count of three—”
“I—I’m up!”
Cold sweat streamed down Vivi’s pale face. Her vision filled with something blood-red.
It took her a moment to realize they were Kidd’s eyes.
“Eek!”
Kidd, his curly jet-black hair loose, deftly twirled a knife. When their eyes met, he gave a lazy, crescent-eyed smile.
“I’ve got nothing personal against you. I’m just in a very bad mood right now.”
“……”
“You’re scared, yet you don’t even ask who I am?”
As if offended, he pressed the knife right under her chin. If it went any deeper, it felt like it would cut her neck.
“Did Seniel tell you about me?”
“……N-no. I—I don’t know who you are.”
Vivi denied it desperately. He loathed being confused with Seniel; saying she didn’t know him was the safest answer.
His gaze weighed on her, scrutinizing whether she was lying, and Vivi felt like she couldn’t breathe. Drenched in fear, she wasn’t sure she could control her expression.
His eyes narrowed.
“Well, if you’d told her everything, she’d have let you run. Instead of sending damn me.”
Relief slipped out of Vivi before she could stop it—he hadn’t caught her lie. Even knowing he wouldn’t let her go so easily, a faint hope sparked that he might spare her.
But the knife was still at her throat. Vivi chose reality over hope, gripping the blanket tightly as she searched for an escape route.
His crimson eyes gleamed dangerously right before her.
“Well, whatever. Whether you know or not doesn’t matter. You’re going to die now.”
Vivi fought back tears. P-please, spare me. The words hovered on the tip of her tongue, never spoken.
Suddenly, Kidd’s eyes curved into gentle half-moons as he smiled.
“You stayed quiet and behaved yourself, so I’ll be generous and send you off without pain. I hate noise. Any last words?”
“J-just a moment, please.”
“That’s your last request? I’ll be sure to pass it on to your husband.”
The knife at the nape of her neck flashed. Vivi squeezed her eyes shut.
