* * * 

Smack! 

With a loud, resounding slap, little Seria’s head snapped to the side. Her once rosy, chubby cheek bore a bright red handprint. Her frail body crumpled helplessly to the floor. 

“You miserable thing. What exactly have you been doing out there?” 

“F-Father!” 

Seria’s hope that he would call for the doctor was dashed. Sprawled on the floor of the count’s office, Seria looked up at her father with tearful, pleading eyes, crystal drops streaming down her face. 

But the gaze of the man towering over her was as cold as the dead of winter. 

“And what now? Should I call a doctor? Do you want to stain the family name?” 

“That’s not it! I really…” 

“Do you want rumours to spread that you threw away your virginity and got involved with a worthless person?”

The count’s voice trembled with rage, each word weighted and sharp. His anger was so intense that he gripped the candlestick on his desk with shaking hands, his breath coming out harshly and unevenly. It seemed as if he might throw it at Seria at any moment.

Though he had always been a strict father, this level of anger was unprecedented. The butler who stood by his side remained silent, making no effort to intervene, merely watching the count’s outburst.

Seria, stunned with fear, wrapped her slender arms around her trembling shoulders, her entire body shaking uncontrollably.

“I-I was wrong. Hic, it’s my fault, sob, I’m sorry…”

Unable to withstand the oppressive atmosphere that felt like it was suffocating her, she bowed her head and begged for forgiveness.

But her apology only served to fuel the flames of the Count’s anger. Instead of calming him, it made him even angrier.

The commotion from the office was loud enough to echo through the central halls of the mansion. Alarmed by the noise, the Countess rushed in breathlessly.

“What’s going on?”

Seria felt that her mother’s arrival was a ray of hope in her darkest moment. She was practically crawling on the floor, clutching the hem of the Countess’s dress and pleading desperately. 

“M-Mother, sob, Mother… I really…” 

But unfortunately there was no ally for Seria here. 

The Countess looked at Seria’s chest and flinched, even gagging as she turned her head away. 

“I… I’ve never heard of such a thing. A woman who hasn’t given birth to a child that produces milk.” 

Her mother, who had never been warm, but had always looked at her with a gentle gaze, now looked at her with unmistakable contempt. Seria could clearly see the disgust in her eyes, sharp and unflinching. 

“How could this happen in our family…?”

The Countess shuddered visibly, as if something repulsive had touched her, and rubbed her arms vigorously to shake off the sensation. She shook her head in disbelief, then suddenly scanned the area and leaned forward to whisper to Seria. 

“Who else knows about this?” 

“W-what?” 

“That you produce milk,” she demanded coldly. “Who else knows?”

The Countess’s eyes glowed with a sharp, unnerving intensity. Though the woman before her was the very mother who had brought her into the world, Seria felt as if she were facing a colossal, coiled serpent. The very act of holding her gaze made her feel as if an unseen hand were tightening around her throat, leaving her gasping for breath.

Caught off guard, Seria gasped for breath, unable to form a single word. 

The overwhelming series of events crushed her under its weight. It still felt unreal, like a terrible nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.

The Countess frowned in displeasure as she watched Seria tremble, unable to give a proper answer. 

“Enough. Go back to your room and stay there. Let no one in – not even the nanny.” 

Even in the face of her mother’s cold, dismissive tone, Seria felt a faint sense of relief. At last she could escape the suffocating atmosphere of her father’s office, which had crushed her under its weight. 

She couldn’t even remember how she had managed to get back to her room. She had simply fled, bolting from the office as if running for her life. Once in her room, she slammed the door behind her and sank to the floor, staring blankly into space. 

As if to deny the reality of her situation, she checked her chest again. But there it was – a cloudy, murky liquid, pooling and dripping steadily from her n*pples, undeniable and unrelenting. 

When Seria gently squeezed her br*ast, the flow of fluid increased. Horrified, she quickly pulled her hand away, disgusted by the sight and sensation. It was her own body and yet it felt disgusting. Her parents’ cruel words echoed in her mind, making her feel vulgar and shameful, just as they had accused her. 

She sat curled up on the floor, tears streaming down her face for what seemed like an eternity. 

“Hic, this must be a dream. Please… Hic, please let this be a dream.”

And so she cried and cried, her despair spilling out uncontrollably. 

In a corner of the room hung Seria’s coming-of-age dress, untouched and unworn. 

“Why… why is this happening to me?” 

She had no one to blame, no target for her pain. All she could do was clutch at her aching br*ast, the pain threatening to tear her apart, and cry endlessly. 

Unlike her dishevelled and pitiful state, the dress remained pristine, its brilliance undimmed, shimmering as if mocking her misery. 

***

Exhausted from crying, Seria had fallen into a restless sleep, only to be awakened by the sudden commotion around her. Her heavy eyelids fluttered slowly open. 

It was dark – much darker than usual. Night must have fallen. Normally, the maids would have lit all the candles in her room by now, filling it with warmth and light. But tonight they hadn’t. Instead, a suffocating darkness enveloped her, making it impossible to see even a step ahead. 

Yet outside the room, muffled voices murmured incessantly. 

‘Who could it be?’

Her head throbbed with the aftermath of her earlier sobbing. Still caught in a haze between sleep and wakefulness, Seria struggled to pull herself upright. 

“Shh, put her in the carriage before she wakes up,” a voice whispered sharply.

Before she could react, something heavy and suffocating was thrown over her head. 

“Ahhh!” she screamed, her voice breaking the oppressive silence. 

Terrified, Seria screamed and flailed desperately, but the unknown assailants quickly overpowered her. Having never been physically active, her frail body was all too easily overpowered. 

“S-somebody help! Please, help me!” she cried, her voice trembling with fear.

The situation was so sudden and confusing that she couldn’t even comprehend what was happening. Despite being tied up, she struggled with all her might, her voice breaking as she called out. 

“Selie! Anna! Nurse! Help me!” 

“Shut up, Seria.”

It was familiar. 

“F-Father?”

“Yes, it’s me.” 

“Father… W-why, why are you doing this to me?”

Tears streamed down her face as her trembling voice broke under the weight of fear and betrayal. 

The inability to see only increased Seria’s terror. Her trembling voice shook with fear. 

“We’re leaving the capital.” 

“W-what? Why…?” 

“We’re going far south. I’ll even arrange for a doctor to accompany you.” 

The Count’s voice, unlike earlier in the day, was calm and measured, as if his anger had subsided. This unexpected gentleness allowed Seria to catch her breath. 

“R-really?”