I nodded.

With both eyes locking me in place, he spoke just one word.

“Violette Keith.”

…A single sentence that carried far too much.

Keith —his surname.

Even my name had become his.

Because he was my husband.

“…It’s Silcania.”

“You really want that name?”

D’hiver asked calmly, then left behind the one sentence that cut deepest.

“They abused you.”

“Then… what about you?”

I asked hollowly.

Everything already felt unbearable.

“What you’ve done to me—does that mean nothing? In your eyes, this isn’t *buse?”

“…Violet, please.”

“I—”

I clutched at my chest.

It felt as though the shattered pieces inside me had split open, raw and bleeding.

“What you did to me… hurts more.”

D’hiver blinked.

Perhaps it unsettled him—because he asked again, a beat too late,

“…Does it?”

…The man I had once thought gentle—

“That’s actually quite good.”

—was never gentle at all.

Startled, I lifted my head.

Through my darkened vision, I saw him clearly.

Doubting my own ears, I asked blankly,

“…What?”

“My beloved Violette.”

In those vividly burning red eyes, I thought I saw madness.

“You’re the only one who should be able to hurt me… and I’m the only one who should be able to hurt you.”

…What did he just say?

His words continued, disturbingly unhinged.

“Don’t suffer over something so insignificant. Don’t let things beneath your feet cause you pain. If you’re hurting—if you’re suffering—it should only ever be because of me.”

It was a declaration drenched in something grotesque—possession, obsession, twisted beyond reason.

Only then did I realize— D’hiver Keith, the man I thought I knew…was not who I believed him to be.

The real him was far darker, far more insidious.

Everything gentle had been nothing but a disguise.

So the only words I could force out were—

“You’re insane…”

“If that’s what you think, then I suppose I am.”

He answered casually, a crooked smile tugging at his lips.

“Then, my beloved wife… will you stop indulging in foolish fantasies? Meaningless resistance will only harm you. I don’t want that. If you’re in pain, it hurts me even more. You’re not even in a condition to be pushing yourself right now, are you?”

Only then did he release my arm.

My body collapsed helplessly to the floor.

Barely managing to hold myself together, I murmured,

“So what do you want from me… right now?”

“You don’t have to do anything.”

“…Should I k*ll you? Just like you wanted?”

“Don’t misunderstand. I never said that’s what I want.”

Misunderstand?

You said it yourself.

You admitted it was your true purpose.

“What I want… is simply to live together with you.”

At those words, I shook my head.

And forced out the only answer I could give—

“I don’t want that.”

“……”

For the first time, his expression faltered.

He looked… hurt.

For a long moment, he stared at me before speaking again.

“You don’t want that?”

I didn’t even want to answer.

Seeing me turn away, a twisted smile formed on his lips.

“…I see. It seems you need time to think.”

Holding Teslai—now returned to its form as a sword—he stood.

As he passed by me, he muttered,

“Think it over carefully until I come back.”

And just like that— D’hiver left me behind in the depths of darkness, walking toward the light.

Creak.

The door closed.

Alone in the pitch-black room, I blinked blankly.

Left alone in a place where no one would come. I sank into the suffocating darkness.

And I thought.

Again, and again.

What had my mother wanted to tell me?

What was D’hiver’s truth?

Did it even matter, whatever it was?

What did I want now?

What was I supposed to do?

No clear answer came.

No, I couldn’t find one.

I was hurt.

I was lost in that pain.

And in that state, I no longer had the strength to tell right from wrong.

Only endless time stretched on—slow, unbearable.

And because of that, I realized one thing.

Even after everything—no, precisely because of everything—being alone like this…was unbearable.

For a while, my mind was so tangled that I couldn’t think of anything at all.

But the moment I woke from a brief sleep, the loneliness of being alone tightened around my throat.

The absence of anyone I could share my heart with drove me closer to madness.

Only the emptiness and sorrow I had struggled my entire life to escape remained by my side.

Lonely. Empty. Suffocating.

I just wanted someone to hold me.

To tell me nothing was wrong, to whisper gently that everything would be alright.

Clenching my teeth, I curled in on myself, hoping that the one who claimed to love me would be the first to grow tired and leave.

But how many days passed like that?

Rumble…

At the distant roar of the sky, I snapped my head up.

Outside the window, the heavens had turned pitch black.

Shaaah…

Soon, the sound of cold rain blanketing the world followed.

I moved closer to the window to see what was happening—when suddenly, the world flashed white.

Crash!

A thunderous roar split the air.

“Ah—!”

Startled out of my mind, I collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath.

Then again—

Boom!

The deafening sound shook everything.

My heart pounded violently.

My thoughts blurred.

Consumed by fear, I swallowed my tears and whispered,

“B-Blanche…”

I missed the arms that used to hold me at times like this.

The voice that would cover my ears and tell me there was nothing to be afraid of.

But there was no one beside me now.

Shivering uncontrollably, I twisted my trembling lips and called out again,

“Suki…”

No matter how many times I called, they would never come.

They lived only in my memories.

I was still alone.

There was no one left who could look at me.

And so, the one person who had always remained by my side came to mind.

The one I never wanted to think of right now.

Even in this state… why was it that the only name I could call was his?

…I didn’t want to fall back into his arms as if nothing had happened.

I didn’t want to beg the one who had made me like this.

I didn’t want to forgive him.

Caught in between, unable to move either way, I bit down on my lips—when a particularly violent crash shook the world.

The thunder roared as if it would tear my ears apart.

Fear clawed its way into my chest.

And in the end, with tears streaming down my face, I spoke the name I never wanted to say.

“D’hiver!”

Flash!

The world went white and he appeared, as though emerging from the endless darkness.

In the same unchanging voice, he whispered,

“You called?”

All I could do was tremble as I looked at him.

I didn’t know what to say.

I didn’t even know what I wanted.

I didn’t want to see him.

I didn’t want to face him.

But I couldn’t endure this terrifying night alone either.

“If you have nothing to say, I’ll go.”

As if he had no attachment at all, he turned away.

That familiar back still tearing at my chest just as before.

As he began to walk away, I desperately reached out.

My frantic fingers caught the edge of his clothes.

“D- D’hiver … D’hiver, D’hiver …”

“Yes?”

At the childish way I called his name, he turned back, as if he had been waiting.

He slowly sat down and met my gaze, his eyes curving as though he were being gentle.

“What is it you need?”

“D’hiver …”

My voice was barely there.

At the sound of his name alone, he smiled faintly, as if nothing had changed.

“So… have you thought about it?”

I nodded like a madwoman.

His voice remained soft—but not truly kind—as he asked,

“Have you made your decision?”

My grip on his clothes trembled violently.

He glanced once at my hand, then spoke quietly.

“So… what do you want me to do for you?”

At that moment, I knew instinctively that depending on my answer, he might leave me here.

Abandon me in this terrifying noise I dreaded so much.

Just like my father had.

D’hiver asked again,

“For your sake… what should I do?”

“D-Don’t go. Don’t leave me.”

I forced out the words I didn’t want to say.

My hand slipped from his clothes.

It struck the floor with a hollow thud.

“Don’t… leave me alone…”

Right now—just for now—anyone would have been enough.

As long as I wasn’t left alone.

Unaware of that desperate heart, he gave a faint, fading smile.

“Violette. My Vivi. My beautiful violette.”

His voice, pretending to be tender, brushed against me.

A hand that felt nothing but cold rested against my cheek.

“You can’t live without me.”

My gaze trembled at those words.

As if agreeing, I lowered my head.

His hand pressed more firmly against my cheek, lifting my face again.

Our eyes met.

His crimson gaze moved slowly, as though licking over every part of me.

Reflected in those cold eyes, I looked utterly pitiful.

He let out a quiet breath and lowered his head.

“Let’s not fight over something so trivial, alright? I don’t like struggling with you like this either.”

Murmuring softly, he pressed his breath against my forehead… my nose… my tear-stained cheeks—

before finally sealing his lips over mine.

As his tongue moved with practiced ease, I laughed and cried inside at the same time.

His hand slid downward.

The fabric that had been draped over my shoulders slipped off and fell to the floor.

Leaning his weight over me, D’hiver brought his lips to my ear.

“It’s alright. You don’t have to be afraid. I’m here with you.”

…Yes.

He had always been certain he would never lose me.

From the very first day we met, he had shaped me, piece by piece, with his own hands.

The flower in his grasp was named Violet.

If I rejected him, I would be cast back into that unbearable loneliness I had fought so desperately to escape.

That place where I would be alone.

In truth…that was what I feared most.

Solitude. Emptiness. Sorrow.

He, who had endured endless years of loneliness, did not fear it.

But I did.

“As long as you live, I will always be with you. So there’s nothing to fear. Not this night… nor the days that will come again.”

His voice fell like a spell.

And I nodded.

Soon, just like that night a few days ago, he pressed his weight down over me once more.