The night was pitch black inside the bedroom. Matilda had locked the door from outside, and the lights in the main house were all out.

Just as she’d hoped, Penelope had agreed to her plan and prepared a carriage. Julie would soon come to secretly unlock the door.

“…An. Take care. Be happy.”

Before leaving, Vivianne held An close for a long while. Though her mind was made up and everything was ready, she couldn’t bring herself to leave the puppy behind.

“Will you be alright without me?”

An gave no answer.

“No, you’ll be fine. You’re brave. You’re going to grow into a strong, handsome dog someday.”

Woof!

An barked in response.

“Shh, you need to be quiet. We’ll be discovered.”

Whine~

What a clever puppy. When she put her finger to her lips to signal silence, he immediately quieted down to a soft whimper. Not only was he the cutest thing in the world, but surely a genius too. How fortunate she had been to spend even this brief time with such a brilliant puppy.

“Goodbye, An.”

Vivianne frantically covered the fluffy little creature with farewell kisses.

“Thank you, An.”

As tears dripped onto his soft cheeks, An began to lick them away.

“I’ll love you forever, An.”

After one last kiss, she set him down on the floor. An wagged his little tail like a windmill and clung to her ankle.

“I’m so sorry, An.”

Sorry that she couldn’t hold him anymore. Sorry that she couldn’t take him with her. His black eyes glimmered in the darkness. Was he sad too? The sight broke her heart, making him look like he was crying.

* * *

The carriage rattled along the road.

She was finally escaping from Kian! Despite having traveled quite far already, her heart still pounded wildly in her chest. Though things had gone more smoothly than expected, her anxiety hadn’t subsided.

Wrapped in a large shawl like a robe, Vivianne gazed anxiously out of the carriage window.

Whimper… whine!

“I’m sorry, An. Are you scared?”

Woof!

“Just bear with it a little longer. I’m right here.”

An poked his head out from her arms, whimpering continuously with unease. His behavior reminded Vivianne of her first carriage ride. The trees and people passing by so quickly had been both fascinating and frightening.

“Bringing An along… I must be crazy. Completely crazy.”

She wanted to hit herself on the head. She knew it was a reckless decision, especially when she could barely take care of herself.

…But she simply couldn’t leave him behind.

When she had tried to leave him, An had whimpered and followed her out of the bedroom, trailing her all the way down the corridor. She had been terrified they would be discovered. Only when she picked him up and held him close did he quiet down. He hadn’t wanted to be separated from her. The realization kept bringing tears to her eyes.

How could she possibly abandon this pitiful creature who depended so much on her? It was simply impossible.

While Kian had taught An commands like “sit,” he frequently left the puppy with Richard. Richard was busy, which meant An often had to stay alone in an empty room.

Kian only gave An to her when she was depressed and suicidal, using the puppy to manipulate her. She couldn’t trust such a heartless man to properly care for An.

“How could I leave our An with such a cruel person? No way.”

Vivianne nuzzled her cheek against the top of An’s head, muttering to herself.

Wait, did she just call him cruel?

She was surprised by the insult that had naturally escaped her lips, yet a faint smile spread across her face.

The future seemed daunting. All she had was the small amount of money and train ticket Penelope had prepared. She had nothing else and little idea of what to do next.

Thinking about the future frightened her, yet this uncertain freedom felt more welcome than remaining trapped in Kian’s comfortable snare.

Looking through the rear window of the carriage, she could see the once-imposing Larson mansion now reduced to a tiny dot in the distance. That place was filled with memories she wished to forget.

Clutching the shoes she’d received as a gift while crying over his fiancée. Waiting endlessly in an empty room, listening only for Kian’s footsteps. Worrying that others might be hurt because Kian was angry with her. Discovering the taxidermied sisters and collapsing in grief while clinging to Annabel’s preserved form. Kian mounting her, blood dripping, telling her she could never kill him.

She wanted to forget it all. Yet she knew she probably never would.

The comfortable, large bathtub where she had dozed off. His hot lips barely touching hers while asking for a kiss. Dancing the waltz together under moonlight, caught in a sudden downpour. Everything.

Even if those memories now pierced her heart like thorns. Even if he was someone she desperately wanted to erase, he would remain imprinted in her memory. Both fond memories and resentment were now in the past. She had decided to stop dwelling on them, tormenting herself.

She had said her private goodbyes to Matilda, who had always embraced her like a mother, and to Theodore, who had listened to her like a friend.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t yet said goodbye to him.

“…Goodbye, Kian.”

The words felt strange coming from her lips. She had wanted him so desperately she would have gladly offered her very soul. She would have done anything for him, even if it meant destroying herself.

She hated him enough to want to kill him, and she still resented him. But now… it was truly over.

She tried to smile, but her vision kept blurring with tears. Someday… someday. She could only hope for the day when everything would fade so completely that she wouldn’t even remember him when she tried.

* * *

How long had they been traveling?

Screech!

She first sensed something was wrong when the carriage, which was supposed to take her to the train station, suddenly stopped. According to newspapers, trains were long connected vehicles, but there were no trains or even other carriages in sight—just a dimly lit forest.

‘Has the carriage broken down?’

The train ticket had a specific time. She grew increasingly anxious. Through the window, she could see the coachman’s face peering inside.

“She’s in here.”

As soon as the coachman spoke, the carriage door flew open and four burly men surrounded the vehicle.

“W-what’s happening? Who are you?”

Vivianne tightened her grip on An. One of the men suddenly pressed a cold blade against her throat and grabbed her chin, turning her face from side to side.

“They said Larson’s mistress was pretty. She’s stunning!”

The corners of the man’s mouth curved into a vile smile.

“Oh, she really is!”

“Move aside. Let me see too.”

The men began to examine Vivianne like she was on display, leering unpleasantly. A chill ran down her spine as she sensed something was terribly wrong.

“You can go now that your job is done. We’ll handle the rest.”

One of the men handed a money pouch to the coachman, who promptly fled into the dark forest.

What was happening? Vivianne’s eyes darted around in confusion.

“What do you think? Since we’re going to kill her anyway, why don’t we all have some fun first?”

“Didn’t our employer say to dispose of her without leaving any trace?”

Though she couldn’t fully grasp the situation, she instinctively understood that she was in danger.

“What a prude. Coming to kill someone but acting all righteous? If you don’t like it, you can sit this one out.”

While two of the men were arguing, drawing everyone’s attention, Vivianne opened the opposite door and ran with all her might.

Haa, haa…

She was gasping for breath. Her shawl had long since fallen off, as had one of her shoes. The soles of her feet stung from scraping against the ground, but she couldn’t stop.

“Stop right there!”

The terrifying sound of the men pursuing her echoed behind her. Clutching An tightly, Vivianne ran with all her strength until she tasted blood in her throat.

Thud!

Vivianne tripped and fell forward. In an instant, one of the men pinned her down, restraining her completely.

“Ugh…”

“Where do you think you’re going, huh? We’re offering to show you the gates of heaven before you die. You should be grateful.”

As her skirt rode up to her pelvis, revealing her pale thighs, the man sat up and began unbuckling his pants.

“Let’s finish this quickly. I’m about to burst.”

“You’re talking about finishing before you’ve even taken it out. Her mouth is free. If you’re in such a hurry, use that.”

Woof woof! Woof!

An barked frantically and bit one man’s ankle hard.

“Argh! D*mn dog!!”

Yelp! Whimper…!

An was kicked mercilessly and rolled away with a pained whine.

How dare they hurt her An! Vivianne summoned every ounce of strength she had, biting the man’s arm, kicking, and twisting her body.

“Aagh!”

“This one’s no ordinary woman. Hold her down properly.”

But she was no match for several strong men. Her vision began to blur white.

At that moment, the leering man’s eyes suddenly went dark. He coughed up dark red blood and collapsed forward.

Trembling violently, Vivianne crawled out from under the fallen man and desperately began to crawl along the ground. She was completely disoriented. Someone had suddenly died, and the atmosphere had changed. She was so terrified she thought she might faint.

Behind her, the sharp clang of blades rang out several times, followed by the sound of bodies falling, then silence.

Thump, thump, thump.

The sound of urgent footsteps crossing the grass reached her ears. Vivianne instinctively curled up in fear and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

A concerned yet somehow familiar voice.

“…Theo!”

Seeing his welcome face, she finally felt tears welling up.

* * *

Kian von Larson made some impulsive purchases on his way back.

After the banquet ended, he had considered returning immediately but didn’t want to arrive empty-handed, so he waited until the next day. He bought various sweets that Vivianne liked from a confectionery and stopped at a shoe store to purchase two pairs of shoes.

One was a low-heeled women’s shoe with ribbons, and the other was a baby shoe with similarly large ribbons.

Perhaps because the mother has small feet, the baby shoes don’t seem that different from hers.

Kian looked at the shoes and thought of the woman’s small, pale feet, delicate like something half-formed.

Having heard that pregnant women’s feet often swell, he had chosen a slightly larger size. Buying shoes for her meant he was willing to completely remove the shackle.

Yet just as he preferred to have her unclothed rather than dressed, he also preferred her barefoot rather than wearing shoes. In truth, he wished she wouldn’t take a single step outside his room.

Now that she was pregnant, she wouldn’t try to escape. At first, she might cry and lament her situation, but she would soon resign herself to it. Once that happened, he wouldn’t need to lock the door from outside anymore.

By the time the carriage hurriedly arrived at Larson, it was early evening. The mansion was in a state of commotion. While this might be expected given the news of his mistress’s pregnancy and his earlier-than-planned return, something felt off.

Richard, who came to take his bags, looked pale.

“What’s happened?”

“W-well, you see…”

It was the first time he had ever seen the usually composed Richard so flustered.

“Lady Vivianne has disappeared.”