The sounds merged into chaos.

The windows rattled violently while the wind howled like a wounded beast, tearing through the air with savage intensity. Bare branches tapped against the glass in an irregular rhythm, occasionally punctuated by sounds of something shattering nearby.

Throughout this cacophony that swelled and subsided in waves, David remained fixated on the faint sound buried beneath it all.

Tap. Tap. Tap…

This subtle, rhythmic sound—like water droplets falling from a corner—pulled taut at David’s nerves. It continued relentlessly, showing no signs of stopping unless he turned around.

The steady tapping maintained its perfect tempo for several minutes, neither slowing nor accelerating, reminiscent of a metronome’s unwavering precision.

David stared at the elongated shadow cast by the flashing light. The distorted silhouette seemed to stare back at him before vanishing into darkness. Tap. The sound of a fingernail striking a surface rang distinctly in his ears. He swallowed dryly and slowly pivoted on his heels.

As his gaze swept around, vague outlines emerged from the pitch-black surroundings. His eyes traced the sofa where Catherine had been sitting moments ago, the bookshelf behind it packed with volumes, the thick carpeted floor, the curtained windows, and the solid mahogany desk beyond them.

Flash! In the momentary brilliance, David caught sight of a figure standing with its back to the illuminated window. He glimpsed a stiff high collar and a dark jacket. The face of the person leaning casually against the desk was briefly highlighted before being swallowed by darkness again.

David coughed involuntarily, expelling a breath held in surprise. The gaze they had momentarily shared lingered in his vision like an afterimage. Tap. Tap. The persistent sound suddenly stopped.

The abrupt silence grated on his nerves unpleasantly. Just then, he noticed the dimly visible silhouette twisting unnaturally. The figure’s neck turned with jerky, broken movements, as though something had gone wrong. David grimaced.

A sound like the sky collapsing intertwined with everything else. Lightning flashed, and this time David clearly locked eyes with the figure turning toward him with that strange motion. The face illuminated by the bluish light was familiar.

Sunken cheeks, a bloodless complexion, disheveled thin black straight hair, and hollow eyes beneath filled David’s vision.

Saul… David swallowed the name that nearly escaped his lips. He clenched his teeth and shook his head. That wasn’t Saul. In the pitch darkness, David recognized the familiar object the figure was holding. Despite the gloom, he knew exactly what it was, its color and shape. It was something quite familiar to him. It was… a cane. And the person holding it was…

“How disappointing.”

Father. Meeting those cold blue eyes, David murmured blankly. He watched helplessly as the hand that had been resting on the desk moved to grip the head of the cane. When the hand clutching the cane rose and struck the floor with a dull thud, David flinched. In that moment, he felt like a child again, terrified of his domineering father.

“Saul.”

The next word made David realize he wasn’t alone in this scene. His father’s gaze, which David thought had been fixed on him, was actually directed beyond him. He heard someone exhale softly behind him. While David hesitated, a familiar voice came from behind.

“When have you ever acted differently?”

The tone was calm with a hint of weariness. It was unmistakably Saul’s voice, exactly as David remembered it.

“Have you truly lost your mind?”

“That child is a Cavendish too.”

David, who had been about to turn around, froze at those words. Ah. An involuntary sigh escaped him. That child.

Though David had never heard this conversation before, he instinctively understood what the two Cavendish men were discussing. His face instantly hardened.

“Yes, a Cavendish indeed.”

David trembled at the sound of his father’s nasal laugh. The implication was clear: Did you think all Cavendishes were equal? The brothers’ father had always compared them with that look, though he never said it aloud. 

Clutching his chest, David swallowed a sharp breath. He knew well enough. That was precisely the limit of what was permitted to David. He could acknowledge being a Cavendish, but never dare aspire to be its master.

“But you alone are the heir.”

David had always been obedient, yet their father never trusted him. He persistently believed David would covet what belonged to his brother. David hadn’t understood why back then. He only knew that his father’s conviction was unshakable, and sometimes David felt like a criminal in his father’s presence despite having committed no wrong.

It wasn’t that his father didn’t love him, but that inexplicable belief undermined even that love, making it seem untrustworthy. For David, it was that cold gaze his father displayed whenever he was with Saul.

Yet even under that chilling stare, Saul never cowered. David loved Saul, but sometimes he found himself hating his brother too. Saul didn’t understand. Even if he had witnessed their father’s gaze shifting toward David, he couldn’t possibly know how it felt to be exposed and vulnerable like that…

“What about that child displeases you so much that you act this way?”

Only someone like Saul could ask such a question. David trembled with humiliation. He wanted to silence those lips that so casually uttered the question he himself could never ask. His hands shook violently, nails digging into his palms. Yet David couldn’t move a single step. Despite fearing the answer, he couldn’t help but listen, desperate to finally hear the reason that had haunted him for so long.

“…”

But his father remained silent.

“Father.”

Even at Saul’s urging voice, those firmly closed lips wouldn’t open. For a brief moment, that cold, rigid face seemed to crumble. David lowered his head. He simply couldn’t bear to look at his father’s face anymore.

The air hung heavy around them. David felt suffocated under the weight of that silence. He could barely breathe. His father ultimately gave no answer…

“How can you be so wary of that child without even explaining why?”

The response to Saul’s frustrated, reproachful voice was nothing but a deep, hollow exhale. David heard the sound of limping footsteps. “My son.” David’s soul trembled at that exhausted yet affection-filled address, shaken and then carelessly discarded.

“I only wish to protect you.”

The moment those sighing words fell, David felt more miserable than anyone. His entire body grew cold, as though thrown out into the raging storm. He couldn’t breathe or speak. The strength drained from his clenched hands, yet he lacked even the will to curl his fingers. 

Through it all, that voice that rendered David powerless continued. I don’t expect you to understand. Love that child, but keep your distance…

“One day, that child will be the death of you.”

What? David looked up in shock.

So that child cannot be the one. His father’s face, always so rigid before, had crumbled as he whispered those words.

“Everything of Cavendish exists for you. You may give anything to that child, but please keep Cavendish in your hands.”

His father’s voice gradually transformed into something like a plea.

“Cavendish is your weapon, and it will be the fence that protects you.”

Yet David remained frozen, too shocked to be surprised by this unprecedented display from his father. He couldn’t comprehend what he had just heard. Saul would someday die because of him…?

This was like… David stared blankly at his father, his face drained of color. He heard his father’s voice murmuring with an extremely tired expression. Forgive me…

“Forgive this father who loves that child as much as he loves you.”

Thud. As his father approached, tapping the thick carpet with his cane, David stumbled backward. His stiffened legs barely responded, making him stagger. Eventually, he collapsed. 

His gaze wandered aimlessly, following his father’s steps as they passed him, watching his father’s broken back as he limped to embrace his pitiful firstborn, and Saul’s emotionless face as he was held…

Suddenly, Saul’s vacant stare blinked slowly and dropped downward. In that moment when two identical pairs of blue eyes met, David saw Saul’s lips moving gradually. Remember your promise. Saul was whispering, looking directly at David.

‘Kill me.’

A flash of white light obscured those silently moving lips.