Chapter 9

R-really?

I had never had an experience like this before, so I couldn’t be sure.

They said that after your first time, your lower back usually hurt. They also said that some people bled afterward.

I secretly looked at the bed.

There was a little blood on the pure white bedsheet.

My heart sank.

“Vivy. Are you all right?”

I heard Lord Costance’s voice from behind me.

His voice sounded even gentler than it had yesterday.

Should I ask? Should I really ask?

“Are you feeling worse after all? I’ll get you some more honey water.”

“No! I’m fine! Really.”

“But you must be in quite a lot of pain……”

Pain? Why?

“No. I have to go to work right away, so I should get going…… Ugh!”

A groan escaped me without meaning to.

My lower back hurt.

I wondered if it was just in my head, so I moved my waist once.

It really hurt.

At the same time, I fell into despair.

“Vivy?”

“……I-I’m really fine. More importantly, could you give me my clothes?”

“Can’t you take a day off? I think you should get plenty of rest today.”

“If I do that, I’ll get fired!”

A clumsy excuse came out of my mouth.

Lord Costance didn’t question me any further.

He picked up the clothes lying on the floor and handed them to me.

I got under the blanket, roughly put on my clothes, and got out of bed.

Once I stood up, I could clearly feel that my whole body hurt as if I had been beaten all over.

My hangover hadn’t gone away either. It felt as though my head was splitting apart.

Maybe I really should rest today, just as Lord Costance had said.

“I’ll take you home.”

Lord Costance stepped in front of me.

But I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t properly look at his face.

“It’s okay. I can go by myself.”

“You look like even walking is difficult.”

“It’s just…… just in my head, isn’t it? I’m completely fine!”

At my firm answer, Lord Costance let out a small sigh.

Was he angry because I kept refusing him?

“……Then, could we have dinner together again, like yesterday?”

“What?”

“If dinner is too much, tea would be fine too. To be honest, if this is the last time, I don’t want to let you go.”

I couldn’t answer easily.

I was worried that if I refused, I might have to stay with him until it was time for work.

Lord Costance waited anxiously for my answer.

“……If I have time, then let’s do that.”

“Really?”

He looked visibly delighted.

“If I have time, I mean. So…… I’ll be going now!”

“It’s unfortunate that I can’t take you home, but at least I’ll be able to see you again later. If your body hurts too much, don’t force yourself to go to work. Please make sure to rest.”

My hand stopped just before turning the doorknob.

Was Lord Costance really not bothered by this situation?

A man and a woman were alone in a closed room.

We had also spent the night together.

Yet Lord Costance didn’t even blink.

Instead, he was approaching me even more boldly.

Unlike me, he must have plenty of experience.

What woman would leave a man with his appearance and status alone?

He must have met the most beautiful women in the country since he was young.

Among them, there must have been women who had spent the night with him just as I had.

It felt a little unfair.

He had acted so shy and embarrassed, yet after taking my first night, Lord Costance simply moved on without showing much reaction.

“Vivy? Are you hurt somewhere after all?”

I had been standing silently by the door, so Lord Costance approached me.

I bit my lip.

I wasn’t someone who placed much importance on a first night, but I hadn’t expected it to happen like this.

Especially with a man who would someday abandon me and turn his back on me.

He knew nothing about me.

And I knew almost nothing about Lord Costance either.

“No. I’m sorry.”

I opened the door and silently walked down the hallway covered in a luxurious carpet.

Fourteen years ago.

The hellish World War had just ended.

But the research institute on the outskirts of Toramund was always at war.

Since only the greatest geniuses were gathered there, it was only natural that all kinds of extraordinary things happened.

“Is this pretty little girl really his daughter?”

“She doesn’t look anything like him.”

But it was the first time that a young girl had ever crossed the threshold of the research institute like this.

The researchers looked at the newly arrived girl with eyes full of curiosity.

She was a beautiful girl with large eyes and a round nose.

Perhaps because she was nervous, the girl twisted her body awkwardly.

“Hello……”

The girl’s voice was clearer than they expected.

Such a fresh, clear voice was something they could never hear inside the research institute.

The researchers felt as though the stagnant water inside their bodies had been washed away.

“I didn’t know the director was married. And he even has a daughter…… Where is his wife?”

One of the women who had been looking at the girl spoke.

The girl looked at the name tag attached to the woman’s spotless white clothes.

It read Sien.

“……Mom ran away.”

The girl answered.

“……She ran away?”

The atmosphere immediately became heavy.

But Sien couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked again.

“Why?”

“Senior, you’re being a little……”

Tiago, unable to watch any longer, lightly tapped Sien’s arm.

He was a young man with a kind-looking face.

He was a former researcher and one of the people who had brought the girl to the research institute.

“What?”

“I’ll tell you later, later. For now, please keep your mouth shut.”

Sien slightly pouted at her junior’s lecture.

The girl thought her expression was funny.

“Little miss.”

A gender-neutral voice came from behind the girl.

There was someone else who had brought the girl here together with Tiago.

She was a mature woman with short silver hair and blue eyes.

The girl knew her name was Rene.

“Don’t be so scared. None of these people are scary.”

“……Do all of them work with my father?”

“Yes. And from now on, they’re the people you’ll be living with. They’ve all spent their entire lives studying, so they’re all missing a screw or two.”

“I haven’t only studied, Senior.”

Sien interrupted again.

The young man beside her, Tiago, was horrified and pinched Sien’s arm hard.

“Senior, please!”

“Haha. That’s right. That woman named Sien used to be a military doctor. Do you know what a military doctor does?”

“An officer.”

“That’s right. You’re smart.”

Rene smiled kindly and gently stroked the girl’s head.

“That should be enough sightseeing around your new neighbors. Shall we go see your room now, little miss?”

The girl nodded.

Rene took the girl’s hand.

As they walked down the hallway, Rene explained which rooms she was allowed to enter, which rooms she wasn’t allowed to enter, and which rooms she absolutely had to knock on before entering.

“There are so many rooms, so it must be hard to remember them all, right? I’m sorry. I’ll give you a floor plan later.”

“It’s okay. I’ve already memorized them all.”

“Wow. That’s amazing.”

Despite Rene’s praise, the girl didn’t smile.

“……Does Father know that I’ve come here?”

The girl hesitantly asked.

“Of course. You were able to come here because your father agreed to it.”

“Where is Father now?”

The girl gathered a little more courage.

Even so, the word father still felt strange and unfamiliar to her.

“Do you want to see your father?”

The girl nodded.

“Your father should be in the room ahead. It says ‘Atomic Theory Laboratory’ on the door.”

Rene held the girl’s hand and stopped in front of the room where Gallinne was.

“Could you wait here for a moment?”

At Rene’s words, the girl nodded.

Rene seemed nervous.

She cleared her throat several times before knocking on the door.

But there was no sound from inside.

The girl stared quietly at the closed door.

“I don’t think anyone is inside.”

“This…… probably means someone is inside. Maybe.”

Rene knocked several more times before finally grabbing the doorknob and pulling it open.

“Wait here for a moment. I won’t be long.”

With those words, Rene entered the room alone.

The girl quietly stared at the door Rene had entered.

Soon, she heard voices coming from inside.

Wanting to listen in, the girl crept closer to the door.

She frowned.

The voices were muffled together, making it difficult to understand what they were saying.

Then the slightly open door was pushed by the girl’s body.

The girl was startled by the opening, but she couldn’t resist her curiosity and stepped inside.

She had expected a laboratory to be dark and frightening……

But contrary to her expectations, this place was almost painfully bright.

The table was covered with unfamiliar instruments and books.

Crumbs from half-eaten snacks were scattered all over the floor.

The girl walked straight ahead and saw Rene.

But Rene wasn’t alone.

There was also the girl’s father, Gallinne, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

The girl looked carefully at her father’s face.

She had seen him several times before, but his face looked even darker and more frightening than she remembered.

“I told you. I said I was bringing the child here.”

“……Why?”

“Your wife ran away. She left the child alone in a hotel room and disappeared. She even took all the money from the safe.”

“Mm.”

“What do you mean, ‘mm’? The director’s wife ran away!”

“She never loved me in the first place.”

The girl flinched.

She hadn’t expected to hear her mother’s name from her father’s mouth.

“What am I supposed to say? What I mean is that your wife ran away, and the child was left alone in a hotel for an entire week. She even caught a cold during that time. When we arrived, her condition was serious, Director.”

“……”

“After discussing it with Tiago, we brought the child to the research institute. We can’t leave her alone. You agreed to it at the time, too, Director.”

“Yes.”

Gallinne had answered each question briefly.

Then his eyes shifted to the side.

He soon noticed his own daughter standing inside the room.

Even though he realized that his daughter had been secretly listening to their conversation, Gallinne’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

“So please, show the child some attention. If she gets hurt because of this……”

Rene suddenly stopped.

She had belatedly noticed the presence behind her.

Rene turned around.

Her eyes met the girl’s.

“Child!”

The girl quickly ran away.

I see.

Father really doesn’t care about me.

He didn’t even look for Mom.

Even if I died, Father wouldn’t care at all.

The girl thought her situation was unbearably miserable.