…No, I can’t stay with you forever. You’re going to kill me soon!
Isaac said that and hugged me tightly.
Sigh, he really doesn’t give me a chance to escape.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Isaac’s eyes sharpened at the interruption.
“…Come in.”
With permission granted, a maid entered the room. She bowed her head.
“Milord, it’s time for your lesson. Today, you’ll be going to the annex.”
Phew. It’s lesson time. At least during his lessons, he lets me go, and those moments are my only hope. But wait, going to the annex? That’s first. I didn’t even know there was an annex here.
“…Okay. I’ll get ready.” Isaac reluctantly removed his hand, which had been stroking me.
Does he not want to go to his lesson? Seeing that look, he really does seem like an 8-year-old kid.
“I’ll be back soon, Mia.”
Yeah, hurry up and go.
Isaac left the room, leaving me behind. I heard the sound of the door locking behind him. He really doesn’t give me a chance to escape… But I didn’t plan to just sit still.
Last time, after thoroughly searching the room, I discovered a hole in one of the walls. His lessons usually lasted about two hours. I needed to check the escape route and return within that time. I had to avoid being caught by Isaac or the servants, so I moved forward, hiding behind objects as much as possible.
“Meow…”
I managed to leave the mansion, avoiding people as best as I could. Now, it’s the garden…I’d checked the right wall last time, but there wasn’t any way out there. Should I check the left wall this time? I hid myself among the bushes and crossed the garden.
Why is this place so big…? I’ve always felt it, but the garden is so vast that it feels like a forest. There’s even a large pond. I’d need to be well-prepared if I wanted to escape.
As I was wandering around, looking for the left wall, a building caught my eye. Judging by its luxurious exterior, it didn’t seem like a building used by the servants. Is this the annex the maid mentioned earlier?
“Aaaack—!”
At that moment, a sharp scream echoed from inside the annex.
W-What the heck…? The sound was so piercing that I instinctively took a step back.
Should I just ignore it and move on? No, I should check it out. Knowing what’s happening in this house would help with my escape.
I climbed a nearby tree and looked through the window. What I saw inside left me horrified. It was… a torture chamber. There were vicious machines with blades and nails. The floor was stained with old blood, almost black in color. In the middle of it, a man was tied to a chair, covered in blood, surrounded by suspicious people in black robes.
What the heck are these people…?
“Aaaack!”
The man tied to the chair screamed again. Someone had pressed a heated iron into his body.
As I was frozen by the horrific scene, I heard a familiar voice.
“Isaac, do it.”
I looked toward the voice and saw Marquis Dias standing there. He, too, was wearing a black hood like the others. What kind of outfit is that? But what he said caught my attention even more.
Is Isaac here? Looking around, I saw a small figure among the people. It was Isaac. The child was also wearing a black robe.
Isaac’s usually fair face was now ghostly white. The marquis heated the iron again and handed it to Isaac. Isaac’s hand trembled as he took it.
“Isaac. It’s your turn.”
Are they really making Isaac do the torture?
Isaac stared at the captured man, unable to do anything. His hand, holding the branding iron, was trembling. It was only natural. Who could easily accept being told to torture someone out of the blue?
“…You still can’t even do this?” Despite this, the marquis clicked his tongue as if Isaac couldn’t handle a simple task.
Muttering to himself, the marquis picked up a long sword from the menacing tools laid out beside him. Thunk! Without hesitation, he plunged the sword into the chest of the bound man.
I was frozen stiff, witnessing a murder for the first time. Meanwhile, Isaac turned his head away, but he seemed relatively calm as if this wasn’t his first time seeing such a thing.
The red blood flowing from the man’s body pooled on the floor. The marquis handed the sword to another person and said, “Take Isaac away. Since he failed again, put him in solitary confinement for three days. No meals.”
“…Yes, Father.”
After saying that, the marquis left the room. I saw Isaac being pushed out by others while he stared at the dead man.
As I watched people clean up the body and tidy the room, I stood there, frozen. I still couldn’t believe what I had just seen. What on earth did I just witness?
In my daze, I suddenly snapped back to reality. Oh no, I’ve been outside for too long! They mustn’t realize I’ve disappeared from my room… I should head back for now.
Fortunately, I didn’t run into anyone as I hurriedly returned to the mansion. There was no one in the room either.
Hasn’t Isaac returned yet? Then I remembered what the Marquis had said earlier.
“Take Isaac away. Since he failed again, put him in solitary confinement for three days. No meals.”
Right, he said Isaac was going to solitary confinement. Does that mean I’m free for three days…?
I thought I might be able to find a way to escape during that time. Although I couldn’t help but feel uneasy…
I waited for Isaac just in case, but he didn’t return even late into the night. This was a golden opportunity for me. Everyone must be asleep, so I decided to use this chance to find an escape route.
I quietly slipped out through a mouse hole and went outside. The mansion looked even more eerie in the darkness. Maybe it was because of what I had seen earlier…
In the game’s flashback scene, it was mentioned that the son of the Dias family had gone mad, and being in a place like this, I could see why.
No, this wasn’t the time to get lost in thought. I needed to get out quickly.
It was when I wandered around, looking for an open window.
“Sob, sniff…”
At that moment, a faint crying sound could be heard from somewhere.
W-What is that…? Is it a ghost?
With my fur standing on end, I looked around. The crying sound was coming from the basement. Listening closely, it was the sound of a child crying… And there was only one child in this house.
Before I knew it, I was heading down to the basement. The dim basement was a place that gave me chills just by entering. It was fortunate that I was a cat with good night vision. I carefully headed towards the source of the sound. The deeper I went into the hallway, the louder the crying became.
As I got closer, I saw an iron door made of bars. Beyond it, I saw Isaac, looking small and fragile. He was hugging his knees and sobbing quietly.
Just then, I heard footsteps from behind. I quickly hid behind a cabinet.
The person who appeared in the darkness was a maid. The faint light of her lantern illuminated the surroundings. She looked down at Isaac and spoke. “The marquis said that if Milord doesn’t stop crying, you’ll have to stay there for two more days.”
Are you kidding me? The child is locked up right now! He’s only eight years old! And what’s with that expression?!
There wasn’t a hint of sympathy on the maid’s face. It was as if she thought it was completely natural for Isaac to go through this.
After hearing those words, Isaac’s crying subsided. The maid gave him a disdainful look and left.
Once she disappeared, the surroundings became dark again. It was a space filled with nothing but darkness.
Leaving a child in such a place? Without even a single light? It was commendable that Isaac wasn’t screaming in fear.
Although Isaac had stopped crying, he was still hugging himself. Then, he murmured softly. “…Mia.” His voice trembled with desperation.
I could hear the suppressed sobs escaping through his teeth.
“Mia, I miss you…”
