“Well, until recently, Cobi was in the same situation as this victim.”
Kisa turned her head and met eyes with the man leaning casually against the sofa.
“It’s fortunate that he met Seyard when he did. Though it feels wrong to say this, if it hadn’t happened, he might have been in danger too.”
“…I see.”
Seyard relaxed his slightly tense lips and offered a faint smile.
“Kisa, you truly have a sunny disposition. Even worrying about Cobi.”
Feeling embarrassed, Kisa scratched her cheek.
“It’s nothing. He’s your friend after all.”
Although he didn’t strike her as someone with a particularly good impression, he was still someone dear to Seyard, so Kisa’s honest wish was for him to find a better path.
She imagined Cobi, who would be somewhere far away by now.
She hoped he would properly atone for his crimes, rehabilitate himself, and live diligently without committing any more wrongdoing.
When Kisa shared these sentiments, Seyard nodded leisurely.
“I’m sure he can do that.”
Coming from him, of all people, Kisa felt an inexplicable certainty.
At that moment, Seyard’s hand cupped Kisa’s chin.
“Kisa.”
Their gazes met, his touch both respectful and gentle, and her name spoken in that deep, beautiful voice.
Kisa now knew what would come next well enough to predict it with her eyes closed.
Naturally, their lips met.
The first few times had been difficult, but with repetition, the two explored each other’s warmth more frequently.
Thanks to this, Kisa, who had initially struggled to keep up with Seyard’s movements, could now act somewhat more proactively.
To confess, kissing was a far more pleasant activity than Kisa had vaguely imagined.
So pleasant that she felt slightly regretful for not having known about it until now.
Of course, this wasn’t to say she wished she had kissed Daniel or any other man before meeting Seyard.
Kisa sincerely thought it fortunate that Seyard Hillan was her first partner.
Although she didn’t dare ask, she suspected the same was true for Seyard.
‘He went to the monastery when he was young.’
He had previously confirmed that during his time at the monastery, he hadn’t been close to anyone of the opposite sex.
If so, then Kisa would be his first partner as well.
Thinking this, her heart swelled, yet contradictorily, a suspicion like black smoke formed in a corner of her mind.
For a first-timer, his kisses seemed too skillful.
‘Skillful…right?’
Naturally, as someone whose first kiss was with Seyard, Kisa had almost no basis to judge whether he was skillful or not.
She could only guess that since his attitude was more relaxed than hers and she felt so good, he must be skillful.
Perhaps he wasn’t particularly skilled either.
The reason she felt good might simply be because the person she was kissing was Seyard.
‘Yes, that must be it.’
Honestly, Kisa would prefer this explanation several times over than the possibility that he had other partners before her.
Otherwise, she would suffer from burning jealousy.
Certainly more than when she learned about Hazel’s existence.
Just as she was thinking this.
With a small groan, Kisa’s mind returned from imagination to reality.
Seyard had lightly bitten the tip of her tongue.
It didn’t hurt, but it startled her a little.
‘Is he telling me to focus on the kiss?’
However, for some reason, his tongue retreated obediently.
Kisa watched the departing lips with a slightly disappointed look.
How to express it—today’s kiss felt fresher and lighter than usual.
From the beginning, the fact that Kisa could drift into other thoughts was due to his somewhat loose movements.
“By the way, Kisa.”
Gently wiping away the saliva from the corner of her mouth, he asked.
“Do you perhaps have something troubling you?”
“Troubles?”
“It may be my imagination, but recently, you don’t look well. Are you tired?”
“Ah, I have been sleeping poorly these past few days.”
Fearing he would worry, Kisa hurriedly waved her hand.
“But it’s nothing! It’s not even insomnia. Sometimes I’m just like this for no reason. It gets better with time.”
“Is that so? So you don’t have any concerns—”
“No. None at all. What would I have to worry about these days? Everything is going smoothly.”
The external circumstances surrounding her were as calm as gentle waters, and above all, Kisa and Seyard’s relationship was excellent—it was enough just to gaze at each other.
Therefore, Kisa should currently be without worries and simply happy.
…She should be.
Seyard quietly observed his lover for a moment, then brushed her side-swept hair.
“That’s a relief then.”
He didn’t ask the same question again.
****
[Kisa, my beloved daughter. Come here.]
Her mother, who had smiled while saying those words, could not endure the particularly cold winter and fell into eternal sleep.
She has passed away. The red-haired doctor who resembled blood announced her death, and her father quietly covered his eyes.
Meow. There was a cat that cried like that.
An annoying cat that would always flee when Kisa tried to pet it, despite filling its belly with the food she provided.
On one winter day, that cat no longer avoided Kisa’s touch.
It could no longer avoid it.
Holding the small, cold body in her arms, Kisa…
“Miss!”
Her eyes flew open at the shout that struck her eardrums.
“Miss! Are you alright?”
Kisa stared blankly at the figure shaking her body.
“Nanny?”
Her nanny, with a worried face, was looking down at Kisa who lay in bed.
Judging by the darkness of the surroundings except for a single lamp illuminating the room, it seemed to still be night.
Raising her upper body, she asked her nanny.
“What’s wrong?”
“What do you mean, what’s wrong? You were moaning as if having a nightmare.”
“I was?”
“Yes, it’s a good thing I came to check on you.”
Occasionally visiting to ensure Kisa was sleeping well was one of the nanny’s duties.
In fact, shortly after the Countess of Vansfelt’s death, she had slept in the same bed as young Kisa.
This was because Kisa would frequently wake up and cry for the deceased Countess.
The nanny, sitting on the edge of the bed, carefully asked.
“Did you have a scary nightmare?”
“A nightmare.”
For some reason, she didn’t want to talk about the Countess.
The nanny viewed Kisa, who had lost her mother at a young age, with great sympathy, but Kisa honestly found it burdensome at times, though she appreciated the sentiment.
For that reason, Kisa mentioned another presence in her dream besides the Countess.
“I dreamed about Mustache Jack.”
“Mustache Jack? Ah, that stray cat?”
The name Mustache Jack came from the black markings around its nose that resembled a mustache.
It was a name given by young Kisa to a cat that used to frequent the Vansfelt mansion as if it were its own home.
Although Count Vansfelt wouldn’t tolerate animal fur in his mansion and thus couldn’t keep pets, Kisa was extremely fond of that cat.
For the young girl grieving the loss of her mother, Jack’s presence provided immense comfort.
It was Mustache Jack who restored Kisa’s smile after a long absence.
So much so that she had even insisted on taking over the responsibility of feeding him, a task that was originally rotated among the mansion’s servants.
For the typically timid Kisa, this was quite unimaginable.
But…
“When that cat died, it was really chaotic. I broke a sweat trying to calm you down as you wept uncontrollably. I was so worried you might get dehydrated.”
The sense of loss that struck Kisa when Jack breathed his last was equally immense.
With some exaggeration, it felt like losing her mother a second time.
Perhaps because of this, her memories of Mustache Jack’s death, like those of the Countess, were somewhat vague.
She remembered the cat’s death, but couldn’t precisely recall what caused it.
It seemed that erasing memories when faced with unbearable sorrow was Kisa’s way of coping, as she was just a child then.
‘I vaguely remember what happened after that.’
The person who first suggested creating a grave for Mustache Jack in the mansion’s backyard was Daniel.
For some reason, Daniel, showing uncharacteristic sympathy, took especially good care of Kisa during that time.
He had brought a shovel from somewhere and dug up the ground, saying they should make it secretly when the servants weren’t around, as the Count would surely disapprove.
Thinking about it, that was when Daniel began to seep into Kisa’s heart.
Jack’s death was the catalyst that made her rely excessively on Daniel.
The nanny shook her head, perhaps recalling the complexity of those times.
“Plus, Miss, you went missing then. I thought my heart would stop.”
Kisa’s eyes widened at the unexpected word that suddenly emerged.
“What? Missing?”
“Oh my, don’t you remember?”
“I really went missing?”
“Yes. You disappeared without a trace one day, and the mansion was turned upside down. We only later found out it was because of that cat.”
Even hearing this, she had no memory of it. It seemed to be part of the memories that vanished due to shock.
“Where did I go?”
“I wouldn’t know. If you don’t remember, then only Young Master Daniel would know.”
“Wait, why is Daniel’s name coming up here?”
“Because you left with Young Master Daniel.”
“How did that happen?”
“I don’t know. You were pale and could only cry, and Daniel seemed angry and kept his mouth shut, so there was no way to find out.”
The nanny tapped her cheek, reminiscing about the old days.
“Um…what was it again? You met a bad person outside? That’s all you said.”
