Inheritance of Shadows [Hugo Vlad x Fem!OC]

Chapter 17: Despairingly Haunting

The old mansion was shrouded in darkness, the storm still gnawing at the windows as midnight approached. Yukari lay awake in the narrow maid's cot, mind restless, the air thick with dread after supper's ordeal.

A floorboard creaked out in the hallway.

She sat up, heart hammering, every senses alert.

Someone was moving outside—soft steps, cautious, almost childlike. Peeking from her door, Yukari caught a glimpse: Young Hugo, slippered feet and tousled hair, quietly shadowing a tall man cloaked in darkness.

Curiosity and instinct warred inside her.

Was that... one of Hugo's relatives? The way the man moved—too careful, too secretive—set Yukari's nerves on edge.

She followed, silent as possible, down winding corridors and through servants' doors barely used in daylight.

At a turn near the end of a shadowed corridor, the man's silhouette halted, and Yukari ducked behind an old suit of armor. Hugo lingered a few paces behind the man, half-hidden in the gloom.

A relative, she could only guess, given the resemblance and air of authority—paused by a locked door, glancing over his shoulder. His features remained obscured by the dark, but there was a chill to his presence that made Yukari's skin crawl.

She watched, breath held, as the man whispered something to Hugo. The boy stiffened, clutching something to his chest.

Yukari pressed closer, trying to hear, but thunder rumbled again, drowning the words.

She caught only fragments:

"...you ready...take...Hugo...don't tell...not a single soul..."

The man—Hartman, though Yukari doesn't yet know—pressed something into Hugo's hand, then strode away into the blackness, boots echoing on marble.

Young Hugo lingered, small and trembling.

Yukari, torn between revealing herself or staying hidden, waited to see what he'd do next.

They entered a room. Yukari followed as quietly as she could, pressing herself to the wall just outside the doorway. The door didn't close all the way—she could see inside through a narrow gap.

She saw young Hugo standing by the bed, shivering, his shirt already stripped away. The man sat waiting, his mask grinning with an awful, painted smile.

"That's right, Hugo," the Uncle murmured, his voice low and cold. "If you don't want me to lay a hand on Serena, you know what you have to do."

Yukari's blood ran cold. Hugo's shoulders trembled as he obeyed, head bowed, hands fumbling at the rest of his clothes. The uncle reached out, his touch possessive and cruel on Hugo's small frame.

Yukari's entire body tensed. Every part of her screamed to break down the door, to grab Hugo and run—but she was trapped, invisible, powerless. She could only watch, fury and helplessness twisting inside her, as Hugo's nightmare unfolded.

"Y-You'll protect her, right...?"

The mask seemed to grin wider. "Yes, I'll do everything to protect her, Hugo," the uncle said, his voice oily and cold enough to make Yukari's skin crawl.

'No, don't touch him. Please—'

She watched, helpless and furious, as the uncle shifted closer, his hand pressing to Hugo's small, trembling shoulder. Hugo's shirt was already gone, his face tight with shame and fear.

"If you don't want me to hurt Serena, you know what to do," the uncle said quietly, menace clear in every word.

"...Yes, Uncle..." Hugo whispered, almost defeated.