𝕯𝖎𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖑𝖎𝖐 𝕷𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘: 𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝕱𝖆𝖙𝖊

Chapter 42

Yui nodded her head silently. "He's a pretty cautious person, father, but recently... he..." Yui paused, her speech suddenly riddled by pauses and hesitant humming. "...forget it. I'm so sorry, father. You shouldn't have come back here."

Seiji looked down at his hand, muttering under his breath a curse. He'd been subjected to far worse, but since she was too young to understand the ways of hunters, he kept his secrets to himself. Another little misunderstanding into his chest of lies. He'd been so anxious about his daughter ever since that glimmer of hope shined for him, but all those sins he had committed just to see his daughter once again...

"Tell me about your life here." He intended to fix everything for once. There was enough hatred and guilt inside him to despise the vampires, but for once he needed to hear what his daughter had to say about the boys who were her "hosts". He knew it all was a farce, that given the opportunity she would be strung up from the ceiling and kept there as a captive, but only for the conditions of the church they had left her alive. But was this existence any better than being dead?

He needed to know.

Yui gave him a genuine smile before she raised her own cup to her lips. Her manners were pretty refined by now, the way she held her cup, her elbow raised at the level of her hand, her back straight and her head held high despite the obvious discomfort of her chest injuries and something he knew she was hiding from him: the bites. He admired how well she had adjusted, but the thought that maybe she had been conditioned by those heathens popped up inside his troubled mind.

"About... the Sakamakis?" Yui asked, her eyes hazy with the pleasant scent of tea. He didn't remember her being so passionate about tea, though. Had eight months changed her so drastically?

"I... guess." He had been so distant from her during these years, especially after she turned thirteen, knowing that in four years she would be sent off as a sacrificial bride. He'd been raising her just to slaughter her when the time was ripe. He felt a wave of disgust for himself as he struggled with his words. "I need to know... whatever you feel about this place."

She placed her cup into the saucer, her fingers interlacing themselves as she began. "I feel at home with them."

The statement felt out of the blue and strange for him. He expected her to throw a tantrum, shout at him, blame him for everything that had been done to her, but here she was, calling this hellhole a home. "How can you say that?" he said in a voice ringing with disbelief. "Why do you think this is anything but a glorified torture chamber?"

Her eyes flitted towards the door, checking something. Perhaps the weird kid with the teddy in his hands. When she was assured that she was alone, she composed herself, her back straightening, her eyes fixated upon her feet. "Shu san has helped me develop a passion for the violin. Even though he used to be reserved and meant to be left alone, he was very kind whenever I sought him for my music lessons. He has done things to me that I cannot forgive him for, but he was always helpful whenever I needed him. That changed because my focus shifted elsewhere, and people here hate to be ignored in favour of someone else. He is a horrible person, but his actions can be explained. He can change for the better if we give him a chance."

Her father looked at her in shock, as she took his hand into hers, her expression peaceful. "Reiji san enrolled me with the rest into the night school. He's the one that runs the household, despite being the second born. He is pretty respectful and regards manners and etiquette to be above anything else. He has reprimanded others when they stepped out of line. I didn't know it for the longest time, but when Shu san dared to harass me, he locked him up for a few days and demanded that he ask for my forgiveness. He is strict in his punishments, but he doesn't have any favourites, and that makes him very fair in his judgements."