The Night of the Monsters - Chapter 22

It was a warm, sunny day. Giselle sat blankly on the grass, passing time without purpose. Around her ankle, a transparent tether remained, tying her to the ground.

She had been basking in the sunlight all day, indulging in a leisurely moment, yet she felt nothing. In truth, she found more comfort in staying motionless in a dark room.

She had insisted over and over that she didn’t want to go outside, but Ian had forced her out anyway. Just like the day before, he pressed against the tender, sprouting grass while tormenting her sore, violated body, eventually making her spill water all over again.

It was humiliating and agonizing. But what tormented Giselle even more was the way her hidden flesh, still throbbing beneath her clothes, gasped for more pleasure despite everything.

Her vision blurred as she blinked. Though she had been crying nonstop, her tears refused to cease. She felt wretched for doing nothing but weeping, but there was nothing else she could do.

Even after everything, she still cherished Hugo and Ian. Just as they had once said, she couldn’t bear to imagine a life without them.

And that very thought forced her to question her own blind devotion. If the medication she was taking was what made her feel this way… then more than her brothers, she would never be able to forgive herself.

That was why she feared facing the truth.

As Giselle clutched the fabric at her collar so tightly that her knuckles turned white, the iron bars rattled suddenly, just like the day before.

“Uh… Hello? Is anyone there?”

“You idiot, idiot! Why did we have to come here again…?”

“N-no, but… There was someone here yesterday. I swear, it looked like a person. I just wanted to check— Aaaah!”

Clang.

The metal bars rang loudly, followed by the sound of someone stumbling. It happened because, just like before, their eyes met through the narrow gap.

As Giselle froze in place, unable to move, the young voices tangled together in whispers, until finally, one voice rose above the rest.

“Are… Are you a person?”

It was a foolish question, yet to Giselle, it was one that made her reflect on many things.

If asked whether she was a person, she could only answer no.

When she didn’t respond, the children began whispering again.

“You idiot! Why would you ask that? She’s obviously not a ghost.”

“H-how do you know?”

“Of course I know. Have you ever heard of a ghost coming out in broad daylight? They always appear at night when it’s all eerie. And besides, you can see her shadow.”

“Oh… You’re right.”

“See?”

“…But she’s not answering us. Maybe she’s hard of hearing?”

“Or maybe she’s just a weird lady.”

She was certainly not a ghost, nor was she hard of hearing or a strange woman.

The bright, clear voices had a soothing effect, calming the filthy desires that had consumed her body. It felt as though she had woken from a dream, returning to reality. Giselle let out a faint smile and slowly lifted herself up.

As she approached the iron bars, she whispered softly.

“…Hello?”

“Gasp!”

“Oh! H-hello…!”

The children, startled by her voice, quickly began to respond to her greeting.

Her hair, pale as flour, shimmered in the sunlight, and her eyes were a striking shade—like a fully bloomed rose or ripe strawberries. She was breathtakingly beautiful, enough to draw an awed sigh from anyone who saw her.

As Giselle and the children exchanged cautious greetings, Ian, who had been in the herb room mixing new medicines, sensed Hugo’s presence and turned to open the door.

Seeing Hugo standing there with a somewhat sullen expression, Ian gave a brief smile.

“You’re back really early, huh? I thought it’d take you a few more days.”

“The priest I met as soon as I arrived already knew about the witch, so I wrapped things up quickly. But who are those brats outside?”

It had only been a day, but this was the longest he had ever been away from Giselle. The moment he returned, he had wanted to pull her into his arms and press his lips against hers—only to find unwelcome interruptions in the way.

Ian understood Hugo’s irritation. But since he needed to hear about what had happened at the castle anyway, and if this little distraction could serve as a moment of relief for Giselle, he figured it was fine. In an unusual show of patience, he answered in a soothing tone.

“Looks like they’re kids from the village below. They must’ve seen Giselle by chance yesterday and got curious enough to come back today. Forget about them—just tell me what happened.”

“I don’t like it.”

“You’ll have Giselle all to yourself until tomorrow night anyway.”

“Oh… right.”

“…Shouldn’t have said that.”

Hugo’s expression instantly softened, his previous irritation melting away. Ian let out a dry chuckle and leaned against the wall as Hugo began recounting the events at the castle in a somewhat disorganized manner.

Ian listened in silence but reacted at two points.

When Hugo mentioned that there was a possibility they could live with Giselle for a very long time, Ian smiled.

But when he heard that Oswald had pleaded for mercy on behalf of his ‘poor little sister,’ his expression darkened.

“A sister? How shameless. Since when did my brother have another sibling besides me?”

Hugo smirked at Ian’s words, remembering how he had told Oswald the exact same thing.

Despite their occasional harsh words, their bond wasn’t bad. In fact, they trusted no one else in the world but each other. And they shared Giselle—someone they would never yield or allow to be taken by anyone else.

If not for their frequent verbal sparring, they could have been considered the closest of brothers.

“I don’t know what kind of illness it is, but they need Giselle to cure it. Even when I refused, they kept insisting I bring her to them.”

“And you just let that slide?”

“Of course not. The moment he opened his mouth, all that came out was lies, so I took care of it—I made sure he’d never speak again.”

Oswald had paraded around in robes as extravagant as those of a king, moving with the arrogance of someone drunk on power. His audacity had likely stemmed from that same confidence, though, as always, Hugo wasn’t particularly angry.

If anything, Oswald should have been more honest about his intentions. Instead of weaving pitiful tales about his sickly sister or the ailing king and queen, he should have admitted outright that he needed to keep her alive for his own political ambitions.

Had he done so, Hugo might have considered striking a mutually beneficial deal with him.

“They figured out we were alive using magic—specifically, by using the king and queen’s blood as a medium. It’s not a difficult spell, but without their blood, they wouldn’t have been able to find us.”

“So basically, he was laying the groundwork to say that killing him would be pointless and subtly suggesting that if you didn’t want to be tracked, you should take care of those people yourself.”

Hugo nodded. His expression kept shifting, and his words were disjointed as if his thoughts were tangled in urgency. Since the spell used blood as a medium, that meant they could also use a sibling’s blood—but he hadn’t mentioned Leslie at all.

Ian stroked his chin in thought before speaking with a carefree smile.

“Well, since you’ll handle the tedious stuff, I won’t bother worrying about it.”

“You don’t know what kind of magic it is? You’re the one who’s more knowledgeable about this than I am.”

“I don’t know everything in the world, you know. Besides, if it’s a blood-based spell, wouldn’t wiping out the entire royal family solve the problem? I’d rather spend my time researching the spirit’s power you mentioned instead of wasting it on something useless.”

They had always focused on molding Giselle to fit them, never once considering adjusting to her. Given the current situation, there wasn’t much else they could do anyway—but if this worked out, it wouldn’t just be a backup plan. It would be the ideal solution.

“Fine. I won’t be able to touch Giselle for the next two days anyway, so I might as well use that time to visit the forest. I’ll prepare the meals and medicine before I leave, so you make sure she gets them.”

“You’re leaving right away?”

“Gotta move fast if I don’t want to waste time. I’ll finish up here—go fetch Giselle.”

Starting tonight, for two whole days, he had no intention of letting her leave the bedroom. Just imagining it made his lower abdomen heat up. Without another word, Hugo stepped outside.

The moment he did, his gaze landed on Giselle sitting near the iron bars, smiling. A strange expression crossed his face.

Lately, she had been nothing but quiet and somber, as if she had forgotten how to be anything else. Seeing her like this—so openly bright—felt strangely foreign.

As Hugo approached, one of the children speaking with Giselle blinked at the dark figure beyond the bars.

“Sis, someone’s coming from behind you.”

At those words, Giselle turned around, and the smile vanished from her face. Her entire body froze as if she had turned to ice.

Hugo, now standing beside her, tilted his head with a smirk.

“I’m back, Master.”

“…Is everything taken care of? You’re not hurt?”

“Yeah. Let’s go inside now.”

Not waiting for a response, Hugo swiftly lifted her into his arms. He didn’t spare the children a single glance, as if they didn’t exist.

As he took a step forward, Giselle quickly called out.

“I had fun meeting you. Get home safe.”

She didn’t say they would meet again.

After all, every part of her existence was dictated by the whims of her brothers.

As they walked back toward the mansion, Hugo did as he had wanted to from the moment he returned—pressing his lips against hers, sucking lightly on her tongue.

Unlike usual, his kiss was unexpectedly soft, and his mood seemed oddly elated.

Giselle found it puzzling, but she didn’t resist. Silently, she accepted him.

Desperately, she tried to ignore the slick warmth trickling between her legs.

But the moment Hugo shut the door behind them, he wasted no time—lifting Giselle onto a small cabinet and forcing her legs apart.

Her lower half, already exposed, glistened with unmistakable wetness, still bare beneath her dress.

“N-no… Hugo, not here. Please…”

Giselle clenched her legs together with all her strength, but it was useless.

Hugo’s gaze lingered unabashedly on her flushed, glistening folds before trailing upward to meet her eyes.

“You don’t even wear underwear, so what’s the point of wearing clothes, Master?”

“T-this… It’s because Ian—”

“Seems like you’d be better off walking around completely naked.”

“Don’t be ridic—ahhh!”

With a sharp rip, the thick fabric of her dress—one that had been chosen specifically for its opacity—was effortlessly torn apart.

In an instant, she was completely exposed.

Giselle froze, unable to breathe, her mind spiraling into panic.

Her pale, translucent skin was marred with deep red marks—faint but undeniable traces of Ian’s earlier touches.

“I don’t like it here either. Too cramped, too uncomfortable.”

Still trembling, Giselle was once again lifted into Hugo’s arms—not toward the bedroom, but in the direction of the kitchen, where the herb room was.

His hands gripped her chest and thighs, squeezing with enough force to leave bruises. Each time he did, the involuntary tightening of her inner walls only deepened her shame.

Giselle tensed her entire body, forcing herself to ignore the dull pleasure rising within her, biting down on the overwhelming sensation.

Inside, Ian clicked his tongue as he looked up to see Hugo carrying a naked Giselle into the room.

“I thought I was bad, but you really are something else, brother.”

Then, shifting his gaze to Giselle, he spoke with an almost casual tone.

“Ah, Giselle. I’ll be away for about two days as well. I’ve prepared your meals and medicine, so make sure you eat properly.”

At their words, spoken without hesitation or shame, Giselle couldn’t hold back her tears.

All she could do was cry—again, always.

But she knew she couldn’t stay like this forever.

With trembling fingers, she wiped at her tear-streaked cheeks and spoke in a hoarse voice.

“…I don’t want to take the medicine anymore.”

Both brothers turned their gazes toward her at the same time. Sensing that she had more to say, Ian didn’t rush her. He simply watched and waited.

Giselle steadied her breath, carefully choosing her words before speaking again.

“Even without it… even without anything like that… I’ll be fine.”

Ian’s lips curled into a slow smile.

“So, should I take that to mean… you’re willing to spend the night with us of your own free will?”

As if there could be no other meaning behind his words, Ian asked her directly.

Giselle closed her eyes.