The Night of the Monsters - Chapter 28

“Even if it’s useless, a constant dose still has some effect. That time, too—her womb swelled, and she bled properly.”

“…Of course. But what if she notices because of the smell?”

“You used to make excuses all the time. Just do the same. Giselle will believe it. Besides, she won’t wake up until we get back, and we always clean up while she’s sleeping, so there’s no way she’ll find out.”

“I guess that’s true… But it still bothers me. I’ll just make a new mixture. We have more herbs now, so the effect will be even better.”

—

They promised.

They promised.

A sharp, honed blade sliced through her chest, and an iron spike drove itself into her heart. It felt as if all the blood in her body was draining away.

Giselle tried to convince herself that this was just a nightmare—one born from the overwhelming happiness she had felt. I have to wake up. I have to wake up. She repeated the words endlessly, desperately denying everything she had just witnessed.

And then, Hugo stepped forward.

“This one has a rosy hue… It’s like Giselle’s eyes.”

Ian sighed. “Every time I look at you, I swear… I feel like one day, you’re actually going to eat Giselle for real. It’s terrifying.”

Hugo only narrowed his eyes and smiled lazily.

Then, he swallowed her whole.

—

A piercing scream tore through the room as Giselle jolted awake.

“Aaahhh!!”

Tears streamed down her face. Her hands and feet were ice cold, her stomach hollow with a bone-deep chill. Trembling violently from the sheer terror, her gaze landed on the water bottle sitting on the nightstand.

As if hypnotized, she reached for it and picked it up.

There was still a little water left inside.

“…No. No….”

Muttering like a person who had lost all reason, Giselle tilted the bottle and let the water wet her dry lips.

The moment it touched her tongue, an odd thickness spread through her mouth.

It was definitely water. It shouldn’t have any taste.

But now that she was drinking it directly—unlike when she had sipped it through their kisses—she noticed something different. A faint, barely perceptible hint of fresh herbs.

“…Ah… Ah.”

The bottle slipped from her trembling fingers and tumbled to the floor, spilling its remaining contents.

Her tear-streaked face twisted in horror.

If the water had been drugged… then that meant—

That nightmare had been real.

A deep, uncontrollable dread took hold of her.

Her terrified eyes darted around the room. She couldn’t hear them, couldn’t see them, but she knew—the spirits were here.

Panting unevenly, she recalled their whispers.

Run. Danger. The castle. Eating. Us.

Hugo and Ian had deceived her.

They were consuming spirits at the castle.

Magic. Eternity. Together. The words tangled in her mind like a chaotic storm, distorting everything she thought she knew.

And then she remembered something else.

“We’ll always be together.”

The brothers’ voices echoed in her head, sending a bone-chilling realization through her.

“…No way…”

Giselle gagged violently, overwhelmed by nausea.

She didn’t want to believe it. She couldn’t believe it.

She had been so happy.

She had thought nothing was wrong.

There must be some mistake.

—

As Giselle sat frozen on the bed, her mind shattered, a sound pierced the silence outside.

A slow, deliberate creak.

Her lifeless eyes flickered toward the door.

A moment later, the lock clicked open.

She flinched instinctively.

The door swung inward.

A young man entered, dressed neatly in a formal uniform.

She recognized him.

She had seen him before—a servant who always greeted her with a gentle smile.

But now, pushing a cart laden with an extravagant meal, he didn’t even glance at her.

Expressionless, like a puppet on a string, he silently began tidying up the room.

Giselle stared blankly as he picked up her scattered clothes, replaced the soiled sheets, and righted the furniture she had knocked over.

Then, her vision blurred.

“…Why.”

She had taught Hugo and Ian everything she knew. It was all so that, one day, when they lived among others, they wouldn’t feel ashamed or lacking. They were bright and kind children—she had never once believed they would bring harm to others.

“……Why.”

The brothers were Giselle’s joy and pride. Though misunderstandings had sometimes led to pain, she had never regretted taking them in. Even if she were to turn back time, she would have still chosen to save them. That was why she called herself their teacher.

Their mother.

Their sister.

Stepping down from the bed, she approached the man who moved with unnatural stiffness. He remained unresponsive. With a trembling hand, she touched his cheek.

Hard. Cold.

Nothing like the warmth of a living person. He was already dead. She should have realized it sooner.

Why hadn’t she found it strange that her brothers had shown no concern when someone entered her room while she slept?

Ripping the sheet from the man’s grasp, she wrapped it around herself and bolted out the door.

She had never left her room alone before, but this time, she did not hesitate.

The grand hallway was eerily silent.

As she passed familiar sights and reached the landing of the staircase, she gazed down at the hall below in a daze.

She recognized the people standing there.

The ones who had always treated her with polite kindness.

Now, they stood frozen, like lifeless dolls.

Even when she descended the stairs, not a single one turned to look at her.

Her vision blurred so badly that she could barely see.

Roughly rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, she stumbled toward the dining hall.

And the moment she rounded the corner, her knees buckled beneath her.

This place had always been filled with the same people, and that had once brought her comfort.

She had been so ignorant of how people lived their lives that she never questioned it.

She never realized how absurd it was.

That all of this was a fabrication—something made solely for her.

She should have doubted.

Her brothers, who had always refused to leave her alone, had made an exception in this place.

She should have questioned why they had gone to such lengths to blindfold her eyes and cover her ears.

A shadow loomed over her as she knelt on the cold floor, sobbing.

“I told you not to go outside alone.”

“……”

“I kept telling you.”

The voice, unmistakably Ian’s, carried clear exasperation.

But to Giselle, it sounded like the voice of a stranger.

Lifting her head, she saw Hugo kneeling before her, their gazes locked.

His deep golden eyes bore straight into hers.

“Giselle.”

“……”

“Giselle.”

“Why…?”

“Yes.”

“Why… Why…?”

“Because we wanted to stay with you.”

“You said we would be together. That you wouldn’t… That you wouldn’t hide things anymore. That you would tell me everything. You promised… but…”

Scrape.

Her fingernails scraped against the marble floor, breaking as they caught on the stone.

Blood seeped from her fingertips, but she felt no pain.

Hugo’s eyes gleamed as he reached for her wounded hand, his tongue slipping out—

But before he could touch her, she wrenched herself away.

“Don’t touch me!”

Her voice rang with unmistakable rejection.

Her body curled defensively inward.

Her expression, filled with terror.

Just as she now saw her brothers as strangers, they, too, saw her as someone unfamiliar.

They had been so certain she would never refuse them.

That certainty shattered now.

Hugo’s face hardened.

Ian clicked his tongue softly before wrapping a gentle hand around her trembling shoulders.

“Giselle, let’s talk—”

“I have never regretted it. Not even once. I never once regretted loving and cherishing you.”

The world around her was darkening. To Giselle, Hugo and Ian were more precious than her own life. They were her joy, her salvation, her happiness. So sweet that she never wanted to let them go. But even so, for their sake, she was willing to give them up.

“If time turned back, I would still take you in, love you more than I do now, and protect you even more. That’s what I always thought.”

“Giselle, I think you’re a bit worked up. Calm down.”

The situation was growing dangerous. Ian knew he had to soothe her somehow, and as he reached out to gently stroke her hair, she murmured:

“But now, I regret everything.”

Her hollow voice, heavy with guilt, made Ian’s hand freeze in midair.

Tears streamed down Giselle’s cheeks as she turned away from him.

“My greed ruined you. Because of me… this is what happened…”

She could never forgive herself. If only she had loved them more, protected them better… No, if she had never been greedy in the first place and simply let them grow up among ordinary people—

“No.”