02. A Man With Bloodlust

A piercing light strucked Chateau as she opened her blue eyes. She winced and lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling of the room where she rested.

The faint sound of footsteps on wooden floors broke the silence, though the noise was barely noticeable.

Then, she saw him; a tall man turned his head slightly to glance at her, and Chateau’s heart raced in panic.

She shot upright, clutching her blanket tightly, as if it could shield her from the looming threat. Memories of the blood-stained ground and the deafening sound still haunted her, leaving her shaken as she faced the man.

Leonard Hugues stood silently, his expression unchanging. He seemed disinterested as he examined the contents of Chateau’s room, his actions perplexing her. Her panicked reaction as she awoke only added to his confusion.

“Are you afraid?” Leonard asked, his voice calm, though his question left Chateau dumbfounded.

Afraid? Of course, she was afraid! She had just witnessed a brutal murder, and now the man who committed it stood in the same room. How could she possibly remain calm?

“Please,” she whispered, trembling, “don’t hurt me...”

Leonard’s lips twitched downward in a faint frown, but he said nothing. His tired gaze fixed on Chateau, intensifying the oppressive atmosphere in the room.

After a moment, Leonard sighed. “This is your room,” he said flatly, as if to reassure her she was safe for now.

He moved to grab a wooden chair in the corner, pulling it closer before sitting down. His pose, with his legs crossed and his palms rested on the knee, seemed oddly casual for someone like him.

“Did you… kill them?” Chateau finally mustered the courage to speak.

“No. Just two.”

“How can you say that so easily?” she snapped, her voice rising with fear. “How can you act as if what you did means nothing?”

Leonard remained calm, his expression impassive. Instead of responding to her outrage, he turned his gaze toward the window.

“It seems you really don’t understand who I am, do you?” he murmured. “No problem. I don't mean to start this with a friendly introductions either.”

“Who are you, really? What do you want here?”

“You.”

Chateau froze, unable to comprehend his meaning. “What do you mean by that?”

Leonard rose from the chair, seemingly ready to leave, but Chateau stopped him with another question.

“Are you here to take me as payment for my father’s debt?” Leonard paused mid-step. “What did my father borrow from you? How much does he owe you?”

Without turning around, Leonard replied coldly, “Your father didn’t borrow—he took. And the cost…” He hesitated briefly before continuing, “The cost is a price that can’t be measured.”

With that, Leonard opened the wooden door and exited the room, leaving Chateau in stunned silence.

She sat motionless on her bed, unable to process his words. For reasons she couldn’t explain, they felt honest, neither a lie nor a cruel jest.

Chateau remained frozen until the door opened again, revealing her mother, Amelia.

“Mom…” Chateau whispered, rushing into her embrace.

Amelia, a woman in her fifties, wept with relief. She had been informed about the terrifying ordeal her daughter had endured, and seeing Chateau home safely without injury filled her with gratitude. At least Chateau wasn’t taken by either of the two gangs. Still, she couldn’t help but regret that her savior had to be Leonard Hugues.

“Thank goodness you’re safe,” Amelia said, stroking Chateau’s wavy blonde hair.

Chateau bit her lip. “But why did you let that man get into my room, Mom? He’s dangerous! Why didn’t you call the police?”

Amelia’s silence in response to the string of questions unsettled Chateau. Her mother’s eyes darted away, as though unwilling to answer, prompting Chateau’s brows to knit in confusion. Her mind filled with troubling thoughts.

“Mom?” she called softly. “So… what he said was true?”

“What did he say?”

“He said he wants me… because I’m supposed to be repayment of Dad’s debt.”

Amelia looked at her daughter’s distressed face, guilt weighing heavily on her. She didn’t want to confirm it but couldn’t keep it hidden any longer.

Gently, she cupped Chateau’s cheek with a tender hand. “Chateau… I’m sorry I never told you before.”

“Does this mean I’m going to marry him?”

“Sir Leonard never said anything about marriage, but even if he did, there’s little I could do to stop it.”

“Mom, this country has police! Why are you acting powerless? We could fight back against that man and stop him from forcing me to go with him!”

“Chateau…” Amelia interjected, her voice pleading for understanding. “If we refuse him, your father will feel embarrassed. He took recklessly from Sir Leonard, and now he has every right to take what he wants—what was supposed to be returned to him.”

"Am I worthy of being something that should be returned to him? I don't even know who he is." Chateau held her tears in hopelessness. "What about my right? My life? If I really go with him to a place I never knew, what would happen to me? Alone, hopeless, "

"I'm sorry, dear, I'm so sorry...."

Chateau was left even more baffled by her mother’s reasoning. What had her father done to Leonard in the past that led to this? Why was Leonard’s repayment so specific that only she could settle the debt?

“At least he won’t kill you, Chateau.”

Chateau pressed her lips together, too drained to argue. She watched her mother’s face, which seemed to hold back defiance that couldn’t be expressed. Chateau grew more curious about what had truly happened. What had rendered her mother so unwilling to fight, even knowing her daughter might be taken away by a dangerous man?

For now, however, Chateau chose to stay silent and follow the path laid before her. She would uncover the truth on her own and find a way to free herself from Leonard Hugues’s grip.