41.
“Mommy…….”
Perido rubbed his face against his mother’s chest, his voice trembling with an unspoken plea. Whenever he begged like this, she would pretend to give in, always taking his side in the end.
“Perido, Mommy has to go soon. You can count to five hundred properly, right?”
She pulled him away with a firm, decisive touch.
Perido looked up, startled. Whenever she used his name instead of calling him “my baby,” he knew he had to obey without question.
His mother’s black eyes held his with an intense, unwavering gaze, as if burning the command into his memory.
“Okay…….”
Perido had no choice but to nod.
“That’s smart, my baby. Once you go into the secret room, you must never go outside. And you must not meet anyone.”
“Until when?”
“Until Mommy comes to pick you up.”
Perido gazed at her with a flicker of excitement.
If his mother said so, she would come. She was a woman who never broke a promise.
“Okay. I won’t look for my sisters, and I’ll wait for Mommy. So you have to come back quickly!”
“Yes. It’s a promise with Mommy.”
Perido linked his pinky finger with hers.
His mother’s smile was bright—different than usual, perhaps—but it remained hauntingly beautiful.
“Okay!”
She hugged him tightly one last time.
He inhaled, cherishing the scent that clung to her.
“You mustn’t make a sound, either. You have to stay quiet, hiding in the closet.”
“Okay, I will. I’ll hide in the closet without making a single sound, just like playing hide-and-seek.”
“Good. My baby always listens well to Mommy. If, just in case… if Mommy is too late, just one person. You can open the door for that one person.”
“Who? Dia sister?”
His mother’s hand stroked his hair, her touch soft and affectionate.
*Hehe.* He leaned into it, wishing the moment would last forever.
“No. Duke Gerald von Vines. Your uncle will find you and protect you.”
Her voice, burrowing into his ears, carried a note of pride.
Who was this man, that his mother spoke of him with such certainty?
“Duke Gerald von Vines?”
“Yes. You must remember that name, my baby…….”
* * *
Mommy, when are you coming? I miss you.
Perido sobbed, then recoiled at the sound of his own crying. He clamped a hand over his mouth, suppressing a frantic hiccup.
I mustn’t make a sound. I mustn’t get caught.
Just then, he heard footsteps.
Perido curled into a ball like a snail, freezing in place.
Did I get caught because I made a sound? Mommy, I’m scared.
* * *
Duke Gerald von Vines climbed the bell tower stairs without hesitation, navigating the ascent as if he could see every step.
*Thump.* He caught the sound of a small heartbeat.
Someone was here. A child, trembling in a place where no one ever visited.
Gerald’s pace quickened.
Reaching the top floor, he moved toward the source of the vibration.
*Thud.* His foot hit something solid. He reached out, his fingers grazing the coarse grain of a heavy wooden door.
He grabbed the knob and rattled it; it was locked from the inside.
*Thump-thump, thump-thump.* The heartbeat inside spiked, frantic and terrified.
He could have shattered the door, but he refused to frighten the child any further.
“Mr. Olive. How can we open this without scaring him?”
Olive, who had been trailing behind him, gasped, his composure slipping before he quickly regained it.
“Could Young Master Perido have locked it himself?”
There was only one presence inside. The child must have engaged the latch.
“Is Perido in there?”
Dia, who had finally scrambled to the top floor, widened her eyes in disbelief.
The two men turned toward her.
Without waiting for their input, Dia pushed past them and stood before the door.
*Bang! Bang!*
“Perido! Perido! Are you in there? It’s Dia sister! Answer me!”
She pounded the wood, her voice raw.
The child’s crying—audible only to Gerald—grew louder, yet despite hearing his sister’s voice, the boy remained deathly silent.
“Perido, please. It’s your sister! If you’re there, just say one word!”
When only silence answered, Dia pressed her forehead against the wood, her expression crumbling.
“Mr. Olive, he’s not here. If he were, he would have answered me.”
“He might think his family is being threatened,” Gerald noted quietly.
Olive nodded in agreement, but Dia shook her head.
“He is only six years old. He wouldn’t think of such things.”
“If it were my sister, she would have warned him in advance.”
Gerald thought of his wise sister, and at his words, Dia snapped her head toward him, her eyes fierce.
“Please break this door down.”
“The child will be terrified.”
“If you won’t do it, I will call the servants.”
“My Lady, I know you are distressed,” Olive soothed, his voice low. “The young master is likely paralyzed with fear. It is best to give him a moment.”
“I have never seen Perido come here. Are you… are you certain he’s in there?”
Dia’s eyes filled with tears, and Olive offered his handkerchief with a look of profound pity.
Meanwhile, Gerald focused on the memory of his sister. What else could she have told her youngest child?
If it were her, she would have provided a sanctuary.
Gerald reached out, his hand resting flat against the door.
“I am Gerald von Vines. Whoever is inside, I will protect you.”
*Vines protects.*
Behind him, Dia trembled.
Inside, there was a shift—the sound of a small body wiggling.
With a slow, agonizing *creak*, the door shifted. The internal latch was being pulled back.
The child’s footsteps were feather-light as he approached the door. How long had he been starving?
“What are you doing now…….”
*Click. Click.* The sound of metal echoed. Dia froze, her breath hitching.
The child lacked the strength to fully disengage the lock.
*Clack.* After a final, desperate attempt, the latch cleared the frame.
The three of them held their breath, waiting for the door to move. It opened a crack, slowly and laboriously.
A small, thin shadow appeared through the sliver of light.
Gerald couldn’t see him, but he could sense the child staring up at him.
“…….”
The boy pointed a finger, trying to speak, but only a choked, gasping sound emerged.
Gerald grasped his intent from that singular, small movement.
“That’s right. I am Gerald von Vines.”
Seeing the boy’s face, Dia let out a broken cry.
“Perido!!”
In that instant, the child collapsed like a doll with its strings severed.
Gerald lunged forward, catching the fainting boy before he hit the floor.
Sister, the youngest is safe. No matter what it takes, I will protect your children.