The next day…
"It's been three weeks already. I am fine. The shop needs some tending. We can't leave it unattended for so long!" Jacek explained in frustration to his mother, sister, and Treyton.
He had no memories of it, but apparently, he was bitten by a venomous spider in the shop. However, since he did not notice and sought immediate help, the bite took a great toll on his frail body. Since then, no one has supported his idea of going to the shop or leaving the house. He could not put a finger on it, but Jacek felt that the three were hiding something from him. He wanted to pry, but at the same time, he did not want to pry either.
"Give it a rest, Jacek. Your health is more important than the shop. The plants will survive, even if they get a little weedy by the time we go back there," Yuki said, expressing her concern in her voice and facial expression.
"Most of the flowers would have died before then. And what about our customers? How long are we going to keep the shop closed without giving them a forewarning? Isn't that too unprofessional, considering how much they trust us?"
"Let me go, and at the very least, tidy the shop up. I will be fine!" Jacek pressed relentlessly.
"Jacek…"
"How about I go with him then. I should be able to help clean the shop while also ensuring he is safe and returns home unharmed," Mrs. Adlerian interrupted Yuki before she could refuse Jacek again.
"Mother…"
"It will be fine, dear. I will make sure that we are extremely cautious and also return home very early. I know how much you love the shop. It is unfair that you cannot go, but Jacek and I can help if you have us."
Yuki wanted to refute, but her mother and Jacek's unrelenting expressions made it hard for her to voice out her objections. She turned to Treyton for support, but he expressed his unwillingness to defy Mrs. Adlerian from the uncertain look on his face. With that, Yuki had no backing in the matter.
"I think they will be fine as long as they come back as early as Mrs. Adlerian suggests," Treyton finally added his voice.
Now, all eyes rested on Yuki as they waited for her decision on the matter. She was unconvinced by what anyone said. Nevertheless, she knew that the more she hesitated, the more suspicions she would arouse.
Slowly, with evident reluctance, Yuki's lips parted and a feeble "Alright" forced its way out.
When all was said and done, Mrs. Adlerian and Jacek left home for the shop even though the sun was already up by then. The two vowed that they would return home before dusk to put Yuki at ease.
In the absence of her mother and Jacek, Yuki was left alone at home with Treyton. It was the first since he moved in that Yuki was completely alone with him. Moreover, ever since she witnessed that unspeakable sight of him three weeks ago, Yuki had done everything in her power to make sure she was never entirely alone with him.
But since things did not go according to her plans, she had no choice but to try as much as possible not to make things awkward between them before the two returned. After some contemplation, Yuki concluded that excusing herself and staying in her room would be the best course of action if she wanted to avoid him.
"Can we talk?" Treyton asked as soon as he saw Yuki get on her feet in an attempt to avoid him.
Yuki bit her lower lip momentarily, as if she was biting back a curse that nearly left her mouth, before slowly sitting back down. At the same time, she fixed her expression, put on a courteous smile, and reverted her expression to a much calmer one, with hopes that she did not give too much of her feelings away.
"What do you want us to talk about, Sir Athaulfe?" Yuki asked politely.
"Please be at ease," Treyton stated when he noticed how tense Yuki appeared, even though she seemed calm.
"I was only curious about something, and I wanted to ask you about it."
She hoped her expression did not change after Treyton's utterance; deep down, she was not too excited about where the conversation was headed at all. Her stiff shoulders and cracked smile were evidence of her whirling emotions.
"What are you curious about, if I may ask?" Yuki managed to probe despite her internal reluctance.
Treyton sat up, both his sitting posture and facial expression exuding solemnity. He stared straight at Yuki, making sure she understood that whatever he was going to say then was of great importance to him.
"Are you not curious?"
"Curious? Of what?" Yuki appeared genuinely confused, but she knew better than anyone what Treyton meant by that question.
"Curious about what I am. About what it was that attacked Jacek, or about that thing that intruded and attacked you several weeks ago. Curious about why all this is happening to you or your family. Are you not interested in knowing the truth?" Treyton finally laid bare what weighed on his mind and in his heart.
Yuki's smile cracked briefly before returning to normal. Her expression seemed unfazed, even though she perceived the depths of what Treyton implied by everything he said.
'Why are we even having this conversation in the first place?' Yuki thought as her fingers gradually folded into a tight fist. She still maintained her composure, nonetheless.
"No. I honestly have no interest in knowing things that will disrupt my peace. Knowing the truth will be nothing but trouble; nothing but a distraction to my simple life. So candidly, Sir Athaulfe, I am not curious to know what you are, what is after me, or why all this is happening," Yuki spoke with every ounce of honesty left of her concealed heart.
"I see. Then, I will respect your wishes and never speak of this matter again," Treyton assured.
"You have my gratitude for your understanding… oh, there is one thing I would like to know, though."
"I am all ears."
"At my godfather's, was it you that fought off the man that almost attacked me in the woods?" Yuki asked, no longer wearing her signature smile but rather a stern look.
"Yes. I was that wolf," Treyton responded while staring straight into Yuki's gleaming eyes.
"Did you kill him? Did he die?"
Treyton was visibly taken aback by the question. It was an unexpected and strange question. He did not know what answer to give Yuki for it, for it was both simple and complicated. Treyton knew that whatever he said then was of great importance to Yuki.
"I wounded him fatally, but he escaped. To his kind, my bite is venomous, so I am certain that he is dead by now," Treyton responded honestly.
"So he escaped," Yuki stated in a whispery voice, more to herself than her interlocutor.
She looked away from Treyton and sat in a daze for a long while. Even though her face did not give anything away, Yuki's heartbeat steadily grew faster. All her life, she had not wished death on anyone as she did with that man.
Before then, she had not thought about what happened that day or the aftermath of it. She just pushed the memory and the experience into her mind's trash can in hopes that she would eventually forget what happened that day. But now that she knew that creature survived, she was forced to recall the feelings he evoked in her. She was forced to remember how dangerous his existence felt. She instinctively knew that the person would survive, and that she had not heard the last of him yet.
A loud, frustrated sigh spontaneously escaped Yuki's mouth from the depths of her stomach.