Selena stared at her father. Her face was calm—too calm, in fact, as if she had long since mastered the art of hiding what she truly felt. Every line seemed carved to conceal the storm raging within her. Yet behind her steel-gray eyes, something flickered—a subtle, almost guilty joy that she fought to keep hidden.
"What are you doing here?" she finally asked, her tone deliberately neutral, as if she were asking about the weather rather than confronting an unexpected and troubling presence.
Richard Hellsing didn't answer immediately. He studied her, reading every microexpression on her face. It was as if he feared he might be dreaming, or that this moment was just an illusion. His gaze lingered on her with the weight of someone who measures life and death with every breath. Slowly, he crossed his arms.
"Your daughter almost got herself killed on a mission," he said simply. "So, naturally… I'm here."
Selena glanced away slightly, trying to contain the mix of irritation and relief. She didn't want to let relief show—not now, not in front of him.
"Did you ask Ryo to come get us?"
"Unfortunately, no," Richard shook his head. "I wasn't even aware of what was happening. I found out afterward."
He paused, his gaze darkening.
"But you could have been more careful."
The words hit Selena like a spark igniting dry tinder. Her fists clenched, yet she remained rooted to the spot, holding back the storm raging inside her.
"I'll remind you that things like this happen," she snapped, lifting her head sharply, her voice louder than she intended. "And I'm not the one to teach you that. You were an adventurer once. Just like Ryo. So what's the problem with me?"
Richard furrowed his brows, a mixture of surprise and frustration crossing his face.
"It's not—"
"Or what, then?" Selena interrupted, her eyes blazing with intensity that could cut through steel. "Is it because I'm a girl?"
"It has nothing to do with that," he said immediately, almost panicked, his voice firmer than usual.
He drew in a deep breath, as if trying to contain something that had been building inside him for years. The walls of the room seemed to close in, suffocating.
"It all comes down to one thing, Selena. I just want to protect you."
A brief, bitter laugh escaped her. It rolled off her tongue with a metallic taste of despair.
"Blanek's there for that."
"He's young too," Richard replied bluntly. "And immature."
Selena felt her jaw tighten, her teeth grinding under the weight of her anger. Her chest burned. Her hands were fists she wanted to smash into something—anything—but she restrained herself.
"Oh… I think I get it now," she said in a trembling yet razor-sharp voice. "It's all because of the Strauss family, isn't it? And that damn contract. My whole life is falling apart because of them."
"It has nothing to do with that," Richard replied too quickly, his voice betraying worry beneath the stern words.
"Then what is it?" Selena pressed, her gaze piercing. "If you care so much about 'protecting' me, then cancel that contract. Now. You know the deadline is coming."
Richard's expression darkened. He glanced away, as if the air itself burned his face.
"It's not as simple as you think."
A heavy silence fell over the room. Time seemed to stop. The outside world disappeared, leaving only the two of them and the tension hanging between them.
Selena clenched her fists. Her voice, when she spoke again, was lower, sharper, dangerous—a whisper that carried all the frustrations she had buried for years.
"Yes… it's never simple, huh…"
She lifted her eyes to meet his, shining with unspent emotion. The weight of her words hung in the air like a silent threat.
"You didn't manage to protect Mom. And now… it's me. How typical…"
The words escaped before she could stop them, spilling out like a flood.
Tears rose. Selena tried to push them back, but they slid silently down her cheeks, heavy with everything she had kept buried.
Richard froze for a fraction of a second. Then his face broke. He stepped forward and, without a word, pulled her into his arms.
Selena stiffened at first, surprised. Then her shoulders slumped. She clutched at his jacket as if his embrace could make up for everything she had lost. Her sobs remained muffled against his chest, a mix of anger and relief.
"I'm sorry…" Richard murmured. "Truly."
He held her tighter, as if afraid she might vanish if he let go. Time seemed suspended. Nothing existed outside this fragile, precious moment.
The bedroom door was closed.
Richard didn't notice Ryo standing silently in the hallway, leaning against the wall across from him. Arms crossed, his expression unreadable, he had caught every word of the exchange. Not a single word, not a single intonation escaped him.
Footsteps approached down the corridor—heavy, determined.
"What are you doing?" came a deep voice.
Édouard had joined him. His silent, imposing presence contrasted sharply with the vulnerability in the room they had just left behind.
"I'm listening," Ryo said bluntly. It was obvious.
Édouard glanced at the bedroom door briefly, then returned his gaze to Ryo.
"And you? What are you planning to do?" Ryo asked next, his tone sharp and neutral.
Édouard's smile was hard, cold, almost cruel.
"For me, it's always been clear," he said. "There's no way I'll let the Strauss family take her."
His eyes darkened further, fire burning in their depths.
"And if Richard is too cowardly to act… I will handle it myself."
He paused, letting the weight of his words linger like a silent threat.
"Besides, now I have the best pieces on the board."
Ryo stared at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable, like a wall of stone.
"Do as you please," he finally said, simple yet heavy with meaning.
Inside the room, Selena remained wrapped in her father's arms, oblivious to the plans already taking shape around her. The outside world felt distant, almost unreal. But the chains that bound her were no less real. Not made of metal, but of contracts, debts, and threats. And they were tightening—silent, inevitable.
Even in the warmth of her father's embrace, Selena felt the pressure. As if the future was already forming, cruel and relentless.
Her father's breath in her hair, the steady beat of his heart—it was an island in the storm. But deep down, she knew this calm would not last. Not with the Strauss family, not with the contract hanging over her, not with Édouard and Ryo already plotting their next moves.
Every decision made outside this room was bringing her closer to a choice she might not be ready to make.
For now, there was only silence. Comfort. Pain. And the certainty that soon, action would be unavoidable.