At the Girl's Eye Level
The girl stared blankly at the ceiling.
In the quiet room, various thoughts drifted through her mind. She took a brief moment to reflect.
Getting rid of that maid hadn't really meant much to her.
Her new tutor had looked so troubled every time he saw the woman, so she had simply disposed of her a bit sooner than planned.
Besides, she had wanted to punish the maid for daring to touch her precious food.
Or perhaps, she had simply been curious about how the tutor would react.
Her first impression of the man, Andy, had been simple.
He looks submissive, so he should be easy to handle.
Seeing him shake hands with an illegitimate child without a single trace of contempt, Cream had decided he would do.
Since she was generous with her own possessions, she had no intention of being cruel to a man who willingly humbled himself before her. Meeting someone in this wretched mansion who at least pretended to be decent made it easy to fake a smile.
Above all, his voice was one she had never heard in her dreams, which piqued her curiosity.
Unlike the tutors who had tormented her in her dreams, he was the only one who cared for her like a nanny. That, in truth, wasn't so bad.
Except for the fact that he occasionally did things that annoyed her—
"I promise you. I will stay by your side until you become a wonderful and splendid young lady."
"No matter what happens, I am your teacher."
She absolutely detested how much he loved slick, empty words.
Why did he keep making promises he couldn't keep? It was pitiful if he truly believed he could win a child's favor with such cheap tricks.
Adults were always like that—carelessly tossing around words like "you're the best" or "I love you" when times were good, only to turn on you the moment things got difficult.
Since all adults were the same, she assumed he was no different. Not that it mattered. It wasn't a bad way to pass the time, playing student.
The snacks he made were delicious, and though she had thought he was insane when he made her do farm work, it had turned out to be surprisingly fun.
Oh, but his quick wits had been unexpected.
It had only been a day since the maid disappeared, yet he was already tiptoeing around her. She had thought he had surprisingly sharp instincts for someone who looked so dim-witted, but...
...So why is he suddenly acting like an idiot?
Actually, "madman" seemed more accurate than "idiot."
Since he had trembled in fear after catching a glimpse of his student's true nature, she had graciously offered him a chance to leave out of gratitude for his past services. Yet, instead of running away, he had returned with renewed determination, babbling about wanting her to be happy.
Happiness was an impossibility for her, so hearing him speak of it so lightheartedly had sparked a sudden surge of anger.
That was why she had wanted to scare him a little.
She had wanted to show him: I am someone who can hurt you and cover it up.
So she had set the mood and given him a tiny scratch, but what was with him throwing himself at her afterward?
Why on earth wasn't he afraid? Why didn't he hate her?
He knew what she really was.
"Here, my lady. You may bite my arm as much as you like."
Even after that, when she showed him the animal corpses she had gathered to dispose of all at once, he hadn't shown a hint of fear. Instead, she had been the one caught and subjected to that... that humiliating ordeal. An ordeal so shameful she didn't even want to think about it.
The way he showered her with boundless positivity made her feel like she was being toyed with. What made it even more baffling was that he didn't seem to be acting; he seemed entirely sincere.
Why, of all things?
What profit was there in pretending not to notice her true nature? Did he want to end up like the maid by getting on her nerves?
Count Hollybell certainly wasn't paying him that much. The sensible thing to do was to leave the side of such a creepy child as quickly as possible.
As far as Cream was concerned, there was absolutely no reason for a teacher like Andy to stay by her side.
Ah, except for one.
"I hope that one day, you will be able to live with a genuine smile on your face."
The reason she had heard straight from his mouth. The claim that, as an adult, he wished for a child's happiness.
She recalled his serious face at that moment. With his black hair and clear sky-blue eyes, he was decent-looking enough, and speaking with such gravity had made him look rather nice.
...
...No, he's probably just a pervert.
Cream rubbed her goosebump-covered arms as she recalled him chasing after her while shouting, "Wooooooh!"
He was a total pervert. A crazy pervert.
The sharp-witted girl raised her guard against the man to the maximum. Though she didn't know the exact definition of a pervert, she knew it referred to those who did abnormal things.
I have to kick him out.
Sprawled on the bed, the white-haired girl scowled.
No matter how she looked at it, getting rid of him was the right choice. He had noticed her true nature, and because he was completely unpredictable, there was no telling what kind of variable he might introduce.
Out of gratitude for his past kindness, she had tried to let him walk away on his own two feet, but in doing so, she had ended up giving away too much information about herself. It was time to use harsher methods to drive him out.
That man knows too much now.
Her biting his arm with her fangs, and the dried-up animal carcasses.
Through this incident, he must have at least realized that Cream Hollybell was drinking animal blood. Since he was quick-witted, his thoughts would have naturally led him to that conclusion.
Of course, he wouldn't know why she drank it. And she had no intention of telling him that much.
"..."
Cream's hand drifted to her throat. It already felt dry and scratchy. That thirst. A resentful thirst that felt like fire searing her throat.
To end all of this.
She could not allow any setbacks to her "plan."
The crucial plan for Cream and her mother to find peace.
Reminding herself of this, the girl hugged her stuffed dog. She buried her face in the white dog plushie, which she had sewn stitch by stitch herself, and rubbed her cheeks against it.
As she curled up and breathed softly, focusing on the texture, she noticed the room no longer smelled of dust—undoubtedly because it had been improved.
"Children will get sick if they keep living in a place like this."
"Of course it's not hard. It's for you, my lady."
"..."
His voice echoed faintly in her mind.
Every single one of his words and actions was for Cream Hollybell. It was as if his entire code of conduct was subservient to a girl named Cream.
A man who only ever said what she wanted to hear.
That was precisely why she was angry. Every word he uttered poked at the deepest parts of Cream, making her blood boil.
...In the end, you'll be just like the rest of them.
She would tear off that mask.
Adults were entirely untrustworthy. In fact, everything in this world was the same. In this hellish world, there was no need to harbor expectations or affection.
It was enough to live however she pleased and then die.
Hugging the handmade dog plushie, the girl closed her eyes. Various thoughts drifted through her mind.
About the plan, about her mother, about the mansion, about the teacher.
Thinking with a mind exhausted from a long day, she began to feel drowsy.
With final thoughts about how delicious the hamburger had been and how she needed to train her stamina and physical strength, the nodding girl drifted off to sleep in the dead of night.
.
.
.
Since when had it started? She dreamed every single night.
After tossing and turning for a long time, the sensation in her limbs would fade, and her consciousness would float away as if lost.
And then, she would always find herself in a hazy world.
A place devoid of even a shred of comfort, family affection, or anything at all.
"My lady. Do it again. Again. And again. Get up. Quickly. I told you to get up immediately when you fall. Why are you so slow to understand? Your legs hurt too much to stand? *Sigh*..."
"Hmm... The new dance teacher's lessons are too hard? You still have to endure it. It's all necessary to make you a splendid young lady. You're a member of the Hollybell family too, so you can do it, right? Little sister."
"If you have a conscience, try harder. Why are you making such a fuss over a sprained ankle? I had it much harder when I was learning, you know. Father went out of his way to take you in, and you're showing such disgraceful behavior..."
"Get that disgusting face out of my sight."
A torrent of voices poured down, stripping away all hope.
A dream that had repeated every day since she was young. A dream that inevitably ended in ruin.
Normally, when waking from such a nightmare, there was someone Cream would run to while crying. Reflecting that, the girl in the dream began to run aimlessly.
Fleeing from the voices chasing her, running forward as fast as she could, she saw a familiar, warm figure in the distance.
In a moldy, dilapidated house, wearing a worn-out apron, that person was carefully preparing a meal to feed her daughter despite their poverty.
"Mom... Mom...!"
She opened her mouth wide to call out. Tears threatened to burst forth at any moment, but she held them back and cried out for her mother.
Then, as always, her mother would welcome her with a gentle, loving smile.
Imagining this, Cream's face contorted into an expression that was half-smile, half-sob, already bathed in relief. It was like finding a foothold while hanging off a cliff, or receiving a saving hand while drowning in deep water.
But, strangely.
"Mom! I had another scary dream... Um, Mom...?"
Her mother wouldn't look at her.
"...Mom. Mom?"
No matter how many times she called, no matter how much she tried to make her presence known right behind her, the woman silently continued cooking.
Finally, she grabbed the hem of her mother's skirt. Part of it was a child's desire to throw a tantrum at a busy adult, but mostly, she wanted to soothe her anxiety.
When she tugged, the woman finally spun around to face her.
"M... om...?"
Her face was completely blacked out.
A face so heavily scribbled over that she couldn't even remember what it originally looked like turned toward Cream.
"...You are the worst daughter, but since this is the last time, I will give you one piece of advice."
The figure spoke.
"The people who cling to you will fall into one of two categories. Fools who are infatuated with your pretty face, or swindlers who only want to exploit you."
Her voice was calm and low, yet carried the light, unburdened tone of someone who had witnessed the end.
"So do not be deceived. Only those kinds of people will gather around a sinner like you. You can never be happy."
For some reason, that had left the deepest impression.
The curse, spoken with absolute sincerity, was engraved more deeply than any nightmare she had experienced before.
"You will be alone for the rest of your life."
The dream repeated endlessly.
A new day dawned.
Having dressed in his formal suit early in the morning, the tutor headed up to the fifth floor. It was his first day reporting to his beloved lady's new room.
"My lady, it is Andy. I have come to wake you."
...
"Let us greet the day together again."
...
"My lady?"
Is she not going to answer today? Sensing something was off, he gently turned the doorknob, and the door swung open.
He peeked inside, but there was no one there.
"My lady...?"
Finding the room empty, Andy went out to the backyard, but the vegetable garden was deserted as well.
He went back inside, checked the kitchen, and even stopped passing servants to ask if they had seen her, but they all shook their heads.
Where could she have gone so early in the morning?
First, he opened Cream's status window.
To understand a child's psychology, one must first grasp their current state.
He briefly considered the possibility of her running away, but running away was something only highly sensitive or delinquent children did. Given that Cream's Sensitivity, along with her Morality and Faith, formed a trio of absolute disasters, he didn't need to worry about—
—Wait, she's incredibly delinquent!
The lady had run away!
Realizing this, Andy rushed out of the mansion. He prepared to run to the stables to find the coachman, but—
"...Huh?"
He spotted a familiar girl in the distance.
Her long, cotton-candy-like hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and she was wearing trousers she had obtained from somewhere, lightly jogging along.
When she noticed Andy, her brow furrowed for a split second before instantly smoothing out into a bright expression.
"Good morning, Seonsaennim!"
"My lady, what is the meaning of this attire...?"
"I decided to start exercising today. I was just jogging around the mansion."
"Why did you suddenly decide to start exercising?"
"I wanted to build up my stamina."
Cream wiped her forehead with a towel draped around her neck and smiled. Though her eyes seemed to be glaring at him, he decided to ignore it.
"I realized lately that I'm lacking in both stamina and strength. You have to be healthy to do anything, right? Hehe..."
"My lady..."
Not only was it wonderful that she had thought of this, but she was also putting it into practice herself.
A wave of emotion washed over him. Andy barely held back the urge to lift Cream high in the air and parade her around the mansion like Simba from The Lion King.
Could it be that she has opened her heart to me, even just a little?
He had told her recently that he wanted to see her happy, healthy, and running around with a bright smile.
Although he wondered what she was thinking when her smile instantly vanished the moment she turned away after saying, "I'll go finish my run then!", Andy decided to look on the bright side. Didn't it just mean they were comfortable enough around each other?
He hoped that one day, they would be able to speak their true feelings to each other.
With that wish in mind, he reached out toward her fluffy, cotton-candy-like white hair.
"Just a moment, my lady."
"Yes?"
As Cream stopped and turned around, Andy's hand rested on her head.
He began to slowly and gently stroke the crown of her fluffy head. Due to their height difference, it was the perfect resting spot for his hand.
Her stress level, which had risen at dawn, was quite high at 10%.
"My lady, you haven't been sleeping well at night, have you?"
"...How did you know?"
Since she tossed and turned enough to raise her stress level every day, nights must be very difficult for her.
Andy knew the feeling well, having suffered from insomnia himself. The sun would rise but sleep wouldn't come, the body would feel exhausted, and even when sleep finally arrived, sleep paralysis would strike. The entire situation was just miserable.
He wanted to comfort her, feeling sorry that he hadn't noticed sooner.
He also wanted to praise her for being so admirable as to exercise first thing in the morning.
And so, he gently patted her head.
Pat, pat—
"..."
"..."
Pat, pat—
"...What are you doing?"
"Well, I thought you might not have slept well last night. So, as a gesture of comfort..."
"...Huh?"
"I'msorryIsteppedoutofline."
Seeing the blatant chill in her light pink eyes, he immediately took a few quick steps back.
Is she angry? Am I going to get the smiling treatment too? Or stuffed into an oak barrel?
Clutching his racing heart, he watched as Cream glanced at him, patted the top of her head a couple of times to dust it off, and then continued on her way.
She was angry, but she was letting it slide just this once.
Yet, her stress level had actually gone down, leaving him completely baffled.