"I am an orphan. I made sure of that."
"..."
Avner finally calmed down. He was thinking clearly again.
"I killed them,"
Nephthys confessed.
People were usually afraid of her. Her presence alone was intimidating, and now that Avner had heard she had killed her own parents, he should have thought of her as a monster. She didn't care. Or at least, she told herself she didn't.
Contrary to her expectations, Avner didn't react the way she had imagined.
His eyes softened.
"Here. You should try this too."
Avner began feeding her. Nephthys opened her mouth obediently and chewed the food he offered.
"I think all this hard training is starting to show. I can use fire now without getting sick. I'm sure that soon enough I'll get even stronger. After all, I've gotten my hands on the best master there is… sigh… I can already feel the pain that's coming… I guess what they say is true—in order to gain something, you need to lose something."
Avner spoke like his usual self, casually feeding Nephthys as if he had never heard her confession.
She understood his intention.
He wasn't pretending it hadn't happened, nor was he trying to pity her. He was telling her that he would wait—patiently—until she chose to open up properly. And that no matter the outcome, she would always be his master.
When she had first confessed to killing her parents, Nephthys had told herself she wouldn't care if he thought of her as a monster.
But now she realized it.
She did care.
She didn't want him to think of her that way. She wanted him on her side—even if the whole world stood against her.
Nephthys didn't know what had made her this selfish.
Is this the start of a friendship?
she wondered.
She didn't know exactly what she felt for him. It had been a very long time since she had talked to someone this much—someone not connected to work.
Memories of her childhood resurfaced. Of her first precious person.
She could still remember his clear eyes and genuine smile whenever he spoke to her. He had been everything she had, and she had been everything he had. It had been the two of them against the world.
The mere image of that small boy was enough to bring a smile to her face.
A genuine smile, tinged with sadness.
Avner didn't see it. He was too busy choosing what to feed her next. By the time he looked back at her, the smile was already gone.
"I'll eat on my own."
As Nephthys thought of her childhood, she realized something.
She shouldn't be selfish.
Because selfishness would only bring her pain.
***
"Aunty, welcome back!"
The true owners of the mansion had finally returned from their trip. Miyoeon, Amabilis, and Avner were waiting at the gate to greet them. Avner was the first to hug his aunt, and the others followed soon after.
"Aren't you going to greet me?"
Seeing how they all rushed to his wife, their uncle complained—but there was no reply. They were still buried in their aunt's arms.
"Oh my goodness, I sometimes forget how big you've all gotten. I'm completely buried!"
The aunt giggled; you could barely even see her.
After the three cousins finally let her go, they turned toward their uncle—and immediately decided to make fun of him.
"Vay, vay, vay… is our dear uncle sulking?"
Avner asked, and Amabilis didn't hesitate to respond.
"He sure is… looks like someone's jealous."
"If you missed us so much, you should've just said so, Uncle."
Miyeon couldn't miss such a golden opportunity.
"Come on, let's give him a hug,"
Avner declared, opening his arms. The others followed.
"Get away from me, you pigs!"
Their uncle rejected their affection, but they weren't backing down. Arms still open, they kept approaching.
"I'm serious! Stay away or I'll turn you into bacon!"
Despite his threats, they hugged him anyway.
"We love you too… Uncle."
"Ahhh! You useless creatures, you're suffocating me!"
He broke free from their grip.
The longer he looked at them, the angrier he became.
"AAAAHHHH!"
With a scream of rage, he took off his shoe and hurled it at them. But the moment they realized what he was about to do, they took off running.
"Ah—ah—ah!"
The uncle cried out in pain, and in response his wife immediately threw the first thing she could find at him.
"Ah! Why did you do that?!"
"You have no right to complain when you did this to yourself."
He was lying down while his wife treated his planta pedis—in other words, the sole of his foot.
"How is that my fault?"
"How is that your fault? HOW IS THAT YOUR FAULT?!"
She made sure he understood just how ridiculous the question sounded.
"Well, let me tell you how that's your fault."
"You threw your fucking shoe at my nephews and then decided to chase after them, BAR FOOD."
The husband could only clear his throat in embarrassment—or perhaps fear. Maybe a bit of both.
"Ah! This is so annoying."
She grabbed him by the ankles and yanked him upside down.
"Whoa—wait, wait, wait!"
She didn't let go, so he tried a different tactic.
"…My dear… the apple of my life… my whole reason for living…"
He spoke sweetly, but it had no effect, so he continued.
"My wife, more beautiful than an angel… and more… delicate than… than—"
He froze, unable to think of anything delicate enough to compare her to.