"Timmoty! You can't even protect one girl!" In a closed room with luxurious furniture, two people were standing in front of a young man with white hair who was now staring at Mr. Tim with a cold, intimidating gaze. This was Mr. Tim's mistake, because he had underestimated the girl. He had let his guard down, and Mr. Tim accepted his mistake.
"Forgive me, sir. I didn't expect her to slip past my attention. I will correct myself and accept the punishment," said the handsome man in the shirt, bowing his head.
Mr. Tim, the man who looked to be in his forties, felt his previous attitude had been too lenient, allowing the girl to boldly defy his warning.
"Now... what about the girl, sir? We can't cast a spell to erase her memory of last night's incident," said Timothy, expressing his concern about the girl—rather than staying in the punishment room.
At that moment, Keenan, who was too lazy to think, could only touch his forehead in frustration. From morning until six in the evening, his strength had diminished, making him too lazy to do anything, let alone think! Why did they have to discuss this in the morning? This was annoying!
"It's not time for her to know yet. Before she turns eighteen, this secret must not be revealed to her. Figure out the method yourselves!" Keenan said, waving his hand to shift the responsibility.
"Uncle, I'll handle it! From now on, while Timmoty is still in detention, I'll take care of the girl in his place," Shane, who had been silent, finally spoke.
"And I'll make sure that girl... will remember last night's events as nothing more than a bad dream," he continued, smiling faintly with a gaze full of plans.
"With her abilities, she might become your partner in the future. You must take good care of her," warned Mr. Tim.
"That's for sure!"
...
"The sun was beginning to rise, and Valery, who was currently asleep in her room, suddenly opened her eyes. She immediately sat up as soon as she opened her eyes, feeling her body to make sure none of her limbs were missing.
"Oh my God, I've been caught! What am I going to do?" Valery panicked, realizing that she had failed to escape from the mansion the night before. After accidentally bumping into Mr. Tim, someone suddenly struck her neck from behind, knocking her unconscious. And now, upon waking up, she realized she was still trapped in this monster's lair.
"What should I do? I have to find a way to escape. If not, they might eat me alive!" Valery panicked, quickly pulling back the blanket and getting out of bed.
"Who would want to eat you? Your meat isn't tasty!" Valery shuddered upon hearing Shane's casual remark, causing her to step back in fear.
"Yes, that's right! I'm a swimmer; my muscles are tight. My flesh would be too tough to eat." Valery replied in a pleading tone, backing away and standing fearfully in the corner.
"Have you lost your mind? Do you think we're zombies or something?" Shane was astonished after hearing the girl's offhand remark.
"Last night I clearly saw Keenan biting a human's neck! If you're not zombies... you must be cannibals! That's terrifying..." Valery's legs trembled immediately after saying that. This made Shane, who heard it, chuckle and think that the girl was actually a bit funny. Look at her trembling legs from fear! But even she dared to point at Shane despite her fear.
"I think you had a bad dream last night. You were even sleepwalking. If it weren't for Uncle Tim seeing you go out, you would have fallen into the pond and drowned," Shane said.
"What? That's impossible! It was clearly Uncle Tim who stopped me from escaping last night. Why would he be the one to save me?" Valery said, disbelieving.
"If you don't believe me, you can come with me to check the CCTV footage. And because you went out in the middle of the night and almost fell into the pond, Mr. Keenan scolded Mr. Tim and gave him a punishment!" Shane said, making Valery begin to waver. Was it all just a dream last night? Her mind began to battle with her beliefs. But she was certain that what happened last night felt very real. And oh, she should still have a bruise from hitting the table when she tried to escape. That bruise must still be there, and it could be proof, she thought. The girl then began to pull up her pants and check her knee, which had been hit last night.
"Strange, there's not even a bruise? The pain from hitting the table last night was so real, but why is there no mark?" The girl began to doubt herself.
"Was last night really just a dream?" Valery muttered, feeling confused.
Shane noticed the girl's confusion, so to reassure her, he took out his phone and showed her the CCTV footage from last night. "Look! You walked out of the room alone and headed toward the pool with your eyes closed," Shane said. Luckily, the CCTV footage could still be edited and manipulated, so he could use it to convince the girl.
"Ah, it seems to be true!" Valery, though still looking a bit confused, eventually had to admit her mistake. Perhaps what she saw last night was indeed just a dream. Valery scratched her head in confusion.
Today, Valery is still not ready to go to school because it coincides with a holiday. So this morning, the girl sits awkwardly at the large dining table with Keenan and Shane, who are not paying much attention to her, cutting pieces of steak. They are only busy with their own food, and no one initiates a conversation.
Valery slowly began to put the piece of meat into her mouth, alternately glancing at Keenan and Shane, who were sitting at the same table with her.
"Annoying!" The curse made Valery quickly pull the meat back out of her mouth and place it back on the plate. At that moment, Shane and Valery turned to look when they heard Keenan's complaint.
"You... little kid! Stop staring at me like I'm a human-eating monster!" Keenan warned. At that moment, Valery could only swallow her saliva with difficulty while her legs trembled. In her dream last night, this man was indeed a human-eating monster.
"Uncle, I'm done eating. I'll go take care of some work first," said Shane, getting up from his chair and leaving. Valery pushed her chair back, wanting to follow, but Keenan's deliberate cough made her reconsider and sit back down calmly.
"Finish your food! Don't waste it!" Keenan ordered. The girl immediately obeyed and quickly finished her breakfast.
"I heard you were sleepwalking last night and almost fell into the pond?" Keenan asked. Valery smiled awkwardly, feeling confused. She was certain she hadn't been sleepwalking last night. Last night, she had seen Keenan... that man... Valery closed her mouth, which had been about to speak. She knew better than to cause trouble, as she would be staying here for the next two years until she graduated. If she made the homeowner angry by saying that last night she had seen that man eating people, she might be kicked out and end up homeless.
"Yes, sir. I think I sleepwalked last night. I'm sorry for causing a commotion," Valery said briefly.
Keenan remained silent for a moment, observing the girl, then said,
"You don't resemble your parents at all. But for some reason, your face feels familiar to me," Keenan said, still watching the girl.
Those words moved Valery's heart to ask, she was curious why the man knew her parents, and what their connection was in the past that made Keenan willing to sign Valery's adoption papers.
"Brother, can I ask you something?" Valery asked.
"I don't like being asked questions!" Keenan replied quickly. However, the man stopped cutting the meat, paused to think, and eventually agreed.
"Alright! You have five minutes—because in fifteen minutes, it's time for me to sleep!" Keenan explained.
Valery smiled and nodded in agreement, thinking to herself that the man was very laid-back and loved to sleep. Even when the girl first came to this house, the man was already asleep.
"Um... How did you meet my parents?"
The question made Keenan pause to think for a moment.
"Your parents? Hmm... they're interesting!"