I had no right to attend Miss Ukifune's funeral.

  I heard her illness came on fiercely and was contagious... so except for her two most loyal maids, no one could enter the room to care for her.

  After Miss Ukifune died, her maids also committed suicide to follow her in death.

  Only I knew this was a lie.

  How could she have suddenly fallen gravely ill?

  Moreover, Okoto told me that after Miss Ukifune and the Young Master dismissed everyone and talked privately all night, she suddenly took ill and never recovered.

  The servants weren't fools. They all understood the Young Master's true nature and knew the visible facts in their hearts.

  But no one dared speak of it.

  The Young Master never mentioned Miss Ukifune in front of me either, as if the person he'd killed was merely someone insignificant.

  Traces of Miss Ukifune having lived in this household quickly disappeared. The servants never mentioned her again. Everyone worked quietly as usual.

  As if nothing had changed, yet as if everything had changed.

  I continued searching through various ancient texts and medical books for the Young Master as always, but the so-called Blue Spider Lily remained nowhere to be found.

  Perhaps this was the name the doctor had given the flower. Maybe it actually had another name?

  The Young Master didn't reject my speculation.

  He constantly dispatched people to search for this peculiar medicinal ingredient in various places, but progress was disappointing.

  Humans were simply too fragile, unable to bear the risks of distant travel and various accidents.

  For this problem, the Young Master quickly found a solution.

  He told me he planned to transform several capable servants into things like us.

  "If I fuse my blood into their bodies, I wonder what interesting changes will occur?" He said with great interest, then suddenly noticed my expression seemed off. His gaze fixed on my face.

  Sweat formed in my palms. I struggled to maintain composure and asked, "What are you looking at?"

  The Young Master said nothing, just looked at me for a moment. I couldn't read the emotion in his eyes, but it didn't seem like anger.

  "You're naturally different from them." He said in a flat tone. "Chihaya, I permit you to stand alongside me."

  If they became monsters using the Young Master's blood, would they also need to eat people like the Young Master?

  That was indeed different from me.

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  So I absolutely couldn't let such terrifying monsters be created by the Young Master.

  I smiled at him. The Young Master watched me for another moment before looking away.

  I learned to smile at the Young Master, showing the sweet, obedient smile Okoto taught me.

  Though I wasn't any kind of beauty, Okoto said the Young Master seemed to prefer seeing me maintain this appearance.

  I did as she instructed, clumsily beginning to groom myself with the dusty jewelry box. Okoto also taught me how to dress up in beautiful clothes.

  Though the Young Master said nothing, the hand stroking my hair was gentle. His usually tense muscles seemed to gradually relax.

  The servants all said I was becoming more and more like Miss Ukifune—wearing gorgeous, heavy layered robes. Every step required someone to accompany and support me. My body wrapped in layers of clothing, only modestly revealing a small section of pale fingers at the sleeves.

  How docile and harmless I looked.

  As if I'd truly become the Young Master's concubine, his attitude toward me grew increasingly gentle.

  As my next birthday approached, he asked what gift I wanted.

  I wore the peach blossom hairpin in my hair, gazing at him with shimmering eyes. "Would you spend my birthday with me?"

  So that evening, he didn't go out hunting but stayed with me.

  I opened a jar of fine wine buried underground for a long time, filling his cup with clear liquid.

  The Young Master took a sip and frowned slightly, but considering I'd personally brewed it, he still drank it down.

  After he finished, I poured him another cup.

  After several cups of wine, he stopped me from pouring more. That cold hand touched my cheek.

  "You're cuter when you're obedient." When the Young Master said this, that hand wandered over my fragile neck.

  I quietly kept my eyes lowered without moving. He suddenly said again, "After I finish handling matters here, I'll take you..."

  Take me to do what? He didn't finish his words, as if drowsiness finally struck. He propped his head with his hand and fell into deep sleep at the table.

  I poured a cup of wine from the jar and tasted it hastily. I didn't notice anything special.

  Ohagi's wine-brewing skills were excellent, cleverly concealing the wisteria's flavor beneath the wine.

  I'd heard the Young Master was allergic to wisteria and nearly died from it in childhood. He hadn't touched this flower in many years. Presumably he wasn't familiar enough with its taste.

  Just didn't expect that the Young Master, having become a monster, still retained his human weakness. How ironic.

  I waited a while longer, confirming he was truly in a near-comatose deep sleep, before yanking off all the hairpins on my head and removing my clothes.

  Layers of garments fell at my feet, yet I felt as comfortable as being freed from a cage.

  Then I tiptoed toward the wardrobe. Amid the overwhelming floral scent, I pulled out a sharp axe from the wardrobe.

  I gestured toward the candle and outside. The door was carefully pushed open.

  Servants holding sharp weapons and ropes waited outside.

  Okoto, gripping a cleaver, nodded at me. Her fingers were white with force.

  I gripped the axe tight, took a deep breath, aimed at that unguarded neck, raised it high, and brought it down hard—

  An unprecedented scream rang through this courtyard.

  He opened his eyes almost the instant he was attacked, looking at me with furious, savage rage.

  Before he could counterattack, the servants had already swarmed forward, hacking at his limbs and body with all their might.

  Though this couldn't truly kill him, it could delay his regeneration speed. Once he was powerless to resist, we'd tie him up and continue controlling his movements with the remaining wisteria wine.

  As long as we waited for the sun to rise, this nightmare could end.

  I could be free too.

  I calmly raised the axe, preparing to strike again.

  The Young Master didn't look at anyone else. His gaze only fixed on me, filled with disbelief, teeth grinding audibly. "You dare—"

  Before my axe could land on him, I heard a beast-like roar. Immediately after, a powerful force knocked me away.

  I crashed into the courtyard, my spine hitting the tree there. I seemed to hear bones breaking.

  This was bad. Having eaten so many people, the Young Master seemed even more powerful than before.

  I'd clearly incited all the servants in the courtyard to kill him with me, yet it was utterly useless.

  I saw former companions lying on the ground. Some had hit their heads and lay quietly motionless.

  Others still wailed. The Young Master forcefully snapped their necks. Blood spilled everywhere.

  Okoto also lay on the ground clutching her leg. Before she could try to stand, the Young Master had already grabbed her hair and walked toward me.

  "You conspired with these lowly things to betray me?" He dragged her up by her hair, his cold eyes looking as if he wanted to hack me to pieces.

  ~~~~??~~~~~~~~??~~~~

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