Chapter 3

I stared at him blankly, slowly blinking.

And then, I thought to myself.

“Beautiful…”

The most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life.

And yet—

“So dark.”

A space as black as the night sky without stars or a moon.

But even darker than that was the man’s eyes.

Like the obsidian gemstone I had only heard about in stories.

My vision slowly expanded from the center of his pitch-black irises.

Dark hair like the night sky, deep black eyes like obsidian, sharp features, pale skin, a strong throat, broad shoulders, and long, solid legs.

Even if a master sculptor dedicated his life to carving him, he couldn’t create something this perfect.

As I stood there, completely mesmerized, the man grinned.

“Stunned by my beauty?”

“Yes.”

His tone was playful, but I answered seriously.

He seemed caught off guard, staring at me in surprise before letting out a small chuckle.

“Do you not have emotions?”

“…Huh?”

What kind of question was that?

“For someone who just said they were stunned, your face hasn’t changed at all.”

Ah. Now I understood what he meant.

“That’s because…”

I had learned to hide my emotions.

In Rodbell, happiness and sorrow were never meant for me.

If I showed joy, someone would get angry. If I showed pain, someone else would be entertained.

So I stopped showing both.

Over time, it became a habit.

“They eventually called me gloomy and hated me for it.”

Now that I thought about it, that wasn’t my fault.

Whether I showed emotions or hid them, they would have despised me all the same.

If only I had known sooner.

Then I would have expressed myself properly.

Because suppressing emotions was exhausting.

“So, we really got a gloomy one here.”

At that, an unexpected chuckle escaped me.

“Why are you laughing?”

“It’s just… I’ve been hearing that my whole life. Even in death, it doesn’t change.”

Unlike the Rodbell family, with their pure white hair and violet eyes, I had pitch-black hair and bright red irises.

And since I rarely showed emotion, they all found me unsettling.

“Especially Vansis. He hated me the most.”

I remembered the time he locked me in a room filled with venomous snakes, determined to make me cry.

“That was when I had been in Rodbell for a year—so I must have been ten.”

I begged for him to open the door, but Vansis only laughed and ignored me.

In the end, his plan failed.

I didn’t cry.

Because before I could, I got bitten.

I lost consciousness and spent ten days in a feverish haze.

“And I lost my sense of taste as an aftereffect.”

For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of guilt on Vansis’s face.

But only for a moment.

Of course, he was never punished.

He was merely told to be careful since such pranks could be dangerous—even for him.

That was when I finally understood my place in that household.

Even if I was nearly killed, the only concern was that Vansis might get hurt next time.

At that moment, I think our eyes met.

What kind of expression was he making?

“I don’t remember.”

And I didn’t care to.

Every memory I pulled from my mind was just pain and suffering.

And clinging to them only made breathing harder.

So—

“Hey, god.”

I wasn’t sure what he was exactly, but ‘god’ seemed like a safe guess.

“Can you kill me now?”

I had been ready for a while, but he wasn’t even making a move, and it was making me impatient.

The man stared at me, then suddenly let out a chuckle.

“If you want to die so badly, I can oblige. After all, I am a merciful god.”

“…”

“But…”

He strolled toward me at a leisurely pace, tilting his head.

“Are you really okay with that?”

“…?”

What was he talking about?

A wicked smile spread across his lips.

“I mean, the ones who threw you down here will continue living happily, while you just disappear. Are you really fine with that?”

“You’re not even a little resentful? If it were me, I’d want to rip them apart.”

“…Are you sure you’re not a demon?”

His smooth voice sounded like a devil tempting me.

I quietly processed his words.

Rodbell had become perfect because of my sacrifice.

They were happy because I was gone.

The family was finally complete…

I clenched my fists.

I struggled to open my mouth.

I was—

“…Not okay with it.”

No matter how much I tried to bury my emotions, they clawed their way back to the surface.

I felt anger, resentment, and…

“I want them to be miserable.”

I dropped my head.

Did saying it out loud make me feel better?

“No.”

Because it was a wish that would never come true.

No matter how much I resented or cursed them, the Rodbell family would bask in glory for the next hundred years.

My hatred was meaningless.

There was nothing I could do—

“Then make them miserable.”

“…”

“Tear them apart. Destroy what they hold dear.”

His seductive whisper sent a shiver down my spine.

“Make them kneel before you and weep tears of blood.”

It sounded like a fantasy.

But I couldn’t deny his words.

Because every single one of them mirrored my deepest desires.

The very things I had wished for in the eleven years I spent in that house.

And so, despite knowing it was impossible—

I wavered.

“…Is that really possible?”

His answer was immediate.

“Of course.”

“…”

“Because I’ll help you.”

“You will…?”

The resolve I had to embrace death wavered.

But I didn’t understand.

Why was he saying this to me?

I was nothing to him.

As if reading my thoughts, he grinned.

“Because you’re important to me.”

“…What do you want from me?”

“Haha, you don’t just accept things blindly, do you?”

“Demons don’t grant wishes for free.”

“So you’ve already decided I’m a demon, huh? Well, close enough.”

His expression shifted.

The amusement faded from his eyes, leaving behind a chilling coldness.

His voice dropped.

“In exchange for my help, you’ll help me escape this place. It’s a deal—a contract.”

“A contract…?”

“Yeah. I’m sick of being stuck here.”

I had my suspicions, but this confirmed it.

He wasn’t just some powerful entity.

He was the Dark God, sealed away in the Abyss.

And now, he was extending his hand to me.

Offering me revenge—if I helped him return to the world.

I imagined what would happen if he was unleashed.

History and scripture painted him as—

“Does it matter? This world means nothing to you. Don’t tell me you’ve suddenly developed a sense of justice?”

I shook my head.

Justice?

I couldn’t even save myself.

And truthfully, as a child, I had once wished for the Dark God’s release.

So he could end the world and take everyone down with me.

His proposal was tempting.

But there was one problem.

“…I don’t have the power to help you.”

Even if I succeeded in my revenge, I lacked the strength to break his seal.

“What?”

He blinked at me in disbelief.

I shrank back.

Maybe he thought I was a normal Rodbell.

But he didn’t know—I was a failure.

I expected him to take back the offer.

Or maybe even kill me for wasting his time.

But his response was beyond anything I could have imagined.