I take it back.
Every ounce of confidence I had gathered before entering that dreadful enclosure had vanished entirely, disappearing so completely that I doubted I would ever recover it again.
The hounds had not pounced on me, yet, thankfully.
Yet.
They merely stood there watching me. And waiting, as though for the perfect chance to taste fresh human meat!
Their enormous bodies remained tense beneath their coarse fur, their movements restless and deliberate as their sharp eyes followed every slight motion I made.
I had to admit, with considerable reluctance, that they were remarkably intelligent creatures.
They knew Albert stood beside me. So perhaps, that was sufficient reason for them to restrain themselves.
Although the beasts remained obedient, their posture told an entirely different tale.
Because the manner in which they watched me made it truly seemed that if Albert were to look away for even one unfortunate second—
I would disappear.
Not metaphorically.
I would simply cease to exist.
How delightful.
I had previously declared—with what I now realized had been an astonishing amount of foolish confidence—that I would not selfishly allow Albert to complete my punishment alone.
I had assured myself that although I was frightened, I would be responsible enough to perform the task assigned to me.
That noble determination had lasted precisely until I entered the enclosure.
I had not even touched the bucket. Not once.
Albert had been the one lifting the heavy container, scooping the dreadful pieces of meat, and distributing them amongst the hounds.
I had attempted to assist, of course. I was not entirely useless.
At least, I attempted not to be.
Whenever Albert moved closer to one of the beasts, I would cautiously step forward as well, determined to contribute something.
Yet the very instant I approached within, one of them would release a deep, warning growl.
Nope.
I did not need to be told twice.
I immediately retreated.
There was absolutely no shame in understanding warnings delivered by creatures possessing teeth the size of kitchen knives.
Thus, after several failed attempts at bravery, I happily accepted my true role within the enclosure.
Standing very far away.
And observing. I was exceptionally talented at observing.
Fortunately, the feeding did not take as long as I had imagined.
Even more fortunate, the creatures finally appeared far more interested in their meat than they were in me.
Thank heavens.
And to the presence of Albert and another guard who had everything to do with my continued survival as well.
Of course.
With two armed guards watching over me, nothing could possibly happen.
Yet.
Oh do not jinx it, Clare!
I immediately scolded myself inwardly the moment one of the hounds slowly lifted its head from the meat before it and looked directly at me.
I froze.
The beast continued chewing its rotten meat with slow and deliberate movements.
But its eyes remained upon me.
I slowly shrank my neck into my shoulders.
Why was it looking at me?
Was it—
Was it perhaps imagining me as its food while it eats?
Was it perhaps comparing my size to the piece of meat presently between its jaws?
Just then, someone tapped my arm.
I nearly screamed.
The sound had already risen to my throat when I slapped both hands over my mouth, my entire body jolting violently in fright.
I turned with what must have been the expression of a woman moments away from meeting her ancestors, only to find Albert staring back at me in complete surprise.
My eyes narrowed immediately into what I hoped was a sufficiently murderous glare.
Albert scratched the side of his head awkwardly.
"My apologies," he said. "I did not mean to startle you. I merely wanted to tell you that we are finished and we should leave."
Finished?
My entire body relaxed.
At last.
At long, long last.
Albert studied me for another moment before his expression softened with amusement.
"You appear deathly pale," he remarked.
I nearly rolled my eyes. As though I were unaware.
Of course I was deathly pale. The blood had been drained from my body hours ago.
Not physically, perhaps.
But spiritually, emotionally and mentally.
Those hounds had stared at me for so long that I was fairly certain their gazes alone had sucked every drop of blood from my veins.
I said nothing, however.
The moment Albert finished speaking, I did not wait for him to move.
I was gone.
I practically teleported myself out of that enclosure.
One moment I had been standing beside Albert.
The next, I was outside the iron gate, pressed against the nearest stone wall as I attempted to breathe properly again.
My chest rose and fell.
Everything about that place was wrong.
And those creatures—
I slowly turned my head.
The hounds had returned their attention to their meal, tearing into the rotten meat with disturbing enthusiasm.
I shivered.
—whatever they were.
I was profoundly grateful that I had not been born a guard assigned to remain beneath the Westwond estate beside those creatures for the remainder of my natural life.
The thought alone was enough to make me reconsider every complaint I had ever made about ordinary servant duties.
Scrubbing floors suddenly seemed like a privilege. Folding linens was practically a blessing from the heavens.
Eventually, we began our journey back through the endless passages of the underground dungeon.
The further we walked from the hounds, the lighter my heart became.
And when the entrance of the underground dungeon came into sight, I nearly wept with joy.
Sunlight. Actual sunlight.
The glorious warmth of the heavens.
I never knew until that moment how deeply I loved it.
The instant we stepped outside, warm rays fell across my face, and I stopped walking entirely.
Oh goodness. How beautifully, magnificently, utterly divine the sky was.
The earth. The trees. The ordinary sounds of civilization.
Human beings!
Normal human beings who did not possess enormous teeth and stare at me as though deciding which part of my body would be most enjoyable to consume.
I closed my eyes dramatically and lifted my face slightly toward the warmth.
Freedom. I was free—for now.
Albert, who had followed behind me, watched the entire performance with an amused smile. He shook his head slowly at my exaggerated behavior, though I could tell he was attempting not to laugh.
What would he know?
He had not spent the past several hours being mentally consumed by five enormous monsters.
I ignored him.
Once I had sufficiently recovered from my reunion with the world of the living, I turned toward him.
Despite everything, I truly was grateful.
Had Albert not appeared when he did, I had no idea how I would have survived that dreadful punishment.
I shivered at the possibility of being digested within one of their stomachs, alongside that foul meat. Nope!
"Thank you, Albert," I said sincerely. "Truly. I do not believe I possess enough words to express how grateful I am at this moment."
As I spoke, I looked up at him with what I was certain must have been the brightest and most sincere expression I could muster.
My eyes practically glittered.
Albert stared down at me. For a brief moment, his smile faltered.
Then, quite strangely, the tips of his ears began to redden.
I blinked. Surprised at the reaction.
"Ah... ahem."
Albert cleared his throat and looked away for a moment before facing me again.
"You are welcome," he said, giving a brief nod as though he were making some solemn declaration. "That is what friends are for."
Um..
I blinked once more.
Then I slowly nodded. "Oh."
Why did he suddenly look so serious?
Still, I smiled.
Whatever the reason, I was simply relieved to have someone I could depend on within this enormous and increasingly terrifying estate.
At least I knew now that I was not entirely alone.
And, more importantly, I would not have to see those dreadful monsters again until tomorrow.
My smile slowly faded.
Tomorrow.
I frowned.
Then I turned toward Albert with the intention of asking whether he would be present again to assist me. However, before I could open my mouth, he began speaking first.
"Although I helped you this time," Albert said, "I cannot say for certain whether I would be available this evening. I do not believe my duties will be finished by the—"
I froze.
Slowly, very slowly, I turned my head toward him.
"Wait."
Albert stopped.
"Wait," I repeated, raising one hand.
He stared at me. Brows drew together.
I narrowed my eyes as it widened slowly. "Hold on."
His expression became increasingly confused. "Clare?"
"Did you just say... evening?"
Albert blinked.
I stepped closer, slowly pointed toward the underground dungeon behind us.
My finger trembled.
"As in," I continued slowly, "there is another feeding in the evening?"
His silence was already an answer so my hands suddenly reached for his shoulders.
"Meaning I must return to that wretched place? I must walk all the way down into that dreadful underground maze again? And feed those monsters more rotten meat?"
Albert looked at me.
I looked at him.
My eyes were wide with the madness of a woman whose final hope had just been crushed beneath a horse's hoof.
"Um..."
He hesitated.
Then— "Yes?"
Kill me.
I felt the strength leave my body at once.
Without another word, I allowed myself to collapse toward the ground, utterly defeated by fate. However, Albert moved quickly, catching me before I could strike the ground. I fell instead into his arms, instead where I remained limp and miserable.
"Albert..."
I sighed heavily.
Then I lifted my face toward him with the sorrow of a condemned prisoner.
"Just kill me."
And with that—
My cry echoed dramatically through the grounds.
Poor me.
I wanted to share a peek of my webtoon art, but uploading images isn't supported here, so you can check it out in w.pad🫶🏻