"...Dad?"
A middle-aged man with the same light brown hair and bright green eyes as Haylene faced his sullen daughter. Tears welled up in his eyes, filled with confusion. He scolded her.
"Why did you live like this...? Why! Why did you live like this on the street?"
"Well, because I don't have a home..."
"Before I died, I would have left all my property in your name. Why? Even the house would have been in your name."
“Before you die?”
"Did your family intercept all of that? Oh, I expected that, but I still believed they would take you in...!"
Haylene's eyes widened in horror at her suffering father. Her father, who had been living happily one day, when he unexpectedly died at the hands of a witch, spoke as if he had faced tragedy after completing all preparations.
"Dad, wait a minute. Am I dead?"
His daughter's voice, still in a state of confusion, woke him up. Only then did he come to his senses and comfort his daughter.
"I'm sorry, Haylene, I'm so shocked that I feel so bad seeing you living like this."
"Tell me, am I dead or is my father alive?"
"Dad is alive. Thanks to these shoes your mother left behind."
The word "mother" came out so affectionately from the mouth of her father, who was brutally killed by the witch mother.
"My mom left this behind?"
"Yes, it's your mother's treasure that she's had ever since the Demon World. I was going to give it to you as a gift when you turned ten."
Haylene's eyes wavered. Why does her father speak as if he misses the witch? Is he still possessed by the witch and unable to come to his senses? Or is there another reason?
The man, noticing his daughter's confusion, smiled bitterly.
"You thought I died because of your mom, and youmust have resented her a lot all this time."
"...Of course. I thought my mom killed my dad, made my eyes like this, and took my home..."
"No. Your mother would have saved someone if she could have. She wouldn't have killed them."
"What does that mean?"
"...Now I have to tell you everything."
A man's voice began to rise softly in the empty house. The embers in the fireplace, which had been dying down, were now burning again.
***
Haylene's father, Leon.
He suffered from heart disease. He barely scraped together enough money to visit a competent doctor, who declared he would not live past thirty.
The doctor's words were right. Time had eaten away at him. After turning twenty, Leon was confined in his home, reading books on the terrace and barely managing to eat the healthy food his parents prepared for him.
Leon's older sister had spent nearly half her life providing for his medical expenses. She was deeply dissatisfied with her sacrifice, and she vented her resentment toward Leon every single day.
"If I had spent all the money I've given you so far on myself, I would have already gotten married and still have money left over."
"..."
As Leon was reading a book in Terrace, his older sister gave him some new medicine and spoke coldly.
"If there weren't any burdens like you, my marriage partner wouldn't have run away."
"..."
"I have shown all the sincerity I could, so I hope you will do your part as well. Don't live a long life in that body, and when the time comes, die gracefully."
Leon turned the pages silently. He had nothing to say, so he understood his sister's resentment. He wasn't even her own sibling, just a burden left by her remarried father.
His sister, who had given him the medicine, went out again. The man waiting in front of the house greeted her. His sister left this damn house with a bright smile he never seen before.
“I don’t want to live.”
Drop. Tears fell onto the book. It was a book about a boy who grew up in difficult circumstances, overcoming all kinds of hardships and living happily.
'I don't want to live like this.'
It was unfair. If only he had a healthy body, if only he could have found a way to pass the time, to earn money with his own hands.
He doesn't aspire to be rich and live a luxurious life. He's not interested in being a celebrity, campaigning, and living a glamorous life.
Just like an ordinary older sister who can freely wander outside the house like everyone else.
He just wanted to live like that.
Leon squeezed his eyes shut, shaking away the tears. And when he opened them again.
"Hi?"
A black-haired woman was smiling wickedly, her fangs bared.
The woman's smile was so beautiful that Leon's face instantly turned red.
"What? How did you get in here?"
"I came to grant your wish, to live a healthy life?"
The witch's eyes were filled with excitement as she caught sight of her innocent prey. She reached out with a long finger and lifted Leon's chin.
"I'll let you live like that, but you'll have to spend the rest of your life with me."
"I'll spare your life, so live as my slave." The witch clearly said that, but Leon misheard.
"Huh. You want to get married as soon as you see my face? That's a bit...!"
"Huh?"
"Please give me some time to think! Marriage is something that requires careful consideration, isn't it?"
Leon's innocence, lack of social experience, and his excessive cuteness and good looks piqued the witch's interest.
“Yeah, I got it.”
A few days passed. Whenever Leon's family went out, the witch always came.
"So, have you thought about it all?"
“Not yet.”
"Are you going to just think about it even after you get in the coffin?"
The witch smiled and handed him a note. It had his home address on it.
“What is this?”
"I recently prepared a house, and I don't want to bother going back and forth to your house anymore. I understand that you mean to come and visit me, and we'll sign the contract."
The witch who delivered the note never came to see Leon again. Two weeks passed.
Leon was still in agony.
"The other person is a witch, and there's no way she'll give me the life I want so easily."
But he wanted to see that witch. And he wanted to live with her. He knew it was irrational and naive, but he wanted it. His mind was so filled with such blind thoughts that he wondered if hs just wasted his time on the witch.
He knew it was foolish and reckless, but Leon eventually went out. His legs were trembling, and he was out of breath, but he didn't stop walking.
***
Deep into the night, while Haylene slept, Leon and the witch prepared a birthday party for their soon-to-be ten-year-old daughter. They hung up adorable decorations in the attic, placed a gift box, and smiled proudly.
Leon asked his wife.
"But these shoes, they're a family heirloom that's been passed down through generations, right? Can we really give them to Haylene?"
"There's a legend that says that if you find something more precious than your own life, you should give it to someone."
The witch chuckled. She once scoffed at the legend, wondering if there was anything in the world more precious than her own life. But she never imagined that someone would actually pass these shoes on.
As she happily leaned back in her husband's dream, a commotion suddenly came from downstairs. A noise like breaking glass rose up in a deafening roar.
"Ugh!"
Leon clutched his chest.
"What the hell? Oh my god! Haylene!"
The witch, sensing what was happening, hurried down the stairs and ran to the basement, where she had warned Haylene not to enter.
In the basement, there was a device that kept Leon alive. It was a fist-sized gem that glowed blue.
As expected, the fragile jewel was shattered. And the surroundings were a mess, as if a thief had broken in. And Haylene lay sprawled on the floor, seemingly unconscious. It seemed she'd met her end while trying to stop the thief.
"Ahhh! No! Haylene!"
The witch lifted her daughter into her arms with a shriek. A shard of the jewel was embedded in Haylene's left eye. It seemed as if the jewel had exploded and shattered in her eye.
It was a disaster. This gem possesses the property of drawing life from the surrounding nature. The moment the shard lodged, Haylene's eyes would be drained of life, and she would soon lose her sight. Even if she were to remove it, it would be too late.
"Ugh...Mom..."
Haylene woke up groaning and started crying.
"I'm sorry, I accidentally fell while pushing the thief...! I broke this!"
"...Baby."
"Mom! Is Dad dead? Is Dad dying because of me?"
"..."
"Can't you just let me die and let Dad live in my place? Please! Mom can do that."
The witch saw it. Her daughter's soul was terribly damaged by guilt and self-loathing.
The witch looked at her husband, who had come down to the basement late and witnessed the situation, clutching his chest.
She finished her judgment with trembling hands.
“I can’t let my daughter live in such terrible pain.”
She decided that it would be much better to make her daughter resent her than to shoulder everything herself and see her become a total mess.
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