That night, as promised, the three of them slept together. But something felt off. The maid who was supposed to be there was nowhere to be seen, as if she had disappeared without a trace.

They shared Ophla’s soft bed. Celine and Ophilia looked happy, talking until they were exhausted before finally falling into a deep sleep. But not Olivia. Even though she smiled like usual, somewhere in the corner of her mind something was still bothering her.

The thread was still there. Still clear. Still alive.

Olivia only watched it from a distance without daring to touch it or try to understand it further. After a while, both of them fell soundly asleep, but Olivia’s eyes were still wide open, as if she wasn’t allowed to close them.

Her gaze slowly drifted toward the ceiling, and there a web of thin threads filled the space, glowing faintly and pulsing slowly as if breathing. Her heart beat a little faster.

"...what exactly is this thing..." she whispered quietly.

She turned her face toward the window covered by the curtain, but sleep still wouldn’t come. As if something wouldn’t allow it.

She tossed a few times looking for a comfortable position before finally facing Ophla. The sound of that girl’s breathing was calm, as if the world had never touched her. Olivia stared at that face for a long time.

"...it’s true... the female lead has a certain aura..." she whispered softly.

But without her realising it, the thread above Ophilia’s head slowly changed. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Olivia turned her face back toward the ceiling. And at that moment, her body froze. The thread... was gone. Her eyes slowly widened. It was there before. Now it wasn’t. Her heart began beating harder, slow but heavy.

"...that can’t be..."

She swallowed before slowly lifting her gaze toward the corner of the room. Empty. But somehow her feelings were telling her something different. As if someone had just been there.

And maybe... was still there. Olivia didn’t move. Didn’t dare. Her breathing became slower and slower. She could only lie stiff while trying to understand what was happening. Hmmm... she thought. But this time, not about the thread, but about something that couldn’t be seen.

And without her realising it, behind her... right above Ophla’s head, a black thread slowly appeared again. Darker. Thicker. As if waiting... to snap.

Agh... again...

she said in her heart, watching the thread that appeared above Ophilia’s. Whose is this... she thought, her face full of question marks. She furrowed her brows, her curiosity growing stronger.

Slowly, she forced herself to sit up, her eyes still fixed on the thread. It was clear, the thread was coming from Ophilia’s arm, but another question arose. Who was it connected to?

She slowly pulled back her blanket, her feet lowering to the cold floor. Her breath held. With slow steps, she began following the direction of the thread.

"Oh... toward the back..." Olivia blinked in surprise. Her steps were small, careful.

Tap... tap... tap...

The thread went through the wall. She exhaled. Haih.

Then she noticed the curtain. Moving slightly. She walked toward it and opened the window.

A strong night wind swept across her face. She squinted one eye, trying to see outside. And at that moment, her breath stopped.

Hundreds... no, thousands of threads filled the air outside. Crossing, twisting, moving as if alive. Like blood floating in the sky.

Olivia’s eyes went wide. But what was more frightening, all those threads were heading in one direction, one room located directly above Ophla’s room.

"This... how..." she murmured quietly. "There could be thousands of people in this place..."

Her eyes were still locked, not believing what she was seeing. Suddenly

Tick.

One black thread snapped right in front of her eyes. Her pupils shrank. Her heart stopped for a moment. A few seconds later, a body fell from above, right in line with the window she had opened.

Slowly, the man’s body fell from above. But for Olivia, time seemed to stop. Every second felt long, heavy and suffocating. The night wind swept across her face, but she couldn’t move. Her eyes were only locked on the body getting closer to the ground.

And at that moment

their eyes met.

The man’s eyes were wide open, filled with fear. His pupils trembled, as if he realised... he was falling toward death. But behind that fear, there was something else, something that made Olivia unable to look away.

As if...

His eyes were looking at Olivia who was looking at him.

As if in the last moments of his life, he knew there was someone watching him.

The man’s lips moved slowly, barely visible. As if wanting to say something. As if wanting to ask for help. His mouth was moving silently.

But there was no sound. Only their eyes locked together. That moment felt too long. Quiet. And looked real. And in an instant

Dumm!!

The man’s body slammed into the ground hard.

Everything moved again. Olivia’s breath stopped. Her eyes were still wide open, but now there was only the stiff body and red liquid that was now starting to flow out.

But the most frightening thing, the man’s eyes were still open. And suddenly

Olivia felt as if that gaze

was still watching her.

Olivia froze. Her eyes locked. Her body didn’t move, as if her brain was refusing to process what was happening. Slowly, her gaze fell downward. The man was lying stiff. His body broken. Thick blood was flowing out from all over his body. His eyes were empty, white, lifeless.

The black thread slowly disappeared... like ash.

Olivia stepped backward. Her breathing became uneven. Her hands trembled.

"...dead..." she whispered quietly.

And at that moment, she felt something behind her.

Her body went stiff. Her breath stopped. Slowly, she turned to look behind her. In the darkness of the room... a pair of eyes was watching her. But the moment she looked, there was nobody there. She began looking around her.

Inside that large room, she could feel something. A pair of eyes was watching her. A chill ran down her spine.

She couldn’t say anything. Her legs were weak, her body felt as if it wanted to separate from her hands and feet. Her stomach turned from what had just happened.

Shrkkkk shrkkk.

The sound of something being dragged from outside. She immediately stood up and peeked at the situation below. Even though her body was weak and limp she still stood firm to see who was behind all of this.

The man who had fallen there was being dragged by someone. Tall and wearing a long black robe, with a hood covering part of his face blocking Olivia from seeing that man’s face and body.

The man who had been busy dragging the body suddenly lifted his head. Olivia immediately pulled her head back to avoid being seen.

Olivia’s heart beat faster. She never expected to see something so horrifying right before her eyes. She covered her mouth. Holding her uneven breath.

Something made her freeze. Just now, that man, didn’t look downward.

But toward her window. Right toward her.

Even though his face was still covered by shadows and that dark hood...

Olivia knew. A flash of those red eyes was visible.She was being watched.