Several days had passed since that day. Alice and Arthur did their best to find Lily, taking walks around the village multiple times a day, hoping to run into her by chance. But no matter how long they searched, there was no trace of her.

Alice's distress was evident. Dark circles clung beneath her tired, swollen eyelids, a clear sign of restless nights spent worrying.

Arthur noticed—how could he not? Her once bright expression had dulled, her movements were sluggish as exhaustion weighed on her.

That evening, as she prepared dinner, an uneasy silence filled the room. The atmosphere was thick, heavy enough that neither of them dared to break it.

Arthur leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching her. His frown deepened as his lips pressed into a tight line, brows knitting together.

He could see it—she was slowly deteriorating, the weight of her concern for Lily eating away at her.

With a heavy sigh, he finally spoke, his voice cutting through the suffocating quiet.

"Do you want me to help you?"

Alice paused, turning to him with a small, weary smile.

"Just for tonight… help me."

Her tone was soft, but Arthur heard the sadness threaded through it. He held her gaze for a moment, then offered a faint, reassuring smile.

Without a word, he stepped beside her, helping with the dinner preparations. As he moved, an unexpected warmth spread through his chest—quiet, steady.

Standing next to her… this woman who had slowly begun to light the dim corners of his world… he felt something shifting inside him, piece by piece.

His eyes dropped to the knife in his hand. His grip tightened slightly. The blade reflected the soft glow of the room, and for a moment, his fingers trembled.

He hesitated, testing the old, familiar pull of fear. The echo of what he’d been forced to become.

His breath hitched.

But this time, when he reached for it, his hand didn’t flinch.

He closed his eyes, exhaling slowly, letting the stillness in his chest anchor him. When he opened them again, the knife rested in his grip—steady, harmless, no longer a threat.

A small, almost shy smile curled at the corners of his lips.

Alice, standing next to him, caught the subtle change.

She noticed the way he was smiling, something different in his expression—a smile she had never seen before. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her brow furrowing slightly, her curiosity sparking.

He shook his head gently, the smile still playing on his lips.

“I guess I’ve changed. And the reason for that... has been you all along.” He paused, then lifted his gaze, meeting hers.

His eyes were steady, unwavering, locking onto hers with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat.

The warmth in his voice softened the moment, his gratitude clear in every word.

“Thank you, Alice,” he said, his tone low and sincere.

Alice blinked, stunned for a moment. She hadn’t expected such a shift, such vulnerability from him. But, seeing the honesty in his eyes, the smile on his face, she couldn’t help but feel a warmth of her own.

“You’re welcome,” she replied, her voice light and full of a gentle enthusiasm.

A smile spread across her face, matching his, as she felt a quiet but undeniable connection between them.

Slowly but surely, he is making progress in confronting his emotions. Even if it’s a small step, he feels grateful.

After eating dinner, the tense atmosphere dissipates, replaced by a warmth they have longed for. They started to converse, one topic leading to another until Arthur begins to open up about his traumatic past.

He talks about how the special government took him as a child, trained him to become a weapon, and how he managed to survive the battlefield alone.

Setting aside the icy stone in his heart, he tells her everything he has endured.

Though it is a painful topic, they manage to smile through it. Their wide smiles brighten the room, making the air feel fresher than ever before.

Suddenly, despite the late hour, a knock echoes at the door. It isn’t just one knock but several, rapid and insistent.

Arthur stands, his senses sharpening as he prepares for whatever might be on the other side.

Alice follows him quietly, staying close in case he needs her. If something happens to him, she is ready to back him up.

Arthur grips the handle and slowly opens the door. His eyes widen, his mouth falling slightly open as his shoulders stiffen.

Standing there is the girl they’ve been trying to find. Panting heavily, her face pale as a ghost, tears stream down her cheeks. Her small hands tremble visibly.

“P-P-Please h-help me f-find my mother!” she stammered, her voice breaking with worry. Her desperation is palpable—she doesn’t know what to do.

From inside, Alice catches sight of her and gasps in surprise. She rushes over, her heart sinking at the sight of the girl’s tear-streaked face.

Alice’s expression stiffens as she kneels, the sight of Lily’s broken state unbearable.

Gently, Alice cups Lily’s cheek and asks, “W-What’s wrong, Lily?” Her voice is soft, tinged with concern.

“M-My mother i-is missing. P-please help me find h-her!” Lily cried, her sobs shaking her frail body.

Alice and Arthur exchange a glance, their unspoken agreement passing in silence. Alice takes Lily’s trembling hands in hers, her grip firm yet gentle.

“Can you tell us the details first?” Alice suggests kindly. “Can you come inside for a little while?”

Lily hesitated, her emotions all over the places. But finally, she nods. Her fragile frame seems to collapse further as she steps inside, the weight of her distress following her.

Arthur and Lily sat at the table while Alice fetched a glass of water for Lily.

“Did you eat already, Lily?” Alice asked, her voice soft but tinged with worry. She frowned slightly as she handed Lily the glass.

Lily shook her head, her lips pressing into a tight line.

“I have no time to eat. I need to find Mama as soon as possible,” she said, her voice trembling with urgency. Her fists clenched tightly, knuckles turning white.

Arthur watched her closely, his gaze sharp yet calm as he studied her behavior.

He exhaled slowly, a soft sigh escaping his lips, and let the weight in his chest settle before speaking.

“Lily,” he said, his tone steady but kind. His features softened, his eyes easing into a quiet concern, and the faint curve of a reassuring smile played at his lips.

“Can you tell us what’s going on?”

Lily glanced at him, her eyes filled with hesitation, before she looked down, her hands trembling in her lap. The air around her seemed heavy, suffocating.

“After I got home from work, I went to check on her in her room,” she began, her voice low and unsteady. “But she wasn’t there.”

She paused, swallowing hard to keep from breaking down.

Arthur nodded gently, leaning forward slightly. “Maybe she went out to buy something?” he suggested, his voice calm as he rested his hand on the table.

Lily’s eyes widened in shock, and she clasped her hands tightly.

“She can’t leave on her own,” she said, her voice firm. Her expression grew sharp, her eyes narrowing.

Arthur felt the tension rising around her, but he remained composed.

“I see,” he said quietly, nodding as he considered her words.

“Then… do you know where she might usually go?” He gestured subtly with his hands. “She might be there.”

Lily shook her head; her face shadowed with frustration.

“I know nothing about my mother… not a single thing. After Papa—” She stopped herself, shaking her head quickly as if trying to push the thought away.

“After Father died, she isolated herself completely from the world.”

She sighed heavily, her shoulders sinking under the weight of her words.

Arthur leaned his elbow on the table, his expression growing serious.

“I’m sorry to ask, but how did your father die?”

Lily startled by his question, but when she looked at him, she saw he was serious.

Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, trying to steady herself. When she opened them again, sadness filled her gaze.

“He died in the war a year ago,” she said, her voice laden with sorrow.

Arthur took a glance at Alice, their eyes widening in surprise.

Lily bit her lip hard, her hands trembling as she pushed the words out.

“He… he promised Mama he would come back. But when the war ended, he never returned.”

Her throat tightened, the memory choking her. “She waited for days… weeks…”

Her voice wavered.

“But then the letter came. It said he’d died.”

Tears spilled freely down her cheeks now, her shoulders shaking.

“After that… she wasn’t the same. It was like something inside her cracked. She kept saying she wanted to end it all.”

Arthur’s eyes softened as he listened. He could see the depth of her pain, how she had carried the burden alone for so long.

“I see. That’s why you tied her up—to stop her,” he said softly, his tone steady but weighted with understanding.

Lily’s head snapped up at his words, shock flashing across her face before it twisted into fury.

Her eyes blazed. She slammed her hands onto the table so hard the utensils rattled.

“You— you trespassed in my house!” she shouted, her voice cracking under the weight of her anger. She leaned forward, trembling, rage spilling past her control.

“How dare you!?”

Arthur met her gaze without flinching.

“I knocked several times, but no one answered. The door was unlocked,” he said, his voice even. “When I went inside, I saw something I wasn’t meant to see. And for that, I’m sorry.”

His expression sharpened, though his tone stayed calm—firm, but not accusatory.

“I understand you were trying to protect her,” he continued, holding Lily’s eyes as if willing her to see that he meant it. “I don’t doubt your intentions.

But tying your mother down like that… that’s not saving her. It could hurt her even more—and there are consequences you might not be ready to face.”

Arthur’s voice softened just slightly, enough to show sincerity but not pity.

“I know you’re desperate to help her. Anyone would be,” he said quietly. “But the right choice isn’t always the easiest one.”

His words struck her like a blow.

Her expression twisted into rage, grief, and something far more fragile bleeding together. Before she even realized what she was doing, her fingers curled into his collar and yanked him toward her.

“How would you know?!” she screamed, her voice tearing at the air.

“How can you understand the pain I’ve been through because of that cursed war?!”

Her breath hitched, and the words came pouring out, raw and shaking.

“At eleven, eleven! I had to act like an adult just to survive!”

Her grip trembled, but she held on.

“I worked three jobs… three jobs a day just to keep us alive! To buy food! To pay for medicine! Our daily needs!”

Her voice cracked, but the fury kept her standing.

“I threw away my dignity… let people treat me like dirt… because I didn’t have a choice!”

Her chest heaved, rage and despair colliding inside her all at once.

Her breathing grew ragged, each inhale trembling as tears spilled freely down her cheeks. Her grip on his collar loosened, fingers slipping as her shoulders began to shake.

“And still… my mother neglected me!” she choked out, voice breaking. “She abandoned her duty as a parent—she left me alone in this cruel world! And yet here I am, doing everything I can to keep her alive, trying so hard just to hold on, but—”

Her hand shot up again, clutching his collar—but this time it wasn’t out of anger. It was fragile. Desperate. Her fingers trembled where they clung to him.

“This is too much for me…” Her voice shrank to a whisper. “I’m still a child… a child who barely knows how the world works.”

The dam finally broke.

Her sobs tore through the room, raw and unrestrained, the kind of grief no child should ever have carried.

A year’s worth of pain, fear, loneliness, exhaustion poured out of her all at once.

Her small body trembled as she cried, releasing the weight she had fought so long to endure.

The sound filled the room, thick and aching.

Arthur and Alice exchanged a glance, their expressions grave. They didn’t move, the moment was too heavy.

All they could do was stand there, absorbing the depth of her suffering, understanding that this was the first time Lily had ever allowed herself to break.

The silence between them stretched on, a quiet understanding in their shared hesitation.

Finally, Alice took a step forward. She knelt beside Lily, her movements slow, deliberate. She wrapped her arms around the girl gently, as if afraid the act itself might break something fragile.

“We’re here now, Lily,” she whispered, her voice soft, yet firm. “You’re not alone anymore.”

Arthur reached out, patting Lily’s head softly as he joined the embrace.

“You finally said it,” he murmured, his voice warm and steady. “You’ve carried this burden far too long. Let us share it with you now.”

At those words, Lily’s restraint shattered completely.

She clung to them, two strangers who, in this moment, felt safer than the entire world had ever been to her.

Her sobs, raw and trembling, as a year of pain poured out of her all at once.

Alice held her firmly, and Arthur rested a supportive hand on her back, and little by little, the crushing weight in Lily’s heart began to loosen.

For the first time in a long time… she wasn’t carrying it alone.