“Your father sure likes to talk a lot,” Roger muttered softly, looking at his stillchattering father. Even after an hour, his father’s excitement had not subsided.

In a kinder light, one could say he was talkative, but in reality, he was just talking to himself. Astonishingly, he didn’t seem to realize that no one was interested in what he had to say.

If that’s a skill, it’s a skill.

“Lord, perhaps it’s best to send the children away now.”

“Is it? Very well.”

Isabel interrupted, since the conversation showed no sign of ending. At her word, his father looked displeased, but that was it. Perhaps because Mrs. Bacchus was present, he didn’t get angry.

“Kids, did you hear the Lord? You may go upstairs now.”

“Yes!”

The siblings promptly left the dining room as if they had been waiting for this moment. Their faces were full of discontent as they quickly gathered at the entrance. They seemed as bored by their father’s talk as everyone else.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Dad talk so much. I thought he was a teacher or something.”

“A teacher? I thought he was reciting a history. Specifically, the Marsen history.”

Felicia and Swell sarcastically criticized their talkative father. The other siblings joined in, but all jumped at the sound of the bell that marked the hour.

“……”

“……”

Everyone fell silent, thinking they were caught by their father.

“So… shall we all play together?”

“I think that’s a good idea, sister. Ha ha.”

Felicia and Swell, who were gleefully criticizing their father, laughed awkwardly.

Since there was still some time left before bedtime, they all decided to play together.

“Let’s start with a simple game of hide and seek. The first floor is the shark’s den, so you can only hide on this floor. If you go down to the first floor and hide, you might as well consider yourself dead. Got it?”

Felicia explained the rules. They were short and simple.

“Then I’ll be ‘it’ first!”

“Fine.”

Swell was designated as ‘it’. Now all they had to do was hide.

“Ready or not, here I come… Twenty…!”

Swell started counting with his eyes covered. Unlike the siblings who swiftly climbed the stairs, Roger seemed lost, not knowing where to go.

“Don’t just stand there like an idiot, follow me.”

I abruptly grabbed Roger’s hand.

We climbed the stairs and tried to enter the room that I thought had the most hiding spots. But I was a step too late; Silke, who was already in the room, blocked my way.

Instead of speaking, she sent a meaningful glance, implying she had claimed this room first.

The other rooms were the same. Our siblings who had arrived first blocked our way.

“This is seriously unfair. What’s wrong with hiding in the same room?”

“What are we going to do, Lise? There’s not much time left.”

Roger was right; there were probably only about ten seconds left.

“The third floor is mainly used by maids, so there are almost no hiding spots there.”

“So, can we just go anywhere?”

“We have no choice. Let’s go to Felicia’s room.”

We ended up entering the room next to us, Felicia’s room. Filled with her doll collection, there was nowhere to hide; even under the desk and in the drawers were filled with dolls.

Desperately scanning the room, I finally discovered some space beneath the bed, full of dolls.

“Is there a place to hide here?”

After removing some of the visible dolls, there was just enough space for two people. I quickly crammed myself in, dust flying in my face.

“Could you clean this place a bit?”

“Hey, hurry up and get in…!”

Roger stuffed himself into the remaining space. He too began to cough dryly due to the unexpected dust.

“Roger, maybe it’s better to hide somewhere else?”

The space was cramped and dusty; I was worried it might actually damage our lungs.

“Five! Four! Three… Ready or not, here I come!”

We heard Swell’s voice from below. We could feel the faint vibrations as he began climbing the stairs.

I resisted the urge to clear my throat several times. It was not only itchy but also uncomfortable and hard to bear. Unable to endure, I wriggled, trying to find a more comfortable position.

“Roger, move back a bit.”
Roger remained motionless despite my gesture for him to step back. Frustrated, I inadvertently lifted my head and our eyes met.

“…….”

“…….”

We were much closer than I’d thought. Our bodies pressed against each other; our faces close enough for our noses to touch.

I stepped back to put some distance between us, but the doll on the shelf shifted slightly. Any more movement or spreading my arms could knock the doll over.

Roger seemed to recognize the same dilemma and stayed still. His warm breath reached me directly. Just then, footsteps from Swell drew near. Without thinking, I moved closer to Roger.

“Hey, you, too close…”

“Can’t help it. Bear with it.”

As I spoke firmly, Roger lifted his head as high as he could, clearly trying to avoid any physical contact.

Seconds passed, but no more footsteps were heard. Just as I thought it was safe to move away, I heard the door open.