After a few days of more torture and intorregation, the criminals were hanged one by one in the plaza for the public to see. Count Morino, who lent a hand to the criminals in the ambush was sentenced to drink a cup of silver for his crimes.
The potency of the silver used for it was decreased than the usually used silver to kill a vampire so a vampire wouldn't die easily and recovery is still possible if small amounts were only used. However, a cupful of that silver is equal to drinking a cupful of hydrofluoric acid.
The silver would slowly melt the internal organs, bones, and skin. Making the one who ingested it experience the agony of getting melted alive inside out. A rather tame end for a villain like him.
At least that's what Ryo thinks. Ryo was reclining on the sun lounger with a citrus drink on hand, basking in the warm heat of the sun. It would've been an odd sight to see, a vampire sunbathing, if he was in his previous life but he was now in a fantasy world. Anything is possible.
Zilthai was making another drink for him as he reported the punishment for the criminals. As Ryo listened with a bored look, he suddenly looked at Zilthai with inquisitive eyes.
"How about that ex-Saintess? What happened to her?" Ryo asked as he cupped his chin on his hand, looking curiously at Zilthai.
"The ex-Saintess was executed in the guillotine in the plaza." Zilthia said with his usual worshipping and respectful voice.
"Huh. That's it? I thought Mother would torture her more after getting dragged by a horse. Like burning her alive or having her limbs cut off and so on."
"Unfortunately, the Dutchess seems to be already satisfied with it."
Ryo sighed and was about to talk about something else when he suddenly heard movements, not far from where he was. It was obvious from the footsteps that it was from a kid and that kid was walking towards where he was, cautiously.
Like a rat checking if the cat is around.
'Oh right, I almost forgot that she exists.'
Ryo couldn't be blamed for thinking so since the last time she saw that little rabbit was when they were verifying her identity. Fumiko hid behind a plant that was big enough to cover her and occasionally peeked at Ryo.
"Come here. It's useless to hide in the presence of a vampire." Ryo sighed as he took a sip from his drink.
Fumiko flinched when Ryo suddenly spoke, and it was obvious that the words were directed to her. She twisted the handkerchief she was holding in her hands as she walked slowly towards Ryo. He gestured for her to sit down on the chair not so far away from him as he looked at her with an eyebrow raised.
"So… to what pleasure do I owe this visit?" Ryo asked.
Fumiko twisted her handkerchief on her hands to dispel her nervousness. When she first arrived at this place, she was locked up in the dungeon then was detained in her assigned room. She was only able to wander around now since she was finally freed. She was curious about this place, the people living in here, and her new family.
"I-I… um… S-so… " She had a lot to say but now that she was facing Ryo, her mind was in a jumbled mess, words stuck on her throat.
Looking at her restless appearance, as if she was gonna get eaten, Ryo couldn't help but chuckle. He was naturally apathetic and coupled with a vampire's natural cold blooded nature, he probably looked really intimidating, scaring her witless.
"Relax. I won't hurt you. Just tell me what you came here for." Ryo said with a slight smile as Zilthai served Fumiko with the cold beverage.
Fumiko held the beverage in her hand, the cold temperature somewhat calmed her nerves.
"Um… I heard my mother was here… uh may I know where she is now?"
Ryo almost choked on his own saliva. He looked at her and sighed as he forgot to consider her feelings when he carried out his plans. He was unfamiliar with her and his family was naturally more important to him than anything else so even if he didn't forget her existence, he probably would still do what he did.
Although he sympathizes with her, he doesn't really care that much about her. He promised to himself and to the original Ryo that he would protect this family at all costs. If he had to sacrifice people, then he wouldn't hesitate to do so.
"She's… in a far away place now. Never to return."
When Fumiko heard his answer, she let out the breath she was unconsciously holding in, her eyes looked obviously relieved but there was also a tad bit of sadness within them. Ryo noticed her reaction and was a little bit surprised internally. He was expecting her to burst into tears and demand to see her mother.
"You looked relieved, why is that?"
Fumiko looked at him, her big round eyes held a tad bit of anxiousness within them.
"It's just…although I'm a little bit sad that mom is never coming back, I'm also relieved because she won't be able to hurt me anymore."
Fumiko looked down on her hands as she reminisced about the past. Now Ryo looked visibly surprised. He was aware that Hiromi was just using her own daughter to achieve her goals but he didn't expect that not only was she indifferent but she also hurt her daughter. Fumiko didn't even let Ryo speak as she continued telling him her past experiences.
"Ever since I gained awareness, I noticed that mom would always look at me with disdain in her eyes and whenever she was upset, which often happens, she would scream at me and hurt me. I don't understand why she's doing that but she's my mother so I just endured it. It happened so many times that I gradually got used to it. I was okay with it as long as it makes her feel better."
"But then one time, she told me about my father's existence and that if I showed up I would have the family I dreamed of and that I would be able go live well, no more living in a dilapidated house, no more starving because of the lack of food and water, and most of all, she won't beat me anymore. I was ecstatic when I heard it so I immediately went along with it."
Fumiko suddenly stood up and walked closer to Ryo. With unshed tears on her eyes, she knelt down in front of him, much to his surprise.
"While I was detained in my room, I was able to reflect and think about what I did and the chaos that my arrival caused. I'm… I'm really sorry! I have no intention of ruining your family. I was just blinded by my longing to have one."
Ryo was surprised by the sudden turn of events. When he played the otome game (because of the handsome characters he saw), his character, Fumiko, was a naive, kind, little girl. Compassionate. Almost like a holy mother. She was naive to the point of insensitivity.
She has that holy mother personality that made him think she was sheltered from all the darkness of the world. Knowing her backstory now was quite the surprise for him since she was able to retain that holy mother personality until the end of the game.
Since he transmigrated to a world that the game was based on, he assumed that the characters would have the same personality they have in the game. Although things could change if a butterfly flaps its wings.
He was shocked that the naive, holy mother was now kneeling in front of him, apologizing and was able to realize the damage she caused. In the game and in the memories he saw, this girl never apologized.
No one apologized for ruining his family.
No one apologized for his mother's death.
No one was sorry to the old Ryo who had to go through all that.
Not Hiromi.
Not this girl.
Not his brother.
Not even his father.
They were all absorbed in their own worlds that they forgot the grieving, lonely boy.
He was just a boy who was seeking comfort.
He was just a boy who was hurt from his mother's death.
He was just a boy that was lost from getting abandoned.
He was just a boy.
It was too much for a boy to go through all that pain alone. Ryo knows how painful it was to lose his family in just one day. The loss of family, home, getting abandoned by their relatives. Ryo didn't even have the time to grieve for his situation as he had to find a way to keep himself alive and his sister.
The repressed emotions gradually ate him as it slowly led him to be emotionally detached from everything.
He understands the old Ryo's pain but he would never know the intensity of it. Even if he was given all of the old Ryo's memories, he would never know just how much it hurt him, since he was never really the old Ryo.
So it was only natural that they'd make different choices in life.
As Ryo stared at the kneeling girl before him, the heavy emotions he was feeling the moment he saw Fumiko was gradually dissipating.
The more she kneeled, the more that heavy feeling lessened.
The more she looked sorry, the faster this heavy feeling dissipated.
So Ryo kept his silence. It was to honor the residual emotions of the original Ryo. He promised to himself that he would help the old Ryo be liberated from his grievances. So the old Ryo could finally let go of this world with a peace of mind.
It was to atone for Ryo's selfishness. Although he doesn't know where the original Ryo is now, he doesn't really want him to come back and take his body. Ryo doesn't know what happened to his body in his previous world. What if it was already dead? If the old Ryo came back to get his body back, where would he go?
He just stepped on some suspicious shit then he was suddenly transported to this world to fend off to himself. There wasn't even a guide. Or a system. Or a Goddess/God to clarify the situation.
Ryo shook his head to dispel the thoughts he had deeply buried at the back of his mind. When that heavy feeling was finally gone, it left him feeling empty.
"Get up. What your mother did wasn't your fault. I'm glad that you're able to reflect on your actions and apologize for it." Ryo said with a sigh.
Fumiko reluctantly got up and almost fell down on her knees. Fortunately, Zilthai was able to hold her up on time and supported her back to her seat. Ryo gulped mouthfuls of his beverage, hoping that it would fill up the empty feeling inside him.
"U-um…thank you for accepting my apology. I-I'd like to make it up to you!" Fumiko said and held her head down as a faint blush crept up to her cheeks.
"Oh really? How?"
"I-I baked cookies for you. I don't know if you liked sweets so I lessened the sugar I used in it." Fumiko said and rummaged in her pocket to get the cookies.
She pulled out a plastic bag with a red ribbon tied to it. The plastic was deformed and the cookies inside were crushed. When Fumiko saw that the cookies she baked and packed carefully were now ruined, her face flushed red from shame.
"I-I'm sorry! I'll bake another one for you!" Fumiko hurriedly tucked the cookies back to her pocket but before she could, a hand held her wrist.
She looked up and her blue eyes met beautiful ruby red eyes, leaving her in a trance for a moment.
"It's fine. Hand it over. It would be a waste if you just throw it away." Ryo said with a slight smile as he took the cookies.
"O-oh! Alright!" Fumiko said as she handed the cookies to him.
"I need to go now. Have fun looking around." Ryo said.
If Fumiko had an animal's ears and tails, it would definitely droop. She looked down as she pursed her lips.
"Okay." She said, looking like an abandoned puppy.
Ryo didn't pay it any attention as he was really not in the mood anymore to entertain her. He headed back to his room without looking back at the little girl he left behind.
Fumiko stared at his back until he was gone and she sighed. She was looking down for a moment when she suddenly looked up and slapped cheeks with her hands.
"Don't give up now! It's alright! I can do this!" She said as she cheered herself up.
'I can do anything to make them accept me.'
She thought as her eyes gleamed with firm resolve.