Perhaps there was some truth in the fact that Évelyne didn't turn out to be the monster she was originally compared to, that she had a sensitive side and didn't like to see people suffer. Because, even though Victoria didn't say a word on the way back to the apartment that night, she didn't regret her decision to leave the other two behind to accompany her.

For some reason she couldn't quite understand, she didn't like the idea of leaving her to walk alone on the streets as it began to darken. Thinking about it objectively, she knew there was no danger. Victoria must have walked those streets hundreds of times at such hours when returning from the university. But still, it felt wrong to let her go alone, especially since it was her idea to convince her to come to the gathering in the first place.

Something was wrong. Évelyne could sense it, but she decided not to ask immediately, giving her creator time to reflect on whatever was bothering her.

To her surprise, once they arrived home, it was Victoria herself who brought up the topic, albeit without providing too many details. She simply mentioned that the letters she had received were from her family, inviting her to spend a few weeks with them in the coming months.

"And is that bad?" Évelyne had inquired, who, with her limited understanding of various relationships, believed that they should always form a close-knit group of humans who supported each other unconditionally.

"It's not bad in itself; it's just that there are obligations to fulfill, and do you remember all those months when you were on your own?" Having received the creature's silent confirmation, she continued, "Well, it's somewhat similar in the sense that, once you get used to a certain lifestyle, it's difficult to change it."

"I don't think you would suffer so much if you went to live with your family for a while," Évelyne replied, almost unintentionally still carrying a tone of resentment in her voice.

"Maybe not," conceded Victoria. "Or at least not if the visit were temporary, and I didn't have to stay longer than the estimated time. The truth is, if I have to choose which lifestyle I prefer, I would choose this one without hesitation: I like the freedom I have, living in Ingolstadt on my own. And even if my studies at the university end up being fleeting, and maybe one day I decide to move to another city, I still want to be able to live on my own and work in something I enjoy. Without family pressures. The idea of permanently moving to the same street where I grew up is unacceptable to me."

"Is that what your family wants?" Because Évelyne would have liked that for herself: having her family close, being able to see them every day, and repeating a peaceful routine every day without worrying about running out of food or not being able to stay under a roof overnight.

And, in a way, now that she thought about it calmly, she finally had it. Maybe Victoria wasn't the warmest person when it came to receiving people in her home, but at least she had accepted her in the end.

"That's what every family wants, as it's the conventional expectation. Especially if you're a woman," explained Victoria with the same detachment that someone who didn't follow such traditions might possess. "But well, there will be time to be bitter about that. For now, this is supposed to be just another temporary stay. And on the other hand, I'm glad it will be in spring, and they haven't tried to convince me to stay for Christmas this year. That would have been a hassle."

"Why?"

"Too many people crowded into houses, parties and revelry on every street, Sunday Mass, and the certainty that one will have to be part of Christmas preparations."
"No, I meant the conventional... Can't one do what they want? I mean, I might not be one to talk, but I've seen people (women included) satisfied with their lives after getting married and settling down near their home. And I don't think they were forced," Évelyne pointed out, now recalling not only that unfortunate family but also stories that Franziska had told her during some of their visits to the park. "Although, supposedly, you're not doing the conventional now. And you don't seem unhappy... Or do you?"

"I'm not going to get into this debate," Victoria declared with a condescending smile. It wasn't the first time she clipped Évelyne's wings when she asked a complex question. In this instance, more than being annoying to answer, it seemed that Victoria simply didn't believe that this was an appropriate topic for the creature to know. Not yet.

"Anyway, the issue here is that I'll have to accept that invitation to visit Geneva in a few months," the scientist continued, putting her aspirations aside to inquire, "In the meantime, what will you do?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"You do, although you don't necessarily need to decide right now; I just asked since I had already brought up the topic. But you still have many weeks to think about it. You can stay here, in the apartment, while I'm away. Or you could come with me to Geneva."

"Would you let me go to Geneva and stay in the same accommodations as your family?" That sounded reckless, indeed. "After what happened with your brother?"

"Évelyne, answer me one question honestly, without considering 'she's going to think badly of me anyway' or 'I'm going to try to deliberately push people away from me because I'm different and that must be bad by force,'" Victoria proceeded. "Did you really kill William?"

Évelyne considered it for a moment, then whispered under her breath, "It depends on what you call killing. I didn't lay a finger on him, and if the thought crossed my mind when I learned he belonged to your family, I quickly dismissed it; he was just a child after all."

"What happened then?"

"I saw him walking alone on the moor, as he had separated from his caretaker and the other children playing together there," explained Évelyne, who no longer saw the point in continuing to hide what really happened. "We met by chance at the top of those hills, and he... Well, he wasn't very friendly when he saw me. I got angry, perhaps also because I had heard his people call him by his last name and knew he must be related to you. Instead of leaving as I had planned, I decided to step forward. N-not that I wanted to kill him. I don't think I even thought clearly about what I wanted to do. The thing is, the boy got scared before I could reach him and started to run. Unluckily, a few meters ahead, he tripped and hit his head."

"And you didn't approach him at all, not even after he fell?"

"I did, but with the intention of seeing if he was hurt. But again, I didn't touch him; it was quite obvious from where I was that there was nothing that could be done for him, and I..."

Did she panic? In a way, she did. If it had been any other child, she might have tried to revive him or at least check his pulse to make sure he was breathing. Perhaps she would have risked picking him up and taking him to a more open area where other humans could quickly find him and seek medical help.

But that kid was a Frankenstein, and his family was close. Évelyne wanted nothing to do with them, not like this, being one against all. That's why she left him there, exposed to the elements, waiting for someone to eventually find what was left of him.

"If you didn't directly contribute to his death, and from what you're telling me, it seems like a terrible accident, you shouldn't have any problem presenting yourself to my family now," Victoria concluded. "Unless it truly bothers you. Which is valid, and I won't insist in that case."
"How can you be sure it was an accident?" Évelyne protested; if the scientist wasn't going to pass moral judgment here on what happened to her own brother, she might as well do it herself—she had regrets about how she acted and the consequences it had at the time.

"If William hadn't separated from his group, he would never have been alone with you," Victoria pointed out with growing certainty; the creature had already made it clear that it wasn't interested in approaching large groups of people. "If William hadn't insulted you, you wouldn't have gotten angry. And if you hadn't gotten angry, he wouldn't have been scared and run away... Although I think I should also highlight the fact that you're not the only person my younger brother has behaved like this with. Perhaps he would have run away even if he didn't notice any reaction from you. He has done it in the past, in fact. It's a habit he had mentioned to Father that he should try to correct."

"Are you saying it was William's own fault?"

"No, I'm saying it was an accident caused by a series of catastrophic coincidences," the scientist insisted now. "Look at it this way: It happened in an open space, and the people with William knew he would end up running through the area. That must have been, at least in part, the reason why they brought him to those fields. Then, if they hadn't brought him there, nothing would have happened. If he had taken his route in the opposite direction, he would never have bumped into you. And similarly, if he had chosen a different destination while running (or if he hadn't run at all), he probably wouldn't have fallen. And yet, all of this happened because of making the wrong decisions at the most unfortunate moment."

"It can't be that simple," Évelyne denied. "I bet if I went to some authority in Geneva and told my version of the story, everyone would conclude that the child died because of me."

"It's possible. But let's not forget that those same authorities condemned an innocent woman for that crime, with no more evidence than that she was in the same areas where the events occurred. So I don't think their perspective is very accurate in general."

"I don't understand how they could condemn her. I saw her from afar, and she didn't even approach the hills."

"They saw what they considered signs of struggle on William's body. And, by signs of struggle, I mean scratches and pieces of flora that could very well have corresponded to a fall in the mountains (no, I don't trust their criteria when examining bodies either). Lucy was in charge of taking care of him during that outing, but she lost him. So they assumed it must have been her fault."

That sounded horrible, not only because of the obvious injustice but also because there was nothing that could be done for the former Frankenstein maid.

"Wasn't there anything that could be done for her? To exonerate her..."

"Her testimony and that of the people with her should have been enough. But the lawyer assigned to her wasn't very good, and both the prosecution and the city police insisted on pointing the finger at her, perhaps because it was easier than admitting that there might still be a murderer on the loose in the vicinity."

"But if it was an accident...!"
"They insist that it's entirely implausible for a child under ten to escape from their caregivers and go climbing rocks on their own," Victoria's sarcasm was more than evident. "And if you add to that the fact that Lucy sought refuge in God once people began to suspect her, claiming that He would save her even if she didn't cooperate in interrogations, well... The end is obvious."

"You can't be saying that she deserved what happened to her. She did nothing more than have faith, however misguided it might have been."

"No, she's not guilty of being accused. But the fact that they ended up convicting her was, to a small extent, a consequence of trusting in what she shouldn't have. I feel sorry for her, but not enough to do more than what my family has already done, helping to cover the costs of her defense."

No, Victoria's view was clear. She wasn't inherently against stupid people; she was against those who, despite having all the information to save themselves, still clung to a fanciful idea to move forward. Typically, from what Évelyne had seen, she wouldn't reproach them and would let them be. But she could see, from how she spoke about them, that she didn't have any sympathy for them.

"If it's any consolation, I don't think they'll execute her," the scientist continued. "At least a reduction of the sentence has been achieved."

"It's not me who needs consoling," Évelyne pointed out, although she was indeed glad about the news; it remained an injustice that this person was imprisoned for something she wasn't guilty of, but at least she wouldn't lose her life.

"As I was saying, if you prefer not to go to Geneva, I'm willing to let you have the apartment... Although, I have to warn you that the food is perishable, and considering that I'll be away for about a month, eventually you'll have to take care of all the tasks I do myself."

Entering a store and buying the groceries she needed was no longer a problem. Or, at least, it wasn't as big of a problem for Évelyne to back down.

"Could I stay here alone?"

"You wouldn't be alone. You have Henry, and Georg..., and that pleasant old lady you mentioned, perhaps?" Then, after considering again what her creation meant with her question, she added, "Oh, but if you mean 'alone' in the sense that no one will supervise you inside the apartment, then yes, you will be. Unless you want me to invite someone to do that job, which honestly I see as unnecessary."

"Don't you think I might do something crazy during your long absence—something like burning down the building or..."

"If you set it on fire, I would start to think you have a pyromania problem, considering it would be the second time in less than a year," Victoria declared, although clearly from her tone, she didn't see her capable of it. "In any case, I trust that if I leave you alone in this place, everything will be intact by my return. Including you. But you'll have plenty of time to think about it; I'm in no hurry. Just let me know a month in advance if you decide to come, so I can tell my parents that I'll be bringing a guest, and that's more than enough."

And yes, Évelyne planned to give this matter the consideration it deserved. Initially, she was more drawn to the idea of staying in the apartment, as she had already grown accustomed to this routine and didn't fancy meeting new people or another environment that could potentially be more hostile or, in any case, evoke memories she didn't want to revisit.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't go immediately. Évelyne liked the idea of leaving that door open because she was aware that an action or word from Victoria could easily change her mind.