Erudition of Doyle: Volume One

CHAPTER 39: CASE VIII - THE MYSTERIOUS FRIENDS OF LITTLE SLYVIA

Case 8: The Mysterious Friends
of Little Sylvia (The Screams
Chapter, Part Four)

ROSALINDA

Before Doyle could even think about making a run for it, I quickly grabbed his uniform, causing a deep furrow to form on his forehead. "Hey, mind giving me a hand by releasing me from your clutches, will you? I've been busting my chops to keep my uniform looking sharp, and you just had to go and throw it off balance." With an eye roll and a swift push, Doyle dismissed my hand from his crumpled uniform.

What’s with his sassy attitude?

"Doyle, pwede bang tigilan mo 'yang iniisip mo. I don’t think it can help you in any way." I sighed heavily. "What’s the reason behind why you’re thinking about that?"

"Blame your father. I think he’s the reason why I believe his cousin might act out her schizophrenia," he said with that mischievous look in his eyes, which grew sharp as I sensed a raging, ominous atmosphere from him. "Your father really knows how to manipulate people using psychology, giving them a scary life through his emotional abuse, hm?"

Hindi ko mapigilang titigan siya ng masama kasabay ng pagkuyom ng aking mga palad. His smirk grew even wider, and he walked sassily towards me. Even though he needed to look up to meet my gaze, he still gave me shivers with the way he acted, without even trying. "He’s a good father, no doubt, but he’s not a good person. Magkaiba 'yon. Don’t you think that every story he made is only alive in his imagination? He can bury the truth without leaving a single puzzle piece." He went on, "To be honest, your father should write an autobiography. Every story he makes is actually inspired by real life, covering the events of his entire life."

"My father is not just a good father but also a good man," I protested, but he just laughed it off, covering his mouth with his small hand, almost gracefully.

"You don’t know your father that well, do you? Oh, poor you," he tilted his head to the side, his usual smirk still intact. "You must be trapped in his lies. You can’t see the threads wrapped around you, manipulated by the great pretender."

"Whatever you say, I believe my father is neither a criminal nor the bad person you think. I know him better than you do." I defended my father again. I really wanted to back out and just leave him alone, but I couldn’t let him keep doing things he shouldn’t.

"How about reading his book and searching for the facts hidden within? It might enlighten you a bit and wake you up from your self-hypnosis," he suggested, but I chose to ignore him.

"He might just use those things, or even if you think crimes inspire him, he’d do that and create a story just for what—" I didn’t know what to say next, so I shut my mouth and looked away, arms crossed.

"For his own satisfaction. Listen, we all have our own forms of satisfaction. It could be normal things, like gifts, genuine love, or even crimes," tumalikod siya. "There are people who think that way. You never know what's inside someone’s mind. Be careful who you trust—even those you trust might be the ones who shouldn’t be trusted. But if you ask me, people are born to be criminals and bad people, so there’s no doubt why Herald Mortiferum exists. Not all the members of that organization have been treated unfairly, abused, or anything you might think would turn them into monsters. Many of them are born villains, and that’s their purpose in this world."

I disagreed with something he said—people are born sinners, not necessarily criminals or bad people.

And because of what he said… was he suggesting that my father might have a connection to Herald Mortiferum? He wouldn’t just mention that organization for nothing.