Chapter 04
[As the rising sun swallowed the falling night,
Oh, God. The night is unjustly wronged!
I merely retreated for a moment before the sun’s light,
So why do you seek to take my life!
I will never forget this humiliation.
I swear to repay it!
So that the sun may no longer shine!]
The voice was sweet, but the lyrics were anything but. They were filled with a vow of vengeance.
“Here, the sun refers to the hero, and the night refers to the dark sorcerer.”
Teiti looked at me earnestly and said.
“The hero, Heros Akion, killed the dark sorcerer. As a result, the hero was cursed. A curse that ensures the Akion family cannot continue.”
It seems the vow to make the sun no longer shine means this. To kill the children of the Akion family so that the hero’s bloodline cannot continue.
I understand up to this point.
But…
“Why only this body?”
From what Anne and Anna said, it seemed I had older siblings. And they all seemed to be unaffected, unlike me.
Why was only this body, Daphne, caught by the curse?
“Are you referring to the other children of the Akion family?”
“Yeah. There are others, so why is only this body cursed?”
“Celus… I mean, Lady Daphne, you came into that body knowing nothing about it.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“No, I’m not.”
When I got a little heated, Teiti got off the chair and knelt obediently. If she was going to submit so quickly, she shouldn’t have made a snide remark in the first place. Elves, honestly, they never watch their words.
“The hero’s children, including you, Lady Daphne, number four. The eldest, Lache, the second, Vifera, and the third, Arius. All three of them were adopted. They don’t carry the hero’s blood.”
“Aha. So, the hero’s real child is only this body, is that it?”
“That’s correct.”
So that’s why the curse fell only on me.
Thinking about it this way, it made sense, but it also felt unfair.
Even if my soul possessed a body, couldn’t it have been a decent one? Why did it have to be a cursed, terminally ill body?
“That damned dark sorcerer. If you’re going to die, just die properly. Why cast a curse like this?”
The dark sorcerer is probably long dead, but I cursed him under my breath as if I could kill him again.
“Wait a second.”
Then, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
“So, this body, I mean, I got cursed because of the hero, and I’m going to die because of the hero, is that it?”
“That’s correct.”
“And yet, he hasn’t even come to visit me once?”
The first day I woke up in this body, I remembered the warrior’s cold, piercing gaze. A look so detached it was almost cruel, even for a stranger.
No, who’s the reason I’m about to die? How could he act like that? I couldn’t understand it.
“The warrior hates you, Lady Daphne, so it’s only natural.”
“What? Why?”
Why does he hate this body? The body that’s dying because of him?
“The warrior’s wife died giving birth to you, Lady Daphne.”
“…”
The reason was so absurd that I blanked out for a moment.
“So, I was just born because I was born, and I’m unlucky enough to be cursed and dying, but they hate me because they chose to have me?”
“That’s right. Humans are so selfish, aren’t they?”
“Ha?”
What kind of lowlife scum is this?
Rage boiled up to the top of my head.
“Elf.”
“Yes, Lady Daphne.”
“Open the door.”
I jumped off the bed and raised my chin high.
“Let’s go beat the crap out of that beastly warrior.”
***
The warrior, Heros Akion, was facing quite a troublesome matter.
It was the regular vassal meeting.
Born as a bastard of the Akion duchy, Heros had roamed the streets and wielded a sword as a mercenary before he could even hold a spoon properly. For someone like him, these aristocratic duties were utterly distasteful.
Moreover, the vassals—true nobles who had sworn loyalty and were bound to the Akion duchy—did not recognize Heros as their true “master.” After all, Heros was a troublesome byproduct of the previous duke’s one-night mistake.
If Heros hadn’t become the continent’s greatest swordmaster or received the title of hero from the emperor, they would never have allowed him to take the ducal seat, no matter how lacking a successor they were.
As such, the vassals, who looked down on Heros, made every effort to find fault with him during these quarterly meetings, while Heros’ close aides were busy defending him from their criticisms.
Today was no different.
“Thus, I, Count Imperial, cannot comprehend Your Grace’s decision. Even with a poor harvest, how can you suggest opening the granaries to the commoners?”
“Indeed. Such relief measures are the responsibility of the central government.”
“With no specific orders from His Majesty, there’s no need to deplete our funds to aid the commoners.”
Seated at the head of the table, Heros, arms crossed, observed the speakers. His expression showed no hint of movement. Only the scar running from his right forehead to his cheek stood out strikingly.
Perhaps because of this, the vassals who had challenged him seemed slightly intimidated, glancing nervously.
“If the citizens starve to death, what do you propose to do?”
Seizing the moment, Marquis Gayron, one of Heros’ close aides, spoke up.
“The Akion duchy’s territory is half rugged mountains. The little farmland we have has dried up from drought, so it’s only natural there’s no grain. What choice do you think the citizens will make?”
Count Imperial, who had hesitated momentarily, responded.
“They’ll go into the mountains and dig up roots to eat.”
“The master of those mountains is a dragon. The moment they enter, they’ll be devoured.”
“Isn’t that simply their fate?”
“Count!”
At such an outrageous remark, Marquis Gayron shot to his feet and shouted. Taking advantage of the moment, Pauline, Heros’ aide, added,
“They are people we must protect. Protecting the citizens is the duty of a lord, and governing the territory well is loyalty to His Majesty, is it not?”
“Stay out of this, aide. This is a matter for the vassals to discuss!”
“Oh? Then I’ll step back. But I’ll make sure to spread the word that the vassals are disloyal to His Majesty.”
“You—!”
Count Imperial ground his teeth at Pauline’s blatantly provocative attitude.
“I understand the need to support the citizens to maintain their numbers. It’s a valid conclusion. But it’s premature. Just half a year ago, didn’t we take in refugees who lost their homes to an earthquake?”
Count Imperial turned his gaze to Heros, who still sat expressionlessly.
“I’m saying that Your Grace is showing excessive favor to mere commoners. Of course, we know you understand the lives of commoners well, but you should exercise restraint now.”
A jab at Heros, who had spent his childhood on the streets because his mother was a commoner.
Heros’ eyebrow tilted slightly upward.
He uncrossed his arms, placed his right hand on the table, and began tapping his fingers.
Tap, tap.
“Not long ago.”
Tap, tap.
“Marquis Isaac’s heir held a lavish engagement ceremony.”
Tap, tap, tap.
“And that day, the marquis’ castle burned to the ground. The citizens, unable to tolerate the marquis’ extravagance any longer, did it.”
Crack! The table caved in where Heros’ fingers struck.
The vassals, aware of Heros’ unmatched strength but shocked by the extent of it, widened their eyes. Marquis Gayron rubbed his forehead and shook his head.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Brushing off the table’s debris from his fingers, Heros glared at Count Imperial with blazing blue eyes.
“If you want to keep your neck intact and live long, a reasonable compromise is necessary. As you said, mere commoners lack patience.”
“…”
Gulp.
The sound of swallowing thick saliva was all that could be heard.
They were likely intimidated by Heros’ presence.
And rightly so. He had punched a hole in this thick table with his bare hand—using just one finger, no less.
If that hand grabbed them, their lives would be over.
The vassals, valuing their necks, avoided Heros’ gaze and bowed their heads.
“Then, let’s consider this matter settled…”
The scribe barely managed to mediate.
“And, uh, the next agenda… is about the long-vacant position of the duchess…”
Crack!
The table shattered again.
Ugh, what’s wrong with him! Pauline frowned and looked at Heros, but Heros, unperturbed, seemed ready to demolish the entire table with the strength in his hand.
“Your Grace, perhaps you should ease up a bit…”
Just as Pauline tried to calm Heros,
Bang!
The tightly shut meeting room door burst open. A tiny figure came scampering in.
“Hm?”
Even from a distance, the golden hair and lime-green eyes stood out. A child with ghostly pale skin.
“…The young lady?”
The youngest and only true heir of the Akion family.
It was Daphne Akion.
“Huff, huff, Lady Daphne! You can’t just barge in like that… Eek!”
The elf following her hurriedly pressed herself against the wall, glancing nervously. And no wonder—the room was filled with the Akion family’s vassals, and at the center sat Heros Akion himself.
Even the boldest person would feel intimidated in such a situation.
But.
“It’s been a while, warrior.”
The youngest child in the room.
And the frailest being.
Daphne Akion was not intimidated in the least. In fact, she carried herself with even more confidence than usual.
“I came to see you.”
Marching forward, Daphne approached the table, hopped up onto it, and stood with her small legs straight, looking down at Heros.
Then.
“Young lady!”
Crash!
It happened in an instant. Daphne threw a teacup at Heros.
Heros easily tilted his head to dodge it, but that wasn’t the point.
The fact that *this* Daphne Akion, who couldn’t even speak properly in front of Heros, had dared to defy him was what mattered.
Heros’ eyes narrowed.
“You brought me into this world without my consent.”
Daphne slowly approached Heros as she spoke.
“Because of you, this body is cursed.”
Standing right in front of Heros, Daphne glared at him.
“And yet, you don’t even act like a proper father. Isn’t that too much?”
The corner of Heros’ lips tilted upward.
“So, what are you trying to say? Are you blaming me now?”
“warrior. You don’t even deserve my blame.”
“Then what?”
“I’m here to declare war.”
Snap! Daphne stepped on the end of a pen on the table, flicking it into the air and snatching it. She lunged toward Heros’ face.
“I won’t die.”
Clang!
Heros blocked the pen’s tip with an ink bottle, his face no longer bearing a trace of amusement.
Daphne, seeing his contorted expression, smirked with satisfaction.
“I’ll survive, and I’ll kill you.”
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
By Anna 💓
