Whoosh
The wind, carrying snow, sweeps through, scraping the cliff of the snowy mountain.
It is cold. It is to the extent that one’s hands freeze up and one’s jaw trembles.
However, there is no time to pay attention to this kind of cold.
Because she had to have a conversation with Rache.
Lady Daphne stole glances at Rache, who was standing right next to her, and tightly clasped her two hands together.
She knew that she had to reveal it like this someday, and that it was a fact that would be revealed, but…… today was utterly sudden, so Lady Daphne was flustered, and not only Lady Daphne but Shio and Teiti are also in the middle of being confused. Artson had no thoughts.
Anyway, after making them join the Guardian, Lady Daphne was in the middle of trying to have a conversation with Rache alone.
“ahh.”
Lady Daphne took a deep breath.
She doesn’t know well from where and how she should speak, but for now, it seems she should say something.
“First, I shall tell you the thing you would be most curious about.”
Only then did Rache withdraw his gaze, which had been looking out at a distant mountain, and looked at Lady Daphne.
Gulp.
Lady Daphne swallowed her dry saliva.
“The real Daphne you spoke of…… does not exist.”
“……Does not exist?”
“Yes.”
Trying hard to ignore Rache’s pale face, Lady Daphne continued her words.
“From what I hear, originally Daphne is not a human. She is merely the manifestation of a curse.”
“…….”
“The curse that the warrior received created that lump of a curse called Daphne.”
Rache could feel his breath getting choked.
Originally Daphne was not a human, and was merely a curse? He could not pull himself together at the information that was too sudden and moreover unexpected.
Furthermore, from a while ago, he could not bear the disgust arising from the Daphne in front of his eyes. He dislikes her. He dislikes her so much. He wishes she would get lost right now. Go away! An instinctive revulsion surged, making his body fidget.
Haa. Rache let out a sigh and tightly clenched his fists.
“You want me to believe, that story?”
“Older brother… no, Rache.”
In a situation where Rache had found out about Lady Daphne’s true identity, she thought Rache would get angrier if she called him by a family title, so she called his name, but strangely, Rache’s face hardened further. She doesn’t know the reason, but…… for now, Lady Daphne continued her words.
“Even if you do not want to believe it, you must believe it. I do not lie with this kind of thing.”
“……Ha.”
Rache buried his face in both his hands, his shoulders trembling faintly.
Yes. If he listens to the words, it makes sense to some extent.
The original Daphne was a lump of a curse, so that’s why she committed such bad and wicked acts, and that disgust arose every time he saw her…… it is understandable.
But even so, it didn’t mean he could accept this situation as if it were nothing.
“So, because of that petty curse, Mother passed away…… and everything was ruined.”
If the original Daphne was just a curse,
What happens to the deceased Mother.
What about Father, who was ruined because of that?
And we, who suffered?
What do all of us…… become?
Rache let out a hollow laugh and tightly closed his eyes. Then he snapped his head up and shot his gaze toward Lady Daphne.
“Then what about you?”
Rache said, glaring at Lady Daphne.
“Weren’t you annihilated by Father?”
Calamity.
The Black Dragon that was called so was annihilated by the warrior, Heros. Since this is a fact known throughout the Empire, Rache also knew it as such.
But the Calamity is alive like this.
And was occupying the body…… of our family. Rache bit his molars hard as he recalled the past times.
“Didn’t you enter that body to get revenge?”
“……That is.”
“Didn’t you occupy that body to drive out the Daphne who was originally there and get revenge on Father!”
That is not it.
When she opened her eyes, it was this body, so what was there to plan revenge or not.
But if she looks back again, wasn’t the very first thought she had upon entering this body the determination to get revenge on the warrior.
Therefore, Rache’s words could not be said to be entirely wrong.
“To some extent, it is a correct word.”
Lady Daphne bit her lips hard and tried to add words.
“But now it is n……!”
“Be quiet!”
However, before that, Rache shouted.
“How, how…….”
Rache gagged, saying “Ugh”. This was because of the rejection that kept touching his instinct. Swallowing the nausea while striking his chest with his clenched hand, Rache glared at Lady Daphne once again with furious eyes.
“You were perfectly fine while deceiving us, weren’t you? You didn’t even think to feel sorry, did you? You were busy snickering while watching the insignificant humans being happy, weren’t you? You are……!”
“Rache.”
Lady Daphne said with a hardened face.
“Do you really think I would have been so?”
“…….”
With a flushed face, he started to tremble faintly, moving his lips.
Fortunately, he knew that the disgust arising right now was not normal.
But even so, it didn’t mean he could forgive Lady Daphne right away, or accept her. Even putting aside the instinctive disgust, he couldn’t do so.
“I, I really don’t know.”
Rache said as if murmuring, stomping his feet.
“For the time being, I will be at the Guardian lodging. To the house…… I will go later.”
“Rache.”
“Don’t look at me with those eyes. ……Anyway, for right now, I won’t tell the other kids.”
Rache deliberately ignored Lady Daphne’s gaze, and taking a deep breath, he stood his two legs straight. Then he touches near the back of his neck. He tightly clutches the artifact necklace that Vifera had made for everyone in the family.
“And.”
Tak!
Rache, who snapped the necklace off, said as he threw it to Lady Daphne as if handing it to her.
“You don’t tell me your name until the very end.”
***
“Oh my goodness!”
Pauline was jumping up and down, barely covering his endlessly upward-curling mouth with his hand.
“The wraiths! To catch all the wraiths!”
He shouted loudly with a face that looked happy to anyone who saw it.
Well. It is natural to rejoice like this.
Because the wraiths, the black mages, had not only harmed countless people and tormented the Empire at every turn, but furthermore, they were fellows who were even setting up a bizarre plan.
For the peace and safety of the Empire, it was right for the wraiths to be gone.
“Ah, oh my. I am so happy. Really. Why? Because using this, the money that can be ripped off from the Imperial Family from now on will be enormous!”
Well…… though the reason Pauline rejoices is of a somewhat different nature.
Heros, who was quietly watching such frivolous behavior of Pauline, burst into a chuckle.
“Could you not speak of it as compensation or a reward. Ripping off money.”
“Money is money by whatever name, you know? Do not look down on money.”
Heros shrugged his shoulders, and Pauline ignored him and turned his gaze back outside the window. He is wondering just when Lady Daphne will come.
However, a somewhat shabby horse carriage entered his eyes. However, that carriage was filled with sophisticated magic formulas…… it looked like a barrier for the purpose of preventing escape. Pauline narrowed his eyes.
“By the way, what is that carriage? Who on earth is riding it that a barrier is set up to that extent…….”
“They say the leader of the wraiths is riding it.”
“……Pardon?”
“Lady Daphne said that since there is something to ask that fellow, he must be left alive. So she brought him along.”
Looking at Heros who answered nonchalantly, Pauline could feel a chill running down his spine. Uh, well. Hmm.
He asked cautiously.
“His Majesty the Emperor also knows about this matter, right?”
Heros tilted his head.
“No?”
Pauline dug his ear once. Hoping that it was something he misheard.
However, Heros’s expression was unchanged…… and Pauline felt dizzy and swallowed his saliva.
“S-So, right now, without His Majesty’s knowledge, the leader of the wraiths was br-brought to our mansion?”
“Yes.”
“Because of what the young lady said?”
“Yes.”
suicide text
“…….”
Pauline once again placed his gaze outside the window and looked up at the distant sky.
“Before ripping off the money, the family will be exterminated…….”
Geor, it was a perfect weather to die.
