Chapter 05
*Whoosh.*
The meeting room that Daphne had just left was utterly silent.
This was because the actions that girl had just taken were so utterly unreal.
—“I won’t die.”
—“I’ll definitely survive and kill you.”
What kind of nonsense is this…?
Marquis Gayron and Pauline kept stealing glances at Heros.
They had expected Heros to be displeased, but surprisingly, he maintained a calm demeanor.
He was merely rolling the pen that Daphne had pointed at him in his hand.
‘Why isn’t he getting angry?’
No, that’s not it.
To begin with, the Archduke cannot get angry. Ever since he was cursed by the dark sorcerer, he became a person whose emotions were suppressed.
Of course, most people don’t know this.
The story of the curse was carefully hidden, and since Heros was never a particularly emotional person to begin with, there wasn’t much noticeable change.
In any case, the Archduke cannot get angry or feel emotions. But that doesn’t mean he’s devoid of thoughts.
‘What on earth is he thinking?’
The Marquis continued to observe Heros but couldn’t guess his thoughts at all. Eventually, he gave up watching him and fell into deep thought.
Daphne Akion.
A child who should never have been born.
Yet, she was born, taking the life of another, and despite that, she couldn’t overcome the curse that destined her to die soon.
Thus, Daphne was always sick, always irritable, and always resentful. She would lash out at the servants at any moment and cause trouble. That’s why Heros had confined her to the annex.
‘I thought she’d die like that.’
Not only did she survive, but to cause such a commotion today.
It felt like it might not be a bad idea to keep watching her.
‘Something interesting might happen in my old age.’
Right?
Marquis Gayron, a loyal vassal of the Akion Archducal family, looked at Pauline, Heros’s loyal aide, who smiled softly and nodded.
☆☆☆
“Phew, that feels refreshing.”
After leaving the meeting room, I rubbed my stomach, feeling as if a century-old weight had been lifted.
The hero showed no change in expression. But that didn’t matter. My goal wasn’t to stir his emotions but to declare war. Since I clearly conveyed my purpose, he must be on edge now.
“Um, Lady Daphne.”
At that moment, the elf Teiti cautiously spoke up.
“May I take my leave now…?”
I glanced at Teiti.
“No, to begin with, I’m an elf hired to treat Daphne Akion, but it seems Lady Daphne doesn’t need my treatment…”
“Are you trying to run away from me?”
“No way! Absolutely not! How could I ever think of leaving the side of the great Lady Daphne! If it were up to me, I’d dedicate my entire life to you, but I have so many other contracts that I have no choice…”
“Stop babbling, you’re being noisy.”
“I’ll shut up.”
His intention to flee and hide was blatantly obvious, so I shot him a cold glare.
“I know that the Black Butterfly disease takes hold when all four wings turn black.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“But only one and a half of my wings are black.”
“That means…?”
“It means it’s not the curse that’s killing me. Someone tried to kill me.”
Teiti’s eyes widened.
“S-so, are you telling me to find out who? I’m an elf, not an informant. I can connect you with a good information guild, but beyond that, I don’t have the ability…”
“No? I have no intention of giving such an order.”
“Haha, of course! As expected of the great Lady Daphne. You always consider us lowly beings!”
“Make me a medicine.”
“…Pardon?”
Teiti’s eyes trembled.
“Make a medicine that will help me recover my strength. Something to slow the curse and let me build up my power.”
“…Lady Daphne. I’m an elf who acts as a healer, not a pharmacist.”
“So, are you saying you can’t do it?”
I clenched my fist tightly and glared at Teiti.
It was a tiny fist, barely capable of killing an ant, but to Teiti, it wouldn’t seem that way.
He took a deep breath and shook his head.
“If you tell me to do it, I’ll do it.”
“Good.”
I smiled with satisfaction and crossed my arms.
“Now, all that’s left is to get stronger.”
Yes.
This is just the beginning.
☆☆☆
“Doesn’t the young lady seem strange lately?”
Anna said. Anne, who was arranging the dishes nearby, nodded eagerly as if she’d been waiting for the comment.
“Yeah, she’s strange.”
Their eyes met. Anna cautiously opened her mouth.
“The strangest thing is…”
“She doesn’t throw things at us.”
They shouted in unison.
“It’s weird. It’s been over a week since the young lady last hit us.”
“Exactly. Normally, we’d have been hit at least once by now. What’s going on?”
It was true.
The old Daphne would have struck them for every word they uttered. And she would have thrown things multiple times.
But lately, Daphne hadn’t done that. This made Anne and Anna even more anxious. It felt like the calm before the storm.
“And…”
Anne continued.
“Her way of speaking has gotten a bit strange too.”
Before, she had a more whiny, spoiled tone, but now it was as if an elderly grandmother was speaking.
Of course, this change wasn’t necessarily bad, but it was so sudden that Anne and Anna couldn’t help but worry.
“They say when you come back from the dead, you become a different person…”
“Could that really be the reason?”
Anne and Anna remembered the moment when Daphne had suddenly sat up in her coffin.
How shocked they were! It was such a dramatic scene that everyone present stood up in astonishment!
Recalling that moment, their eyes welled up with tears, and they sniffled.
The reason they cared so much for Daphne was simple.
Daphne was the only child of their late mistress.
The mistress had taken them in when they were struggling to survive doing menial work at the temple.
She was a great high priestess representing the temple, yet she was kind enough to look upon lowly commoners like them with compassion.
To Anne and Anna, the mistress was a savior, someone whose grace they could never repay even if they dedicated their entire lives to her.
And the last gift the mistress had entrusted to them was Daphne.
Even the mistress couldn’t break the curse that would eventually take Daphne’s life, but they hoped that Daphne could at least be happy while she was alive.
That’s why Anne and Anna stayed by Daphne’s side, no matter how harshly she treated them. To honor the mistress’s will and to make her legacy shine just a little brighter.
But…
“She’s really impossible to figure out these days.”
“Right. She went to the training grounds today too.”
Anne’s brow furrowed slightly.
The training grounds, that dusty, sweat-soaked place—why on earth would she go there?
They had tried to stop her multiple times, but Daphne wouldn’t listen to Anne. She even forbade them from following her.
“What could she possibly be doing at the training grounds?”
Daphne was going to die anyway.
There was no way to break the curse of the Black Butterfly disease.
So, Daphne should spend her remaining time in comfort, enjoying her short life to the fullest. That’s why they were here, and that’s why their master paid them.
‘I don’t understand.’
Anne chewed her lips.
“I think I know what the young lady is doing.”
“What?”
At Anna’s words, Anne’s eyes widened.
“You heard, didn’t you? About how she went to see the master during a meeting.”
Anne nodded.
That day, Daphne had suddenly disappeared. While Anne and Anna were frantically searching the annex, they heard from another servant that the young lady had gone to see the master.
They didn’t know what was said in the meeting room.
But what mattered more was that the young lady, who had always feared the master, had gone to see him herself!
Something had definitely changed.
Anna continued.
“Ever since that day, she’s been going to the training grounds. I saw her walking around the grounds little by little. Maybe she’s training?”
“To catch the master’s attention…?”
“Yeah. I clearly heard her muttering ‘warrior ’ while walking.”
Anne fell silent.
She knew better than anyone how much Heros hated Daphne.
And yet, to drag her frail body to the training grounds just to catch his eye.
“How pitiful.”
“She won’t live long anyway…”
They wiped their tears and sniffled.
But soon, they pulled themselves together, thinking that if Daphne was making an effort, they should too.
“No, this won’t do. Let’s make some snacks for her.”
“Good idea. I’ll help.”
They hurriedly headed toward the kitchen.
Unaware that someone was watching them.
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By Anna 💓
