Chapter 55
“Once upon a time, there were two rival families in Verona.”
The chorus that signals the beginning of the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet rings out just before the play starts.
The tragic love story of the heirs of the feuding families, the Capulet Family and the Montague Family, begins.
Erica watches the play somewhat apathetically.
She already knows the story inside and out. The actors’ performances, direction, and singing certainly enhance the immersion, but that’s all there is to it.
No matter how great the work is, if you watch it repeatedly, it’s inevitable that interest and curiosity wane. Unless they did a proper adaptation, the basic plot remains mostly unchanged.
She glances? At the seat next to her.
It’s oddly quiet.
A few years ago, when Schugenharz had gathered with family members to watch the play, he would critique how good the actor was, how bright the lights were, and other such things. Erica, who had no connection to the play, would get so annoyed she felt like she could blow a gasket.
Yet this time, for some reason, he’s completely silent.
As the lighting changes, the features of his face, which had been hidden in the shadows, reveal a sharp jawline and nose.
Following that line, there appeared a lake filled with ice. His calm eyes fixate on the stage without a hint of movement.
Today, Schugenharz seems particularly strange.
He still toys with the idea of self but in a different way. He used to bombard everyone with various metaphors and odd proverbs, but today he seems unusually composed.
Even now.
This isn’t the kind of person who silently appreciates a show…
He should have already muttered dozens of curses by now, yet he has given no attention to outside affairs.
It seems like he’s enjoying the play’s clichéd content, or perhaps analyzing it, or maybe he’s just absorbed in thought.
“… Hmph.”
Erica turns her gaze away.
The play unfolds, and the masquerade ball where Romeo and Juliet first meet takes center stage.
Romeo, entranced by seeing Juliet, begins to sing. His feelings are melted into harmony with the surrounding characters.
“……”
Honestly, Erica didn’t like this story.
She hated that two members of feuding families fell deeply in love and missed each other.
She hated the plot where Romeo kills Juliet’s cousin.
And despite all that, she despised the tragic ending that awaited them.
Among all those moments, the scene that made her frown the most was when Romeo falls in love with Juliet at first sight.
Knowing how foolish it is to like someone without knowing anything about them.
Erica’s pale hand forms a small fist.
“Isn’t it just incredibly foolish?”
Suddenly, Vargan speaks.
He still watches the stage, but he slowly turns to address Erica, proving he is talking to her.
“What is this silly thing called emotion that makes people so foolish?”
“……”
Erica doesn’t respond.
She simply sits quietly, listening to what he has to say.
Vargan’s voice is low and smooth.
If you weren’t looking directly at his cold and earnest eyes, you might mistake his voice for one filled with a calm sorrow, like the dawn mist.
“…However, that’s why it’s frightening.”
The gazes of Vargan and Erica cross.
It intersects.
As both of his irises came into view fully.
She could tell his eyes weren’t frozen solid.
She thought he would remain hardened like an iceberg for life, but it felt as if the surface was slightly thawing.
Why? How?
Reading Vargan’s gaze, Erica narrowed her eyes to hide her confusion. With a sardonic smile twisting at her lips, she launched a provocation.
“Anyone would think you’re confessing! Did I suddenly become your type or something?”
“…Do not worry.”
Vargan turned his eyes away from Erica.
It felt like a delusion that his genuine emotions were finally being conveyed. As if he didn’t want to reveal his own fragile feelings, he turned his head.
…It must be an illusion.
It’s definitely an illusion.
He spoke seriously.
“I will ensure nothing of the sort happens.”
“…….”
While Vargan spat those words out, he internally brushed aside another sentence. It didn’t easily slide down.
‘Rather, it will gradually fade away.’
Amidst a somewhat strange atmosphere.
The two attempted to dodge the current vibe by focusing on the extreme. Awkwardness, fear, embarrassment. Various emotions stirred, but the most profound one was different.
Since that day, no matter what Vargan did, that emotion lay at the bottom of Erica’s heart.
Even now, it was the same.
*
It’s been just over five years since Erica got engaged to Vargan.
Today is an extremely, very very important day.
“Hu, humming~!”
The 13-year-old Erica was humming softly, strolling down the hallway with light steps. If her parents saw her, they’d surely scold her for being rude, but that concern was pushed to the back of her mind.
With her small arms, she held onto a neatly wrapped gift box so she wouldn’t drop it.
The gift wasn’t big, but with her petite frame, the box felt relatively large.
“I hope this will cheer Lord Vargan up!”
Her voice was bright and whimsical, but recently, Erica had many worries.
Not only worries…
She had received a lot of wounds.
She had spent several nights crying, and on some days her eyes were so swollen that she could feel them bulging when touched.
There hadn’t been any problems.
They hadn’t even had a single trivial argument, let alone a dispute.
Vargan was so harsh and cold that even a naive Erica could easily tell.
Why?? he didn’t answer that question.
The warm smile that used to greet her was now a cold winter. The gentle voice that wrapped around the ears of the listener like soft fabric had turned into a sharp knife.
And…
The winter’s knife began to carve into Erica.
When he first cursed at her, it felt like a finger was being severed.
When she witnessed him abusing a servant, it felt like her arm was being torn off.
When he shredded the letters they exchanged right before her eyes, it felt like her legs were being amputated, a deep pain ensnaring her heart.
“Why… suddenly… is this happening…?”
However, Erica believed.
He was a good person.
Even when he hurled abuse at her.
Even when he treated those below him harshly.
Even when he tore apart precious memories.
This is merely a passing cold season.
If only this moment would pass, he would return to his original self and warmly embrace her once more. Erica genuinely loved Vargan. It began as a child’s innocent admiration.
As half a year passed, then a year, and after three years, she only looked at Vargan, leaving the family behind, unable to focus on anything around her.
Some might say this was merely the clumsy feelings of a naive child just past ten. Even she thought she was quite young.
Yet, she did not wish to belittle it.
Wanting to see him every day, wanting to share every moment, and drawing strength just from thinking about him, what else could you call this if not love?
Vargan must have felt the same. Surely he did.
There’s no way the five years they shared together, exchanging sweet words and feelings, were a lie.
Thus, Erica decided to trust and wait for Vargan.
Barghan had decided to trust and wait.
He chose to accept this as a trial and to wait steadfastly.
Dori dori.
Erica shook her head, trying to shake off negative thoughts. Her shiny black hair danced as she did. Just thinking about him, who seemed at a loss, almost made tears well up in her weak heart, but she swallowed them with her breath.
Today is a good day.
Let’s celebrate his birthday with a bright smile.
After all, isn’t this a gift she had trouble getting?
Surely, as a magician, it must be some special item that anyone would delight in.
Moreover, Schugenharz’s people are already here at our mansion. As for tears, they can flow once they leave.
Erica made her resolution once more.
“But… where did Laila go? She said she would look at it before showing it to Lord Barghan after wrapping it all up.”
Laila, who had been with Erica since her birth, was her servant.
Always by her side, she listened to her worries and helped with tasks.
Erica wandered around the vast mansion looking for Laila.
“Not here either.”
Not in the room where the servants gathered to rest.
“Not here either.”
Not cleaning in Erica’s room, either.
“…Hmm. Where on earth could she be?”
To Erica, Laila was not just a mere servant. She was precious, as irreplaceable as her parents.
It was also Laila who read Barghan’s letter with her.
The person she spent the most time with each day was Laila.
It was strange that she had left Erica’s side without saying a word. Especially since she had promised to check if the wrapping was done beautifully.
“Is she here…?”
Erica slowly opened Laila’s door.
She had never seen Laila return to her room during working hours, but she had checked all the usual places.
If she hadn’t gone outside, this was the only remaining place.
“Laila… are you in there…?”
Creeeak?
As the door opened, the darkness inside the room welcomed Erica. Along with the darkness came an odor of metal that she couldn’t identify.
“Lord Barghan…?”
Erica saw the figure enveloped in darkness. He looked down at her with eyes shining like a predator—colder than snow that falls in midwinter.
The gift box Erica was holding fell to the floor.
With the impact, the blue-glowing mana stone inside the box was revealed, lighting up the room.
Pain.
Once again, the sharp blade charged at Erica.
But this time, strangely, she felt no pain.
She couldn’t feel anything.
“Is it you, Erica?”
Barghan’s indifferent voice reached her.
He showed no surprise upon witnessing Erica in the current scene. Calmly and coldly.
“I punished this one for insulting me.”
Seeing Laila, who had become a corpse.
Erica screamed.
Whether her head was severed or her heart was pierced, at that moment, she could no longer feel the pain from Barghan.
Lies. Lies.
Please say it’s a lie…
*
In the wide theater.
Only three characters filled that space.
Barghan, Erica.
And…
?In life, there are opportunities. If one rides the winds of opportunity well, they reach a golden future; if missed, a life stranded in the rapids brings misery.
The man standing on the stage laughed heartily and continued speaking. The corners of his mouth stretched wide, almost to his ears.
“Ah, what a profound saying! Who are you, that you have spread such truths in the world, and what past do you hail from?”
The man, illuminated by lights resembling a playwright who did not exist in his world, made every movement grand and humorous, making all his actions seem like a play.
Looking up at the ceiling, as if he longed for someone he had never seen, the man lowered his head. With a crooked gaze, he looked at the two audience members seated in the hall.
Barghan and Erica seemed to be sleeping with their eyes closed.
“How beautiful. You shine even more than described in the ‘Scripture’…!”
“Even more brilliant…!”
The man pointed to Erica.
His arms were so long that if he stretched them out, they would almost touch the ground.
“I shall name this moment ‘Fate.’ Oh, beautiful one, who are you that you have come here, and what machinations do you possess?”
The man’s arms slowly elongated.
Like rubber bands, his stretching arms reached toward Erica’s tear-streaked eyes to wipe away her tears.
He intended to wipe them away and lick them.
To sample what nightmares she was dreaming and how terrible her past must have been to evoke such intense emotions.
To savor the condensed tears.
“Our meeting is like that of Romeo and Juliet. Warring families. Warring races. But we met and fell in love. Even if the end is tragedy, I vow I will never regret this choice in this moment.”
The man’s hand approached right in front of Erica’s face.
The shadow of his hand loomed over Erica’s face.
The shadow of his fingers twisted grotesquely as if trying to relish the first moment.
A smirk from the man.
The hand was so close, almost touching her.
But just before it could wipe the tears, that hand twisted.
“Gahhhhh???!!”
Crack, crack, crack??.
The man’s index finger bent backward.
Middle finger, ring finger, pinky, thumb. All the fingers.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
Four times.
….
Like paper folding, they continued to curl up.
Starting from the fingers, it traveled up his long arms.
His wrists bent too.
Crack? Crack?
As if pressed flat with a press machine, his body twisted.
Unable to bear the excruciating pain any longer, the man severed his arm. If he left it as it was, it felt like it would crawl up to his torso like a bug in wood.
“A rather splendid play it was. Though it didn’t satisfy me, it would still receive decent reviews from the discerning critics.”
A sudden voice rang out.
It was an exceedingly arrogant remark.
The way he spoke made it feel like everyone except for him was worthless and insignificant creatures.
The man twisted his lips further in a grimace.
It was impossible to be free from such powers!? Along with that shock, another thought bloomed. The rage against that villain interrupting his love blazed.
“Who the hell are you…!! What are you doing interrupting me from my nightmare?!”
That man wasn’t written in the scripture.
In the first place, the beautiful lady should have been here alone.
But, he couldn’t turn back what had already begun; it had to proceed as planned, for there should be no issue.
It was ‘power.’ The thick power inherited from His blood. A mere wannabe hero couldn’t possibly escape it?!
With one arm severed, the Altife gnashed his teeth, ready to lunge and kill his opponent at any moment.
The arrogant noble, with a look of disdain as if gazing at a worthless creature, spoke to the man.
“I’m the one asking questions here. You have no memories to share.”
“You’re just spewing nonsense…!!”
“You’re quite noisy. It would be wise to lower your voice. It could get troublesome if my fiancée wakes up.”
The Intelligent Altife’s expression soured further.
He was livid that this arrogant guy referred to his bond as a ‘fiancée.’
“Truly… I’m troubled by the fact that my fiancée is so popular with strange guys. I hardly get any sleep.”
With a swift motion, Vargan took a handkerchief from his coat and wiped away Erica’s tears.
Then.
“What the hell???!”
With a shout, the man charged.
He dashed straight, destroying everything around him.
Vargan watched without any resistance as he approached. He muttered quietly, reflecting on the situation.
“This is wrong. Greatly wrong.”
Vargan shook his head.
“At this point, the one who should be angry is not you, but me.”
His expression grew serious.
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