Yes.
That’s the face.
Had you known I was Erenscia, that’s the face you should have been making.
Just like how I once did, drenched in sweat as though facing the gates of hell.
If you had shown that, I would never have slapped your cheek.
It’s all your fault.
《I-I’m so sorry… My Duchess.》
《Oh? Apologizing, yet your knees seem too stiff, Elden Raphelion?》
Thump!
Yes, that’s it.
You should have knelt so hard that your knees cracked the floor of the Grand Hall.
《Then, this wretched being will humbly beg like this. Please forgive me.》
《Hahaha, yes. Only now do you seem to have realized your proper place.》
《This lowly position is well-deserved for someone like me.》
That’s the spirit.
How wonderful.
Self-reflection?
You should have done that in front of me, not on your own.
Like a sinner confessing to a priest, it should have been before me.
《Right. But don’t belittle yourself too much.》
《W-What do you mean?》
《You’re a little less foul than the others.》
And therefore, it was only right that I should be the one to dispense judgment and mercy.
After all, I was the one who suffered as the victim of all that brutality.
It should have been up to me, not you.
《W-What do you mean by that…?》
《Exactly. If you crave mercy, you’ll receive it quicker and lighter than the other filth.》
If the weight of your sin is light, then naturally, the punishment should also be light.
That was my thought.
Other filth had such horrible stench that one needed to hold their nose to go near.
Just like how it’s harder to wash away foul odors, your stink is far easier to rid.
But you—
You want to run away without even enduring a little rinse.
《So, what do you think? Would you like to receive my mercy?》
《I will do my utmost. To seek forgiveness from Lady Erenscia, I’ll endure and accept everything you command.》
Fufufu.
Yes, now that’s how it should be.
How delightful!
How heartwarming to see!
The perpetrator pleading for mercy from the victim.
With a burning desire to become my husband at the end of it all.
The scream of a frog in a well realizing there’s no eternal victor.
The enlightenment that the consequences of evil deeds will eventually tighten your own noose.
You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment.
《You’d do anything I say?》
《Yes. I’ll gladly accept any form of punishment!》
《Hehe, then… shall I have you roll on the ground like a dog?》
《As you wish.》
Roll, roll, roll-.
Puff-.
You really roll like a dog.
How amusing.
《Now, shall we try barking, then?》
《Woof, woof!》
《Haha, that’s a nice sound, but didn’t you forget? Dogs walk on four legs!》
Elden bent his knees, reaching his arms to touch the floor, barking like a dog.
“Woof, woof! Arf, arf, arf!”
His appearance was so ridiculous and pathetic; yet, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pain thinking about how Deron and his crew must have looked at me.
But still, I’m delighted.
The satisfaction of waiting so desperately is worth it, seeing the villain Elden Raphelion repent is more touching than I expected.
《Good job~ But if that’s your resolve, shall we see how far you’ll go?》
《To receive Lady Erenscia’s forgiveness and to be engaged to Lady Lumia, I would gladly face death.》
Fufufu.
What a commendable attitude.
Honestly, it’s beyond what I anticipated.
If you maintain this determination to the very end, then perhaps your wishes may come true.
《Then, I’ve prepared that foul monster dish you detest; would you like to give it a try? I took care in preparing it myself.》
《…》
《Why? Did you think your resolve wasn’t strong enough to overcome your disgust?》
《I-I’ll eat it gratefully.》
Elden digs into the monster dish.
Before long, his face turned crimson and he started gagging.
I heard you talking at the Academy, you know?
You said monster cuisine is nothing but a revolting, filthy pile of trash, didn’t you?
You couldn’t fathom why those ‘savages’ would consume such grotesque things, right?
You even claimed just looking at it nearly made you barf, Elden Raphelion.
That’s why I took the trouble to prepare this feast.
Naturally, you should have had to consume it, struggling to suppress your nausea, just like the other filth.
Just like now.
Doesn’t it look delightful?
《Argh… M-My Duchess! I… Ugh… I’ve eaten it all…》
《Hoho~ So you’ve proven your resolve with just this? If you become my husband, you might have to eat that for life, don’t you think? Can you handle it?》
《I’m fine as long as I can be by the Duchess’s side; nothing else matters.》
Yes.
That’s how it should be.
That’s how you should act, Elden.
If you truly want to atone, it’s only natural you do it by my side.
You knew this all along, didn’t you?
You sensed my feelings that I wasn’t even aware of, didn’t you?
You were eyeing the chance to belong to the Winterfell family through a simple act of atonement, weren’t you?
If that’s the case, I’m truly glad.
You made the right decision.
《Hohoho~ If only you had been like this from the start.》
《I’ve sinned against you once again. If it would ease your anger, I’m willing to roll in the fires of hell.》
《Even if that abyss by my side is called hell?》
《I will gladly endure it.》
Hohoho.
Yeah.
That’s the face.
You’ve always been that kind of person.
Someone who always faced adversity.
Someone who never shied away from a fight.
So naturally, it’s only right that I don’t back down from the fight I’ve started either.
Isn’t that right?
Hahaha.
“Ah, my lady? Are you awake?”
Hahaha.
“…Why are you laughing?”
Haha.
“Ah, my lady…? Were you having a nice dream?”
Ha.
Another dream about Elden, huh.
………
……
…
Well, for once,
It was a good dream.
“What kind of dream made you laugh in your sleep, my lady?”
Marien asked as she perched on the edge of the bed.
Unlike the day she woke up drenched in sweat from nightmares, her lady’s face looked just as pale as it had before she fell asleep.
Marien couldn’t tell whether that was a blessing or a curse.
“……”
Lumia silently played with her left hand.
That hand, the one wrapped in bandages, had struck Elden’s cheek.
The same hand that had torn its own flesh from the force of the slap.
She had told Marien it was injured from a broken plate.
Her palm began to throb.
It was an unfamiliar sensation, with some part not being sure if it was pain or a strange new feeling.
With a faint smirk, Lumia moved her cracked lips.
“Yeah. For once, it was a…Good dream.”
“T-That’s…Fortunate…Isn’t it?”
Lumia smiled again at Marien’s question.
But the smile looked so lonely and bitter that Marien had to swallow her own sigh.
Yesterday had been quite the shock for her.
When her lady had emerged from the Grand Hall with blood on her hands, Marien nearly screamed.
“Hah. What’s the luck in this?”
“…My lady, is your hand alright?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s good…But please, drink this.”
Marien handed her a cup of Winter Blossom tea.
It was the tea her lady always reached for when she needed comfort, especially on days the painful memories resurfaced.
However, her lady didn’t lift the cup to her lips.
“Won’t…you drink it? Please, at least take a sip.”
“No need.”
Eventually, her lady set down the teacup.
This was unlike her.
This was the tea she always sought during desperate times for peace and solace.
It couldn’t be…that she no longer needed these things.
Marien anxiously regarded her lady’s complexion.
Those once vibrant eyes recalling coastal hues now reflected the deep and dark blues of the ocean depths.
Marien had thought that after a good rest, the light would return again, just like yesterday.
“My lady…? Maybe it’s time to stop this?”
Marien tentatively posed her question.
At this, Lumia directed her gaze toward the window, where brilliant rays of sunlight streamed in.
The sunlight felt exceptionally bright today.
Pressing her bandaged left hand against her right, Lumia smiled as she replied.
“How can I possibly stop?”
“…Pardon?”
Instead of an answer, her lady threw back another question, leaving Marien utterly perplexed.
It was evident that she couldn’t decipher the shadow lurking in her lady’s blue eyes.
“I haven’t even started yet.”
Those words signaled that only Elden Raphelion could ever restore that dazzling light to her lady’s sorrowful eyes.
Furthermore, his official withdrawal and the emergence of a treaty signed by the Grand Duke only dimmed Lumia’s gaze further.
Marien found herself helpless to stop her lady as she stormed out of her room after hearing the news.
Bang-!
Slam-!
The door to the Advisor’s office swung open harshly, creating a thunderous noise.
Lumia charged straight into Gelwood’s office, calling out his name with fury in her voice.
For the first time, her voice dripped with malice.
“GELWOOD-!!”
The Grand Duke’s advisor, Gelwood, aware this confrontation might occur, greeted her with a heavy expression.
This was the man who had vowed to stop the impending ruin.
“So you’ve come, my Duchess.”
“Have you lost your mind?! By what right do you grant Elden his withdrawal? I haven’t forgiven him! What gives you the right-!!”
“Please understand, my Duchess. Before leaving for the Capital, your father, the Grand Duke, entrusted me with full authority over the Betrothal.”
“What?”
“I didn’t forgive him either. But we’ve reached an inevitable conclusion. Lord Elden confessed everything to me. So please, stop this now.”
Lumia, who had yet to begin her vengeance, was being told to halt.
She couldn’t fathom why they insisted she cease, leaving her feeling as though she were fighting a losing battle.
It was a battle destined to fail,
A cry resonating in the void,
Unheard.
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