Chapter: 232
As Yoon Si-woo left his room and made his way back, Sylvia was quietly gazing out the window when a clattering sound nearby caught her attention.
Was someone cleaning up the leftovers from earlier?
Sebastian, pushing a trailer loaded with trays from the direction of her room, spotted Sylvia and bowed his head.
“Seeing you come from that direction, it seems you were treating Yoon Si-woo. How was it? Did he seem a little better?”
“…No, unfortunately not.”
“I see… Yoon Si-woo really needs to get better soon…”
With a bitter expression, Sebastian mumbled out loud like that.
Sylvia recognized that his concern was not solely for Yoon Si-woo’s condition.
Though he tried to act indifferent, she could see his gaze flickering between her and the untouched food.
With a hint of a smile, Sylvia opened her mouth to share her thoughts on his deep concern.
“Sebastian, could you please reheat that? I’m getting hungry since I haven’t eaten.”
“…! Reheat it? No way! That’s food for you, my lady; I can’t do that. I’ll ask the head chef to prepare something completely new. Please wait a bit longer.”
Was she really that happy about just wanting a meal?
Seeing Sebastian’s cheerful demeanor, as if he had released his worries, made Sylvia stifle a smile of her own.
Just like a dagger hidden inside her clothes, she needed to conceal her other intentions from him.
Because he worried about her so much, she couldn’t let him discover what she was planning.
I’m sorry, Sebastian, she thought quietly as he hurried off to bring her meal.
This meal would be the last one before escaping the mansion.
The concealed dagger shone coldly.
*
Waiting for Sebastian to bring her meal, Sylvia recalled the scenery she had observed on her way back to her room.
The reason she scrutinized the view outside was to check the placement of the guards monitoring the entire mansion.
From what she confirmed, it seemed around ten guards were stationed in both the front and back yards.
With that many fully focused on surveillance, sneaking out undetected seemed almost impossible.
The moment she made a move to escape, they would surely try to stop her.
There was no way to avoid a confrontation.
Though they’d likely try to restrain her without severe injuries, she understood that she could easily end up hurt herself.
…Could she really take them on?
As she pondered the possibilities in her mind, Sylvia clenched her fists and shook her head.
No, this was not the time to feel weak.
What was the point of all the intense training she had undergone?
In times of dire need, she did not want to feel powerless.
So could she? Rather, she could.
What she needed to focus on now was that line of thought.
It wasn’t about having confidence for no reason.
Among the stories passed down about heroes, there is one that states heroes grow stronger after overcoming adversity.
It’s not just some psychological story; there are actual cases where heroes evolve and become stronger after experiencing extreme situations.
And perhaps because she had recently thought she never wanted to experience again the feeling of blood on her hands after Scarlett took a blow from a demonic beast in her stead,
Sylvia felt that she had crossed some mental barrier.
So even if faced with multiple foes, if she was completely ready, she believed she could find a way to escape.
However, it was still uncertain to assert the odds of winning, considering the condition of being “fully prepared.”
“Huh…”
Looking down at the anklet around her ankle, Sylvia exhaled quietly.
From her earlier experience, she realized that the biggest obstacle to escaping the mansion was this magical tool.
Even stepping just outside the mansion with these shackles would make it impossible to fight or escape.
So she had to do something about this anklet, and there was only one method she could think of.
To remove it, along with the ankle it was bound to.
“…”
Feeling her hands tremble slightly, Sylvia closed her eyes tightly.
Deciding to sever her own body was not an easy decision.
But Sylvia remembered.
Scarlett had willingly sacrificed an arm to protect people.
Scarlett had thrown her life away to save her.
So if the price to rescue her was just one ankle…
“…It’s just an ankle.”
Opening her eyes slowly with resolution, Sylvia reached for the drawer.
Inside were the bandages she’d kept for training and emergency medical supplies.
Although it was not advisable to use this medicine too often, its effectiveness was high enough to stop any bleeding.
Even without one ankle, she could still move using flying spells.
She figured she’d figure out how to handle the battle and whatever came after.
In the worst-case scenario, she could always get a prosthetic leg later, so if she were going to do this, there was no need to hesitate.
“My lady, I’ve brought your meal.”
“…Yes, come in.”
As she steeled her resolve in silence, she responded as Sebastian’s voice came through with a knock on the door, closing the drawer.
For now, food was the priority.
Whatever she planned to do next, she needed to restore her strength by eating well.
Feeling an even stronger hunger because she thought she needed it, Sylvia dove into her meal as soon as Sebastian laid it out.
Seeing her enjoyment of the meal seemed to lighten Sebastian’s mood as he spoke cheerfully.
“I don’t know if there’s been a change of heart, but you look much happier than before. I’m glad to see your appetite has returned.”
“…Uh, I was just hungry.”
Blushing slightly, Sylvia replied, feeling a bit embarrassed at being caught.
What could she do?
With the way things were, who knew when she’d have a proper meal again after this?
So, thinking it would be a waste not to eat as much as possible, she polished off her meal.
As Sebastian retrieved a cup, he asked.
“I prepared tea and dessert for you as well; would you like some?”
“…I’ll have some.”
It would probably take him a while to clear away the meal, and she figured having a cup of tea wouldn’t hurt, so Sylvia nodded.
As he handed her the treat, she perked up her ears and asked him.
“…Why do you have macaroons ready? You usually say too much sugar isn’t good for your health.”
“Well, a little now and then won’t hurt, right? Besides, it’s your favorite snack. I prepared chamomile tea.”
“I’ll enjoy it…”
Although Sylvia was filled with worries about what was to come, taking a sip of tea and biting into the macaron made her expression bloom with joy.
Just as she was nearly finished with the delicious treats, she heard a sudden remark from Sebastian.
“By the way, there was a time you got to eat macaroons to your heart’s content. That Scarlett lady made them for you every day while she was here. I never guessed she was a witch! Turns out everyone was calling her an evil witch.”
Sylvia’s face stiffened at the unexpected mention of Scarlett.
Was he going to criticize her too?
Would he say that she shamelessly lived in the mansion while being the enemy of Astra?
Not wanting to hear Sebastian’s negative opinion about Scarlett, Sylvia bit her lip tightly.
“Well, regardless of what others think, I don’t view her that way. That Scarlett girl had a good personality; she wasn’t bad at all.”
After pausing for a moment, she was taken aback by Sebastian’s follow-up words but eventually looked at him with a blank expression.
“…Really, you think so?”
“Of course! That lady was so annoying, always pestering me to repay my debts by asking about my favorite things. She was someone who knew how to return kindness. There’s no way a person like that could be bad.”
That was exactly right.
How her heart ached watching people dismiss Scarlett just because she was labeled as a witch.
At that moment, Sylvia had to restrain herself from nodding vigorously in agreement when Sebastian continued.
“Moreover, I remember that when she was around, you, my lady, smiled the brightest. She must have been a precious friend to you, right?”
Those words hit Sylvia hard, and with a gasp, she bowed her head.
And then, slowly, she nodded deeply as she confirmed.
“…Yes, that’s right. Scarlett is kinder than anyone and sweeter than anyone else.”
Seeing Sylvia for a moment, Sebastian then reached into the trailer and pulled something out, presenting it to her.
Sylvia, surprised by the sudden appearance of the bundle, asked.
“…What is this?”
“Just something I thought you might need.”
“Where would I…?”
Sebastian answered Sylvia’s puzzled inquiry about his sudden behavior.
“Aren’t you going to go rescue her?”
At those words, Sylvia froze, her body going rigid.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.