Chapter 22
“If you’re not going to fight with your mouth, then keep it shut. And if you make me suffer by having another nightmare even once, I’ll destroy you, even if it means tearing your blade from your hands. Understand?”
I shouted with all my strength, determined not to lose to the Blade.
-
A nightmare? What are you talking about? And even if you cut off my hand, you’d destroy me…!
After confirming that I was not in any real danger, the Blade pop! vanished.
“It must be frustrating to live without even saying what you want.”
Still, showing itself and scaring its owner just whenever it wants was wrong behavior.
‘I need to train it properly from the start.’
I stared at my empty hands, made my resolve, and got down from the bed.
Just then, the door opened, and Faber appeared.
“I heard voices, so I came. You’re awake, huh?”
“Ah… Father.”
Even when our eyes met several times at the pre-engagement party, it had been awkward and uncomfortable, but being in the same room like this made me feel suffocated.
“I’ll go now. I’m sorry for troubling you.”
“His Highness the Crown Prince instructed that he be informed as soon as you wake up. Until then, it seems you’ll have to stay here.”
Faber dragged a chair over and sat down, clearly with a lot to say.
“The fact that you’re here is unknown even to Duke Racton. I stopped him from picking you up from the greenhouse and putting you in the royal carriage. He couldn’t bring a married woman to the palace of the unmarried Crown Prince.”
Faber frowned, as if to urge me to reflect and feel remorse.
“Don’t worry, Father. His Highness the Crown Prince and I are not involved in that way.”
“That’s good. If you disappoint Duke Racton, you won’t survive.”
He meant that I must never become involved with Valentine, who was now engaged to Aileen.
The funny thing was that his advice wasn’t for my sake at all.
Faber valued himself above his daughter and would even sacrifice his own life for his son, Rotaine.
‘He only doted on his son.’
Even though losing their mother at a young age was equally tragic for the siblings, Faber only demanded sacrifices from me, his eldest daughter.
Helping my younger brother and doing household chores was tolerable because it was physically exhausting, but helping with the Duke’s affairs was a different matter.
The young sons of the Duke, curious and full of desires, could do something wicked at any moment, yet Faber expected me to come to the Duke’s mansion daily to assist.
‘Maybe Faber wanted me to become Frederick’s mistress. That would’ve given Rotaine power too.’
If I had a son with Frederick, the Duke’s eldest, it would be like giving wings to Rotaine, the future steward.
I looked at Faber with a face full of hatred, then forced a bitter smile.
“I heard that Rotaine, who ran away, has returned. It seems Duke Racton doesn’t know yet. That’s probably why he didn’t attend Princess Aileen’s engagement pre-party.”
“Oh? Where did you hear that? So it’s true, Rotaine’s back?”
“Several people have seen him. Soon Duke Racton will know too.”
Once the future steward is known to have run away and refuses to learn the Duke’s affairs, the Duke’s wrath will be inevitable.
“Before the Duke hears the rumors, you’ll either have to send Rotaine away or bring him back. The Duke doesn’t spare the useless, right? So you know that Rotaine, and even Father, won’t survive if left unchecked.”
“… I see. But Clarissa…”
Faber’s sharp gaze fixed on me as he tried to leave the room.
“Why?”
“You’ve changed. You’ve become different from before. It must be because of Baron Craig causing you such distress.”
“I did marry against your wishes, and my relationship with Damon isn’t great, that’s true. But Father, do you know this?”
“…….”
“Life is much better than before the marriage. Isn’t that a relief?”
My words seemed to strike him like a dagger; he frowned at me for a moment.
“You’re becoming just like him.”
Just like Damon? How dare he say that! Before I could retort, Faber left the room.
I wanted to leave immediately, but returning to Middletown also felt uncomfortable. I didn’t want to face Damon right now.
‘Even if I hate him, how could I give him to another man?’
Treating a wife like an object! My tolerance had completely vanished.
“Good thing I hid the seal and the ledger.”
I intercepted the Magic Blade that Damon intended as an engagement gift for Valentine, fully preparing for the possibility that I might not return to the Middletown estate for a while.
If Damon showed interest in the ledger, the steward would say exactly what I instructed: not a hint of curiosity.
If Damon got angry and demanded a divorce, I would negotiate alimony. Of course, I had no intention of being thrown out empty-handed.
‘If he wants the wasteland near the magic gem mine, he’ll have to negotiate with me.’
The wasteland I purchased was traversed by a shallow yet wide stream.
Every rain brought down gold, magic gems, and magical items from the gem mines into the streambed.
Since this was a story-world, rare magical items were easy to find.
The most impressive was a mirror.
It distorted the faces of those who lied, which I thought could be very useful.
‘If Damon refuses to pay a high price for the wasteland, I don’t have to sell. I already have enough money.’
By separating gold and gems by type, I could live lavishly. Magical items would be used for my protection.
If Damon wanted to buy the land, I could demand a huge sum and also ask for the Middletown estate and its annexed lands.
I didn’t want to give him the Middletown estate I had nurtured. He hardly ever came home anyway, so the house was useless to him.
I imagined myself laying on a seaside terrace, drinking cool cocktails, enjoying the rest of my life, feeling content.
Feeling restless inside the room, I prepared for a walk and left the Merciem manor.
Everyone had gone to the royal palace for Aileen’s engagement, so there was no danger.
Humming a tune, I walked along the forest path, getting carried away until I realized I had wandered far from the estate.
“Time to go back.”
Just as I was about to return to Merciem manor, the Magic Blade appeared with a buzzing sound, its blue edge flashing.
“What’s happening?”
At that moment, the bushes shook violently. I tensed, thinking someone might attack.
“Grrrrrr.”
It was a wolf revealing itself among the shaking bushes.
“Ah! It’s you!”
It was clearly the wolf leader I had encountered at the secret trading post in the canyon.
I approached happily, but the Magic Blade slashed the air.
-
I’ll kill it! I’ll destroy it!
The Blade tried to strike the wolf’s vital points, making my hands swing wildly.
“Grrr! Grrraah!”
The wolf lowered its body, showing its teeth, surprised by my sudden attacks.
“Hey! Magic Blade! Calm down. It’s my friend!”
I grabbed my wrist with the other hand, trying to stop the Blade.
-
Friend? That’s impossible.
The only way to control the Blade was to grip its hilt.
Thanks to the Blood Rite, the Blade couldn’t harm its owner, but holding the blue steel made me dizzy.
I had no choice; I couldn’t let the wolf get hurt.
“Ugh!”
As I grabbed the Blade, sparks flew. The Blade vanished, then reappeared.
-
Why did you do that? I could’ve been hurt.
“My friend was about to die. This isn’t a danger, you idiot!”
Luckily, my hand was fine.
-
Is that so? Hmph!
The Blade disappeared from my hand.
“Phew… You really can’t tell front from back, can you?”
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and approached the wolf.
[Sorry. I found a new magical item, but I haven’t trained it yet, so there were mistakes.]
I showed my empty hands, and the wolf sniffed at me.
[Carrying such a dangerous thing. What were you thinking, human?]
[By the way, you’ve become really beautiful.]
It didn’t seem like something fitting for a wolf leader larger than an adult human, but to me, it was beautiful.
It had clearly eaten well; its fur shone, and its previously thin body was now muscular.
[Thanks to you, I’ve rested well and eaten well. You look good too. But why are you here? The inside of this forest is dangerous.]
Since relocating to the Racton Duke’s territory, the wolf had been scouting for danger.
As expected of a wolf leader.
[What’s inside the forest?]
[Dangerous. There’s a bad smell there. The smell of blood. The scent of fear. Grrrr.]
People are killing in the Duke’s forest? Why?
A sudden flash of realization made me shiver.
“Duke Racton is also a slave trader. He exterminated the Rochenka once and took all the servants as prisoners!”
He had lied about killing the rebels, but actually imprisoned them to sell as slaves, drawing blood from the pure-blood children for magic experiments.
Damon had been one of them, but luckily escaped before it was his turn.
That had been long ago.
If he wanted to sell people into slavery for debt, why would he confine them in the forest?
Piecing it together, I widened my eyes.
‘Maybe Duke Racton is still experimenting to break the seal of the Magic Tome!’
If my guess was right, the Magic Tome Damon sought would be where the wolf said.
‘Since I now own the Magic Blade, maybe I’ll get the Magic Tome too.’
Getting the tome won’t be easy, but knowing its location might make it manageable.
I looked at the wolf.
