Chapter 39
“What?”
“The reason you so desperately want me—isn’t it because of the power I possess? The power held by the head of the Fenril clan.”
“……”
“Then why do you have no interest whatsoever in the other Fenril children? It’s strange. Why is it only me that you want to possess?”
His tone was emotionless, as if he were merely pointing out something that made no sense to him.
The question itself was unexpected, but what rendered me speechless was Karl’s strangely detached manner of speaking.
He seemed perfectly fine with being turned into a slave himself—but the moment anyone tried to lay claim to the other children, he gave off the vibe that he’d kill them on the spot.
…Well, I should give him an answer for now.
My true answer?
‘Because in my past life, you killed me. So if I want revenge, this time you need to kill your father. He deserves it too—’
—But if I said that, I’d be branded as completely insane.
Still, I couldn’t afford to lie too elaborately either.
Karl was a former crown prince. If he sensed even the smallest inconsistency, he’d see through it immediately.
‘It needs to be a convincing reason why an evil woman like me would only want Karl and not the rest of the Fenril clan.’
But it couldn’t sound too evil either. Otherwise, he might refuse to entrust the children to me.
“……”
But what kind of lie like that even exists?
I put on a haughty expression that said, ‘You don’t get it?’—but inside, I was breaking into a cold sweat.
‘…Yeah, there’s no way. I’ll just go with something shallow and stupid.’
Decision made, I curled my lips into a vain, mocking smile and looked him straight in the eye.
“You’re just really handsome. Exceptionally beautiful, even.”
“What nonsense is that all of a sudden?”
“I didn’t know what you looked like at first. But once I saw your face by chance, I just couldn’t stand it—I had to have you. You’re so beautiful, I couldn’t even sleep. That kind of decadent beauty is rare.”
I was actually being honest about his good looks. Maybe that’s why it sounded surprisingly sincere—even to me.
“Yes. I fell for your face. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about the Fenril clan. That radiant face of yours—that’s the real reason I want you.”
Karl still wore that machine-like expression, completely unreadable. The sight made me anxious.
“I’m the only purifier in this empire. I can have whatever I want. I should have whatever I want.”
With a greedy smile, I grabbed him lightly by the collar and tugged him closer. The pull popped off one of the old buttons on his shirt, sending it clattering to the floor.
“So of course, you belong to me.”
Through the opened shirt, I caught a glimpse of the blood-stained slave brand—and finally snapped back to my senses.
‘I’m the master here, but I’m the one getting pushed around.’
This entire time, Karl had found our conversation boring. His attitude suggested not even a flicker of interest. He was indifferent, while I was desperate—and that made me look like the one beneath him.
I bit the inside of my cheek and tightened my grip on his collar, forcing him to lower his head so that his eyes met mine from below.
Our faces were so close, they nearly touched. His waist bent slightly forward from the pressure.
Looking down at him, I spoke.
“That’s reason enough.”
At last, those red eyes glared back at me. As if he’d never been treated like this before. As if an underling had dared defy him. There was indignation in his eyes.
I responded with a relaxed, playful smile. This was the proper hierarchy between master and slave, after all.
“Don’t ask stupid questions like that again, Karl. It’s not a slave’s place to question why the master wants something. What a slave should concern themselves with—is what the master wants. That’s it.”
[‘Karl’s’ Hatred has decreased. (-5)]
A status window popped up in front of me.
I thought what I said would increase his hatred—but it decreased?
As if to confirm the truth of the system window, there was a faint glimmer of interest in Karl’s red eyes.
Clearly, I couldn’t afford to underestimate this boy.
The children who had been running around at the circus all day had fallen fast asleep, exhausted.
Just then, Gisela arrived in a carriage at the shelter district, having been on standby nearby. Odette carefully moved the sleeping children into the carriage and then spoke to Karl.
“You’re drenched in sweat. We should get you cleaned up. Let’s step outside the shelter for a bit.”
After persuading Karl to leave with her, Odette dipped her feet into the Nemetes River.
The Nemetes was a clean river just thirty minutes from the shelter. And yet, the children were made to drink nothing but stagnant well water there.
Karl was now off washing himself in the river, far enough away to be out of sight.
Odette, alone, carefully pulled a white handkerchief from her sleeve and held it up to the moonlight.
“May the grace and blessing of the gods be with you.”
She had read that short embroidered phrase more than a dozen times.
It was her most precious belonging—both in her past life and this one.
It was so important, she only carried it on days she felt she needed a bit of luck.
‘Though I didn’t expect Charlotte to pick it up later…’
In the game, after Odette was taken to prison, Charlotte ended up finding it by chance at the Count’s estate.
“Lady Odette.”
At the sound of Karl’s voice, Odette quickly folded the handkerchief and tucked it back into her sleeve.
With her feet still in the water, she turned to face him.
Lilac and cherry blossoms scattered in the breeze, making the scene around him feel almost romantic.
“You changed into the clothes I gave you.”
Karl was now wearing the outfit she’d prepared—a white shirt and dark brown trousers that fit him perfectly.
‘You really can’t hide class. Even with just decent clothes, he still looks like a former crown prince.’
“You look good.”
Odette said admiringly.
She wanted Karl to use her.
‘You have so many wishes for the Fenril clan, don’t you? So start calculating how useful this smitten woman standing in front of you could be.’
Karl had many dreams—but nothing to make them come true.
That made Odette like a golden wallet that had suddenly fallen into his lap.
‘Realize how useful your wish-granting master can be.’
And she intended to grant his wishes—one by one—even grander than he ever imagined.
Gradually, so that she could earn his loyalty. Even if that loyalty would shatter the moment Charlotte returned.
“If only your hair were a little shorter. May I cut it for you?”
“Yes, Lady Odette.”
At that, Odette smiled enchantingly and stepped out of the river. The water reflected the night sky so clearly that it looked as though she were lifting her foot out of the Milky Way.
“Sit here.”
She pointed to a fallen tree stump lying nearby.
Snip, snip.
As she trimmed his bangs, she couldn’t help but recall what Karl from Dan-Guwon had been like.
“Want to save a man drowning in despair? Want a golden retriever-like guy whose blind loyalty is all yours? If you want a man molded from pure devotion, Karl is your answer♡”
Karl’s route had been easy and simple. Do a few good deeds for the Fenril clan, and you were done. That was it.
Even if, in the reverse harem route, you were caught with another male lead—so long as you picked the Fenril-related choices, everything would be fine.
Plus, once he gave his loyalty to someone, he had a nature to devote himself blindly.
There wasn’t a single trait in him that couldn’t be used for revenge.
‘Compared to my past life, he’s like a completely different person.’
Especially compared to the Karl she met in the detached garden back then. The one who had intimidated people even while wearing rags. The Karl of her previous life.
With a beastly presence befitting the reputation of the wolf clan. A savage spirit that would never be tamed, even if it cost him his life.
But now—he was so docile.
It was almost like watching a wolf trying to act like a lapdog.
‘So the fact that the Fenril children didn’t die made that much of a difference.’
Glancing up at the night sky, she began to finish trimming his hair.
Soon, the event she had been waiting for would begin.
