Chapter 26
“This child is Iris. My precious only daughter and the youngest in our family.”
Cecil looked at the girl lying in bed.
The child’s pale platinum hair was matted with sweat and scattered in all directions. Her deeply sunken eyes were tightly shut.
Her cracked lips were dry, and her ragged breathing was unstable.
She appeared to be around the same age as Cecil, but instead of looking chubby or healthy, her limbs were thin and her skin lifeless.
Even without any medical knowledge, it was obvious she was very sick.
The Count looked down at his daughter with a bitter expression, and finally, his eyes grew red with tears.
“Just half a year ago, she was such a bright and healthy child, but because of my mistake… Rish, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, dear.”
The Countess hugged him. The Count leaned into her, sobbing softly until he barely managed to calm down.
“What do you think, teacher? Do you see a way to break the curse?”
Cecil observed the child closely and gently took her thin wrist.
‘Something feels off.’
As Cecil’s expression grew more serious, the Count’s anxiety grew.
“Teacher?”
“Please leave the room. I’d like to be alone with the child.”
She didn’t even turn to look at him as she spoke.
“What? But… leaving a sick child alone with a stranger is a bit…”
“It won’t take long.”
Cecil’s voice was laced with annoyance. When she was concentrating on something, her tone naturally became curt and irritable—it was just her habit.
“You want to lift your daughter’s curse, don’t you? This is the only way to learn something from her. I swear I won’t do anything dangerous or harmful to her.”
The Count hesitated, but his desperation to save his daughter eventually won out.
“Then… I’ll be right outside. Please call me when you’re done.”
Soon the Count and Countess stepped out of the room. Cecil pulled a chair close and sat beside Iris.
“You know too, don’t you, Nibelung?”
When Cecil called softly, Nibelung responded.
[Yes… There is no trace of a curse on this child.]
Cecil crossed her arms and looked down at the girl.
Something about it all left a bad feeling in her gut. It felt like something far worse than a curse was hiding inside this child.
“She’s far too thin. Just like… just like I was before I went to the Duke’s manor.”
‘Yes, just like when I was neglected by the palace staff and bullied by my siblings.’
Cecil gently took Iris’s hand. Then she closed her eyes and began chanting a spell.
Psychometry—a spell to read the memories imprinted on a body.
Iris lost her birth mother to illness when she was five. Two years later, her father brought home a woman and her son.
“Rish, you must have been very lonely, haven’t you? Without your mother, and with me constantly away on business trips…”
Her father patted her head with a regretful expression and said,
“I’ve brought new family so you won’t be lonely anymore. This is your new mother and older brother. Say hello.”
“So you’re Rish. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You’re even cuter than I imagined!”
Iris didn’t feel strongly one way or the other about her new stepmother and stepbrother. If her beloved father liked them, that was enough for her.
“Hello, I look forward to living with you.”
But things didn’t go well.
As soon as her father married the woman and went on a trip, the stepmother, Maria, completely changed.
“Get your lazy butt up and start cleaning! Can’t even handle this little bit of work? Useless, completely useless!”
Her stepbrother Linton, who had acted like a model student in front of their father, began bringing women to the house and going out drinking as soon as their father left.
“Being the son of Count O’Neil is awesome. I can run up tabs anywhere, and they still serve me. My mom’s a genius. Right?”
While cleaning the hallway, Iris once saw Linton leading a group of friends toward one of the rooms.
“No! That’s Mom’s room! It’s full of her keepsakes!”
“What? Why give a perfectly good room to a dead person? Rooms are meant to be used.”
“I won’t let you!”
Iris clung to Linton, and he shoved her away. She fell to the floor, and Linton’s friends laughed.
“You’re getting defiant now? Looks like you need some discipline from your big brother.”
From that day on, Linton began hitting her. He seemed experienced at it, knowing exactly how to inflict pain without leaving visible marks.
“If you snitch to your dad, you’re dead. I’ll smash all your mom’s things to pieces. Got it?”
Even so, Iris endured.
Her body and heart were in constant pain. She lived on a single piece of bread and a glass of water each day, working endlessly, always hungry and exhausted.
But if it meant protecting her mother’s room and belongings… that was enough for Iris.
She couldn’t say a word to her father. Linton’s threats played a part, but more than that, she knew how deeply her father had grieved after losing her mother. She didn’t want to burden him with more sorrow.
And so she endured, day after day—until her body finally gave out.
Malnourished, sleep-deprived, overworked, and beaten, Iris collapsed and fell ill.
Her father, Count O’Neil, returned home two days later after a long business trip.
Cecil opened her eyes. For a moment, she said nothing, trying to catch her breath.
Once she managed to calm her breathing, the first words out of her mouth were—
“Filthy bastards.”
A vein pulsed briefly on her jaw before disappearing.
There was no curse.
The witch of the Mantis Forest hadn’t cursed Iris. She had simply given Count O’Neil a warning.
That his daughter was in danger. That if things went on as they were, she would soon die.
And the ones more vile than any curse were still in this mansion, parading around in human skin, pretending to be decent.
Nibelung’s voice came, full of concern.
[Are you alright, Cecil? You may have pushed yourself too hard.]
Only then did Cecil realize that not only was her breathing labored, but her entire body was drenched in sweat.
She had used so much mana that even her disguise spell had unraveled, returning her to the appearance of an eight-year-old.
“It’s fine. Barely thirty minutes have passed.”
Cecil deliberately forced her tone to be composed and recast her disguise to return to her adult form.
“We need to call Count O’Neil.”
[What are you going to do, Cecil?]
“Obviously… I’m going to make those wretches pay for their sins.”
Cecil twisted her lips into a crooked smile.
Shortly after, Cecil returned to Iris’s room with the Count and Countess.
“Have you found a way to help Rish?”
“Can our child be healthy again?”
Cecil turned to them with a warm, reassuring smile.
“Yes, I’ve found a way to lift your daughter’s curse.”
“Oh, thank the heavens!”
“Please, do it quickly!”
The Countess dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief as she spoke.
“I haven’t slept at all since she got sick, I’ve been so worried. I can’t imagine how much my poor little girl has suffered, enduring this curse alone… Just thinking about it breaks my heart.”
‘Shameless. You’re one of the ones who caused Iris this pain.’
Cecil looked at the Countess with cold eyes.
The Countess had been deceptive enough to fool the Count into marrying her, and her acting skills were first-rate. Most people wouldn’t even suspect that she didn’t genuinely care about her stepdaughter.
“Of course, I’ll restore your daughter’s health right away. But first, I need you to gather everyone in this room—your whole family, the butler, the head maid, and three strong men.”
“What? The butler, head maid, and some men?”
“To lift the curse on Miss Iris, I need the power of those who love her. Now, please hurry.”
