BTCATL 13

Chapter 13

I opened my eyes.

I saw the familiar ceiling of my bedroom.

Through the haze in my mind, the unpleasant memories flowed in smoothly.

— I really hate you. I was planning to come find you one day, but thank you for coming instead.

— Actually, I’m the one who poisoned the child.

Ah, right. I was pushed by Sarsha.

Her room was on the fifth floor, the highest part of the mansion excluding the attic. I was pushed from that height.

I moved my arm. Other than a dull headache, my body seemed perfectly fine.

“How…?”

Flutter.

A contract holder’s body—this much I can protect.

A dark red butterfly landed on my shoulder.

“…Ah.”

A spirit of darkness.

Its name was… I’m sure—

“Nyx.”

As I spoke the name, the butterfly fluttered its wings again, as if pleased.

Had I really become a spirit contractor? Me?

Perhaps sensing my disbelief, the butterflies fluttered lightly around me as if to comfort and reassure.

Looking for the mark of the contract?

It’s on your hand.

I looked down at my hands. A black, geometric pattern I didn’t recognize was etched onto my right hand.

Staring quietly at the hand, I slowly clenched it into a fist.

I fell from the fifth floor.

Had I landed headfirst, I would’ve died. Even if not, the height was enough to cause severe injuries.

If I’d fallen without interference—if the spirits hadn’t come to me at that moment—I would’ve been gravely hurt or even killed.

I shivered at the memory of Sarsha’s chilling expression as she watched me fall, hiding behind the Grand Duke.

Her eyes never blinked as she watched me drop. On her lips was a grotesque smile.

— Actually, I’m the one who poisoned the child.

The memory branched further, and I recalled her whispering those words to me right before she pushed me.

Suddenly, nausea surged from deep within me.

“Ugh…”

The butterflies fluttered anxiously around me, as if trying to comfort me through my roiling emotions.

Then—

Bang!

The door burst open without so much as a knock, and someone walked in.

I slowly raised the head I’d buried between my knees.

The Grand Duke stood there.

He was the one who saw me fall from the window but ran to Sarsha instead.

“Asila. Are you… a mage?”

I quietly stared at him.

No ‘Are you alright?’ No concern for my condition. Just questions to satisfy his curiosity. It was laughable. Pathetic. The man who locked me in an attic for a month, who made me suffer through that hellish time, now spoke to me like nothing had happened.

My gaze turned cold. My mind, like a splash of ice water, cleared in an instant. He no longer looked beautiful to me.

“Right before you hit the ground, they say your fall suddenly slowed. You weren’t injured either. It could only be magic. Are you a mage? Do you know how rare that talent is? Why did you hide it?”

“…Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped me.

I loved a man like this?

Any lingering remnants of affection drained from me completely.

The emotional veil that had clouded my vision vanished, leaving only emptiness.

For some reason, he stood there patiently waiting for my answer. I simply stared at him.

Those blue eyes met mine. Once, I’d thought those eyes were beautiful.

Shimmering like the sea, I believed they were the light that saved me.

Saved me? No—dragged me deeper into the mire.

“Ha. Hahaha! Hahahaha!!”

Suddenly, I burst out laughing like a madwoman, overwhelmed by the absurdity of it all.

I slowly rose from the bed. My head throbbed.

My legs gave out slightly, but I staggered toward the Grand Duke.

And then—

Splash!

His blond hair dripped with water, soaked. Water dripped down his stunned face. The cup I’d thrown rolled across the floor.

“What are you doing?”

He ground his teeth as he spoke slowly.

His blue eyes—now revolting—looked at me in surprise and irritation.

Funny. Before, he would’ve lashed out and stormed off. Now he was trying to control his temper. How ridiculous.

“Get out.”

“What…?”

“I said get out.”

When he still didn’t move, I forced a trembling smile and continued.

“You watched as Lady Barté pushed me and I fell, and you just stood there. With what face do you come to see me now?”

“That’s because you provoked Sarsha—”

He continued to blame everything on me. I found it revolting.

“If I had died on the spot, you wouldn’t have cared. Right?”

A wave of hatred engulfed me—so dark I felt it couldn’t go any deeper.

At my question, the composed expression on the Grand Duke’s face finally cracked.

Silence followed.

“…I’ll come back later.”

After staring at me with a ruined expression, he finally turned and fled the room.

Expressionless, I watched the door he closed behind him.

He wouldn’t come back.

Because I planned to leave this place today.

Butterflies fluttered and settled on my shoulders.

Asila, should we kill him?

That man had murderous intent. We can kill him for you.

The butterflies that had been on my shoulders now whispered from my hands.

Why did it feel so loud in my head, as though someone were shouting?

The memory of falling kept replaying.

Sarsha had pushed me with a force that seemed impossible for such a delicate body.

There was nothing to hold on to. Helplessness wrapped around me.

If I hadn’t made a contract with the spirits then, I’d be a cold corpse now.

Sarsha poisoned her own child to frame me, then tried to kill me. And the Grand Duke watched and did nothing.

Nausea surged again.

Asila, should we kill him?

Lost in thought, I suddenly noticed the number of butterflies on my hand had doubled. I flinched.

“No, it’s okay.”

If you want, just say the word.

Yes, we’ll do it for you.

The butterflies flew up and circled me. I stared at my palm where they had been.

‘What… was that just now?’

It felt like I’d been possessed. As if my emotions had flared uncontrollably.

Ding.

The mansion bell rang for 5 PM, snapping me out of my spiraling thoughts.

The fog lifted.

It felt like waking from a dream.

Right. This wasn’t what mattered.

I rose from bed and pulled out a small necklace from my chest. I had held onto it even while falling.

This was the key to the one person who could give me a place to go.

The emerald pendant sparkled in the sunset light filtering through the window.

It was supposed to work only once. So I focused carefully and turned the needle inside in reverse, just as Ledin had told me before he left.

At first, nothing happened.

“…Ah.”

But then, a butterfly landed on the pendant—and a soft light began to glow from it.

A warm green glow, just like the spirits around Ledin—the nymphs—wrapped around me.

And then—

…Asila?

A disbelieving voice came from the softly glowing pendant.

“Ledin.”

For a long while, no other words came from that familiar male voice.

The light meant the artifact was still working. He just wasn’t speaking.

I waited quietly without rushing.

Butterflies began to land on the artifact, curious.

How much time passed?

I heard the faint sound of someone letting out a long breath beyond the pendant.

Not a sigh—more like someone struggling to accept what they were seeing.

Asila.

At the sound of my name again, I swallowed thickly.

“Ledin, you told me to contact you if I changed my mind. Does that still stand?”

Another pause. But not as long this time.

…Of course.

A short, firm answer.

The tension I hadn’t realized I was holding melted away.

The crimson butterflies fluttered around me.

I’ll be there within an hour. The Grand Duke’s estate, right?

I blinked.

I’d wondered if I’d have to stay at an inn after leaving today—but that was unnecessary.

My lips curved upward.

“…Yes.”

Then came the sound of something crashing through the artifact—and the light suddenly went out.

I took a breath and stood.

Now I had somewhere to go.

All that was left was to throw the divorce papers at him.

I placed the artifact on the table and opened a drawer. The butterflies, already hovering nearby, landed gently on the pendant.

I blinked as I looked around the now-tidy room. Before I went to Sarsha’s room, it had been a wreck. Someone must have cleaned it.

The Grand Duke must’ve realized how shameful it looked, even to him.

A few things were missing, but I was leaving anyway.

Sarsha must’ve taken them. But there was one thing she wouldn’t have dared to touch.

Even if she destroyed or threw away everything else, that one thing—she would’ve kept it intact. Because she wanted to shove it in my face every chance she got.

“…Ah.”

I found it.

Rustling papers inside a yellowed, poor-quality envelope.

The divorce documents.

I twisted up one side of my lips.

I flipped through the pages.

— Karl von Ludwig.

The name was stamped in bold handwriting.

How had I felt when I first saw this?

I looked down.

Yes. I’d felt like dying. The person I loved loved someone else. Had a child. A family. And then sent me this paper to cast me out like some contaminant.

I never wanted to feel that helpless agony again—like being stabbed in the chest by a thousand needles.

I’d collapsed in tears.

Yes, I had.

I slowly picked up the pen and filled in the blank signature field.

— Asila von Chelsia.

The first and last time I’d ever sign with my name as a princess.

Feeling something within me crumble, I stood up.

My steps toward the Grand Duke’s office felt so light I surprised even myself. The butterflies followed, fluttering protectively.

I ignored the butler who told me not to disturb the Grand Duke during work.

I no longer needed to worry about anyone.

When I opened the door, the Grand Duke glanced at me, then buried his face back into his paperwork.

So quick to lose interest after asking if I was a mage.