Chapter 43
At first, I thought it was him.
I really believed he had finally come to find me.
But when I barely managed to open my eyes, the face that appeared before me was the last one I ever wanted to see again—even in my nightmares.
It was Lotron.
“…!”
“Hello, Hestia. It’s been such a long time. Judging by the look on your face, you must be happy to see me too. You sly little thing.”
He smiled with all his gleaming teeth, his eyes fixed on me.
He looked like a predator closing in on his prey.
Bea…!
I tried to call for Beatrice, but no sound came out of my mouth.
“There’s no need to waste your strength, Hestia. You won’t be able to speak. I hope you’re ready to pay the price for all the trouble you’ve caused me, my dear daughter.”
I realized something had changed about Lotron.
He was still revolting, still repulsive—those things hadn’t changed—but there was something new, something animalistic about him that sent a chill down my spine.
I’d been close to him before, but never had he smelled like this.
It made me wonder—what had gone wrong?
His face, however, remained as polished as ever—a handsome middle-aged man, just as before. In fact, it seemed smoother, almost too perfect, as if even the wrinkles had vanished.
A strange thought crossed my mind: had he made a deal with a demon, offering his own body in exchange?
I tried to focus and steady myself, but it was difficult.
Eventually, my eyelids grew heavy, and I drifted back into unconsciousness.
Luzenvik…
The name clung to my lips, though it never became a sound.
✦
When I awoke, I was in my room at the Meidern estate.
The same room Hestia had stayed in before entering the palace.
It was a small relief that I still had those memories. At least I hadn’t lost everything.
Well… things could be worse. I’ve read plenty of stories where people wake up in someone else’s body with no memories at all and end up suffering miserably.
I turned my head to get a grasp on what had happened—but of all people, the first person I locked eyes with was Lotron.
Apparently, he hadn’t left my side.
I shot him a fierce glare. He stared back, then let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
“Hestia. You’re acting so out of character. What happened to you? Did the king dote on you so much that he told you to behave this way? Or did you come up with this on your own?”
He rambled on nonsense, but I had no desire to respond.
I turned my head away, pretending not to hear.
“I’m talking to you!”
He raised his voice in anger.
The old Hestia would have flinched and trembled whenever he did that. But I knew better now.
He was the type to strike and wound, yes—but not the type to kill.
I was far too valuable to him.
I was a crucial asset, someone who could influence the future of this family.
Even Lotron wouldn’t be so stupid as to kill me.
He seemed startled by my lack of fear.
As time passed, the confusion on his face only deepened.
It wasn’t hard to guess why he’d brought me back.
He couldn’t just let things slide after I’d put him in prison.
“If I were you, I’d be groveling on my knees, begging for forgiveness with tears in my eyes. Honestly, Hestia, I always knew you were a fool, but I didn’t think you were this stupid. You’ve really surprised me.”
“Well, I am your daughter after all. And didn’t I warn you? You refused to listen and ended up imprisoned. How was it, by the way? Comfortable enough? You held out pretty long. I almost thought you enjoyed it.”
“…!”
His brow furrowed, and the veins in his eyes began to bulge.
Oddly enough, he hadn’t lashed out yet.
No yelling. No beating.
Instead, he was working hard to hold back his temper.
“What’s wrong? Did your time in prison make you reflect on your life? Have a change of heart? Planning to live a righteous life now? That’s not like you. People don’t change overnight.”
If I was going to be hit anyway, I figured I might as well speak my mind.
But to my surprise, he didn’t hit me.
Instead, he dragged a chair toward me and sat down, glaring.
“Hestia. I have something to tell you.”
Those words never led anywhere good.
“First of all, I need to thank you.”
“Now that’s unlike you. You used me all this time and never once said thank you. I thought you were incapable of expressing gratitude.”
He chuckled.
“Just listen. Once you hear what I have to say, you’ll understand just how incredible a thing you’ve done. And why I had to tell you this myself.”
I didn’t want to even look at him. Just being in the same space made my skin crawl.
But he wouldn’t give up.
Then I caught a strange, unnatural scent and turned to look.
What I saw shocked me so much that I leapt up and stumbled backward.
His body was changing—thick, coarse fur was sprouting from his skin, and his mouth was elongating into a beast’s snout.
The transformation was slow.
I saw his eyes shift, watched the change unfold in real time.
“Now you’re finally willing to listen, Hestia.”
He tried to smile, but his face no longer had the muscles to make that expression.
“This is all thanks to you. That’s why I’m so grateful.”
“…!”
I couldn’t understand what was happening to him.
His body continued to transform—but he didn’t drop to all fours.
I had never seen a beast up close, and I couldn’t even tell if he had become a fox, a wolf, or something else.
His arms remained attached to his shoulders, his legs covered in fur but still upright.
Only his eyes were unchanged—still disturbingly human.
Drool dripped from his open jaws, long fangs exposed.
I stared at him in disbelief, then turned away in revulsion.
“I didn’t want this kind of power. I rejected it when they first offered. But in the end, I couldn’t refuse. You pushed me to this. Isn’t that incredible, Hestia? That you could make me like this?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Don’t blame your greed on me. You made this choice.”
“You call me ‘you’ now? That’s a first. So rude to your father. You were never like this before. What happened to you?”
Apparently bored of my reaction, he returned to his original form.
The disgusting stench lessened slightly.
“You made a contract with a demon, didn’t you? Something like that wouldn’t be possible with ordinary magic. You don’t even have magical talent.”
“Then how do you think I came to get you?”
“You could’ve used a magical artifact.”
“Smart guess. But since you seem clueless, I’ll explain. Hestia, I never imagined someone would be foolish enough to imprison me. I let my guard down. Sitting in that cell, I realized how powerless I really was. I couldn’t get out on my own. So, I summoned the demon I had already made a deal with.”
I wasn’t even surprised anymore.
If anything, it made perfect sense.
Maybe it was naïve, but I had always thought someone as cruel and vile as Lotron couldn’t be just human.
“They offered me power. In exchange, I became a half-beast. I only change when I want to, so it’s not too bad. And convincing the others to help me escape wasn’t hard. I was just scared of being stuck there forever without any power.”
“You brought me here just to tell me you were scared? You didn’t have anyone else to confide in in this giant mansion? You could’ve just kept it to yourself. I don’t care about you in the slightest.”
He laughed and shook his head.
“I had a lot of time to think in there, Hestia. I thought of all the ways I could punish you. I considered killing you. But you’re too useful for that. Especially now, when the King still longs for you. I have to admit, you were clever. Disappearing from his sight and making him desperate.”
He rambled on, convinced that I had orchestrated everything just to win the King’s heart back.
