Chapter 13
Ellen’s hesitation was brief. Rohan had agreed far too easily.
“I’ll do as you wish.”
He hadn’t asked a single question—just accepted her words, as if he trusted her completely.
After promising they’d meet again, Rohan quietly left.
He’s just… leaving? That’s suspicious.
No—she didn’t have time to dwell on that. Ellen quickly called for her maid, Dorothy.
“I want to go to the library.”
“If you tell me the book’s name, I’ll fetch it for you.”
“I want to see what books there are myself. And I’d like to try using this chair—it’d be a waste to just sit in it.”
Ellen tapped the polished, gleaming wheels of her chair.
It was a little ploy to entice the curious young maid.
As expected, Dorothy’s cheeks flushed pink with excitement.
“I’ve been curious too! I’ll take you there safely, Madam.”
Dorothy grasped the handle at the back of the wheelchair and began to push it gently.
“Wow, it moves so smoothly, even with hardly any force. Madam, are you comfortable?”
When Licio had insisted Ellen keep a personal maid with her at all times, she had chosen Dorothy—temporarily—because at least the girl wasn’t openly hostile toward her.
Whether it was ambition for the position or simple eagerness, Dorothy fussed over Ellen’s comfort the entire way to the library.
Once there, Ellen deliberately picked up the thickest, dullest-looking tome she could find and opened it.
For a while, only the soft rustle of pages turning filled the air—until commotion began to leak in from outside.
There was no doubt. Nepharas had poisoned Marmond. Nepharas wasn’t a priest, but the High Priest’s assassin.
Back when Ellen was still the Saint and had grown close to Nepharas—who was often alone—Rohan had warned her, sharing that secret.
And now, the moment Ellen had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Dorothy craned her neck toward the corridor, where hurried footsteps echoed.
Naturally she’d be curious. Dorothy, from what Ellen had observed, was the type to flit about gossiping with everyone—a girl with far too many connections.
Like a little adventurer driven by curiosity. That was why Ellen gave her a command the girl would find irresistible.
“Dorothy, could you go see what’s happening outside?”
“Yes, Madam! I’ll go find out!”
Dorothy sprang away like a coiled spring.
Left alone, Ellen wheeled herself toward the window.
Could I slip out through here?
Her gaze, sharp and cautious, swept the view beyond the glass.
Seeing no one paying attention to her side of the building, she returned to her place and calmly resumed reading, pretending nothing was amiss—until Dorothy returned, cheeks flushed.
“They say the intruder took poison! The whole duchy’s in chaos right now. But don’t worry, Madam—the knights are guarding right outside the library.”
“The intruder… is he dead?”
Ellen held her breath as she waited for the answer.
“Not yet, but I saw him being carried to the infirmary. His face was all bluish—it doesn’t look like he’ll make it. The physician couldn’t even touch him; he didn’t know what kind of poison it was.”
“I see…”
Ellen’s eyes shimmered with an unreadable mix of relief and anxiety.
“The knights are chasing after the priest who left this morning. Oh—oh no, Sir Rohan wouldn’t be in trouble, right? He’ll be fine, won’t he?”
“Sir Rohan never even came into contact with the intruder. He’ll be fine.”
“I hope so.”
Dorothy clasped her hands over her chest like a girl in love.
Wait a second—our “Sir Rohan”? Maybe I can use that to get rid of her…
A glimmer of calculation flickered in Ellen’s green eyes.
“Actually, now that I think about it, I’m worried too. Could you go out and keep watch, just in case?”
“But I should stay and protect you, Madam!”
Dorothy planted her hands on her hips like a knight declaring her duty, chest puffed with pride. To Ellen, though, she looked more like a bothersome little creature—one that needed to be dealt with.
“You said there are knights right outside, didn’t you? If something happens to Sir Rohan, shouldn’t we move quickly to help him? What if they throw him in the dungeon and torture him into a false confession? It’d be too late by then.”
“Tor…torture…?”
Ellen gently took the girl’s hand, her expression softening.
“Dorothy, you’re my legs and my eyes. You know I trust you, don’t you?”
“Madam…”
Dorothy’s eyes welled with emotion as she squeezed Ellen’s hand back.
“Yes, I’ll go. But please stay here, all right? It’s dangerous outside.”
“I couldn’t go anywhere without you anyway.”
Ellen tapped her wheelchair with a mournful expression.
“As your eyes and legs, I’ll do my very best to return quickly! Please wait just a little!”
“No, don’t rush—take your time. I’ll just keep reading until you’re back.”
“Yes, Madam! You can count on me!”
Dorothy’s eyes sparkled as she dashed out.
She’s… kind of cute, Ellen thought absently, then shook her head. No time for that. She had to hurry.
“Let’s begin.”
Gripping the corner of the desk, Ellen braced herself and slowly pushed up.
Her legs trembled, but she forced strength into them.
Finally—she stood.
Determination blazed in her eyes as she turned toward the window.
To Marmond.
To reach the infirmary, she’d have to climb through the window and cut through the thick bushes in the flowerbed below.
She didn’t care that her palms scraped raw—she pressed forward toward her goal.
—
Had they given up on treatment because there was no hope?
When she reached the infirmary, no guards were posted outside.
Ellen gazed down at the bed with cold eyes.
There lay Marmond, barely breathing.
I wish you’d just die already.
But no—like the nightmares of her childhood, he would always come back, clinging to life.
This time, I’ll end it myself.
Ellen clasped Marmond’s darkened arm in her hands.
Just a little—just enough for him to regain consciousness.
Light burst from her palms.
Her divine power—Purification.
Marmond’s eyelids fluttered violently, then opened fully.
Ellen whispered softly, the way she used to when they were children.
“Marmond, it’s me. Ellen.”
But there was no real warmth in her voice. Her false gentleness carried only an eerie chill.
“Wh-what nonsense are you spouting? You’re the Duchess of Devesse!”
“I saved you once, remember? When that snake bit you in the forest—the one with red stripes. You begged me not to tell your friends because you were embarrassed.”
“Wh—what? How do you… know that?”
Ellen’s satisfaction deepened as Marmond’s face went pale.
“I’ve always wanted to tell you—saving you that day was my biggest regret.”
That rescue had been the start of their bond.
Normally, a boy nearly killed by a snake would grow fearful—but Marmond had developed an obsessive fascination instead.
He’d come to her, proudly explaining different species of snakes and their poisons. Ellen had praised him for his courage, for overcoming fear—for being clever.
She hadn’t realized he was preparing to murder their friends.
If only I hadn’t done that…
If only she hadn’t saved this demon in the first place, her friends would still be alive.
The murders of Lina, Ethan, and Becky had shattered Ellen’s world.
Through that vast crack, a darkness long buried deep within her began to emerge—
—the darkness of her mother.
“You bring misfortune. Look at what I’ve become—pitiful and ruined—all because of you, cursed child! You should never have been born!”
“Hide in a corner and don’t even breathe! Don’t do anything! Just disappear!”
Her mother’s cruel voice tore through her mind.
Ellen had spent years defying those words—trying to prove she could do good, that she could be different.
But it had all been a sandcastle. The Marmond incident had swept it all away in an instant.
After that, she’d vowed never to help anyone again. Never to do anything at all.
That was why she’d volunteered to be the Saint of Counsel, the one everyone avoided. Her emotionless existence was her atonement for her dead friends.
“Why did you do it, Marmond? Lina, Ethan, Becky—they were our friends!”
“Wow… it really is you, Ellen. This isn’t a dream, right?”
Slap. Slap. Marmond suddenly struck his own cheeks hard.
Then, realizing it was all real, he smiled—brightly, innocently, like a child.
Ellen’s shoulders twitched.
Because behind that radiant smile… his eyes were filled with a grotesque, feverish obsession.
