Chapter 21
“Huh? Young Master Ascelt?”
Maybel, who had been sitting quietly in her chair, turned around.
In midair, Ascelt’s pale white eyes met Maybel’s red ones directly.
But…
Nothing happened.
Well, of course it didn’t.
Ascelt had long since learned how to control his ability.
It wasn’t perfect, but he was confident he wouldn’t make a mistake.
Even so, people never trusted him.
- “They say a basilisk turns its own mother to stone the moment it’s born, right?”
- “That’s why they often lose their mothers. The child kills her.”
Some members of the grand ducal family loved to repeat baseless rumors they’d picked up somewhere.
Utter nonsense.
A basilisk’s power grows stronger as it matures.
Ascelt, still a boy, could at most petrify someone for a few hours.
When they first hatched, their eyes were even covered by a membrane, making it impossible to use their power at all.
Anyone who had even glanced around the black market—or the recently booming beastfolk trade—would know this.
But the grand ducal family didn’t.
Because they were “good people” who didn’t buy or sell beastfolk.
In these times, studying beastfolk traits was seen as something only traffickers did, so even the servants never bothered to learn for Ascelt’s sake.
But just because someone is a good person doesn’t mean they’re good to everyone.
Sometimes, people who are too good end up hurting others.
Because of that contradiction, Ascelt was always lonely—always isolated.
Even when he got Kellick’s consent, turned someone to stone, and then safely brought them back, nothing changed.
All anyone cared about was that he had taken off his blindfold.
Sigmund, who understood this, once offered to warn people on his behalf, but Ascelt shook his head.
That would only make it seem like people were enduring him out of obedience to Sigmund’s orders.
That wasn’t what Ascelt wanted.
He wanted people to meet his gaze without flinching.
To approach him without first checking whether he wore his blindfold.
He wanted to be treated normally.
He wouldn’t even mind being discriminated against for being beastfolk—
he just didn’t want to be treated like a monster too terrifying to even approach.
But even that is probably too much to ask.
So the reason Maybel was now frozen in place, eyes wide…
…was probably because she was too shocked.
When she was truly scared, she couldn’t even speak—barely even breathe.
Just like the first day.
After all, facing both his unattractive face and a basilisk’s eyes—
freezing up was only natural.
Since the outcome of this “test” was obvious, Ascelt began to turn his head away.
“Is it okay if you don’t wear your blindfold?”
“…What?”
Startled, he looked back.
Maybel was hopping lightly in place.
“It’s real. I didn’t turn to stone.”
She opened and closed her hands, checking them, then asked again:
“Can you control your power?”
And she asked while staring straight into his white eyes.
It was Ascelt who froze this time.
This… wasn’t what he expected.
He thought she would scream.
He thought she would cry in someone’s arms.
But Maybel didn’t scream, didn’t cry, didn’t call for anyone.
She simply looked at him clearly—and stepped closer.
“Y-you… aren’t you scared of me?”
As Ascelt stepped back, Maybel suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Where have I heard that before?
Thinking for a moment, she soon realized—
- “C-can you see me…?”
It was similar to what she had once said to Sigmund.
That moment when someone had met her gaze and answered her for the first time.
The moment she couldn’t believe they were truly having a conversation, and kept asking again and again.
Remembering that, Maybel smiled softly and nodded.
“When our eyes met, I didn’t turn to stone. That means you don’t intend to turn me into stone. So I’m not scared.”
In fact, she added that he looked really handsome without the blindfold, and moved closer as much as he stepped back—
“Ah!”
Crash!
A sharp shattering sound came from the doorway.
A maid carrying a tray of teacups had dropped it in shock at the sight of Ascelt without his blindfold.
Startled by the noise, Ascelt’s power activated for an instant.
“Ugh…!”
It was a mistake.
But in a hurry, Ascelt looked not at the maid, but at the floor—
and his power reflected off the fallen silver tray, turning back toward him.
“Ah—Young Master, your leg!”
As a result, Ascelt’s lower body turned to stone.
“…Damn.”
The petrification would wear off after some time.
But that wasn’t the problem.
“Aaaah!”
The maid, who had almost been turned to stone, screamed and called for others.
She was one of those who feared Ascelt’s power.
“What happened?”
“What’s going on—?!”
Hearing the crash and the scream, people quickly gathered.
And all of them saw—
Ascelt, with his legs turned to stone.
The expressions of those who were always kind instantly stiffened—twisting into fear.
“W-wait! It’s okay! It’s because—!”
Maybel tried to explain, but it was useless.
“Aaaah!”
“S-someone help!”
People panicked at the sight of Ascelt and ran out.
Fear spread quickly, and no one tried to understand what had actually happened.
They shoved each other in their rush to escape, knocking into things—
and the activity room descended into chaos.
Crash! Bang!
Glass shattered from tables, chairs toppled over.
“Eek…!”
The noise, like a battlefield, made Maybel cover her ears and crouch down.
Meanwhile, facing both the chaos and the fear head-on, Ascelt’s heart began to beat erratically.
Calm down… calm down…!
No matter how much he told himself, it didn’t help.
Behind his tightly shut eyelids, the image of the maid frozen in fear—and the terrified faces of others—remained vivid.
Their screams, their desperate escape—
the very things he never wanted to face carved deep wounds into him.
“Hng…!”
He clutched his eyes.
It wasn’t his imagination.
His eyes burned as if they were on fire.
His basilisk power was going out of control.
“…!”
Something warm trickled through his fingers.
Tears?
No—
it smelled metallic.
“…Blood?”
“Y-Young Master…?!”
Maybel, still on the floor, saw the blood running down his hand and gasped.
She’s still here?
Startled, Ascelt pressed harder against his eyes and shouted:
“Don’t come any closer!”
“B-but you’re bleeding—!”
“I said don’t come!”
He gritted his teeth and yelled.
Because his legs were stone, he couldn’t even leave.
Everything was a mess.
I just wanted to tear off that mask she’s wearing…
He didn’t even know how things had turned out like this.
More than anything, this loss of control was something even he had never experienced before.
What if he lost his sight?
What if he could never see again?
Then suddenly—
a strange sense of déjà vu surfaced.
As if… this had happened once before.
Have I… lost control before?
That question broke something open—
like a cracked dam collapsing, forgotten memories of a past rampage flooded back.
“My head… it feels like it’s splitting…!”
Blood pooled in his palms, mixing with tears.
Then—
tap, tap, tap.
The sound of light footsteps stepping over broken glass approached.
They were heading straight toward him.
When the footsteps stopped right in front of him—
he caught a faint scent.
A soft, baby-like smell.
Something warm and small touched the back of his hand.
“Please calm down!”
It was Maybel’s hand.
“W-what are you doing?! Are you crazy? Why would you come near me?!”
“But you’re bleeding—!”
Startled, Ascelt shoved her away.
Thud!
Maybel fell backward.
“Ow!”
Immediately, the smell of blood—someone else’s—grew stronger.
At the same time, a different image appeared behind Ascelt’s closed eyelids.
The activity room in ruins.
The floor scattered with broken glass.
Don’t tell me…!
He wanted to check on Maybel—
but he couldn’t lower his hands.
If he did, she might turn to stone.
And if the only person who understood him turned to stone—and then came to fear him…
There would be no escaping despair.
But knowing she had fallen onto broken glass because he pushed her—
What do I do…?
His fingers trembled.
He bit down on his lip.
“Do you want to lower your hands? Then—I, I’ve closed my eyes!”
At those words, Ascelt felt his heart drop.
There was still no fear in her voice.
No hostility.
Even now… you’re not afraid of me?
He had shown her his eyes on purpose to scare her.
His power had reflected and turned his own legs to stone.
And then he pushed her away, hurting her.
So why—
why was she still treating him like nothing was wrong?
