Chapter 44
When I called for Verdin, he swiftly lifted the hem of Lilfei’s negligee.
“This… what is this?”
A garter belt holding up her stockings came into view. Beneath it were her underpants, and between the narrow gap separating the two was something vividly red.
Her white undergarments were stained with blood—splotches that darkened further each time she breathed, as if the bleeding hadn’t yet stopped.
“What is this?”
I asked in shock. Verdin frowned, then forced his expression to relax as he pulled up her underwear.
“Ah… hkk… sob…”
“Are those… burn marks?”
Long streaks like they’d been made with a rod scarred her skin. Blisters had formed as though she’d been burned, some even bleeding. The flesh had turned a blackish-red, dead-looking hue. The sight made my blood run cold.
“Was this Kiira’s doing?”
“Hh… sob, sob…”
Lilfei shook her head. Yet the weak, desperate look in her eyes made me uneasy.
“These are marks from a metal rod being pressed against the skin.”
The bed beside me creaked. Adrian sat to my right, and just then, Clayton sat down on my left.
“What are you doing? This is serious!”
“I am serious.”
Clayton reached for my free hand and laced his fingers with mine.
“Clayton. Do you even know what that is?”
“Yeah. It’s a type of torture usually done to prisoners. But typically it’s done on the arms or legs—not the thighs. This one’s particularly nasty.”
“So they targeted a spot that wouldn’t be visible.”
“Most likely.”
Lilfei lowered her eyes in resignation, then looked up at me. Whatever emotion was in her gaze—I couldn’t read it.
“Was it really Kiira who did this?”
She looked at me, then shifted her gaze to Clayton. I tried to pull my hand away without thinking, but he tightened his grip so I couldn’t move.
“…Your Highness, Princess Gracie…”
“Yeah?”
“You were… the one who tortured me… weren’t you? W-why are you pretending not to know?”
What the hell was she talking about?
“You’re saying I tortured you? And even showed it off in front of everyone?”
“Yes. Y-you did! You tormented me every day like this!”
I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t even speak.
“See? Didn’t I tell you we should’ve killed her?”
Adrian sneered as he said it—but oddly, his smirk wasn’t directed at me. It was aimed at Clayton.
Why?
“Lilfei.”
“…Yes.”
“I’m giving you a chance. A chance to live. And a final chance to leave your sister. You’re still refusing?”
Her eyes were still locked on Clayton.
“Duke de Lebois…”
“Don’t call me that. It makes me want to snap your neck.”
Clayton’s cold tone made it impossible to understand what was happening anymore. Why was he acting like this?
“Please, choose Princess Kiira. You don’t know how much—ugh!”
Clayton suddenly grabbed her negligee and yanked her toward him, tearing her away from Francis’s grasp. The blade of his sword pressed against her neck.
“Tonight, you die by my hand—after trying to assassinate Gracie.”
“Hey! Are you insane? Stop!”
I jumped up and ran toward him, panicked as I saw the blade slicing the air.
“If you don’t stop, I’ll never see you again.”
The blade halted just beside Lilfei’s neck, trembling in the air. Clayton turned back toward me with a frustrated look.
“Why?”
“I don’t understand this situation! Someone explain it to me!”
That damn 50 kilograms of pressure on my chest again—it was getting hard to breathe. Damn it!
I forced myself to hold it in until he finally backed off, lips pressed in a flat line. I turned toward Adrian—who, for some reason, was smiling sweetly.
“Hah… forget it. Everyone, out. I’ll think about this later.”
“…”
“Lilfei. Leave. And it’s in your best interest to keep everything that happened today to yourself.”
“Y-yes…”
Verdin left with her, bowing, and I felt an uneasy chill.
“Well? You two, out too.”
“I came to my fiancée’s room. Of course I’ll spend the night.”
“Then I’m staying too.”
“Both of you, get lost. Please.”
Now Francis was laughing. What kind of circus was this?!
〈Quest! Mirror of Truth III – Incomplete!〉
Because the quest was cleared incompletely, both penalty and reward apply!
▼ Reward: One additional person becomes a target of the Reverse Curse.
Penalty 1: The new target is fixed as Lilfei the maid.
Penalty 2: Penalty time on your right arm extended by 24 hours.
“Oh, f**k.”
I was about to lose it when Clayton suddenly approached.
“Gracie…”
“Get out.”
“I just…”
“I want to be alone. Come back tomorrow.”
“…Alright.”
He looked back at me like a kicked cat at least ten times before leaving.
“You too, get out!”
“Why should I? I’m staying here tonight.”
“If you don’t, I’ll tell His Majesty you and Kiira are up to something suspicious.”
“He won’t believe that. Try it if you want.”
He started taking off his coat, draping it over the nearby chair before sitting back down on the bed.
“Then tell me—why were you laughing earlier?”
“You think I’d tell you?”
“I know you won’t. That’s why you should leave.”
“How heartless.”
“Should I throw him out?” Francis asked innocently, and my exhaustion doubled.
The curse’s new target was supposed to be my sister—but now it included Lilfei too.
I’d meant to save that extra slot for someone else, like that sly bastard Leonil Graham.
It would’ve been fun to break that smug strategist’s nose.
“Adrian, are you really not going to tell me?”
“If I tell you, can I stay?”
If I listened, I’d lose my chastity. If I didn’t, I’d keep it.
“Forget it. Go back to your palace. I’m tired and want to sleep.”
“How do you plan to sleep without washing?”
Actually… maybe using the curse on him instead of Leonil Graham wouldn’t be so bad. That silvery hair, those obsidian eyes—too pretty for his own good. If he were uglier, I could at least scold him when he acted up.
“I’ll wash after you leave.”
“Then we can wash together.”
“Are you crazy?”
“Are you insane?” Francis echoed, looking oddly serious.
“We’re engaged. What’s strange about bathing together?”
Damn it—he had a point I couldn’t argue with!
〈Quest! The Distance Between You and Me I〉
Adrian Russell feels insecure about Princess Gracie!
Comfort your fiancé!
p.s. If you break off your engagement with Adrian Russell, you cannot become Emperor!
Great. Just great.
〈Choices〉
- Bathe together.
- Lie down together.
- Lie down with all three of you.
- Call Joshua.
If I lay down with him, I’d definitely lose my chastity.
If there’s a separate option for Joshua, then option 3 probably refers to Francis.
I didn’t want to call Joshua. Maybe I was still a bit upset from earlier. I hadn’t really given him my full trust—and that was my fault.
I’d even made him eat that salty lump of food, which was on me too.
Still… I wished he had trusted me just a bit more.
“I really don’t remember anything.”
“I know.”
“That’s why… I don’t want to do things like before.”
“I know that too.”
Was that why he was feeling insecure?
He’d said before that he couldn’t sleep without me next to him—after exhausting himself until we both passed out.
Maybe he still couldn’t sleep without Gracie beside him.
But… didn’t he love Kiira?
“If you touch me,” I warned, “I’ll call off the engagement. Still want to bathe together?”
He stared at me in shock—his face unfamiliar, almost confused.
Yeah, I guess it must be strange for him. The Gracie he knew used to cling to him like she’d die without him, and now here I was, acting the complete opposite.
But I don’t love you. You’re beautiful, sure—but I don’t want to do that kind of thing with someone I don’t love.
Still… I have to clear the quest. I have to become Emperor.
“You’ll regret this.”
“I won’t. So, can you promise?”
“…Fine.”
“Good. Then let’s bathe together—with Francis too.”
