~Chapter 103~
Richard, still in confusion, decided to start by understanding the truth.
“C-can I speak with my granddaughter first?”
Armians agreed without objection and even stepped aside.
That was how Richard and I came to sit alone, face-to-face.
In front of him sat freshly brewed tea. Richard fiddled with the cup before finally looking up at me, his faint smile awkward.
“Have… you been well?”
The word “well” carried with it many years.
“Yes.”
“No discomfort… anywhere?”
“I am healthy.”
“I see.”
Then silence followed.
Even the snacks on the table felt too heavy to touch.
But there was something that had to be said.
“If you came to see my mother…”
“There’s no need to worry. I already know of Sara’s passing.”
For a moment, words caught in my throat.
“I didn’t come here to demand anything. Don’t feel burdened. It’s just… as I grew older, my blood ties began to tug at me. And I wanted to know the trace my daughter left behind.”
Just meeting his eyes carried warmth.
“…You look so much like her.”
Even without a subject, I knew what he meant.
“I don’t have any memories of my mother. So I want to ask… Was she a magician too?”
Richard paused, then shook his head.
“No. Sara… couldn’t use magic.”
It didn’t sound like a lie. My instincts told me it was true. Yet something about it felt strange.
“But earlier, you said maybe my magic was because of her?”
“Yes. I thought it was fortunate Sara escaped this curse.”
Curse…?
Richard had said his family was called “Avelon.”
Even I, who knew little of foreign nobility, had heard the name.
Avelon was famous for producing powerful magicians once every generation, and their influence was so great that in the Arkan Kingdom, it was said: “He who is chosen by Avelon becomes king.”
My mother’s name was Sara Eblon.
Sara Eblon.
Sara Avelon.
A fake name, changed by only one letter.
Even when she abandoned everything and came to the Empire, she hadn’t let go of her roots completely.
But a curse?
Richard gave a bitter smile.
“Didn’t you ever wonder? Why you learned magic so easily compared to others?”
I thought it was just luck. Aisha had only said I had good talent.
“That is the curse. In exchange for learning magic easily, you must pay a price each time you use it.”
Richard rolled up his pants.
His legs weren’t human legs anymore — more like stone pillars. They were a dull gray, not a trace of skin color left.
“As you can see, my curse is petrification. The more I use magic, the more my body turns to stone.”
Both his legs were already useless, and even his right arm was half petrified.
“If I use magic too much… will that happen to me too?”
“That, I don’t know.”
“…What?”
“Curses manifest differently for each person.”
For example, his eldest son Till suffered baldness whenever he used magic. Because his curse’s price was small, his magical ability was limited too.
“You have talent beyond mine, so the price you’ll pay will not be small… From your face, it seems you don’t know yet.”
Sadly, I didn’t.
“Think back to when you first used magic. That’s when you pay your first price. Did you feel any pain in unexpected places? Difficulty waking up in the morning? Even the smallest change?”
I thought back to when I first used magic — Aisha yelling at me for nearly burning the forest down.
But… I couldn’t remember anything unusual afterward.
“Since you’re young, maybe you haven’t felt it yet. But you will.”
Richard tapped the floor with his cane.
“Don’t use large spells if possible. The greater the magic, the greater the price.”
And once the body worsens, it never heals.
Richard sighed and stood up.
“You’re leaving already?”
“I’ve seen your face, that’s enough. And… how could I shamelessly linger before you?”
He even used his classic line: “No need to see me out.”
But before I could stop myself, the words slipped out:
“If… if your schedule allows, why don’t you stay a few more days?”
Richard froze, as if waiting for those words.
“You can visit the eastern estate. It’s the last place my mother stayed…”
Though the trial had been interrupted, I wasn’t worried. The outcome was essentially mine already. The Rohiltern mansion and fortune would soon fall to me. And I knew Abigail hadn’t dared to throw away my mother’s belongings — they were locked in storage.
“If it won’t trouble you…”
“It’s no trouble.”
And in truth, revealing that my maternal family was the powerful Avelon could only help me.
So letting Richard and Till stay a few days was nothing difficult.
“If that’s your wish, then I’ll rest here a while.”
Richard hesitated, then sat down again.
His smile shone like a man who had gained treasure.
At first I was glad I invited Richard to stay. But when it came time to prepare a guest room, I hesitated.
After all, this was Armians’ house.
But Armians ended my worries with a single line:
“I’ll order that he be treated with every comfort.”
“Are you sure? Even if their paths don’t overlap much, they’ll still be on the same floor…”
“He is the man who gave this world you, Bella.”
Armians adjusted his cravat with a smile.
“Of course I want to make a good impression.”
Embarrassed, I couldn’t meet his eyes.
“Th-then… how about the trial?”
“They decided to end it without further hearings. Since all the evidence has already come out…”
Armians paused.
“…and because the trial cannot continue.”
“?”
“Wilhelm Rohiltern is dead.”
The words caught me completely off guard.
“He didn’t survive the chaos in the courtroom. His body was damaged, but his face and fingerprints were intact enough for identification. Do you want to see for yourself?”
“No.”
I quickly refused — then suddenly realized something.
“Then right now, House Rohiltern—”
“The Countess was divorced and returned to being Lady of Mihlun. Charlotte was erased from the family register long ago. That means… you are the sole heir, Bella.”
I remembered the last moments in court.
When Baron Milson had raised his gavel to deliver the verdict… Charlotte had triggered the magic circle and unleashed the beasts.
‘Was Wilhelm’s death Charlotte’s intention, or just coincidence?’
Since his final act had been to expose Charlotte’s secret, I couldn’t rule out the possibility she had planned it.
“Then what about Charlotte?”
I already knew what happened to the Countess — she was saved by the knights and sent back to prison.
“She’s being tracked.”
“You mean…”
“After the chaos, her whereabouts are unknown.”
Armians lowered his voice.
“With no witnesses, it’s possible she’s already dead.”
