Chapter 115
“Shall we go in together?”
‘Sebas… why you?’
I wanted to say that, but I found myself quietly looking forward to it.
“Really? If that’s what you want, I’d be glad to.”
“Sing?”
“Gemo?”
Gerald and Theodore looked at me with extremely displeased expressions.
“Make sure no one else peeks in on them.”
“Just the two of them going in? That’s absolutely unacceptable.”
“Jed.”
Sinclair smiled faintly at Gerald.
It was terrifying.
That smile… hmm. It was a very meaningful smile.
“All right.”
“No. Theodore will go in with her.”
Theodore spoke as calmly as possible, raising his chest to avoid looking like a spoiled child.
“No.”
“Why? That old butler looks very weak.”
When Gerald tried to stop him, Theodore made his intentions clear.
A child’s eyes are the law.
“You must let Gemo guard her properly.”
“How admirable, Theo. But this is my matter, and I want to handle it myself.”
“With your own hands?”
“Yes.”
“Ah… understood.”
Theodore fully understood what Sinclair meant.
The only one in the room who didn’t properly grasp it was Sebas.
From his perspective, being personally chosen by the Duchess to go in with her was an honor.
A shiver ran through him, tingling from head to toe.
Recently, as the empire saw fewer demons, families adopting demons as slaves became rare.
Even Marquis Michael would shudder at the mere mention of demons.
In the end, tormenting demons had become nearly impossible after Sinclair.
Even if wounded, they healed quickly…
If the wounds weren’t deep, they wouldn’t even leave a mark.
Sebas shuddered as he recalled the metallic smell and the sensation of her flesh he once felt—it seemed to tickle his nose again.
“Lead the way.”
The butler slid the door open. Sinclair stepped softly into the cabin, and the butler respectfully bowed to Gerald and Theodore.
Gerald and Theodore returned the gesture with slight frowns.
Moments later, the door closed.
Bang! Crash! Crash!
Bang!
The butler probably didn’t realize that Sinclair handling it herself meant the world would go dark in an instant.
Tap tap. Thud thud.
A moment later, the door burst open with a loud noise. Sinclair shouted in apparent terror.
“Jed, she tried to harm me!”
“I see.”
When Gerald snapped his fingers, Sebas was suddenly wrapped tightly in ropes.
“Attempted murder of the Duchess. That will carry quite a sentence.”
“Yes. Please take care of it.”
She closed the door and returned to the cabin.
“What are you all doing, leaving it like this?”
The knights of Schlesen Castle, who had been hiding behind the trees, suddenly appeared.
Sebas was dragged along without knowing what had happened to him, leaving two lines drawn behind his drooping feet.
“I don’t want to see it. Leave no trace of him.”
“Yes, my lord.”
One knight ran out and covered the marks on the ground with dirt.
Moments later, Sebas was carried away into the forest by the knights.
Gerald quietly circled the cabin, holding Theodore’s hand, standing like a sturdy guardian in front of the cabin door.
It was simple, Sinclair’s room.
The moment Sebas stepped inside, his eyes glinted like a hunter spotting prey.
‘Yes, yes.’
The first time I saw Sebas, I froze like ice.
The cruel scars he had inflicted on Sinclair throbbed painfully.
Even my throat stung.
Why did he make her ingest poison?
To Sebas, Sinclair was nothing more than a toy.
A very entertaining toy.
As I approached the cabin, all of Sinclair’s memories flooded into my mind.
The chill she felt the first time she entered this household.
The glittering stars peeking through the gaps in the ceiling.
The rats running across the roof.
Even the tiny, unskilled baby rats that would fall, startling her.
She had spent time caring for those rats, so she never felt lonely.
But even that was occasionally forbidden when maids brought food.
In this space, Sinclair learned that crying was useless, that resignation was necessary.
To survive, she had to pretend not to feel anything.
She just lay there, staring up at the blue sky, the dark sky, the clear sky, the rainy sky.
During those lonely, difficult days, Sebas came once a month to deliver his “lessons.”
As cruel as Yan had been.
Yan had at least been young, but Sebas was an adult three times her size.
He had no mercy, no hesitation.
Michael, called her kin, would sometimes leave the room exhausted after watching her survive.
But Sebas was different. He waited until Sinclair regained consciousness, then inflicted the pain of death until he himself was exhausted.
Perhaps… the head of the house allowed it.
…Perhaps he even hoped to earn a generous bonus for delivering Sinclair’s suffering.
From the start, his gaze was filled with killing intent.
Even as the Duchess, Sinclair was still just a demon.
He might have thought it acceptable to expose her as a demon if things went poorly.
Even after Michael’s death, he might have thought it better to earn favor with the Duke.
Poor fellow.
He should have noticed earlier, watching me handle the Duke.
How could someone so slow-minded serve as Owen’s butler for over 40 years?
Those who torment children deserve cruel punishment.
So I gave him an excuse to be punished. Gerald, being quick-witted, took care of it immediately.
I could relax and retrieve what Sinclair had protected whenever she awoke from near-death.
I approached her small bed without hesitation.
A bed she had to curl up in because of her height.
I sat quietly on it. Each time I shifted, the musty, decayed smell rose.
“Still the same.”
Nobles had plush mattresses and crisp sheets every week.
But I, now the Duchess, knew demons weren’t treated that way.
I quietly turned my head and looked around the cabin.
The square window couldn’t be opened.
I recalled young Sinclair trying to climb a chair to escape through it at dawn.
She wanted to flee into the forest, beyond the Marquis’ house. With no mana sensed, hiding anywhere would spare her daily death.
But the window wouldn’t open. Failure.
I remembered her trying to escape through the roof.
Poor Sinclair.
The only gift comforting her that day had broken.
The transparent crystal ball her father gave her, to look at when missing her mother.
Clutching the cracked ball to her chest, she cried. I felt her pain and tears fell.
Her memories felt like my own.
Her grief for her mother made my heart ache.
I took out a handkerchief and buried my face in it. A fragrant smell, unbefitting the cabin, lingered.
Poor child, Sinclair.
Why did you have to be the scapegoat?
I mourned her, who disappeared from the first page of the original work.
“Phew.”
I went down to the floor, crawling under the bed, coughing from the dust.
Cough, cough
“Are you okay, Sing!”
Gerald shouted from outside.
“Yes, cough”
I counted the wooden slats of the bed.
One, two, three.
I traced the third support with my hand.
Clunk. Rattle.
The crystal ball fell and rolled to the floor.
Found it.
I’m not sure if I can use this ball, but maybe Joanna could fix it?
Inside the ball were the many stories Sinclair’s mother had told her.
Some felt like myths, others like advice from her mother.
I wanted to hear her advice.
Crossing to another world, Twinkle.
Wouldn’t you have words for me, Sinclair?
“Go, go!”
Owen’s entourage was loud and flashy.
Knights fiercely escorted a lady in a luxurious, expensive-looking gown.
From afar, it seemed like protection—but was it really?
“Do you know who I am to treat me this way?”
Her booming voice startled me.
What kind of decorum is this inside the castle?
Moreover, the ex-wife was acting like this just before the reading of the will and the family council… highly improper behavior.
As expected, shadows moved behind the curtains. They couldn’t let the noble guests witness such chaos.
Even from afar, I recognized the face.
“Count Shiny?”
“You know her?” Gerald asked.
“Yes. I met her the first day I arrived here.”
“Who is she?”
Theodore, unaware of my family background, shook my hand.
“Just an acquaintance.”
“An acquaintance of what?”
“Well, like a passing bird, or a breeze?”
“Ah?”
“But you should greet politely.”
“Of course. Gemo always said to show respect to everyone.”
She approached.
I struggled with how to greet her amidst all the emotions.
“Pleasure to meet you, Count Shiny.”
Clever Theodore greeted first.
The Count stopped in her tracks at the child’s voice. Our eyes met as she descended the stairs.
Gerald did not greet first, his rank being higher. I didn’t want to either—it was just a passing lady.
But then…
“It’s an honor, His Grace, Archduke Theodore von Zeyer.”
“….”
Wait. Shouldn’t she have greeted the Duke and Duchess first if she knew Theodore’s rank?
Even in the original story, someone so proper would maintain etiquette.
Normally, the lower-ranking person greets the higher first, right?
Could it be because of me?
I glared at her haughtily.
She was quick to catch on.
“Long time no see, His Grace Gerald von Zeyer, Your Grace the Duchess.”
“I see.”
Gerald spoke in my place.
“Then…”
She tried to pass, but Gerald spoke.
“You’re in danger.”
“Excuse me?”
“I think the debt collectors are coming.”
“Excuse me?”
She looked at Gerald in confusion. He gestured toward the entrance of Brich Castle.
As expected, burly men in mourning attire were rushing over.
The flushed lady looked around.
“Go down to Lily Lake. Last time, the Marquis had a back door made.”
“Ah! Thank you, Your Grace.”
Shiny hurried toward Lily Lake.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
We entered Brich Castle.
The knights of Schlesen and Brich lowered their heads in greeting.
“I sent her to Lily Lake. Take those men there and quietly deal with them.”
“Yes.”
Several knights rushed toward the rough-looking debt collectors.
“Jed?”
“Don’t worry. They’re the ones who displeased you. They’ll be caught soon.”
How does he know I was displeased?
“But Count Shiny has a door.”
“That’s consideration. No need to let many people see her struggling with debt collectors. Besides, it’s your head’s funeral.”
This person, really.
The cold, lonely feelings from the cabin slowly eased thanks to Gerald.
“Theo.”
“Yes.”
“A person shouldn’t chase only money.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Theodore, speaking thus, watched with interest the debt collectors quietly following Shiny and the knights toward Lily Lake.
