Chapter 14
“Ah.”
A small sigh slipped between my lips. I saw Eustav smiling.
So this was his plan from the start. He never intended to help me.
“Thanks to you, I got to watch something entertaining. I was disappointed because I thought the festival would be boring, but it wasn’t.”
“…….”
“By the way, Master Winslet must be very disappointed. I heard the rumor that the daughter was too incompetent to be heir, and it seems it’s true.”
Eustav, walking ahead, suddenly stopped. His snake darted to the left.
Once again, a scream echoed through the bushes.
Crack. Crunch.
After a dreadful noise, the snake reemerged, as clean and composed as if nothing had happened.
Only then did I realize why Eustav’s attire was so pristine compared to other reapers.
There was no need for him to dirty his clothes.
Such a simple task could be handled easily without messing up his outfit.
“Winslet should quickly produce a new heir. I don’t want to see the three main families sitting in power when I become head, unqualified for the role.”
Ah, so he was the son of Inferno’s head.
It was surprising, yet I felt nothing.
All I could think about was what I’d do if he refused to help me.
Eustav seemed to know that all too well.
He gave me a soft smile.
“Oh, right. You wouldn’t be able to do that anyway. Your lady went insane, didn’t she?”
“…Help me.”
I grabbed the edge of Eustav’s shirt.
My head bowed on its own.
“I don’t care what you say. You can say whatever you want. So please…”
But the words, whispered like crawling, scattered into the air without leaving even an echo.
When I lifted my head, my eyes met Eustav’s, cold and unfeeling. His emotionless gaze scrutinized me.
“Don’t touch me, you filthy—”
Before I even realized it, my body floated into the air.
As I thought his face had receded, a sharp pain shot through my shoulder. He had pushed me off the cliff.
I fell straight down.
The pain was so extreme that I couldn’t even scream. My gasping drew the attention of nearby animals one by one.
Although living creatures couldn’t perceive a reaper, I had no time to think about that.
“I… have to run…”
I tried to lift myself, but a scream escaped my throat. Not a single finger could move.
I couldn’t even turn my head. I lay there, staring blankly at the sky.
The animals had already approached nearby, their cries ringing in my ears. Only the bright, full moon filled my vision.
I couldn’t easily kill them in my reaper body, and I silently cried for a long while before finally losing consciousness.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in the Winslet mansion. After waking, I nearly became a black magic experiment and almost died.
Ever since that day, my body ached whenever the full moon rose. Every time, I relived this nightmare.
I took a deep breath to gather the memories rushing back.
Eustav stood there, looking at me as if he couldn’t comprehend my words. As if my recollection of that day were vague, insignificant to him.
Yet I was still trapped in that moment, tormented.
“Trying to make me angry, huh? Enough, Eustav. There’s a limit to how much I’ll play along.”
Of course, I knew now. Eustav wasn’t cruel just to torment me.
Reapers were naturally like this.
Creatures that feel no guilt, derive pleasure from killing, created to easily guide souls.
They couldn’t love anyone.
Though Ricardo was born from a reaper of Inferno and a deity of Chelus, making it not entirely impossible, it was still a miracle.
‘That’s truly a miracle.’
So I no longer expected anything from them.
I reached out and took Eustav’s hand. His gaze naturally followed mine.
I pulled his hand to cover my nape.
“If you don’t like me, just kill me.”
Seeing him frown, I softened my eyes.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll give it. If I can’t see your face anymore, that wouldn’t be bad either.”
Of course, Eustav wasn’t stupid enough to fall for such a simple provocation.
He might want to kill me, but if he did, Aslan and even Windsor would make a fuss—it would be too reckless.
Even if I gave him the chance, he couldn’t do anything.
That’s exactly what I wanted him to feel.
I couldn’t die foolishly anymore, not like before.
‘There’s a condition not to get hurt for a week. They’ll overlook it if it wasn’t intentional, right?’
‘H-he might really get hurt!’
I thought of Ricardo grumbling like that. My stiff expression softened naturally.
Yes, I had to endure. I had promised to protect him.
‘At least until Ricardo unlocks his ability.’
As expected, instead of gripping my nape, he quietly observed the hand I placed over his. Soon, he’d back off, wanting to watch me get annoyed as usual.
Eustav’s gaze rose to my face. Seeing a crack form in his eyes, I sensed something was off.
“Annoying.”
He muttered, his tone unreadable.
‘What’s gotten into him?’
I tried to hide my surprise at his unexpected behavior.
Meanwhile, he removed my hand from his with his other hand.
“I’ll pass on your neck. Not appealing enough.”
Eustav turned and left as if nothing had happened.
‘Why say something like that?’
Was there a hidden motive?
I shook my head. Enough. I didn’t want to waste time on this.
As I withdrew my gaze from him, I saw someone running from the office entrance.
It was the Winslet family butler. He whispered urgently into my ear.
Hearing everything he said made my face crumple.
“My mother?”
My mother, Charlotte Winslet.
Not from a noble family, but a woman who had impressed Aslan with her exceptional skill during the festival.
She had secured the position of Lady of Winslet.
Charlotte reportedly took great pride in the Winslet name—perhaps influenced by Aslan.
Aslan constantly preached that Winslet’s name should not be sullied, that we were different from others.
This was partly why Aslan disliked the previous head of Inferno. He had belittled Aslan, whose emotions fluctuated wildly.
Charlotte had great expectations for her child.
But those dreams shattered as soon as the child was born.
Charlotte soon went insane and remained so. Her violent episodes were increasing in frequency.
Most often, her outbursts were the same:
“Bring me that brat!”
Charlotte’s obsession.
Because of her only child: me.
“Bring her here immediately!”
Hearing her voice echo through the mansion entrance, I sighed quietly.
The servants paced nervously outside her room.
It was a familiar scene whenever she threw a fit and forced me to be brought before her.
“How long has she been like this?”
“About three hours. She’s been at it since morning and hasn’t even had lunch.”
“Then why didn’t she call me sooner…?”
I hesitated, remembering how Ricardo had signaled me to escape to the Middle Realm earlier.
Then I had spent time at Eliza’s house.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have returned to Inferno today.’
But I immediately dismissed the thought.
I couldn’t run from this hellish life anyway.
I reached out and slowly turned the doorknob.
Creeeeak.
The door opened with a chilling sound, and the voice that had tormented the room vanished.
I closed the door behind me and stepped inside.
Charlotte stood in the center, her beautiful red eyes piercing me.
Her gaze felt like it could pierce my body.
“I found you.”
Charlotte whispered, stepping forward, her golden hair swaying.
Her hand reached out, cold against my cheek.
“You’re beautiful. Truly beautiful.”
Her voice was calm, as if she hadn’t been excited.
Long, pale fingers stroked my cheek softly.
I stared impassively at her timeless face.
Soon, her beautiful expression twisted.
“But beauty alone isn’t enough. I… I have such a useless thing…”
‘How can her hair be so beautiful?’
Eliza’s words suddenly came to mind.
Warm sentences and Charlotte’s cutting words rang in my ears simultaneously.
“You being my child is horrific. You should have died in the womb.”
‘If it’s alright, you can think of me as your mother.’
“Why was something like this born? A child of mine and him? You should have been stronger than anyone.”
‘I only have a son and always wished for a daughter. Having such a beautiful daughter now makes me happy.’
“Die! Just die!”
I was no longer Charlotte’s shame.
The problem was that she was still trapped in that time. No matter what I did, she saw only my younger self.
I would never hear kind words from this reaper.
“Mother, it’s useless to keep lashing out. The brat grew up to become the Winslet heir you wanted.”
Charlotte probably wouldn’t listen, but I spoke softly.
I raised my hand slightly, and rose vines quickly summoned wrapped around her waist, lifting her off the ground.
“Let me go!”
“Stay still, Mother. You need to watch what I’m about to do.”
The plan had been proceeding smoothly.
As long as Ricardo successfully unlocked his ability and could help me.
“Shouldn’t you watch the Winslet you were so proud of fall?”
Only then could my past life find some solace.
I smiled at Charlotte.
A week passed while dealing with her.
Beeeeeeep.
A sound I had come to welcome rang out.
It was time to reward a good child.
