Chapter 64 ….
The three fools stood frozen like statues, only their lips moving.
Meanwhile, Ninabel danced fiercely in midair, showering them with water bombs.
“You’re the ones who stole the food meant for the Master and gobbled it up, right? Catch the flu or something! You little brats!!”
Splash!
“Ah! Cold!”
“Ugh, what the—!”
“Eek…!”
They shivered like soaked field mice, a sight that was almost satisfying to behold.
I, having dismounted my horse, proudly patted Ninabel as she flew over to my side.
“Good job, Nini.”
“Hehe.”
Soon after, Camilla and Lysian flanked me.
“Master, should we kill them? Just say the word.”
“Looking at them, you can tell they’re rotten to the core… I really hate it…”
Feeling a sense of security as if I had gained a thousand soldiers, I crossed my arms and glared at the three servants.
The shortest and stockiest man among them pointed at me with a menacing expression.
“Muriel Terni…! You wicked woman! Spraying cold water in weather like this! Are you trying to kill us?!”
One corner of my mouth curled up automatically.
Tilting my head slightly, I sneered.
“And you all are…?”
“W-We didn’t—!”
“From the first day I was exiled to the contaminated zone, you stole all the water and food. If that wasn’t an attempt to starve me to death, then what was it?”
“Th-That…! That’s…”
The man blinked, unable to immediately counter, then turned his scowling face back toward me and shouted brazenly:
“Of course, we were doing the right thing! Do you know who you are? You’re the wicked Terni, a child of the devil!”
“…….”
Haah…
I exhaled deeply and shook my head.
‘How can they only say the most predictable things?’
Humans with obvious malice follow predictable patterns.
Their defining trait is being unaware of how lowly they really are.
I spoke with a tone full of disdain.
“You probably justified it as doing it for your master, Raul. But it wasn’t that at all.”
“Wh-What do you mean…!”
“You’d better think carefully. Do you really not know what kind of person your lord is?”
“…!”
The man hesitated, trying to protest, then stopped and fell silent.
Judging by his hesitation, he seemed to realize something.
‘Not a complete fool, after all.’
I let out a small, derisive laugh and clicked my tongue.
‘Raul Winterberg, that man…’
Moral rigidity, paranoia, exclusivity.
He’s mostly made up of these traits, full of contradictions.
He hated Terni so intensely that he strove not to become like them.
But no matter how rigid one is, no human is completely spotless.
I had always wondered.
The scandals I took the blame for instead of Juliet, the incidents that the Winterberg household accused me of, all of it…
Had he ever even once suspected that maybe it wasn’t me?
The words I wanted to tell him:
“Please… could you just listen to my side?”
“I’m busy. If you have something to say, tell the steward.”
The truth I had barely mustered the courage to confess…
Had he ever considered, even once, that my intentions were desperate sincerity, not deceit?
…When was it?
‘I wonder if he suspected the truth but chose to ignore it.’
That thought had crossed my mind.
And after careful reflection, it seemed accurate.
Current synchronization rate: 41%
Raul only realized his contradictions after I fell ill with a terminal disease.
‘Even knowing it might not have been your doing… you ignored it and rationalized it. I… as Duke Winterberg, as your parents’ child, had to accept it.’
I had been nothing but a scapegoat.
Someone had to bear the blame, face criticism, and be stoned for the sins of others.
Unfortunately, it just happened to be me.
The world often works in such absurd ways.
“Raul wouldn’t want me to die from your malicious torment.”
Even I was startled by the cold, calm tone of my own voice.
And suddenly, I realized.
I am the kind of person who can rise above anger and resentment rather than drown in it.
Perhaps I had grown this much to reach this point, or perhaps a hidden strength I wasn’t aware of had been inside me all along.
“If I were to die paying a just punishment in exile, that would be different. But if you tried to harm me unjustly against Raul’s will, he would never stand idly by.”
The three of them gawked, unable to find a reply.
Their faces gradually turned pale—sure, partly from the cold—but it seemed they finally grasped the seriousness of the situation.
I asked Camilla and Lysian to drive the three servants far away from the farm.
With Lysian’s kick, they tumbled across the dirt floor.
I looked down coldly at the three miserable figures and spoke in a commanding tone.
“Tell Raul that I’ll be visiting soon.”
“L-Lord! Sob, Lord…!”
The three servants, appearing as if they’d been beaten and rolled around, made Raul frown slightly.
Even though they seemed partially dried from running here, they were still damp from falling in the river.
“What happened?”
The servants sniffled pitifully, their faces pale from the cold.
“We… we went to the hut in the contaminated zone under Princess Siena’s orders…”
Upon hearing about the contaminated zone, Raul raised an eyebrow and straightened his posture.
“And… we saw something strange there.”
“Strange?”
“Moving droplets of water that spoke! I think… it was a spirit!”
“…A spirit?”
“Yes, and it doused us with water… Muriel Terni, that wicked woman, didn’t stop it…!”
“Wait, Muriel is in the contaminated zone now?”
“Y-Yes. That woman was supposed to be exiled, wasn’t she? But she came with two thugs… threw us to the ground, beat us…!”
Raul’s expression darkened as he glared, his eyes sharp.
“Tell me everything in detail.”
The servants recounted everything they saw near the farm without omission.
The ordinary-looking garden near the hut, a charming one-story house with a raspberry-colored roof, and…
The shameless and cruel Muriel Terni’s actions toward them!
“That woman…! She’s become even more vicious! She’s a true demon! Who knows what she’ll do next…! We can’t leave her be, my lord! Sob!”
“……”
Raul pressed his temples and closed his eyes.
“Alright, you may go.”
“Yes… sniff…”
After the servants left, silence filled the bedroom.
Raul stared blankly into space, clearly unable to comprehend.
‘The land near the hut had become an ordinary garden?’
How could that be possible?
Nothing grows in the contaminated zone. That was common sense.
‘It’s impossible without purification.’
…Could it be that Muriel had become a purifier appearing after a thousand years?
‘Ridiculous.’
Raul chuckled quietly at the absurdity of his own thought.
Her as a purifier? Even a passing dog would laugh.
Then what on earth had happened…?
Had the servants experienced hallucinations?
‘Possible. Terni could easily hire a magician capable of illusion spells.’
In that case, the water spirit they saw would have been an illusion as well.
“…I’ll have to see it with my own eyes.”
Raul got up and changed into his traveling clothes.
Though his body hadn’t fully recovered, waiting idly went against his nature.
This time, no doctor or anyone else could stop him.
After riding for some time, Raul widened his eyes at the green plants and red roof visible in the distance.
His accompanying commander, Michel, was equally astonished.
“My lord, what is that…?”
“……”
Raul couldn’t respond.
He had no idea how this harmony had come about either.
As they neared the destination, the scene became clearer.
Neatly arranged gardens, thriving crops, and a small yet cozy house with a red roof.
In front of that house, a woman with emerald-toned silver hair stood, arms crossed, glaring at him.
Muriel.
Raul whispered her name silently to himself.
She looked far healthier and more vibrant than the last time he saw her.
And her eyes were straight and clear.
No sign of fear or intimidation could be seen.
That fact irritated Raul unbearably.
