Chapter 53
“Illegitimate child? The real illegitimate child is Marigold. You’re the one who held a second wedding ceremony with my father, who was already a married man and had married my mother.”
The one who deserved more blame was her father, but it was a shame he wasn’t here.
And this was far more effective than some hollow speech of impressions.
Interest began to spread across the faces of the people who had been glancing back and forth between Paula and Violet.
Paula, looking as if she were at a loss for words, finally spoke with difficulty.
“What do you even know! Your mother was a useless, insolent woman!”
“Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that my biological mother and father were married. And all that talk about her being insolent is nothing but your delusion. My mother was more noble than anyone. No matter how much you ramble on with your fantasies, the facts don’t change.”
For the first time today, Violet felt that dressing beautifully actually had meaning.
Today, Marin had dressed Violet in her masterpiece of a gown.
Wearing beautiful clothes, it felt as though she was carrying a pretty blade on the tip of her tongue; her polite but vicious words slid out smoothly.
“That’s all lies! He always loved only me! I’m the legal wife!”
Paula threw a tantrum.
“In that sense, I’m happy to tell you this. Tomorrow, all the evidence—including the marriage pledge—will be published in the newspaper. Proof that I’m not an illegitimate child.”
“Hey, you—!”
“Don’t get angry. The villagers all remember the time when you were a barmaid. It’s a small town, so people don’t forget things easily. Even your employer from back then testified.”
She looked at Violet as if she couldn’t believe her.
Violet stepped closer and bent down toward Paula.
“Did you enjoy yourself when you stole my spirit and gave it to Marigold?”
Paula’s pupils shook violently.
“I’ll come to say goodbye soon. The punishment won’t be only through the press, but through the law as well. You’ll need to stay healthy if you’re going to prison.”
“……”
“Take good care of yourself until then.”
Ash turned his head and said,
“That loud, brazen woman is a nuisance. Drag her out.”
The hesitant servants then approached Paula.
“Let go of me! Do you know what she did to my daughter? Everything she’s saying is a lie! I’m the one who’s right!”
Paula shouted, throwing a fit.
The atmosphere grew awkward again. Two outbursts had made people hesitate over how they should react.
At that moment, everyone looked at Ash. Ash glanced at Paula’s retreating back and let out a small chuckle.
Then the people around him began to laugh as well…
“Hahaha, just look at that idiot!”
“Isn’t she crazy? No wonder she went around stealing someone else’s husband.”
Sudden laughter spread through the hall. Violet looked at them.
A sigh escaped her naturally.
‘That’s right. The woman who’s supposed to be my stepmother is nothing more than a laughingstock.’
Paula had always been a source of fear to Violet.
The lady of the house controlled everything, including meals and clothing.
Depending on Paula’s mood, Violet could suddenly be cut off from both clothes and food.
That was what it meant to be the mistress of the household. Violet had always been treated as less than a maid.
She had always been afraid of her. But not anymore.
Truly, she was nothing special.
Just a base person who used petty, filthy methods—exactly as she herself expressed it. A person whose very soul was low.
Ash and Violet’s eyes met.
Ash looked fine. Violet quietly looked at him, then headed out into the garden.
She cooled her head slowly as she felt the cold wind.
Violet placed her hand on the railing.
‘Calm down, and go see Carita’s coffin…’
Inside the banquet hall, loud noises began to rise again.
‘The Emperor stormed out of the ballroom in anger, and yet the party is still going on.’
In any case, the one who hosted this event was the Crown Prince.
But as long as Ash was there, it seemed the party wouldn’t stop.
At that moment, Violet realized that Ash had effectively stolen the party itself from Edgar.
‘Right, before the imperial couple left earlier, the Crown Prince definitely left first. Then where is the Crown Prince now?’
Could he be near Carita’s coffin?
That thought sent a chill down her spine.
Just then—
Ttororong, ttorong.
The chiming sound rang in her ears again.
‘Another future vision?’
Violet opened her eyes wide.
<Lady Violet, so was the reason the seal on Carita’s coffin was released because the Crown Prince and Marigold did something vile on top of the coffin?>
A girl with her face covered asked the future Violet.
Violet shook her head.
<It’s true that they went mad and released the seal. But it wasn’t because of that act alone. Beneath Carita’s coffin slept a calamity left behind by the demon race—one of the Seven Ultimate Calamities, known as “Lust.” The Crown Prince was enthralled by it. That’s why, in the end, he was the one who broke the seal.>
<Why was the seal released so easily?>
<Because the seal of Lust can only be undone by someone with royal blood. Someone benefited from the release of the seal of Lust. Someone like Ash Ravens.>
The Crown Prince would break the seal tonight. Whatever it was, according to the future vision she had seen earlier, it was anything but ordinary danger.
‘This is no time to be dawdling!’
Violet ran at once.
The largest hall where the ball was held was directly connected to the small library.
She learned for the first time today that she could run this fast even in dress shoes.
‘Here it is!’
At the end of the small reading room was a fireplace. Beneath the fireplace was a hidden staircase leading underground.
Someone had gone down before her; it was already open.
Violet hurried down the stairs.
‘Damn it, that crazy bastard!’
Edgar was staring blankly at the coffin.
“Beautiful woman, my Winter Queen… I need the Winter Queen…”
He was muttering to himself.
From between the slightly opened coffin lids, a dazzling purple light spilled out.
Just watching it for a moment made Violet feel an eerie sensation.
Saliva pooled in her mouth, and longing filled her. There was something in that light.
Something strong and beautiful, something intoxicating that seized the senses.
‘No, this isn’t the time for me to be enchanted.’
Violet barely came to her senses.
Whatever was sealed in that coffin was clearly something wicked that caused people to lose their minds.
“Step away from there, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Violet looked toward one side of the library wall.
Various unnamed swords were hanging there as decorations.
Violet pulled one of the swords free.
“You are….”
Edgar slowly turned his head to look at Violet.
He hadn’t blinked once for some time now.
A wide, foolish grin spread across his face as he spoke.
“You’ve come at the right time, beautiful woman. Watch this coffin. Isn’t it beautiful? Let’s gaze upon this light together.”
At that moment, a small, round sigil floated up from inside the coffin. Edgar immediately placed both hands on it.
Violet’s eyes widened. Something pitch-black slashed deeply across Edgar’s hands.
“Aaagh!”
Edgar’s blood splattered over the sigil.
“No!”
Violet shouted.
The letters written inside the small sigil that had absorbed Edgar’s blood flashed brightly.
Trembling violently, yet looking utterly entranced, Edgar thrust his hand into the glowing sigil.
Near Edgar’s hand, shining letters appeared. At a glance, they read “Release.”
A darkish light began to pour out from the sigil.
Edgar had released the seal.
