Laila’s gaze fixed on Kidon grew increasingly fierce. Kidon leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other, and folded his arms.
Then, with his arms crossed, Kidon began to speak.
“But I suppose I can’t stop you from thinking, Lady Laila.”
“…….”
“The slave is gone. That is a fact. But…”
Kidon narrowed his brows slightly.
“In a state where he’s not breathing.”
It was as if the light had briefly gone out.
Laila snapped back to her senses. The light hadn’t gone out; the bedroom was still bright.
The sound of her own heartbeat reverberated in her ears.
“I wasn’t planning to ask this.”
“…….”
“That slave, what exactly is he? Was he even human?”
“…….”
“How could a corpse vanish completely in front of so many people…”
Kidon seemed lost in thought, lowering his eyes. His thick eyelashes cast an elegant shadow across his face.
Laila looked directly at Kidon’s handsome face, as if he were the subject of a sculpture by a sculptor or a painting by a renowned artist, and thought:
I want to kill him.
I want to take his life.
A violent impulse she had never felt before gripped her body.
She clenched her fists tightly. Her nails dug into her skin. She focused all her attention on the pain in her palms. She barely managed to hold onto her sanity.
“Anyway, it’s unfortunate. I was actually planning to give you a gift, Lady Laila.”
“…….”
“I was debating between an ear, a hand, or a foot, but it seems my dilemma has become pointless.”
“Did you kill him yourself?”
“Hmm….”
Kidon uncrossed his arms and clasped his hands on his knees. His back leaned slightly away from the chair’s backrest.
“I stabbed his heart with my sword.”
Laila squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them. Her vision blurred for a moment before coming back into focus.
Kidon quietly observed Laila for a moment before speaking.
“Is there anything else?”
Laila focused on Kidon’s face as he spoke.
“Is there someone else I should stab in the heart?”
“My father.”
Kidon raised his eyebrows, seemingly surprised by the unexpected answer. As she noticed the fine lines forming on his smooth forehead, Laila continued.
“Please give me my father’s ear, hand, and foot as gifts. Then I will marry you, with a smile.”
It was a lie. Even if Kidon really brought her father’s dismembered parts, Laila would never stand beside him with a smiling face.
Kidon studied Laila’s expression as if trying to read her thoughts before responding.
“You don’t have to smile, you know. Dolls don’t need to.”
“…….”
“Even if I don’t give you the gift you desire, you will still end up marrying me.”
“Please leave now.”
“Aren’t you curious about the date of our engagement ceremony?”
“I’m more curious about when you’ll leave my bedroom.”
“How harsh. It was you, Lady Laila, who called me to your bedroom first.”
“My business is finished.”
With that, Laila lay back down on the bed and pretended to sleep with her eyes closed.
A low, mocking laugh reached her ears. She wanted to cover them.
Soon, there was a faint rustling sound. It seemed Kidon had stood up from his chair. Laila opened her eyes and met Kidon’s gaze as he looked down at her.
“Let’s have lunch together tomorrow.”
“…….”
“Have a good night.”
Kidon turned to leave. Laila waited until he exited the bedroom, then closed the door before slowly sitting up.
“Miss!”
The door burst open, and Marie rushed in.
“Miss, I wanted to be in the bedroom with you.”
Marie trailed off, letting out a small whimper. Suddenly recalling something, Laila looked at Marie’s wrist and spoke.
“Roll up your sleeve.”
“Miss.”
“Hurry.”
At Laila’s urging, Marie hesitated before rolling up the sleeve of her white maid’s uniform. Laila felt a wave of dizziness. Oh my.
“When morning comes, go straight to Elvin.”
Marie’s wrist bore a bruise so dark it appeared black. Was it a servant? A soldier? A knight who had stopped Marie from entering the bedroom?
…What does it matter? Laila thought briefly, then added.
“Ask for the best medicine. Mention my name.”
“… Are you okay, Miss?”
Tears welled up in Marie’s eyes. Seeing this, Laila avoided touching Marie’s bruised wrist and instead patted her forearm.
“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
“I didn’t realize… until I went to call for the young lord.”
“…….”
“I thought he was a good person.”
Laila let out a hollow laugh. It was amusing that Kidon had shown his bare face to Marie without hesitation.
After all, Kidon Reisic wasn’t the kind of person to care about making a good impression on a maid.
Laila felt regret.
She should have known sooner. That Kidon was completely insane and utterly hopeless.
She was too naive. She had no excuses.
“I’m sorry.”
“Pardon? Why are you apologizing, Miss?”
“Just because.”
“Miss, please don’t apologize. You haven’t done anything wrong, absolutely…”
She knows. She just happened to catch the attention of a madman by sheer bad luck. Where was her fault in this situation?
Still, she said she was sorry, hoping it might ease her heart a little.
But her heart didn’t feel any lighter.
“You’re so kind, Miss, but why…”
Laila imagined the words Marie couldn’t finish as she choked back tears.
Indeed. Why? Why is her life such a mess?
Why can’t those around her just leave her alone?
Is living a normal, smooth life really this difficult?
Just…
What kind of suffering must she endure simply because she was born the daughter of a villain?
Laila pulled Marie into an embrace as she finally let her tears fall.
Marie sat on the edge of the bed for quite a while, nestled against Laila.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
As soon as dawn broke, Laila went to the Marquis of Hildergarde’s bedroom. After waiting for an hour in front of the bedroom, she was finally able to meet the Marquis.
“What is it?”
“Why did you help Kidon Reisic?”
“Where did you throw away his title, the ‘young lord’?”
“Please answer me.”
She had thought about it all night. No matter how many times she considered it, the initial answer did not change.
A person was killed within the very estate of Hildegarde. It was difficult to believe that Kidon Reisic acted without the marquis’s permission and assistance.
“Why did you do it?”
“…….”
“I am the master of Sion. You gave him to me. So why…”
“You are mistaken, Laila.”
The Marquis cut off Laila’s statement and continued.
“Everything in the estate belongs to me. I didn’t give him to you. I merely lent him to you.”
“…and then you took him back?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Why did you suddenly decide to take it back?”
“I find it difficult to understand your question. Why would I need a reason?”
Marquis Hildegarde was sitting at the desk in his bedroom early in the morning, tapping his long index finger on the desk.
“I wanted to. I wanted to take it back and end it all. That’s all.”
Suddenly, Laila noticed the deep wrinkles on the marquis’s fingers.
Has he always had so many wrinkles?
She raised her gaze slightly. She could see the face of the villain.
It was strange.
Has there always been that many wrinkles on his face? Had his eyes always been so clouded from the beginning?
Has the Marquis changed?
Or…
The villain who could elicit trembling in Laila with a simple gesture had vanished. In his place sat an ordinary middle-aged man.
Laila opened her mouth. She almost let out an exclamation.
The moment she recognized the villain as a ‘person’ like herself, a sudden realization struck her.
Why did Marquis Hildegarde help Kidon kill Sion?
Was it simply because Kidon wanted it?
No, that can’t be it. It’s not that.
The Marquis was afraid.
Of Sion.
Of the rabid dog without a leash.
He was afraid that the dog might turn on him.
So, before the feared thing could happen…
Laila lowered her head. She bit her lip to keep from smiling.
Marquis Hildegarde had not changed.
He was always the same. He had always been that kind of person. Just a person. An ordinary person.
A person who could feel fear, who could be afraid of something.
The one who had changed was herself.
That son of a devil!! whyy can’t he live poor Laila alone