#49

“Then, does that mean you have no intention of remarrying, Lady Rachel?”

“Of course not! Even though I stormed out of this place…”

Rachel reacted as if I had asked the most ridiculous question. She opened and closed her mouth, unable to continue, so I spoke for her.

“You’re worried about Zerakiel, aren’t you?”

“…What?”

“You’ve always stepped in whenever something happened to Zerakiel, haven’t you?”

Both in the original story and here.

Rachel always seemed to know immediately if there was any change in Zerakiel’s circumstances. It was as if she was being briefed daily.

When we first met, her visit was primarily to check on me, which showed her concern for Zerakiel.

Moreover, despite her loud fights with Zakari, she never declared a complete break with him. In a way, it seemed like a couple living apart due to a bad relationship.

I looked at her intently.

“Lady Rachel, you didn’t leave Jabis willingly, did you?”

“…”

“In truth, you’re more worried about Zakari and Zerakiel than anyone else, right?”

Rachel let out a shallow sigh in response to my repeated questions.

“For someone so tiny… you’re pretty perceptive.”

Then she brushed her hair back carelessly and said,

“Yes. I’m really worried about those stubborn fools who are just withering away.”

“Because Jabis has the hereditary madness, right?”

At the mention of the madness, Rachel’s expression changed dramatically. She looked at me with icy eyes, as if I had struck a nerve.

“Do you think I ran away because I was afraid of the madness too?”

Rachel’s voice, which sounded almost eerie, was trembling. It was as if just hearing the word made her lose control of her emotions.

Her wounded eyes reflected a hostility toward me. It was likely something she had heard countless times after leaving Jabis Castle.

That she had fled because she couldn’t handle the madness of Jabis.

During my time in Hebel, I had seen other families subtly or overtly ostracize Jabis. Their faces were a mix of fear and loathing.

Thinking of the words Bianco had constantly shouted made it clear why they hated Jabis so much.

‘I don’t know why you’re with that bastard, but never trust Jabis. This is for your own good. You might not know because you’ve been in the wild, but Jabis caused the Great Chaos…!’

The Great Chaos.

A catastrophe where half the continent was devastated by pheromone poison. Countless beastmen lost their lives, and some families were completely wiped out.

I heard it was a rampage comparable to a natural disaster. In the original story, the Jabis family was depicted as the villains of villains.

The Pages were portrayed as a righteous family that kept such villains in check.

Pheromones so deadly and powerful that they could easily devastate an entire country’s territory.

And such a race, unfortunately, bore the hereditary madness. It was natural for others to want to keep them in check. They were too dangerous to leave alone.

From afar, anyone would see Jabis as monsters. I thought the same when I first read the original story.

But living in Jabis Castle made me realize how shallow and narrow my thinking was.

A family that starts life with a death sentence. No cure for the madness, and they were constantly being watched with suspicion.

Living while constantly suppressing oneself in fear of the madness while being treated as monsters. From Jabis’s perspective, it was an unfair situation.

‘Moreover, they are living as scapegoats because of their ancestors’ wrongdoings.’

Rachel’s eyes softened a bit as I continued to think aloud.

“Lady Rachel, you didn’t leave because of the madness, did you? You left to protect them in your own way.”

Rachel was silent, her expression unreadable. But she didn’t deny it.

“I suppose,” she finally said. “I did what I thought was best. But it’s hard to always do what’s right.”

Understanding her burden and her reasons, I felt a deep sympathy for her.

“Thank you for staying and helping me with the wedding,” I said sincerely.

Rachel gave a small, wry smile.

“Let’s focus on the wedding for now. There’s plenty of time to deal with everything else later.”

With Rachel’s help, I felt more confident about the upcoming wedding and the challenges that lay ahead in Jabis Castle.

The Great Chaos was like a natural disaster. It was a tragedy caused by the sudden backlash of pheromones from the head of the Jabis family, resulting in a rampant madness.

As a result, Jabis became a public enemy, facing checks and restraints from Hebel and neighboring territories.

They didn’t choose to have the madness.

They bore all of this simply because they were born into the Jabis family.

Zerakiel seemed quite accustomed to it. That made me feel a bit sad. It looked like he had given up on raising his voice in a world full of prejudice.

I needed to answer before Rachel’s expression became more terrifying. I tilted my head with an innocent look.

“No? A scared beastman wouldn’t visit Jabis Castle and break the gates every time.”

“…”

“Lady Rachel, you’re not that weak. If even a weasel like me can handle it, what do you have to fear?”

Rachel, who seemed ready to burst with anger, suddenly froze. My reaction must have been unexpected. She then buried her face in her hands.

Is she… crying?

I was startled and placed my hand on her shoulder.

“Exactly! What do I have to fear? Even you, tiny as you are, can handle it! Everyone else freaks out just hearing about Jabis!”

“Eek!”

I almost fell backward, but Kiera caught me. She smiled as she steadied me, as if she had anticipated this.

“Th-thank you…”

“Do you know how annoying those tiny, smug bastards are?”

“The real cowards are those who don’t know anything but still talk. You don’t need to be hurt by their words, Lady Rachel.”

Exactly. They were the ones scared of Jabis. And they were trying to belittle Rachel to weaken a family allied with Jabis.

‘In the original story, Zerakiel became the head of the family as soon as he reached adulthood.’

Given Zakari’s worsening condition, it was clear the madness was progressing. Zakari might not have much time left.

If Zakari died, the Jabis family would be in a precarious position.

Many would try to destroy the Jabis family before Zerakiel could fully establish himself as head.

And now that I was staying at Jabis Castle, I would also have to endure the consequences. As the future mistress of Jabis, I would make a perfect hostage.

‘I hadn’t considered Zakari’s death.’

I never imagined marrying Zerakiel in the first place, so it was no wonder.

Madness—was there really no way to stop it?

I suddenly recalled that Ella’s pheromones had helped with Zerakiel’s madness in the original story.

Maybe, just maybe, I could extend Zakari’s life a little.

But I remembered that even Ella’s abilities weren’t a perfect solution in the original story. Otherwise, Zerakiel would have cured his madness immediately.

While I was lost in thought, Rachel suddenly hugged me tightly.

“I really like you!”

“Oof!”

Her strong embrace made me bury my face in her chest, causing a painful impact on my nose.

“You’re so brave for someone so tiny! Perfect as Jabis’s daughter-in-law!”

When will you stop calling me tiny…

I regretted comforting Rachel as I stared into space. Still, it was a relief that she seemed to be in better spirits.

Rachel regained her enthusiasm and began planning with renewed vigor.

* * *

Meanwhile, the lions training with Zerakiel glanced at each other nervously.

“Why is he smiling like that?”

“Is this his way of declaring he’ll kill us today?”

“What did we do wrong?”

“When did we ever do anything wrong to get beaten?”

“True.”

Their whispered conversations were filled with fear. Zerakiel hadn’t stopped smiling during the entire training session.

He only smiled for one reason: when he was in a terrible mood and wanted to hit something.

Meeting Zerakiel in such a state was dangerous. The lions who missed their chance to escape were doomed.

But as the training continued, their suspicions grew stronger.