The Strongest Daughter-in-law of the Black Lion family

TSDLBLF | Episode 86

#86

“If it’s something my father says, I’ll obey anything.”

Ella leaned her head against Isaac’s knee with an innocent expression.

Unconditional loyalty—this was always Hebel’s demand.

What kind of father punishes disobedience by locking someone in a punishment room and abusing them?

A real father would never have forced his daughter into being such a pawn in the first place.

Yet, the fact that Hebel made them use such an affectionate title was part of his vicious nature.

Ella felt sick to her stomach at the disgusting schemes used to manipulate naïve children, but she held her composure.

How many times had she stumbled before realizing this was the only way to survive?

‘At least the saintess arrived here before it was too late.’

Ella had been somewhat worried since the saintess seemed unwilling to come. With the amount of energy she’d exerted, a backlash was inevitable.

For Cersia to come here without even Zerakiel’s permission meant she was aware of her condition. Zerakiel, on the other hand, seemed clueless.

The memory of the usually icy Zerakiel being flustered in front of Cersia made Ella’s expression grow serious.

It was a gentleness she’d never seen from the heir of the Jabis family.

Not to mention, Cersia Jabis hadn’t even existed in her previous life…

‘Could this be another variable caused by my turning back time?’

Even Ella felt bewildered by the sudden appearance of Cersia.

Cersia Jabis hadn’t been present in her past life.

And that power she used to strengthen Tabby—what was it?

Ella recalled the Tabby she saw at the Jabis estate that day. It had been said that it would take quite some time for Tabby’s strength to return.

Not only had Tabby, who was supposed to be in eternal rest, appeared, but it had temporarily regained its prime condition.

This meant that the contractor’s power was incredibly strong. Otherwise, the contractor would have succumbed to the strain and died.

‘I need to observe this further.’

Cersia appeared to be a completely ordinary child on the surface. Tabby’s pheromones had concealed her own, making it hard to discern her type.

Honestly, even if Isaac hadn’t ordered her to, Ella had already planned to maintain a connection with Cersia. After all, she had a duty to prevent the disaster that loomed ahead.

If a new variable had emerged, identifying it took priority.

In truth, Zerakiel Rune Jabis’s marriage had been a hot topic for some time.

Ella, curious about the unexpected marriage, had followed Isaac to investigate.

She hadn’t anticipated the head of the Jabis family to lose control there. In her previous life, it had happened much later.

It was likely a calculated move, taking advantage of the large number of outsiders present at the wedding. It would be easier to hide among a crowd of unknowns and avoid suspicion.

Ella sighed softly, recalling the packet of medicine she’d stolen from Victor.

That was the drug that would eventually throw the Amataras continent into chaos. Countless beastfolk had succumbed to it, spiraling into uncontrollable frenzies.

She needed to confirm who had created it. To do that, she’d have to give the evidence to the Jabis family.

‘But how should I deliver it?’

Given their hostility toward Hebel, she’d need a way to deliver it without arousing suspicion.

Perhaps the Jabis family had already realized the frenzy that day was no accident.

The head of the family, who should have died, had survived. There must have been some trace left behind.

‘But they’d never imagine there’s a traitor within Jabis itself.’

And not just anywhere—the traitor was from the Orban family. Before her regression, that person had even served as Zerakiel’s trusted physician when he became the head of the family.

“Yes, a good child should behave like that.”

Isaac patted her head a few times out of obligation and left as if he had no more business with her.

Finally alone, Ella collapsed onto the bed. At that moment, a familiar voice flitted through her mind, fleeting yet achingly missed.

‘What are you?’

Ella suddenly thought of Hiscleif and bit her lower lip.

After turning back time, no one remembered her. Carrying the memories of the future alone in this world was an unbearably heavy burden.

The cold, indifferent reaction Hiscleif had shown when she unknowingly greeted him still weighed on her heart.

“Forget it. It’s a connection I chose to sever, anyway.”

Pushing aside her feelings of distress, Ella pulled the blanket up to her chin. Her hands, clutching the edge of the blanket, trembled slightly.

* * *

The next day, Naaman approached me and said:

‘It seems I’ll need some time to review the contract. Before that, how about we first verify if you are indeed the saintess? Would that be acceptable?’

It was clear he was trying to buy time. Not that it mattered; there was nothing in the contract that could cause an issue.

The contract had been discreetly negotiated with Herman, bypassing Zakari. It removed or revised clauses that had previously been unfairly skewed in Jabis’s favor.

For a hundred years, they had been exploiting an absurd contract. Common decency would dictate that it was time for a revision.

Besides, if they didn’t sign the contract, they wouldn’t gain me either, so they were bound to deliberate. Ultimately, it was only a matter of time before the deal was sealed.

‘In any case, they’re the ones who need me to become the saintess sooner.’

I looked down at the bracelet on my wrist. It was a silver Möbius band with a pearl symbolizing the “Pearl of Purification” dangling from it like a charm.

Tabby, who had been out of sight for some time, had taken the form of a bracelet and stayed by my side since the wedding.

Whenever I needed it, it would return to its fish form and chatter endlessly.

― Hebel’s children have a strong admiration for the guardians’ contractors. By making it clear, they won’t dare to treat you recklessly.

Tabby was right. Simply wearing the bracelet caused the priests’ attitudes to shift dramatically.

The elder priests, in particular, showed fervent support for me, making me stand a little taller with pride.

While I was indulging in a solo sherbet feast, Rachel muttered from where she lay sprawled on the sofa.

“You really look perfectly fine.”

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“It’s like gravity has doubled.”

Rachel raised her arm weakly before letting it drop again. She explained that honey badgers, known for their brute strength and resilience, felt particularly heavy here in Hebel.

Her strength, normally enough to tear apart a tiger, was halved in this place. Though still formidable, it likely felt powerless from Rachel’s perspective.

As a result, Rachel seemed utterly listless. Meanwhile, Zerakiel was idly passing the time beside me, braiding my hair.

“What about you? Are you okay?”

“I’m managing.”

He smiled lazily but soon added, “Ah, I forgot,” and restarted braiding my hair from the beginning.

Watching the odd scene unfold, I sighed softly. Saying he was “managing” was likely a polite way of saying things weren’t great.

While his full strength would return within a week, I couldn’t help but worry. If something were to happen in the meantime, Zerakiel would undoubtedly push himself beyond his limits.

‘But why am I perfectly fine here?’

This was what puzzled me the most.

At first, I thought it was because my pheromone levels were weak and therefore less affected by Hebel.

After all, the stronger one’s pheromones, the harsher the restrictions in this place.

However, now that I knew my pheromones were incredibly potent, that theory didn’t hold up.

Rachel, too, seemed fascinated by this anomaly.

‘Am I secretly overpowered?’

“Overpowered?” Zerakiel tilted his head at the unfamiliar term.

Rachel, sitting nearby, added to the absurdity. “Hearing ‘chicken’ makes me think of the chicken beastfolk I once tore apart.”

I shuddered in disgust and recoiled slightly as Kiera chimed in.

“Lady Rachel, comments like that can evoke discomfort and aren’t ideal for young ears.”

In other words, she was politely asking Rachel not to make graphic remarks in front of others.

But Rachel, in her attempt to “tone it down,” said something even more gruesome.

“Ah, my bad. I suddenly remembered the time I wiped out a chicken beastfolk. When they crowed ‘cock-a-doodle-doo,’ it was a bit pitiful. I vowed then to go for the throat next time to stop the noise altogether.”

“……”

“Oh! Speaking of, should we have chicken for dinner tonight? I’m suddenly craving it.”

Is she a psychopath?

Feeling a chill run down my spine, I instinctively scooted further away from Rachel.

 

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