Before Estelle returned from the auction house, John was examining bear-shaped cookies.
‘It’s a really ordinary cookie.’
But he even put a magic spell on those common cookies to preserve them. He didn’t even make a deal with the devil.
‘Because Estelle gave it to me.’
But the devil was evil born from chaos. He never moved without reason.
‘What on earth is in these cookies…’
After analyzing various aspects, John finally popped the bear cookie into his mouth. It tasted ordinary.
‘Really nothing-’
At that time, his vision became blurry and soon became completely dark.
‘Could it be poison?’
John fell asleep on the sofa as if he were falling asleep. In the pitch-black darkness, only other sensations were clear. A chill envelops his entire body and the sound of chains clashing against each other. He immediately realized where this was. It was the prison he was imprisoned in as a child.
‘Sorry.’
A friendly voice came to her ear.
‘It must have hurt a lot. Is it really hard right now?’
For some reason, the more he heard that voice, the more his heart became heavy.
‘Cheer up. You can do it. If you endure now, you will definitely succeed in getting revenge.’
Who owned this voice?
‘You will be able to do what you want by overthrowing the Libertan Duke family, which seems great now.’
The more he thought about the voice, the more it hurted, like there was a fog in his head.
‘When you get out of this prison, there will be someone to help you. There are people who care about you, take your side, and are loyal to you. So, although it may be difficult, please persevere.’
Still, one thing came to mind.
‘This… It’s something I think about when I’m having a hard time.’
He thought it was something he made up to comfort himself, but he never thought it was someone else’s comfort.
‘It would be nice if my warmth could touch you.’
The voice became so blurry that it could not be heard.
‘John, wait a minute. Soon-‘
With that, her body’s senses slowly began to return to reality.
Tingling – a strange heat that started from his fingertips and enveloped his entire body. However, only his senses returned, and his body did not move. Then something incomprehensible happened again.
‘Has the ring of protection returned?’
The ring of protection that was completely destroyed in order to save Estelle. The rare magic that could never be undone except by a contract with the devil was returning to John. It seemed that the ring of protection had stopped moving the body while it was being repaired.
‘Could something like this happen?’
John calmly summed up what he had just experienced.
‘It all started with my wife’s cookies.’
It was not poison, magic, or black magic. It felt like it was awakening exactly what he had forgotten. So the moment he heard the voice, John was quite embarrassed that he had forgotten such a thing. No matter how young he was, there was no way John would have forgotten his memories of when he was imprisoned.
‘Unless an unknown force erases my memories…’
Numerous questions arose.
‘…Estelle, you.’
Knock, knock.
“John?”
At that time, Estelle knocked on his office as if she had been waiting. John could not move his body yet because his senses had not fully returned. But he could feel Estelle approaching cautiously.
“You’re really handsome…”
Estelle, sitting in front of him, expressed low admiration. Estelle was cute as she carefully touched his face without knowing that John was awake.
‘I want to pounce on you.’
If he had just moved his body, he would have immediately opened his eyes and made fun of Estelle.
‘She must have reacted with an incredibly cute expression.’
It was the moment when his eyelids began to flutter.
“I missed John so much today. Even when I went out, I kept thinking about you.”
What?
“John. Maybe I…”
Estelle, holding her breath, finally let out a low voice.
“I think I love you.”
His heart sank. John couldn’t move right away and he was very annoyed with himself.
‘I should have seen your face confessing.’
He needed to catch her, corner her, and find out her true feelings right away. If he missed this moment, Estelle, who strictly guarded her lines, would go into hiding again.
‘Shit. Why isn’t it moving…’
The swirling questions disappeared from his mind. Estelle, who wriggled for a moment, quickly left the office. John thought about Estelle’s confession.
‘I think I love you, I think I love you, I love you…’
John barely stood up and rubbed his smooth face.
“…Estelle, do you love me?”
A pounding heart that he had never experienced in his life filled his entire body.
“That you love me.”
John placed his hand on his pounding heart and his ears blushed. It wasn’t his first time receiving a confession. John, the most successful groom in the empire, was courted by numerous women. It was the same even before he became Duke Blanchett.
No matter whether you have money or not, no matter what your situation is. John, who was born handsome, was always popular with women. He honestly wasn’t impressed by any of the woman’s confessions. He even had a rather funny thought. Among the women who dared to know everything about John and assert that they could love him, not a single one could see through his true nature. Most people would run away in fear once they learn about his true nature.
‘Or you’re crazy enough to know and like it.’
Maybe Estelle was similar to those women. Because she, too, had been deceived by John’s perfect play. She even began to truly believe in their marriage, which was now distrusted by the entire empire.
‘It’s so different.’
John played with Estelle’s ears, conscious of Estelle’s soft breath that seemed to be touching his ears.
‘Why can’t I calm down so much?’
The composure that she had been so skillful at was helpless in the face of her honest confession. To be honest, John didn’t have the confidence to pretend to be fine in front of Estelle’s lovely face. John, who had been trying to quietly visit, hovered around Estelle until the end of the day.
* * *
It was strange, but it became difficult to see John’s face. The change felt even bigger as we stopped having dinner together all day long.
‘I’m sure John isn’t avoiding me?’
It seemed that a lot of things have happened due to her sudden move from the Grand Duke. That’s probably why he didn’t have time to come see her. It should have been nice because thanks to this, she was able to prepare to run away without John knowing, but that wasn’t the case.
‘Why do I feel sad?’
It may seem like a pointless thought, but she felt a little sad if John was avoiding her.
‘Let’s focus on my work.’
She tried to restore the fairy’s power using the Undine Tier.
-There it is! That is the center of Eden Rose.
-The Eden Rose itself bloomed with the power of your fairies, so if you place it at the root, the Eden Rose will absorb the power of the spirits.
“What if someone sneaks in before it’s absorbed? It’s expensive.”
-…baby. It will melt before then.
She slightly dug into the roots of the Eden Rose, added Undine Tier and covered it.
“Is this really the end?”
-Yes. If the Eden Rose contains the power of the spirit, you can use the Eden Rose to lift your curse. At the same time, you will also become accustomed to your fairy powers.
No changes have occurred in Eden Rose yet.
“There won’t be a problem if someone else besides me defeats Eden Rose, right?”
-Of course! In the first place, Undine Tier was added to the roots of Eden Rose for that purpose.
-If you think someone is going to do something stupid, let us tell you quickly.
After spending some time with the trees, Betty and she went to visit Erich.
“Now, Betty, it’s okay if you don’t have to follow me.”
“I’m not okay. The oath of allegiance is believable, but at the same time, it is not easy to believe.”
Maybe that’s what siblings were like, but Betty’s evaluation of Erich was particularly harsh.
“But Betty, Erich is a nobleman, so why are you living as a commoner maid? You can just go under Erich.”
This was something she had been curious about ever since she found out that Betty and Erich were siblings.
“I didn’t want to fall under that bastard.”
“…”
“Of course, it was much easier to work as a spy as a commoner.”
If you look closely, everyone around her had an extraordinary past.
“But I’m about to return to my noble status. I think I need an honorable identity.”
“Okay?”
“Yes. I definitely want to be Madam’s first maid.”
Maids of honor were the wives of Dukes or higher. So, only the highest-ranking nobles, such as the Empress, Empress, Grand Duchess, and Duchess, could have it. This was because only nobles could become a maid.
“I would love it if Betty were to be my first maid and she would be mine.”
She held Betty’s hands and smiled.
“I will always reserve the position of my first maid for you.”
“…my lady.”
Betty was touched, her brown puppy-like eyes sparkling.
“As expected, my lady is the best in the world.”
At that time, Erich appeared out of nowhere and looked at them sarcastically.
“That is a tearful sight. Should I cry too?”
“This is why I really wanted to come with you, Madam.”
Betty glared at Erich.
“A guy who is completely devoid of emotion.”
“Betty. There’s not much difference between you and me, right?”
Betty and Erich growled between her.
‘At first, I thought they were brother and sister who had affection for each other.’
When she saw them in person, they were siblings who didn’t even like to see each other’s faces.
“I wouldn’t want to see your face either, if it weren’t for you, Madam.”
“I was the one who recognized you from the beginning?”
“Okay, that…”
A feeling of guilt flashed through Erich’s eyes. For some reason, Erich looked glum.
“It’s okay, Sir Erich. It’s in the past. By the way, did you get the book you asked for earlier?”
“Yes. I will look into more books related to this in the future.”
She asked Erich to collect old books about fairies and black magic.
‘It’s difficult to figure out the truth from the books in the library.’
“For John…”
“Yes. It was handled neatly so that no one would know. Even if the master sees it, he won’t be able to tell that you collect old books.”
“If it weren’t for that guy’s abilities…”
“Thank you for the compliment, little brother.”
Betty grumbled at the end. Erich shrugged his head casually. As John’s closest associate, there was not much Erich couldn’t do.
“By the way, Sir Erich.”
“Yes?”
She stared at Erich’s face. Erich, a neat and beautiful man, had a hair style that was not a single hair out of place, but it also seemed a bit stuffy.
“Does Lord Erich always tie his hair up that tight?”
“Yes that’s right.”
“Is it stuffy if I don’t tie it tightly?”
“Not really, but… It’s become a habit.”
She went behind Erich and loosened his long hair and tied it loosely.
“It’s done.”
Every time she moved, Erich got very nervous and his body twitched.
“W-what is it?”
“Look at this. Erich looks much better with his bangs slightly lowered and tied loosely.”
Erich’s face turned red at her praise.
“What is it, Sir Erich? Are you embarrassed?”
“Oh, no!”
Erich blushed even more and said, ‘Anyway, I’ll follow your orders!’ and ran away.
“That person is too…”
Betty shook her head and urged her on.
“My lady. Don’t worry about that person and go up to your room.”
“Is that so?”
The head maid, Patricia, was waiting in front of my room. Patricia stood gracefully, holding a bunch of her documents.
‘It’s time for the probation order to end.’
She was a bit reluctant, so she asked with a nervous look on her face.
“Madam Gillite, what’s going on?”
“Look at these.”
Patricia showed her the letter. Her letter asked for the true meaning of her gossip and rumors.
‘Are you trying to argue with me about this?’
But the words that came out of Patricia’s mouth were completely different.
“My lady. Just remember all these names and bury them.”
“…bury?”
Patricia answered elegantly.
“How dare they speak ill of Duchess Blanchett?”
…Patricia, why are you like this again?
* * *
It was the execution day of the Libertan Dukes.bMeanwhile, reports about the Duke and Duchess of Libertan continued to arrive.
[The Duke and Duchess of Libertan are showing unusual symptoms.]
However, John did not look for the Duke and Duchess of Libertan. Because he didn’t have anything to say.
‘Was it a burning at the stake?’
She planned to stop by when his sentence was over.
‘It’s not like I’m going to die anyway.’
The plan was to steal Estelle’s life and make her witness her despair.
‘Have that daughter find my parents dead in her basement and-’
John clenched his fists.
‘I can’t do that.’
Because then he wouldn’t be able to see that lovely smile again. After Estelle’s confession, John was forced to reflect on his desires. Even when he looked at Estelle now, he couldn’t think of his revenge.
Estelle, revenge.
These two things felt very separate.
‘What do I want to do?’
John visited the imperial palace to arrange his final execution.
‘Can it be executed like this?’
Suddenly he became worried about Estelle. At that time, he saw a familiar woman across from the entrance to the imperial palace. She was Saint Stella, wearing an elegant white veil like a decoration. Stella, as usual, was protected by three priests, and she walked carefully. She lowered her eyes innocently and her face looked gentle, befitting a saint. In her hand, she shyly held a precious water bottle that looked like holy water.
‘Why do I feel murderous every time I see that woman?’
It was a similar feeling to the one he felt every time he met the Duke and Duchess of Libertan.
‘Shall I kill you?’
The calm smile that John had been consciously wearing stiffened slightly. Stella’s steps, which had been walking gently, were slightly twisted.
“Oh my goodness.”
She stopped as if Stella, whose voice sounded sweet at first glance, was about to collapse. Ans right in front of John.
“…I suddenly felt dizzy.”
Stella touched her forehead and moaned softly as if she was having a hard time. Stella raised her head and John’s eyes met. She opened her blue eyes slightly and blinked, as if Stella was surprised.
‘That’s gross.’
He felt the urge to pluck out those abominable blinking eyes.
“I behaved in a disgraceful manner, John.”
Stella, who was smiling brightly, opened her eyes wide again.
“Oh my, I called you by your own name. I’m really sorry…”
Stella tried to lower her head as if to apologize, but stumbled again. When John did not hold her, the priests next to her supported Stella.
“Saint. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I guess I suddenly developed anemia.”
Stella, who was watching John’s thoughts, looked at him and said, ‘Oh my…’ She was very surprised. Because she had just stumbled and spilled the water she was carrying on John.
“How can I do this…”
Stella, with her eyebrows drooped, quickly took out her handkerchief and got down on her knees. And she gracefully wiped John’s feet.
“I keep showing my ugly side to the Duke.”
Stella, who was wiping her handkerchief, looked up.
“I’m so upset.”
Then the cleavage of her low-cut dress stood out. Then, the lower part of the collarbone was naturally revealed.
‘That…’
John narrowed his sharp eyes. There was a familiar pattern.
‘Lily vine pattern.’
It was Libertan’s protection magic.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on February, 23.
Want to read more?
Isn’t it Yestelle not Stelle on the last scene?