“Episode 15”
I didn’t believe the rumor that Edan was a fallen noble who had squandered his fortune. But he was a modest man who prepared every meal himself and even made his own small necessities. Yet here he was, offering to pay thirty times the amount I asked for, in both watt and gold coins. Was he willing to pour out his entire estate just to grant me freedom? All because of a sickly parrot?
“Please pretend you didn’t hear what Marquess Holden said. I’ll pack my things and go to Ambrose Marquess’s estate as soon as possible.”
I murmured with my head bowed.
“I’m glad to hear that. You seem much more intelligent and able to communicate than Marquess Holden with all his pompousness.”
The marquess’s hollow laughter echoed in the reception room.
“…I’m afraid I can’t take you up on your offer. As I mentioned, I’ll pay you ten times the amount you requested.”
My trembling hand clenched beneath the sleeve of my dress. Wasn’t that a burdensome amount for me, but not for you? I looked up at him with widened eyes.
“Do you think you have so little time left to live? What I need is a momentary amusement. Something thrilling and fresh…”
The marquess’s gaze lingered on me, and a smirk danced on his lips.
“Marquess Holden, you really are an amusing character.”
I finally caught on to Edan’s laugh mixed with his voice. His eyes sparkled as if he had just found a favorite toy.
“Marquess Holden, what’s happened to your pride? You can’t admit defeat?”
“Well, perhaps. At least I tried to negotiate a deal without scratching each other’s pride. But it seems that’s no longer possible. Fine then. Shall we shake hands to seal the deal?”
Edan reached out his hand to Ambrose Marquess.
“…Shall we start the real deal now?”
With their hands clasped, the marquess’s body was suddenly drawn towards Edan’s like a magnet pulling metal filings. His limbs went limp, and his face contorted in agony.
“What insolence!”
“If you enjoy games, surely you’ll understand? Pleasant things are best savored slowly, aren’t they?”
Edan’s hand tightened around the marquess’s arm as the older man struggled.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
As the marquess lay sprawled on the ground, his body convulsing, Edan frowned slightly and released his grip.
“What… is this…?”
The marquess’s eyes rolled back, and his face turned red with anger.
“Enough…!”
He gasped for air, clutching his throat.
“Enough!”
The marquess’s eyes bulged, and his face turned a sickly shade of crimson.
“Enough!”
He continued to writhe and gasp for air, like a dying man.
“Enough!”
With each convulsion, his suit twisted grotesquely, creating a macabre sight.
“This is… unbearable.”
Edan, visibly disgusted, grabbed the marquess’s throat and forced him to breathe heavily.
“Truly unpleasant.”
Edan struggled to catch his breath, holding his nose as if repelled by the sight.
“I cannot tolerate it.”
He grimaced, his hand still holding the marquess’s throat.
“You’ve lost. Admit defeat.”
With tears welling in my eyes, I saw Edan’s arm tremble slightly as he extended his sleeve.
“Shall we begin the real deal now?”
As their hands touched, the marquess’s body seemed to melt like wax.
“What’s happening…?”
The duke looked up at Ethan with a terrified expression. “W-What have I done to deserve this?”
With a disgusted face, the duke replied, “How did you…?”
The duke’s face turned pale as sweat dampened his collar. A foul stench filled the room.
“It seems the duchess didn’t die of natural causes, after all,” Ethan remarked disdainfully, glaring at the duke.
He then grabbed the duke’s shirt collar, asserting his dominance. “Shall we proceed with our deal, Duke Ambrose?”
“Wh-What…?”
“I’ll take Elowise’s fiancé position from you, and in return, I won’t expose your despicable past. Do we have a deal?”
“Y-Yes! Please, just don’t tell anyone!” the duke pleaded.
With a sharp warning glance, Ethan turned and left the room, leaving the trembling duke behind.
As he exited the mansion, Ethan’s muscles relaxed, and he breathed in the fresh air.
“Isabella, are you okay?” A concerned face appeared before him, cutting through his dizziness.
Despite his usual nonchalant demeanor, Ethan was visibly shaken, more than just a mere bout of dizziness. “You’re really a strange man.”
“Isabella, snap out of it!” The voice desperately called out to him, but his eyelids felt heavy.
—
Whenever he thought of his mother, Isabella’s eyes would well up with tears.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall even a single letter of her name.
But her presence lingered deep in his subconscious, sometimes visiting him in his dreams.
[How adorable she looks when she sleeps.]
She cradled him in her arms, singing a lullaby. The homemade mobile above twinkled.
“Isabella, my little angel, you’re awake.”
Her arms lifted him, trying to meet her gaze within his limited vision.
No matter how hard he strained to see, all he could perceive were her soft, cherubic cheeks.
[How clear and beautiful her eyes are, like lavender petals. Yes, we’ll visit the lavender fields together at the end of summer.]
Listening quietly to her voice, he felt a profound sense of peace.
But as he tried to touch her gentle face, his consciousness drifted away.
“Isabella, we have somewhere to go today.”
Finally, the long-awaited late summer arrived. Surely by now, the lavender fields were in full bloom.
“Ohh.”
It was his first time leaving the cradle. Unable to recall her name, he felt an overwhelming sorrow.
As he reached out to touch her dress, her fragile form collapsed.
“Sorry. Sorry for being such an unworthy mother.”
He instinctively realized the price of birthing an angel with a beast’s body.
[She wouldn’t even look at me, and now she runs away after giving birth.]
A harsh face intruded, inspecting him with disdain.
“Yet, your facial skin resembles your mother’s. Nature cannot be deceived; observe closely, and you’ll captivate men one after another.”
Rough hands handled his body like an object. A bitter scent emanated.
“Even so, your facial skin is remarkably similar to your mother’s. Your innate traits cannot be hidden. Given some observation, you’ll ensnare men easily.”
The man’s hands rummaged through the picnic bag where his body lay, treating him like merchandise. The stench of vinegar spread.
“Still, your facial skin resembles your mother’s. You’re born to captivate men. Although you’re just a wretched woman, once observed closely, you’ll attract men like a magnet.”
As the man’s rough hands handled the picnic bag, Ethan’s body lay inside, wrapped in a blanket.
He held the picnic bag close to his chest, heading towards the entrance of a noble family’s mansion.
“Isabella, my angel, don’t resent your unworthy mother.”
He stared at her face as she lay motionless. A heavy sensation weighed upon his chest. When he opened his eyes again, she was disappearing over the hill, as if pursued by something.
No, don’t leave me behind. You’re the only one in my world. If you disappear, how can I go on living?
His wailing echoed outside the mansion gates, and soon, the estate’s servants whisked him away.
That day was historic in many ways. It was the first time he experienced such intense fear, enough to silence his cries.
