VFAI 03

Chapter 03

Elodie Perdía Has Changed

(July 10, 2022)

Normally, Elodie would have rushed in and picked a fight with Charlotte, but for some reason, she left without even a moment’s hesitation.

She was even humming as she went.

The Perdía brothers were left standing there, silently staring at the corridor where Elodie had disappeared.

It was Charlotte who spoke first.

“Brother.”

“What is it?”

“Don’t you think she’s a bit weird?”

Yancy only gave a faint smile and said nothing, which made Charlotte frown in annoyance.

“That’s no fun. Tch.”

At Charlotte’s consistently aggressive attitude toward Elodie, Yancy finally called his name in a mildly admonishing tone.

“Carl.”

“You don’t really acknowledge her as a sister either, do you?”

“……”

“I know that much. She probably knows it too.”

On the surface, he wore a kind expression, but in truth, he treated her no differently than a complete stranger.

Yancy clearly remembered the day Elodie, still a newborn, was first brought into the family.

One day, the Duke of Perdía brought a woman named Arcelia into a separate residence and said indifferently:

“Elodie Perdía.”

“……”

“She’s your sister.”

Rumors spread—concubine, slave, all sorts of things—but the Duke never gave any explanation.

Yancy had expected their mother to be furious, but surprisingly, the estate remained quiet.

A few days later, the woman vanished without a trace, but the baby remained.

There was no way he could feel affection for a strange infant that cried endlessly.

To Yancy, she was nothing more than a permanent outsider. Even his biological brother Charlotte wasn’t someone he felt deeply attached to, but at least there was a sense of belonging—they were family, born of the same mother.

“She’s seriously weird. Did she eat something wrong or something?”

Charlotte still looked suspicious as he muttered.

‘He sure is interested—in Elodie Perdía.’

The Perdía bloodline was inherently indifferent to others. They were extremely individualistic.

Charlotte was an exception.

Yancy, too, recalled Elodie’s unusually calm demeanor and muttered quietly.

She didn’t seem like someone who would lose control of her temper and lash out.

“…Yeah. She is… strange.”

That much, he could say for certain.

She had changed.

Elodie Perdía had changed.

***

Long ago, there were seven deadly sins that nearly brought the surface world to ruin:

Pride, Lust, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth, and Greed.

They devastated the continent in order to fulfill the command of Irkalla, the goddess of the underworld, who desired even the heavens and the earth.

As the world began to collapse, Ishtar, Irkalla’s sister and the goddess of heaven and earth, stepped forward.

She granted her divine power to seven humans and tasked them with sealing each of the seven sins.

After fierce battles, the humans emerged victorious and were hailed as heroes.

The heroes who sealed the sins founded seven families, and this became the founding myth of Willentia.

Over time, only five families remained: the imperial family, Willent, and the four founding noble houses.

And one of them was the family I belonged to—the House of Perdía.

The reason I suddenly thought of this outdated myth was because it had a huge impact on my livelihood.

‘That damned power!’

Whether the myth was true or not, the direct and collateral lines of the imperial family and the four great houses could use divine abilities.

I used to be sad, wondering why my power never manifested around the age of five like everyone else—was it because I was an illegitimate child?

Turns out, there was a reason.

There was no way destructive attribute powers would manifest in me when I wasn’t even of Perdía blood.

So does that mean I can’t use any power at all, since I don’t have even a drop of Perdía blood?

‘No.’

I had a different power.

A power belonging to another family’s direct lineage.

Because my real father was… Reinhardt Severes, the head of the Duke of Severes family.

Unfortunately, the Duke of Severes was currently in a coma and absent.

‘What a waste.’

Since he wasn’t married and had no heir, the family was currently being managed by a regent.

“Sigh. Of all things, my real father had to be in a coma…”

Then I wouldn’t have to struggle this hard just to survive. What a miserable life.

The blood of the Severes family flowed in me. Their power was ‘Purification.’

When I regained my past-life memories, the original story clearly described my power.

In the scene where Elodie plotted something vicious to deal with the female lead Estelle, she ended up using her power unconsciously.

That revealed she wasn’t an illegitimate child, and she was expelled from the family, meeting a miserable end.

The important thing was—if I didn’t reveal that this power belonged to the Severes family, I could use it quite effectively.

Even though it was the cause of my death in the original story, I couldn’t help but feel happy that I finally had a power.

‘So I had a power too.’

Ever since I turned five, I used to pray every night, hoping my ability would awaken so I could be acknowledged as a member of the family.

Of course, recognition meant nothing to me now—but perhaps because that longing still lingered, I was truly happy.

A few days ago, after regaining my memories, I tested my ability and confirmed it was real. Since then, I’d been deep in thought.

“Hmm… how can I make money with this ability?”

Resting my chin on my hand, I absentmindedly looked out the window.

That’s when I saw something.

The brilliantly blooming flowers and plants filling the rear garden.

The Duchess’s poison garden.

Themis Perdía—the Duchess—was the greatest poison master on the continent. Half of the poisons circulating on the black market were developed by her.

Ironically, her main source of income was antidotes. After all, poison required antidotes.

The imperial palace viewed her as a thorn in their side, but under the authority of the Perdía family, they couldn’t touch her.

‘Come to think of it, something recently irritated the Duchess…’

At that moment, a newspaper headline flashed through my mind:

[Perdía’s Pest Control Drug—Actually a Deadly Poison for Eliminating Enemies?]

As soon as the Duchess’s pesticide—highly effective at exterminating pests—hit the market, the imperial palace ordered its recall.

They claimed that since it was lethal to pests, it could also be used to harm humans, and cases of misuse were increasing.

With pests causing widespread crop failures, the Duchess had developed the pesticide with good intentions—but her efforts were crushed.

As a result, her new product launch completely failed, leaving her in a foul mood.

The imperial palace demanded that if she wanted to sell it again, she had to develop an antidote.

But creating an antidote that quickly was impossible.

My mind began racing.

Deadly poison. Antidote. And… my power.

‘Oh?’

Wait a second.

“This might actually work.”

I had just come up with an incredible money-making idea!

***

I immediately put my plan into action.

The first thing I did was call for my personal maid, Martha.

Martha was the only person in this mansion I could call “on my side.” She was the daughter of my wet nurse, who had raised me when I was an abandoned infant no one cared about.

Though she was a maid, she was like a friend to me, and unlike how I treated others harshly, I was soft with her.

“What is it, Miss?”

“Martha, can I ask you a favor?”

“You’re not going out. You’re under confinement.”

Her anxious expression showed just how little she trusted me, given my past record of sneaking out.

“Unfortunately, that’s not it.”

“That’s a relief. Then what is it?”

I beckoned her closer, and she hesitantly leaned in.

Whisper, whisper.

As I spoke, her face turned pale.

“Why would you need that?!”

I expected resistance—but not this much anger.

“It’ll be useful.”

“No! That’s too dangerous. What are you planning this time?!”

“Martha.”

“No.”

She refused firmly, but I didn’t give up.

“Marthaaa—”

“…You really shouldn’t…”

“Please? Just this once?”

As much as I was weak to Martha, she was just as weak to me.

In the end, she surrendered.

“Don’t you dare do anything dangerous.”

“Got it!”

Watching her give in, I confessed silently:

‘Sorry, Martha. I can’t keep that promise.’

Because what I was about to do…

…was definitely dangerous.

Two days later.

After many twists and turns, I finished all the preparations and finally set out.

I was supposed to be confined, but walking around the mansion should be fine.

After two days of groundwork, I felt drained, dizzy, and on the verge of collapsing.

‘I want to rest… but I need to meet her as soon as possible.’

As I walked, the maids who saw me turned pale and fled.

That showed just how infamous I was in this mansion.

I stopped at the Duchess’s poison garden.

The Duchess sat at a table under a parasol, giving instructions to the servants tending the poisonous plants.

My footsteps approached.

She turned her head.

“Hello, Duchess.”

She smiled elegantly.

“It’s been a while, Elodie.”

“I’m glad to see you’re well.”

“…Hmm?”

Her sharp gaze made me flinch, and I quickly looked away. My heart pounded, afraid she might notice my change.

There was another reason I couldn’t help but feel tense.

She was uncomfortable to be around.

Though she had never harmed me, it was obvious I was an eyesore to her.

Who would welcome an illegitimate child brought into their home?

‘I won’t be a burden for long, Duchess. I’ll leave on my own!’

Reaffirming my resolve, I smiled as harmlessly as possible.

“You’re supposed to be under confinement. I suppose you got bored.”

“Yes. Staying in my room gave me a headache.”

“I see.”

Silence fell.

“….”

“….”

We weren’t close, so there was nothing to talk about.

The Duchess’s attention returned to the poison garden, as if she had already forgotten I was there—or was deliberately ignoring me.

Either way, it stung.

But I couldn’t give up now.

“Isn’t the imperial family being too much? You developed a pesticide for the farmers, and they ordered it recalled.”

“Well… that’s true.”

She glanced at me, as if wondering whether I was mocking her.

Still, I had caught her attention.

“So, about that…”

“Yes?”

“I think I can help you.”

The bait had been cast.

‘Take it.’

I held my breath.

Then, the Duchess finally spoke—