INST 02

Chapter 02

“What do you mean you sold off the family’s assets? By what right did you even sell them?”

“Why wouldn’t I have the right? I hold the family seal and all authority. If it were left to an incompetent father who only knows how to live in luxury, you would have ruined everything within three years. Grandfather handed it over to me before he passed away.”

As I answered with my eyes wide open, his face turned deathly pale.

It seemed he had only just now remembered that all he truly possessed was his title.

“S-So you’re saying you sold everything? Why would you do that?!”

“Isn’t it obvious? Revenge. I was being pushed to my death by my father, yet he gets to live happily ever after playing house with those lowlifes. Isn’t that unfair? Don’t you think so?”

“Hah!”

The trash let out a hollow laugh as if he couldn’t believe it.

Even though he was the head of the family and had at least pretended to obey my words until now, it made sense that he was shocked by my sudden change.

But I was already a dead woman anyway—what more did I have to lose?

So I intended to say everything I wanted before I went.

“Just how much did you sell? From where to where?!”

“What do you mean, ‘how far’? Everything. From the house you live in to the mines and the businesses. Ah, but I didn’t touch the jewelry belonging to you and your… accessories.”

“Is that true?”

His face brightened slightly.

He must have thought that the combined value of their jewelry was substantial enough to rebuild their wealth.

But…

‘Yeah. Dream on.’

I had no intention of planting even a shred of hope in the trash who had pushed me toward death.

“A while ago, there was a debt collection notice for gambling sent to your name. I did some rough calculations—it should be about that amount. If you sell everything and pay it off, you won’t be in debt anymore.”

“You! You filthy woman!”

The trash was now on the verge of losing his breath entirely.

At this rate, he might end up as a guest at his own funeral—but that wasn’t my concern.

“Have all your questions been answered? Then get that disgusting face out of here. I’m trying to go die in peace after saying everything I wanted, but having to keep looking at your revolting face is seriously ruining my mood.”

I waved my hand as if shooing away flies.

Then I embraced the nanny one last time and whispered quietly.

“There’s nothing good left here, so go back, nanny. Keep what I gave you safe. Don’t let those trash people take it from you, alright?”

She, who had been listening blankly to my exchange with the trash, soon nodded with a determined expression.

As if she would rather die than let them take anything from her.

Watching her carefully conceal the box that had been tossed onto the sofa beneath the hem of her dress, I then swept open the tent cloth.

I smiled brightly at the knight standing guard outside.

“Alright, let’s go die now.”

“P-Pardon…? Already? There’s still some time before the ritual—you could talk a bit more with your family…”

“I’m going to die anyway. What’s the point of stalling? And talking to those people just hurts my mouth.”

“But still, it’s your last moment…”

“Oh, enough useless talk. Just lead the way!”

I urged the flustered knight forward, hastening my steps toward my doom.

With every step toward the altar, I could hear the murmurs of the onlookers.

“How did the noble lady of House Beloche end up like that?”

“A legitimate daughter being offered as a sacrifice instead of a bastard… how pitiful.”

“Pitiful? What’s so pitiful about it? It’s only natural.”

“Exactly! Even the commoner girls who were sacrificed were someone’s precious daughters!”

“But that woman was born a noble and lived in luxury her whole life before dying.”

“Yeah, my niece was born into a poor family and suffered her whole life!”

“At this point, dying as a sacrifice is a pretty good life.”

“There’s no need to pity them. How many women have been sacrificed already?”

“Hey, isn’t that too cold? She did provide a lot of charity to us commoners…”

“Right, who hasn’t benefited from the duchy’s relief food?”

“Hmph. That’s not for us—it’s just to maintain their reputation.”

“Still, her death symbolizes the end of class privilege. It shows that even nobles can’t escape responsibility in the face of this disaster!”

Some pitied me, but most were cynical.

They seemed to find it satisfying—watching someone of a status they normally couldn’t even look at die so miserably.

‘Go ahead. Laugh all you want.’

Even my biological father, who had given me blood and flesh, would not mourn my death.

I never expected comfort from complete strangers.

Ignoring everything around me, I walked straight-backed.

Eventually, I stopped at an altar built beneath a steep cliff.

“All candidates for sacrifice, show respect to the goddess.”

Following the priest’s instruction, I knelt.

After muttering a prayer alone, the priest sprinkled holy water over my head and solemnly declared:

“Thus, Lady Shaen Beloche has become the goddess’s sacrifice.”

My death—no, my execution.

Even though I had prepared myself for everything, emotions still surged violently within me.

Anger toward the disaster that had suddenly appeared and turned the empire into hell.

Resentment toward the empire that chose inhumane human sacrifice to suppress that disaster.

And hatred toward my father, who abandoned me to save his illegitimate child.

All those negative emotions swelled together, overwhelming me.

But what could I do?

It was already beyond undoing.

As I stood up in resignation, a knight approached and extended his hand.

“I will escort you to the cave entrance.”

I almost took it absentmindedly, but something felt off, and I suddenly looked up.

Wind-blown light brown hair and deep dark brown eyes looked strangely familiar.

“Sir Arthur? Why are you here…?”

Arthur Jaden.

He was no ordinary knight.

The personal guard of Crown Prince Declan Garnacho, and the second son of the Count Jaden family—one of the Crown Prince’s closest aides.

‘Why is someone like that doing something like this here?’

Despite my questioning gaze, he only motioned for me to take his hand.

‘Well… there’s no need to have a conversation under everyone’s eyes.’

I took his hand for now and slowly climbed up the cliff as I asked,

“Why are you here?”

“His Highness the Crown Prince sent me.”

“…His Highness?”

“Yes. He instructed me to show the utmost respect for your final journey.”

‘This is insane.’

Respect for someone being sacrificed as a human offering? What a joke. Was he mocking me?

As I looked at him incredulously, the knight added defensively,

“His Highness deeply regrets your situation. He is very sorry.”

“Well, if he truly felt that way, he should at least show his face here himself.”

That would have been the bare minimum courtesy toward the people dying because of this cruel ritual created by them.

‘Sending a knight to deliver a hollow apology is just cowardice.’

Just as I scoffed—

“He wanted to.”

“…?”

“He wanted to come himself. He wanted to meet you and apologize personally. But he was unable to, so he sent me.”

“Why couldn’t he?”

Did all the horses in the empire die? Was the road blocked by a landslide? Or did the Crown Prince break both his legs?

‘What kind of grand excuse is this?’

As I stared at him, he let out a heavy sigh and finally spoke.

“His Highness has been confined.”

“…What did you say?”

For a moment, I was genuinely taken aback.

Confined? Why would the Crown Prince of the empire be placed under house arrest? For what crime? And more importantly, who would dare confine him?

‘Wait… didn’t they say the Crown Prince opposed the sacrifice system?’

I had once heard rumors that he had argued with the Emperor loudly enough for it to echo through the palace corridors, saying it was absurd to sacrifice innocent citizens over such superstition.

‘Don’t tell me it’s because of that?’

Arthur nodded heavily, as if reading my thoughts.

“His Highness feels deep guilt for failing to prevent this horrific situation. And for allowing your tragic sacrifice to happen.”

“…”

“Even though he couldn’t stop your death, he said he would find a solution as quickly as possible…”

“Are you kidding me? What good is a solution after I’m already dead?”

I cut him off sharply.

I knew neither he nor the messenger was at fault, but I couldn’t help it.

Who in my position would calmly say, “Oh, I see. I’m so grateful for His Highness’s concern”?

‘Still… at least there’s one sane person in the imperial family.’

Sighing deeply, I kept walking until we reached the destination.

A deep, unfathomable cave entrance—like the jaws of a beast.

Staring at it, I slowly closed my eyes.

Faces from my life flashed through my mind.

My mother, whom I had always missed.

The nanny who had filled that emptiness.

The butler and servants who were like family.

And…

‘Damn it, I should’ve stepped on those trash people more thoroughly!’

Even after ruining them completely, my anger still hadn’t cooled.

Clenching my fists tightly, I tried to calm the boiling frustration.

Arthur misinterpreted it as fear and said gently,

“Such a pity. If there is an afterlife, I will repay this debt as a man of the empire who is not part of the sacrifice system…”

“Afterlife, my foot.”

What’s the point of being reborn in this cursed world?

‘If anything, I’d rather become a ghost and just wander around freely… huh?’

That actually sounded tempting.

If I could become a ghost and torment those bastards to my heart’s content…

Watching them slowly wither away from fear of something they couldn’t even touch.

‘But do ghosts even exist?’

I couldn’t be sure since I’d never seen one.

But there were countless ghost stories.

‘Ugh, now I kind of want to die even faster.’

Unable to avoid death anyway, my mind began clinging to strange hope.

I decided it then.

I would die as soon as possible.

And if possible—absolutely, definitely—become a ghost.

Growing impatient, I quickly said my farewell.

“Thank you for your escort, Sir Arthur. You may go now. I need to go die quickly.”

Then I snatched the torch from his hand and ran straight into the cave.

“W-Wait, Lady! What kind of place are you rushing into so eagerly…!”

Arthur stared after me as if I were insane.

But I didn’t care.

Because I was insane anyway.