Chapter 25
“Why are you only arriving now?”
“I have been waiting.”
Inside the wide, dark drawing room where thick curtains were drawn tight, four figures sat around a round table. Like the man who had just entered, they were dressed in robes that concealed their entire bodies.
At the sound of his presence, they turned their heads in acknowledgment.
The man offered only a brief nod in greeting before taking the single empty seat.
The person sitting in the smallest chair turned toward him and spoke.
“You’re rather late today.”
“There were circumstances that warranted it.”
“Oh? And may I ask what circumstances could possibly be more urgent than this matter?”
At his answer, the person sitting opposite him mocked him in a sharp, ringing voice.
The man let out a soft, breathy laugh and replied with a faint sneer toward the owner of that voice.
“Well now. I don’t believe I’m obligated to answer that to a lady.”
At that, the woman across from him bit down hard on her slightly exposed red lower lip beneath her robe.
The man looked at her with open ridicule as she glared coldly at him. To him, the threat of such a woman amounted to nothing more than a rat baring its teeth.
“Now, now. That’s enough tension between the two of you.”
As icy gazes crossed between them, another man seated beside him intervened.
The woman who had been glaring snorted and sharply turned her head away. The intervening man frowned faintly before turning to the latecomer again.
“You should try to arrive earlier. Can this really continue every time?”
“My apologies. I’ll take care.”
He apologized with a sly smile. The other man’s lips tightened in displeasure, but he soon asked in a calm voice:
“That aside, how is the matter progressing?”
The man curled one corner of his lips upward.
“As you wished, things are proceeding smoothly.”
“…Meaning?”
“Yes. It seems the ‘monster’ has begun to give his heart to the ‘sacrifice.’”
“Oh? Is that so! That is truly welcome news!”
One of the previously silent figures raised their voice in delight.
The man gave a slight bow of courtesy toward them, then looked directly at another seated nearby.
“If things continue this way, I believe we will be able to carry out ‘that task’ within a few months.”
He smiled darkly.
The person he had been staring at turned away uncomfortably. Instead, another sitting beside them asked cautiously:
“Must we wait that long? Can the timing not be advanced?”
The man slowly shook his head.
“I’m afraid that would be difficult.”
“…Why? With your magical ability, it should be entirely possible.”
“All things follow their proper order. The ‘curse’ has only just begun to sprout. To accomplish our goal, we require a little more time.”
“…I see.”
“Yes. In truth, if the monster had not opened his heart to the sacrifice sooner than expected, things would not be progressing this quickly or smoothly. You know how cold and difficult he has always been, rejecting sacrifice after sacrifice. Had we rushed things recklessly, we would once again have wasted time and magic finding a suitable offering to attach to him.”
At that, the man opposite let out a heavy sigh and nodded in agreement.
“…You’re right. If Duke Alberton hadn’t assisted in this matter, we would have had to search among the imperial family or the nobles’ illegitimate children for someone suitable.”
“Exactly. And then we would have needed additional time to make a woman of illegitimate birth at least imitate a noble lady. If the Duke hadn’t happened to have a powerless daughter, it would have been quite troublesome.”
“You’re correct. My apologies… I grew impatient thinking that we have little time left.”
“It’s understandable. As you said, we truly don’t have much ‘time’ remaining.”
The man comforted him with a sinister smile. His voice was sweet and gentle, soothing enough to calm anyone who heard it.
Yet as he looked at the still-worried figure before him, his voice grew even more insinuating.
“All the more reason to proceed slowly and surely. Like a spider devouring a butterfly caught in its web. The foolish butterfly struggles and struggles, unaware it has already been trapped… until, exhausted, it finally gives up resisting.”
“…!”
At that moment, the man laughed in genuine delight and withdrew his gaunt hand from beneath his robe, stretching it toward the air.
A ghastly green flame ignited in his empty palm. Within the fire appeared the faces of a man with odd-colored eyes and a young, beautiful woman.
“And that will be the day your long-cherished wish is fulfilled.”
The faces were none other than Duke Arthur Felix and his new bride, Duchess Grace Felix.
The man watched with amusement as the two figures twisted grotesquely and burned within the green flames he had conjured.
And the eyes of those seated in the drawing room all fixed upon the burning pair as well.
Like starving vipers staring at prey just within reach, their gazes gleamed with cold, cruel hunger.
4 — The Awakening Curse (눈을 뜬 저주)
The sky above Felix Castle, where snow never fell, was a dazzling shade of blue.
Grace stepped outside the annex, holding Leon tightly in her arms as he clung to her like an affectionate kitten. She lifted her gaze to the brilliant sky.
Perhaps because she had not slept properly the previous night after what had happened with Arthur, the harsh winter sunlight made her dizzy. She swayed slightly, frowning faintly.
Leon, still in her arms, looked up at her with concern.
“Are you okay, Sister-in-law? Are you sick?”
“No? I’m just a little tired. I didn’t sleep very well last night.”
Grace answered lightly with a small smile, as if it were nothing.
But Leon’s expression darkened further. After staring at her with a dejected look, he tapped her shoulder with his small hand, asking to be put down.
When Grace lowered him and looked at him curiously, he hesitated before asking,
“…Are you too tired to go on a walk with me?”
Grace shook her head.
“No. I think I’ll feel less tired after walking with you, Leon.”
At once, the boy’s gloomy face brightened.
Grace extended her hand in front of him. As if he had been waiting for that very moment, Leon grabbed it tightly. Holding his small hand firmly, Grace descended the steps.
They paused briefly in front of the small garden attached to the annex. Leon playfully swung their joined hands.
“Sally said she’d bring tea and cookies, so let’s wait here a moment.”
“Yes!”
Soon after, Sally emerged behind them, carrying a large picnic basket.
Seeing her wobbling down the stairs with a basket that looked quite heavy, Grace asked,
“It looks heavy. Shall I help you?”
“Oh my, what are you saying! I can carry it just fine, so don’t worry. Hoho. By the way, where will you be walking today? Shall I prepare a place in the central garden in front of the main building, as usual?”
“Ah, that….”
Grace was about to agree but trailed off awkwardly.
Thinking about it, she suddenly felt the desire to explore other parts of the estate more thoroughly. Until now, she hadn’t truly wanted to live here long-term, nor had she wished to grow attached, so she had deliberately limited her movements.
But that was no longer necessary.
If she could help it, this would be the place she would spend the rest of her life.
With that thought, Grace smiled softly at Sally.
“Shall we go somewhere else today?”
“Oh? Shall we?”
“Leon, is there somewhere you’d like to go?”
Leon pondered briefly, then let out a small exclamation.
“Then, then let’s go to the secret garden by the north gate!”
“A secret garden? There’s a place like that?”
“Yes! The ice fountain there and the snowdrops are really pretty!”
“Really? Then shall we go there?”
Grace smiled down at the excited Leon before turning to Sally.
But Sally’s expression looked slightly strange. She had faintly frowned and did not immediately answer.
Grace tilted her head.
“…Sally?”
“Yes!? …Ah.”
“What’s wrong? Is it somewhere I’m not allowed to go?”
“N-No, of course not. There’s nowhere in this estate that you cannot go, My Lady.”
Grace looked at her suspiciously as Sally hurriedly waved her hands.
“…It’s really alright?”
“Of course. I’ll prepare a spot in the secret garden then. Please follow me.”
As if nothing had happened, Sally returned to her usual expression and answered politely. Carrying the basket with both hands, she walked ahead.
Grace watched her retreating figure thoughtfully.
Why is she acting like that? She’s different from usual.
Had something unpleasant happened in the secret garden before?
For some reason, Sally’s behavior left Grace unsettled.
“Let’s go already!”
“…Oh? Yes! Alright!”
Leon tugged at her hand eagerly, shaking away her complicated thoughts in an instant.
Grace smiled warmly at him and followed where he led.
…It’s probably just my imagination.
Perhaps she had misread it. Maybe Sally had simply been lost in thought for a moment, and Grace was being overly sensitive.
With that reasoning, Grace pushed aside the lingering unease in her heart.
