The Villainous Young Lady’s Despicable Move (2)
"Your fortune is good, Iriel."
“Ugh… I’m sleeping, so don’t wake me up.”
“Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“……Ah, seriously annoying. Who is it…? You better run when I get up.”
Iriel had been fast asleep from the moment she returned from Hillaise Bakery until the next morning.
She buried her face in her pillow and habitually waved her hand dismissively, as if addressing a servant.
Vowing to punish the maid who dared to wake her up later, she mumbled.
“Ha, I was wondering how you were doing after leaving the family, but it seems like you’re doing just fine, Iriel Eustia.”
*Thwack.*
A short sound of a fan hitting a palm.
“!”
Startled by the sound, Iriel’s eyes flew open, and she shot up in bed.
“A, Aunt?!”
She quickly wiped her mouth and smoothed down her hair in an instant.
Despite her usually carefree personality and being the fearless Princess of Eustia, there were two people in this world Iriel feared.
One was her father, the head of the family, and the other was his older sister, her aunt, Hela Eustia.
Her reddish-brown hair was streaked with white, and her sharp eyes seemed to reflect her stubborn nature.
Her ramrod-straight posture was a testament to her strict personality.
Iriel couldn't even think of defying Hela.
“W-What brings you all the way here…?”
As soon as she asked in a trembling voice, a sharp reply came flying back.
“Why, is this a place I shouldn't be?”
“T-That’s not what I meant…”
“I heard you were so insistent on coming to this academy, so I came all the way here to see how you were doing… but it seems like you’re enjoying yourself far too much.”
“…..”
“Tsk, look at you.”
Hela scanned Iriel from head to toe.
Iriel kept her mouth shut.
She knew from experience that speaking up at a time like this would only result in further humiliation.
“And the hospitality is absolutely appalling. It takes forever just to get a cup of tea.”
Iriel turned her head towards the door.
“Is anyone out there?!”
“Yes, Milady.”
“Bring me a cup of Harallen petal tea!”
“Yes, Milady.”
Iriel sat down opposite Hela at the table set up in a corner of the room.
A heavy silence fell between them.
Hela crossed her arms and stared at her intently, while Iriel kept her head bowed with her hands clasped together.
After a short wait, a maid opened the door and served the tea.
Hela elegantly lifted the teacup to her lips and then frowned.
“Even this is dreadful. Honestly, what are you even learning in this place? You would have been much better off just getting engaged and learning how to be a proper lady…”
Iriel had never once heard her aunt compliment anyone or say they did a good job.
‘Just leave already. Please…’
She could only pray that this moment would pass quickly.
“Tsk.”
Hela clicked her tongue disapprovingly at Iriel.
Then, she spoke as if mentioning something trivial.
“……By the way, I came here for a reason.”
“Y-Yes…?”
“I heard an interesting rumor.”
Hela gave a cynical smile.
“……You smuggled our hunting dog into the academy, didn’t you?”
“!”
At her words, Iriel’s head snapped up.
“That’s…! I used the family insignia! You said you wouldn’t interfere with how I use it!”
“Yes, yes, that’s why I couldn’t stop you even though I knew. You’ve done something quite remarkable, Iriel.”
"...."
“To think you’d pull something like this, going to Ramielli, before even trying to accomplish anything. The head of the family is furious about it. Did you know that?”
Not this again.
Iriel forced a smile on her face.
Aunt Hela always trampled on her and belittled her as if it were nothing.
“I-I’m sorry.”
Every time this happened, all Iriel could do was apologize.
“……Hmm, I was going to hold you accountable for this. Expulsion from the academy and… the convent…? Or perhaps an engagement to atone for your sin?”
“!”
As Iriel’s eyes widened, Hela waved her hand dismissively.
“Hmph, it seems you’re lucky that won’t be necessary.”
“What?”
“It seems that mutt was planning on leaving the military anyway. I suppose that Iriel, that boy, seduced naive you into using the family insignia. Honestly.”
“What are you…?”
Hela frowned and looked at Iriel with pity.
“You don't even realize you were used like that? You’re so foolish. Even if it’s the academy, my ears and eyes are everywhere. Didn't he pretend not to know you even after entering the academy? Ungrateful bastard.”
Hela sighed.
“And I sent him a signal to gather information since he was already in the academy because of you, but he didn't even send regular reports.”
Iriel began to have an ominous feeling.
“And he fought the Second Prince and sided with the First Prince? Got involved with Yohaiden too… Ha, I had no idea he was that kind of person. To think we were nurturing someone so dangerous within our midst.”
“Zeke, Zeke wouldn't…!”
Iriel reflexively denied her words.
However, Hela cut her off and spoke in an exasperated tone.
“Sigh, foolish Iriel. If you’re a true Eustia, try to think a little more rationally. He's more useful to us this way. Imagine the trouble we would have been in if such a dangerous individual had been at the heart of our plan just as we were about to embark on an important endeavor. It's a good thing things were delayed a little.”
“……Is he really that important…?”
Her aunt shook her head.
“Is there any point in questioning the importance of a chess piece? We simply dispose of any piece that doesn't follow orders.”
“……!”
She jumped to her feet and shouted at Hela.
“Zeke is part of the academy now!”
*Thwack.*
“Where did you learn to raise your voice at your elders like that, young lady? Is that how I raised you?”
Hela dismissed Iriel’s words as if they were worthless.
“We'll take care of that ourselves. You don't have to worry about it. Shouldn't you be enjoying your academy life? After all, you ran away from me to be here. Unless, you'd rather be expelled from this place and spend your days in a convent or get engaged. Just say the word.”
Iriel’s eyes wavered at her words.
*Thwack.*
“Well then, I’ll be on my way. Consider this a warning. Do I make myself clear?”
Hela got up from her seat, opened the door, and walked out.
*Creak*
*Thud.*
White steam rose from the still-warm tea on the table.
‘Zeke… had that kind of intention all along?’
Iriel couldn't believe Hela’s words, that he had planned to betray Eustia and side with Yohaiden and the royal family from the very beginning.
‘If that’s true… then he wouldn’t have bothered accepting me as his student, would he?’
Of course, Zeke’s behavior had been strange from the start.
The fact that he didn't come to see her right away, and that he seemed close to Selena Yohaiden.
He even told her to stay away from him.
‘No, something’s not right. Something is…’
Iriel couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.
Her brain, which wasn't particularly sharp, felt frustrated.
Maybe she needed some sugar.
“Is anyone out there?!”
“Yes, Milady!”
“Bring me some sliced baguette! With lots of sugar on top!”
“Yes, Milady!”
After a short wait, a baguette sprinkled with white powder was placed in front of her.
*Crunch, munch, munch*
Iriel sat at the table with a serious expression and chewed on the sweet baguette.
‘What is it? What could it be?’
She gradually fell into thought.
As she chewed on the bread, emotions welled up inside her, and resentment towards Zeke began to grow.
Then came the betrayal.
And then sadness.
And then more questions arose.
She had thought Zeke’s actions were strange all along, but she had been so caught up in the results that she hadn't really thought deeply about why he had acted that way.
‘He probably didn't do it because he needed money…’
It was true that she had impulsively given him that expensive magic stone necklace out of frustration just yesterday.
‘No, something’s not right. Something is…’
Thinking back, no matter how much she had handed over her entire salary to the military, it didn't align with Zeke’s usual calm and rational demeanor.
‘He could be disappointed in me for that. But… to completely cut ties with Eustia? Knowing what could happen to him…? It’s as if… he knew he was going to die…’
“!”
‘What? Knowing he was going to die…?’
Suddenly, she recalled something Zeke had said while teaching her how to use a dagger in the past.
“You’re doing well, Milady.”
“Hmph, this is nothing!”
“Milady, what would you do if there was someone you truly wanted to protect?”
“Huh? Bread? I would build a fortress around the bakery!”
*Chuckle.*
Zeke chuckled at Iriel's absurd response.
The faint smile that this expressionless boy occasionally showed was enough to make young Iriel’s heart flutter.
‘What is this? Why is my heart racing? Should I call the doctor later?’
Iriel tilted her head in confusion.
“That’s right. The best thing to do is to be strong enough to protect them. But what if your opponent is overwhelmingly stronger than you?”
“Hmm… I’ll take all the bread I can and run away!”
Zeke shook his head.
“No. You have to distance yourself from the bread.”
“Why? I don’t want to… Does that mean I can't eat bread at all?”
“Sometimes, what we cherish most becomes our fatal weakness for the enemy.”
“Bread doesn’t have any weaknesses, does it?”
“I once met a man who fought desperately to protect someone, even though he knew he was going to die. In the end, he protected his family with his life.”
Iriel couldn't understand Zeke's words because they were too difficult for her.
Why did she have to distance herself from the bread when she loved it so much?
Shouldn't she hold onto it even tighter and protect it?
*Hmm.*
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't understand.
Iriel was more curious if Zeke had something he cherished as much as she cherished bread.
“Zeke, is there anyone you want to distance yourself from because you love them so much?”
“…..”
However, the black-haired boy didn't answer her question and merely looked at Iriel with a melancholic gaze.
*
Iriel bit her nails and paced around the room.
Her head throbbed from forcing her brain to work, but she couldn't stop thinking now.
‘What does that even mean?!’
Iriel recalled Zeke’s words from the past but found it difficult to connect them to the current situation.
‘One thing’s for sure, Zeke is going to be dealt with.’
But why was he going to be dealt with?
‘Because he deviated from the main plan and sided with the royal family or Yohaiden.’
She knew the reason.
Why he had done such reckless things.
“Zeke left the military… He must have been entrusted with something important in Father’s plan…”
As soon as Zeke was appointed as an instructor at the academy, he didn't come to her and instead went straight to Selena.
*Grit.*
Iriel gritted her teeth as the image of that flower-brained girl came to mind.
“He knew how much I hated Selena…”
And why did he have to tell me to get lost in front of her?
As if drawing a clear line.
“Wait a minute… I used the family insignia, didn't I?”
…Could he have stayed in the military if he had refused?
Even if he had received orders from her father or aunt, it would have been impossible.
The family insignia she had received held the highest authority over anyone affiliated with Eustia, even superseding the head of the family’s orders.
She had used the precious treasure, which she had obtained through a series of coincidences, to get Zeke out.
‘Well, they did say there was no way he could be discharged. I had no choice.’
Then, it hit her like a bolt of lightning.
‘The moment Zeke left the military… he had already deviated from Father’s plan…?’
Iriel didn't know exactly what her father and aunt were up to.
But she had heard Zeke say something.
Those who outlived their usefulness or knew too much would eventually be eliminated.
And then…
Hela’s words came to mind.
“……Hmm, I was going to hold you accountable for this. Expulsion from the academy and… the convent…? Or perhaps an engagement to atone for your sin?”
It was an undeniable truth that Zeke would die sooner or later, the only difference being the timing.
And Iriel was the cause.
What should Zeke have done then?
Only then did Zeke’s behavior begin to make sense.
Why he didn't come to her right away and why he went to Selena, whom she hated so much.
Why he was involved with the powerful figures he loathed so much.
And so blatantly, at that.
As if he had planned it all along.
‘To distance himself from me…’
Her father and aunt would never let Iriel off easy, even if she was family, if she interfered with their plans.
Being sent to a convent or forced into an unwanted engagement were not empty threats.
“Sometimes, what I cherish most becomes a fatal weakness to the enemy.”
Chills ran down her spine.
He was distancing himself from her so she wouldn't feel guilty.
He turned his attention to the powerful royal family and the Yohaiden family.
That way, Iriel’s crime would be lessened, and the family wouldn't hold her responsible.
His death would be the end of it all.
‘That stupid, stupid man!!!! Who told him to do such a thing!!!!!!!’
*Ugh.*
She felt nauseous.
Iriel bit her lip hard.
If anyone was guilty, it was Iriel Eustia.
She was the one who had given him the order he couldn't refuse, the order that had forced him out of the military.
She was the one who had sentenced him to death.
‘Just because I wanted him by my side at the academy, to look after me, to indulge my childish whims.’
*Thud.*
Her legs gave way.
She swayed dizzily.
She collapsed to the floor, burying her face in her hands.
Despair filled her chest, and her body trembled with guilt.
Tears welled up in her crimson eyes and streamed down her cheeks.
“No, no. Zeke, no… This is all my fault. It’s all my fault… So please…”
To think he would distance himself to protect the very person who had condemned him to death…
What was she supposed to do with this foolish man who was willing to use even his own death to protect her until the very end?
A suffocating feeling gripped her chest.
She couldn’t breathe.
Why?
Why?
Didn’t he hate her?
“Zeke, is there anyone you want to distance yourself from because you love them so much?”
“…..”
“Ah…”
Iriel clutched her forehead and fainted on the spot.
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Man, Everyone is so delusional.
ReplyDeleteWasn't he locked up in the basement and moulded into a hunting dog his whole life? What makes ya think he'd have any good feelings for anyone connected to that
ReplyDelete