The maid followed Dorothea’s words quite faithfully.
A tray full of sweet snacks, a neatly folded white shirt, and even a smooth rope.
Dorothea checked the items she had brought and began making tea with a satisfied look on her face.
Wood blinked as he saw Philip, whose hands and feet were tied with rope, and Colin, who had just been almost killed by his son, sitting around the table side by side.
“Do you really want to have tea time like this?”
“I need to use my ‘strength’, so I need to eat well. But it’s not polite to eat alone while the landlord is there.”
It's already been a long time since they went out of style in the sense that they tied up the landlord and his son and made them sit down in the first place.
Before Colin could ask what he was talking about, he stretched out his hand on the table.
Then, as if he agreed with Dorothea's nonsense, Colin started chewing and swallowing the white bread he had picked up.
“Philip has trouble with his hands, so you can feed him.”
You tied it up.
Just looking at what had happened so far, it was already well-proven that the girl was not normal.
Dorothea Highclere never went beyond common sense.
Wood Dever, who had always thought that way, changed his mind.
People whose blood flows from the Marquis of Highclere should not try to understand with common sense.
'A father eating bread next to his son who tried to harm him, or a son pointing a weapon at his father.'
The same was true for Dorothea, who tied up the main character who committed adultery and looked at the cake more carefully and seriously than anyone else.
“Would cheesecake be better to eat with bitter tea, or would chocolate-covered chiffon cake be better?”
“How do I know that?”
Wood's eyes turned to Philip's back, where his wing ridges were bulging.
Not only did the wounds that were covered by the shirt not occur in a day or two, but each and every mark was deep and gruesome.
It was evidence that the boy had been abused for a long time, at least several years.
And looking at the boy's extreme resentment and desire to live, perhaps the one who caused the wound was...
It might be Colin Highclere, who has a pale face that looks like he's about to collapse at any moment.
'I didn't think he was that kind of person.'
There were some strangely inhuman aspects to him, but he never showed violence towards anyone.
Rather, he was a person whose inhumane side was more noticeable, as he did not react at all to things around him.
'...Should I inform the Marquis?'
Only then did something catch Wood's eyes.
A sharp scar was hidden on the nape of Philip's pure white neck, which was always covered with long hair.
A body that is not very well developed compared to its peers.
He had a dry expression that was uncharacteristic of a child and even the way he isolated himself rather than getting along with people.
As he thought about it, there were many things that bothered him.
“...Me back then.”
Colin, who had been silent the whole time, opened his mouth.
“I wasn’t myself back then.”
It was a common excuse given by violent people.
Maybe you got drunk and lost your temper for a while, or couldn't control yourself due to anger.
Even if he made excuses like that, nothing would change in the end.
He is responsible for even his actions at that moment when he lost himself for a moment.
Wood, who was listening to Colin's poor excuse, closed his eyes tightly as the anger welled up deep in his heart.
Philip's eyes were still empty.
Even though now it seemed that such insincere excuses would not work for the boy, Colin stubbornly repeated his words.
“But I am a completely different person now than I was then.”
Wood couldn't hold back and opened his mouth.
“To be honest, I’m an outsider in this business, but I’ll tell you something.”
“...”
“You can’t even think about being forgiven without acknowledging the past.”
If you really want to change, shouldn't you acknowledge that the past me is also me? How can I tell my partner to forget all about the past, cover up my mistakes, and promise to get better?
Nevertheless, Colin did not give up his stubbornness.
“The mistakes of the past were not committed by ‘me now,’ but by this body of the past.”
Wood quietly clenched his fist.
The only reason he resisted the urge to rip off Colin's head was because he didn't want to make the children next to him look bad because they were still young.
'It's not enough to hand him over to the security forces right away.'
Although his life is short, Wood has met many people thanks to his many experiences.
There was a crazy person who blamed his mother for teaching him wrong and that he became like this, a cowardly person who said he fell into a bad path after meeting the wrong friend, and a weak person who blamed things like alcohol or drugs.
But what, is this a new kind of dog?
It was all the fault of his past body, but it wasn't his fault as he changed my mind?
He admits all the mistakes he made with his body, but is he currently doing nothing wrong?
'Have you seen these fresh twins?'
Unable to bear it anymore, Wood opened his mouth to the boy and girl.
“Both of you, stay outside. This man is the one who needs to be roped in. If I speak directly to the Marquis...“
“That’s a bit troublesome.”
Dorothea cut Wood off.
Then, before he could say anything, she gave a command to Wood with a strange glow in her eyes.
Stop.
Thinking and acting are all things.
Wood Dever seemed to have lost his sense for a moment and his eyes lost focus and he fell limp in his seat.
Philip did not show any signs of surprise when he saw Dorothea's grasp in front of him, but he could not even hide the twitching of his fingers.
“I think we have some things we need to sort out. I put anyone who might be a bit of a distraction to sleep.”
“...”
Philip, who had been silent the entire time, opened his dry, cracked lips and spoke softly.
"... My father wanted to harm you.”
"I know."
“Long before you came to this mansion, even before you arrived at the imperial palace.”
“I know that too.”
“He still hates your very existence.”
“That’s also true.”
Colin before, as well as Colin now, would not be very happy about Dorothea's presence.
After Dorothea smiled and confirmed everything he said, the boy hesitated for a moment, and then someone else was mentioned.
“He caused the death of your mother, Ellen Highclere.”
“Colin, you answer. Is that right?”
There was such silence in the room that not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
In the end, Dorothea, who had devoured the cheesecake and even the chocolate-covered chiffon cake, spoke on behalf of the former reaper who was not good at making excuses.
“Wrong. It wasn’t Colin ‘now’ who killed Ellen.”
“...”
It would be quicker to show it in person rather than tell it.
After making her decision, Dorothea asked her maternal cousin in a sweet and gentle voice.
“Philip, can you help me with my work on Wood’s behalf tonight?”
When Philip remained silent, Dorothea added:
“If after tonight you still want to kill the being that occupies that body, then I will help you.”
Colin, who was listening to the murder plot against him being made right in front of him, looked at Wood, who was lying limp on the floor.
Unlike him, who was relaxed and without a care in the world, he could tell that for the others, a long day had just begun.
***
Hertia Ten, unlike other nobles, was imprisoned in the deepest solitary confinement in the dungeon for actively participating in the kidnapping of the Marquis's only daughter, plotting to murder her, and spreading impure rumors.
It is a notorious place where you will lose your mind after just a few days due to the confined space, the cold coming from the floor and the eerie atmosphere.
Inside, Hertia was lying on the floor, unable to even straighten her messy hair, muttering something incomprehensible.
“It was mine. It's mine...”
She was looking around with unfocused eyes, suddenly getting up from her seat, knocking on the door, and randomly bumping her body against the wall.
The guard who guided the group spoke carefully.
“As you know, the condition is so bad that proper conversation will be almost impossible.”
Originally, it seemed like her mind wasn't that sound, but after going through such intense interrogation, she seemed to have reached a state where she couldn't think properly.
It was also difficult to interpret the words that were sometimes spoken in combination.
"What? Anyway, the delusion is great.”
The guard shrugged.
“It was mine the whole time, it was taken away...“
It was obvious who the words were directed at.
The guard standing in front of the cell where Hertia was confined glanced at the three people, who were strangely sunken somewhere, and then quickly left the room.
There was no reason to worry about what happened to Hertia, who had already incurred the wrath of the great nobles and had even lost her confidant.
All he has to do is happily take home the generous allowance he received as a guide fee.
Only after the guard had disappeared far away did Dorothea call out to Hertia who was behind the bars.
“Hertia.”
Hertia, who was drooling, could not respond properly to the voice calling her.
“The cracks in the soul are significant.”
"It's okay. Because it can still be ‘repaired.’”
If she were to force the already shattered soul back together, it would become a bigger problem over time, but there was no reason for Dorothea to worry about that.
It was enough for her to hear the information she needed from Hertia at this moment.
Philip watched Dorothea take out a piece of paper filled with strange patterns from her pocket.
The boy might have wondered what that suspicious paper was and why he had come here to meet Hertia, but the boy didn't ask anything.
He just quietly watches this whole situation with his eyes.
The amulet that left Dorothea's hand flew quickly as if caught in the wind and stuck to Hertia's body.
Hertia, who had been crawling on the floor the entire time, stopped moving.
Slowly, very slowly, her eyes returned to focus, and stared at Dorothea.
The devil-like girl who had taken everything away from her was looking down at her and smiling brightly as if she was happy to see her.
“It’s been a while, huh?”
Hertia's eyes filled with fear.
***
“I don’t know about those who poisoned the mansion. The identity of those who joined hands with Colin. And I will never try to hurt you again. I did it wrong. Really."
Dorothea looked down at Hertia, who was crawling in fear and shook her head angrily.
“That’s not what I’m curious about. I’m not telling you to reflect or blame yourself.”
It's a fearful reflection anyway because once the situation is reversed, it will change again as quickly as the palm of your hand.
Moreover, Dorothea was not foolish enough to act inefficiently, devoting time to things like reflecting on others when she was too busy solving her own curiosity.
Hertia lay down at the feet of a child barely taller than her waist, trembling and panting.
“What on earth do you want?”
“I want to know how you were able to become a spiritist.”
She raised her head in a daze at the unexpected words.
“...This is how I became a spiritist?”
“There is no way you could have obtained the precious spirit stone, and it is difficult to believe that an imperfect contract like yours could have come about naturally.”
Her pupils shook as she looked up at Dorothea.
Hertia, who was hesitating as if she was evaluating something, glanced at Colin who was a little distance away, and parted her lips.
“...They performed a ritual so that I could deal with the spirits.”
“What is consciousness?”
“...”
Those people were probably the ones who brought rats into the mansion and spread rumors.
If it was their fault for making her a spiritist in the first place, does this mean that sending Hertia to Colin and urging her to become the Marquis's adoptive granddaughter was all part of the plan?
Dorothea, who had carefully drawn the picture, asked again.
“How does consciousness work?”
Behind her, the water spirit stuck its head out.
The spirit body that was hovering around her like an innocent child passed by her as if not recognizing the subject of the contract with her.
Hertia's expression became blank and she waved her hand as if trying to catch the spirit that was no longer looking for her.
Her hazy eyes opened her mouth.
“They implanted a spirit in me.”
“It’s a transplant. Are you transplanting the spirit from somewhere into you?”
"That...”
The words that were about to come out of her lips suddenly stopped.
At the same time that Hertia's eyes grew as if they were going to pop out, she grabbed her neck with her hands and started rolling around as if she were suffocating.
At that moment, everyone could see the black stain that started from her toes and covered her entire body.
“They put a ban on it.”
“Oh my.”
As soon as Colin spoke calmly, a sigh escaped Dorothea's mouth.
This means that there is information that should not be opened.
It was her first time seeing such a cruel technique in person.
The black flame rising from the tips of her feet was burning the girl's soul.
Hertia's screams of terrible pain echoed through the narrow space.
The cute face became distorted and ugly, and the body began to contort.
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