The moonlight streaming in through the window illuminated the room.
On a pure white bed bathed in moonlight, a woman wearing a thin chemise is sleeping. It is Odette, who has suffered from a high fever for two days and whose body temperature has suddenly returned to normal.
She was sweating profusely. Judging from the soft sobbing, she seemed to be having a nightmare about being chased by something.
Sion let out a long sigh. Now it really felt like this woman was alive.
When he found the woman lying on the floor of this room two days ago, she looked like a corpse, completely white.
'I found out some information about your biological parents, so if you're curious, I'll tell you.'
He came here to have a simple conversation and what is this?
He's afraid of paying the bill, so he just stands there in this room every morning, dumbfounded.
'What a fucking annoying woman.'
Sion's purple eyes were filled with irritation.
A neatly refined expression. Clear blue-green eyes. If you were to talk about revenge with such a sharp face, shouldn't you at least take care of yourself?
How can you get revenge in this state where I feel like you're going to die at any moment? You're like a woman who doesn't even know the basics.
Sion pressed his eyebrows together. The ugly burns on her legs that he had seen while carrying her to the bed lingered in his mind like an afterimage.
'The young lady's body is in this condition, and there is not a single person in the mansion to take care of her?'
Looking at this, it is easy to guess what kind of revenge this woman will take in the future. Since she has nothing, the more she tries to take revenge, the more she will have to sacrifice her own body.
'I've always wanted this woman to disappear, but why does it hurt so much to see her wear out?'
It was then that the eyes of the woman who had been sleeping like a corpse suddenly opened.
“...”
A strangely clear gaze, hard to believe that she had just woken up, stared at Sion.
She was out of breath.
The turquoise eyes were like a lake of indeterminate depth, so clear that they looked like empty spaces.
Sion met her gaze as if possessed.
“Did they get caught?”
The woman asked an unexpected question.
‘...Why did you suddenly throw away all the honorifics you used to use so well?’
He couldn't take his eyes off her as if he was captivated. Even though she had a blank expression, the woman looked dangerous.
Like fallen leaves about to fall, wild animals leaving in search of a place to die, a lost child who knows she has been abandoned, or things barely hanging on at the edge of a cliff.
'The pain from the burn must be excruciating, but there's no sign of pain. It's like...'
As if she were familiar with pain.
“Answer me, Sion. Can’t they run away now?”
The woman pressed Sion for an answer. What could she possibly be asking that would catch them?
As if his intelligence was lacking, his mind worked very slowly.
'I guess you're talking about the criminal groups connected to Albrecht's criminal enterprise...'
Sion, who had reached a conclusion stammeringly, answered calmly. So calmly that it was almost stupid.
“They got caught perfectly. No room to run.”
The woman's expression became surprisingly bleak this time. There was a faint hint of moisture in her blue-green eyes, but it eventually disappeared without forming.
'Why are you making that face?'
Sion felt his heart sink. It was a look he knew. The look on his mother's face as she faced death, after being betrayed and robbed of everything by her father.
“I always wanted to feel loved at least once.”
The whisper, not a plea, sounded like a will.
Sion frowned. Who knew that this poisonous and wicked woman could speak in such a tired voice?
What the hell is that look? As if he's some kind of grim reaper here to take this woman's life...
“Please throw my body in the desert. I don’t want to be hated even after I die. I’m sure you don’t want to hold onto my body and move it anyway.”
Oh my. Now she's sitting down to write a real will.
Only then did Sion catch his breath.
'I guess you're confusing dreams with reality.'
It could very well be so since she had a high fever.
She's talking nonsense. Why am I so flustered?
Now that he know it was complete bullshit, he laugh at himself for acting like a possessed idiot.
“I don’t hate you that much.”
That's why he blurted it out so lightly. Of course, Sion doesn't like this woman. But there's no need to explain every single fact to a woman who sleeps.
'And besides, she says she will disappear on her own, so should I hate that corpse too?'
The dirty evil deeds were actually done by her father-
'...'
Sion's thoughts stopped.
'Uh...'
It's like someone has beaten his brain.
An innocent smile appeared on the girl's face. A smile full of clarity and happiness, like that of an 18-year-old girl...
“I’m so happy. Those are the warmest words I’ve ever heard in my life.”
She, in this way... can even laugh...
Sion's expression was stiff, like a broken machine. It was a habit that Sion himself was unaware of and that only came out when he was extremely flustered.
“Is it okay for me to say this? Actually, I’ve admired you guys for a long time. If you find it unpleasant, I’ll take it back.”
Odette's smile was still bright. Just looking at her excited expression was enough to make his heart flutter.
Why are you making that face like when you hear a confession of love? I just said I don't hate you. Surely that's not the warmest thing to say?
What do you long for, and what do you find unpleasant?
Sion's face hardened in embarrassment.
It's clear what's going on in his head. Otherwise, his thoughts wouldn't be slipping away like water through his fingers.
The woman's voice faltered and became hazy.
“...But that doesn’t mean anything anymore.”
...Meaning? What does it mean?
The girl's innocent smile gradually changed into sadness. Sion, whose thoughts had stopped, just stared blankly at the sight.
The jewel-like turquoise eyes hid beneath their eyelids again, and only the sound of the sleeping woman's breathing remained in the room.
Only then did the accident, which had stopped, start moving again with a creaking sound.
'...Fuck.'
He blurted out vulgar swear words he had never used before in his life.
Something big seemed to have happened, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He left the place as if he was running away.
'Fuck, what the fuck! What the heck is this? That thing just now...'
He hates that woman. That doesn't change.
The fact that her life was hard because of abuse. The fact that the evil deeds that he thought were hers were actually the deeds of her family. The fact that the disgusting rose scent that gave him a headache has diminished significantly in the past few days. None of this can change a relationship that was ruined by three years of hatred.
How many handfuls of retardants had she swallowed to relieve the nerve-wracking pain? Even though Odette was a victim in her relationship with her family, she was still a perpetrator of the Transcendent.
'I hate that woman.'
Still, he feels murderous and disgusted with that woman.
It was always easy to hate that woman. All it took was a moment to recall the hellish, painful moments. Sometimes, didn't it feel like the right thing to do to hate that woman?
He shouldn't feel such soft emotions. His intuition as a monster of God resonated strongly.
Sion walked quickly as if he was being chased by the stench, or by the stench of emotions.
It's 4am and it's drizzling.
Odette opened her eyes slowly. She looked around her surroundings with hazy eyes and sighed in relief.
'I thought I was captured by Sion...It was a dream.'
It had been three years since she had a dream other than the one with the heart wasp. Why on earth would such a monumental dream be a nightmare of being chased to death by a transcendent being?
'It's already a tiresome chase that I've experienced once. Why is it so vivid even in my dreams?'
Odette, with a weary face, put on her dressing gown, struck a match and lit the silver candlestick on the bedside table.
Only then did her trembling body slowly calm down.
As the candles glowed softly, a piece of paper on the bedside table caught her eye.
A high-quality postcard, neatly folded in half. The border bears the seal of the Margrave Kleist.
Odette frowned as she opened the postcard. It was full of unintelligible, crooked letters.
'I said I couldn't read, but you still don't show any consideration.'
All she can read is a single number with too many zeros.
'Since I've convinced Sion, there's no need to remain illiterate any longer. There will be a lot of work to be done, so it would be a good idea to learn the letters in advance.'
But before that, there was something to do first.
She got out of bed, took off the necklace around her neck, and placed it on the nightstand.
It was a necklace that Sion had given her. It was something she had never imagined she would receive.
This is the <Sion Route>, and it is a necklace that Charlotte receives only in the latter half of the strategy.
< Lotte. If you are in danger of death, this necklace will summon me. So please take it with you. >
'All Sion knows is its function.'
If it had only the summoning function, Odette would have rejected this necklace. It wouldn't have been a necklace given to her out of pure concern like the one he gave to Charlotte. There's also the possibility that it could be used to track her down in the future.
But this necklace had another function, one that Odette desperately needed.
Odette opened the cap of the locket necklace, bit her fingertip to draw blood, and then dropped a drop of blood onto the watch inside the locket.
Then the necklace began to glow white and buzz.
On a pure white bed bathed in moonlight, a woman wearing a thin chemise is sleeping. It is Odette, who has suffered from a high fever for two days and whose body temperature has suddenly returned to normal.
She was sweating profusely. Judging from the soft sobbing, she seemed to be having a nightmare about being chased by something.
Sion let out a long sigh. Now it really felt like this woman was alive.
When he found the woman lying on the floor of this room two days ago, she looked like a corpse, completely white.
'I found out some information about your biological parents, so if you're curious, I'll tell you.'
He came here to have a simple conversation and what is this?
He's afraid of paying the bill, so he just stands there in this room every morning, dumbfounded.
'What a fucking annoying woman.'
Sion's purple eyes were filled with irritation.
A neatly refined expression. Clear blue-green eyes. If you were to talk about revenge with such a sharp face, shouldn't you at least take care of yourself?
How can you get revenge in this state where I feel like you're going to die at any moment? You're like a woman who doesn't even know the basics.
Sion pressed his eyebrows together. The ugly burns on her legs that he had seen while carrying her to the bed lingered in his mind like an afterimage.
'The young lady's body is in this condition, and there is not a single person in the mansion to take care of her?'
Looking at this, it is easy to guess what kind of revenge this woman will take in the future. Since she has nothing, the more she tries to take revenge, the more she will have to sacrifice her own body.
'I've always wanted this woman to disappear, but why does it hurt so much to see her wear out?'
It was then that the eyes of the woman who had been sleeping like a corpse suddenly opened.
“...”
A strangely clear gaze, hard to believe that she had just woken up, stared at Sion.
She was out of breath.
The turquoise eyes were like a lake of indeterminate depth, so clear that they looked like empty spaces.
Sion met her gaze as if possessed.
“Did they get caught?”
The woman asked an unexpected question.
‘...Why did you suddenly throw away all the honorifics you used to use so well?’
He couldn't take his eyes off her as if he was captivated. Even though she had a blank expression, the woman looked dangerous.
Like fallen leaves about to fall, wild animals leaving in search of a place to die, a lost child who knows she has been abandoned, or things barely hanging on at the edge of a cliff.
'The pain from the burn must be excruciating, but there's no sign of pain. It's like...'
As if she were familiar with pain.
“Answer me, Sion. Can’t they run away now?”
The woman pressed Sion for an answer. What could she possibly be asking that would catch them?
As if his intelligence was lacking, his mind worked very slowly.
'I guess you're talking about the criminal groups connected to Albrecht's criminal enterprise...'
Sion, who had reached a conclusion stammeringly, answered calmly. So calmly that it was almost stupid.
“They got caught perfectly. No room to run.”
The woman's expression became surprisingly bleak this time. There was a faint hint of moisture in her blue-green eyes, but it eventually disappeared without forming.
'Why are you making that face?'
Sion felt his heart sink. It was a look he knew. The look on his mother's face as she faced death, after being betrayed and robbed of everything by her father.
“I always wanted to feel loved at least once.”
The whisper, not a plea, sounded like a will.
Sion frowned. Who knew that this poisonous and wicked woman could speak in such a tired voice?
What the hell is that look? As if he's some kind of grim reaper here to take this woman's life...
“Please throw my body in the desert. I don’t want to be hated even after I die. I’m sure you don’t want to hold onto my body and move it anyway.”
Oh my. Now she's sitting down to write a real will.
Only then did Sion catch his breath.
'I guess you're confusing dreams with reality.'
It could very well be so since she had a high fever.
She's talking nonsense. Why am I so flustered?
Now that he know it was complete bullshit, he laugh at himself for acting like a possessed idiot.
“I don’t hate you that much.”
That's why he blurted it out so lightly. Of course, Sion doesn't like this woman. But there's no need to explain every single fact to a woman who sleeps.
'And besides, she says she will disappear on her own, so should I hate that corpse too?'
The dirty evil deeds were actually done by her father-
'...'
Sion's thoughts stopped.
'Uh...'
It's like someone has beaten his brain.
An innocent smile appeared on the girl's face. A smile full of clarity and happiness, like that of an 18-year-old girl...
“I’m so happy. Those are the warmest words I’ve ever heard in my life.”
She, in this way... can even laugh...
Sion's expression was stiff, like a broken machine. It was a habit that Sion himself was unaware of and that only came out when he was extremely flustered.
“Is it okay for me to say this? Actually, I’ve admired you guys for a long time. If you find it unpleasant, I’ll take it back.”
Odette's smile was still bright. Just looking at her excited expression was enough to make his heart flutter.
Why are you making that face like when you hear a confession of love? I just said I don't hate you. Surely that's not the warmest thing to say?
What do you long for, and what do you find unpleasant?
Sion's face hardened in embarrassment.
It's clear what's going on in his head. Otherwise, his thoughts wouldn't be slipping away like water through his fingers.
The woman's voice faltered and became hazy.
“...But that doesn’t mean anything anymore.”
...Meaning? What does it mean?
The girl's innocent smile gradually changed into sadness. Sion, whose thoughts had stopped, just stared blankly at the sight.
The jewel-like turquoise eyes hid beneath their eyelids again, and only the sound of the sleeping woman's breathing remained in the room.
Only then did the accident, which had stopped, start moving again with a creaking sound.
'...Fuck.'
He blurted out vulgar swear words he had never used before in his life.
Something big seemed to have happened, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He left the place as if he was running away.
'Fuck, what the fuck! What the heck is this? That thing just now...'
He hates that woman. That doesn't change.
The fact that her life was hard because of abuse. The fact that the evil deeds that he thought were hers were actually the deeds of her family. The fact that the disgusting rose scent that gave him a headache has diminished significantly in the past few days. None of this can change a relationship that was ruined by three years of hatred.
How many handfuls of retardants had she swallowed to relieve the nerve-wracking pain? Even though Odette was a victim in her relationship with her family, she was still a perpetrator of the Transcendent.
'I hate that woman.'
Still, he feels murderous and disgusted with that woman.
It was always easy to hate that woman. All it took was a moment to recall the hellish, painful moments. Sometimes, didn't it feel like the right thing to do to hate that woman?
He shouldn't feel such soft emotions. His intuition as a monster of God resonated strongly.
Sion walked quickly as if he was being chased by the stench, or by the stench of emotions.
***
It's 4am and it's drizzling.
Odette opened her eyes slowly. She looked around her surroundings with hazy eyes and sighed in relief.
'I thought I was captured by Sion...It was a dream.'
It had been three years since she had a dream other than the one with the heart wasp. Why on earth would such a monumental dream be a nightmare of being chased to death by a transcendent being?
'It's already a tiresome chase that I've experienced once. Why is it so vivid even in my dreams?'
Odette, with a weary face, put on her dressing gown, struck a match and lit the silver candlestick on the bedside table.
Only then did her trembling body slowly calm down.
As the candles glowed softly, a piece of paper on the bedside table caught her eye.
A high-quality postcard, neatly folded in half. The border bears the seal of the Margrave Kleist.
Odette frowned as she opened the postcard. It was full of unintelligible, crooked letters.
'I said I couldn't read, but you still don't show any consideration.'
All she can read is a single number with too many zeros.
'Since I've convinced Sion, there's no need to remain illiterate any longer. There will be a lot of work to be done, so it would be a good idea to learn the letters in advance.'
But before that, there was something to do first.
She got out of bed, took off the necklace around her neck, and placed it on the nightstand.
It was a necklace that Sion had given her. It was something she had never imagined she would receive.
This is the <Sion Route>, and it is a necklace that Charlotte receives only in the latter half of the strategy.
< Lotte. If you are in danger of death, this necklace will summon me. So please take it with you. >
'All Sion knows is its function.'
If it had only the summoning function, Odette would have rejected this necklace. It wouldn't have been a necklace given to her out of pure concern like the one he gave to Charlotte. There's also the possibility that it could be used to track her down in the future.
But this necklace had another function, one that Odette desperately needed.
Odette opened the cap of the locket necklace, bit her fingertip to draw blood, and then dropped a drop of blood onto the watch inside the locket.
Then the necklace began to glow white and buzz.
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