Karl, who was taken by the Count and locked in the dungeon of the annex, had the new slave brand that had been made that morning clearly engraved on his back.
Sion had once again traced the scars on Karl, who had already been branded as a slave.
“Tsk tsk. I really don’t want to inject you with these drugs. My daughter wants it, so I really can’t help it.”
The Count put several restraints on Karl, pretending to be sad, but he couldn't hide the excitement on his lips.
“You know. Your master is Odette, and it is she who orders me to do this.”
The Count began mixing brainwashing drugs and poisons indiscriminately.
Then he prepared a syringe to inject the drug.
“Yes, it’s done. I’m such a good person, but I don’t know why my daughter is so vicious.”
The Count stuck the needle of the syringe into Karl's arm with the corners of his lips twitching.
And that was the moment when he tried to put strength into his fingers.
“Master, Master! We’ve got a big problem! There’s a fire in the lab! It’s Lab 3!”
"What?"
The Count became thoughtful at those words. He hastily withdrew his hand from the syringe.
“That’s where my most precious ingredients are gathered! It’s full of rare herbs!”
The Count ran out of the basement without even looking back at Karl, shouting evil words.
The Count's voice, along with the footsteps of the maids, servants, and doorkeepers following him, could be heard from afar.
In the quiet prison cell, Karl pulled out the syringe stuck in his arm without expression. There was no sign of relief or fear on his face.
And how much time passed?
Crack, crack.
A woman's footsteps were heard coming down the stairs of the dungeon.
“Hello, how have you been?”
Odette, carrying a basket, approached with a leisurely gait and smiled at Karl.
A soft candlelight illuminated the pitch-black basement. Even though the light was very soft, Karl found the woman dazzling.
“You’ve gotten more handsome in the meantime?”
Only then did something like interest appear in Karl's red eyes.
Annex.
A two-story building with a large garden compared to the size of the building.
The underground prison in the annex was soundproofed to the highest standard. It was because her father had built it specifically to torture Karl.
'Isn't this something you should be thankful for now?'
She thought as she closed the iron door to the dungeon.
This means that they can talk comfortably here without anyone overhearing.
“I really missed you, Karl.”
Karl looked back at her, wearing the magic restraints that Sion had filled and the prison restraints that the Count had filled.
Odette put the key she had obtained from the dungeon into the keyhole of the bars.
As expected, the iron door opened with a creaking sound.
The mansion had the same keyhole, whether it was an annex or the main building.
“Now, put your arms this way. And your legs too.”
She placed her hands on the magical restraints that had been placed on Karl. The restraints that glowed white were released one by one.
But one of the Count's restraints attached to his arms and legs could not be released.
Finally, after releasing what was in his mouth, Karl's mouth was also free.
“Master.”
Her father wouldn't be back for a while. The Third Research Institute would be burning for at least a week.
In the meantime, she was thinking of releasing Karl from his restraints. As long as he didn't get caught by her father, right?
“The place you will be staying is prison, but don’t be too upset. You will only be staying here for a short while.”
“This place is fine too.”
Karl spoke plainly. It was different from the main building’s underground prison, perhaps because this was a place where her father spent a lot of time.
It was a neat space reminiscent of a large, sparsely furnished room in a temple, except for the bars and the fact that Karl was chained to a restraint device in the wall.
'Once I get Karl out of my father's clutches, I'll be free of this place.'
Odette said, taking out the items in the basket.
“You have a lot of wounds from being scratched by the restraints. Just wait. I’ll apply some medicine for you.”
“It’s okay, master.”
“If you let me apply the medicine, I will give you the letters the children wrote.”
At those words, Karl no longer refused and obediently held out his arm.
Look at this. It was a good thing I left the kids in my hands.
The reason why the ointment was applied to the slave mark was that it was one of the events that fixed the favorability rating.
Although she can't see it, her favorability rating probably went up by 5 or so.
As promised, she handed the letter to Karl. As he was turning the last page of the letter, a bright red status window popped up before his eyes.
[ A decrease in disgust is detected. (-5) ]
It was understandable. The contents of the letter were filled with peaceful and pleasant stories that would make anyone who heard it smile.
The first food children eat, expensive clothes and daily necessities, and stories of safe and warm homes.
'It's best to know the current level of disgust.'
The disgust level that went up when she ripped off the seal was a whopping 40. So this time, she have to lower the disgust level by 40 to get back to the starting point.
'I wish I could fill that unmet condition.'
Even though Odette had Maleah search through all the related books in the Count's study, she couldn't find anything that could provide a clue.
After reading the letter, Karl said:
“Thank you, master.”
'Then. I ordered Gisela to do so and she did such a good job.'
If you knew the price of gold in there, you'd be shocked. Really.
“I’ve sent someone to the tundra, so you’ll see the results soon. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear from you.”
[ A decrease in disgust is detected. (-10) ]
Odette looked at the red status window that had popped up once again with satisfaction.
“I can do anything for you from now on. That’s what love is all about. So if you need anything, just tell me.”
As she said that, she took out some food from the basket.
“Is the bread tasty?”
“Yes, master.”
The chains the Count had put on Karl tied his hands, ankles, and neck to the wall.
'That suspicious gentleman seems to have set up a separate key for the chain.'
The length was so long that Karl could not possibly eat with his hands, as his movements were limited.
Because of that, Odette had to break the bread into pieces with her own hands and feed it to him one by one.
“Drink some milk too.”
She tilted the glass bottle and poured the milk into Karl's mouth.
Gulp-.
While he was drinking, a couple of drops flowed down the corner of Karl's mouth. As she had nothing to wipe away, Odette ran her index finger over it, and he stared at her as if he was measuring her.
She paused for a moment at those eyes, then put the last piece of bread in Karl's mouth and spoke.
“It’s already evening. It’s late, so I should go now.”
Because there was work that had to be finished before midnight.
Suddenly, she heard a loud thud and he grabbed her wrist.
“When will you come back again?”
Odett found herself thinking again about Karl's unresponsive expression of emotion.
'Just a few days ago, I would have thought that the reason this child was expressing his emotions was because the <Fenrir Prison Incident> had disappeared.'
It seems that Karl became like a machine because of the <Fenrir Prison Incident>. Now that one tragedy has disappeared, it seems that Karl is no longer like a machine. He must have felt that it was worthwhile to change the past.
But according to the information Sion gave, that wasn't it.
“I’ll be right back. I don’t leave my stuff unattended for too long.”
Odette stroked his head, thinking back to the information she had received from Sion.
"Karl: Known as the expressionless Crown Prince. There are many testimonies that even the Fenrir children in the prison looked down on Karl. "
Gisela also reported that Luca and Lara were overly afraid of Karl.
'He was originally a machine-like child. So he's only expressing his emotions to me. Isn't that strange? Why to me of all people and not the female protagonist?'
Although Odette was internally annoyed by Karl's appearance, she smiled on the outside and stroked his cheek.
“Besides, you are my most precious possession. I will never leave you alone for too long.”
“Master.”
“Until I come back, think of the next wish you have for me.”
She said that and smiled faintly. Then she lightly stroked Karl's hair.
“Get some sleep first. Hasn’t it been a long time since you had a good night’s sleep? You haven’t had a deep sleep since we left the tundra.”
The strength that had been holding her arm slowly released as she brushed her hair. It was the timing when the sleeping pill in the syringe began to take effect.
Damian had the Count's brainwashing drugs and poisons replaced with sleeping pills and stamina restoratives used by Charlotte in the game.
And it was also a precaution in case something happened. So that Karl wouldn't do anything while he was asleep.
“But when I fall asleep... bad things happen.”
As Odette stroked his head with calculating eyes, she flinched at the sound of his voice, which was slightly slowed down by the effects of the drug.
“I was always late and ruined everything.”
It was only then that it dawned on her that Karl was 17 years old.
'It was also written in the information that Sion sent. The disaster in the Kingdom of Fenrir happened when Karl was away.'
Moreover, the disaster in this camp occurred when Karl left for the capital.
It was only natural that he would become obsessed with it, since every time he was away, a great disaster would occur to the Fenrir clan.
How heavy must that fact have been for a 17-year-old? Perhaps it was natural for him to suffer from insomnia.
“If only I had been a little faster-”
“Nothing happened because you were late, Karl. Sometimes, terrible things happen to innocent people.”
“...”
“You couldn’t have been faster than that. Karl, you always did your best.”
“Then why... am I... in such despair?”
“People don’t always feel guilty when they do something wrong. They also feel guilty when someone they love does something wrong.”
“...”
“You did nothing wrong. Your despair is because you loved the people you lost with all your might.”
Karl's eyes slowly became hazy at the sound of her soothing voice.
“So don’t dream and sleep deeply. Nothing bad will happen.”
Soon he exhaled comfortably. Odette laid the sleeping Karl down comfortably and smiled bitterly.
'I think I know why you only express your feelings to me.'
Karl, who was once the Crown Prince and somehow became the eldest member of the Fenrir clan, may have lost the ability to express his emotions because he never had the chance to complain.
'I'm only one year older than you, and I'm Karl's master, so it just came out.'
She felt a little sorry for thinking that it might be a lie.
“Good night, Karl.”
“...”
This was her sincerity, with all my might. Perhaps it was the only sincerity she showed to Karl.
"Because the fire isn't being put out, Ferdinand and I won't be able to return for at least two weeks."
The servant who had followed the Count returned to the Count's residence the next morning and told her the news of the Count.
The Count and Ferdinand had already been away for extended periods on several occasions and each time they had given a brief notice of the period during which they would not be able to return.
It means that it is an everyday occurrence that has always happened.
So she had no idea what kind of butterfly effect this would have.
The Countess, who had been living in seclusion, could not have imagined how long she had been waiting for the news that the Count and the Young Master would not be returning for a while.
As soon as the Countess heard the news, she immediately set out for the visit.
“Get Mrs. Becker out of the room right now!”
From the early hours of the morning, Rolf and Paula were ordered to drag Mrs. Becker out of her room, where she was sleeping soundly.
Sion had once again traced the scars on Karl, who had already been branded as a slave.
“Tsk tsk. I really don’t want to inject you with these drugs. My daughter wants it, so I really can’t help it.”
The Count put several restraints on Karl, pretending to be sad, but he couldn't hide the excitement on his lips.
“You know. Your master is Odette, and it is she who orders me to do this.”
The Count began mixing brainwashing drugs and poisons indiscriminately.
Then he prepared a syringe to inject the drug.
“Yes, it’s done. I’m such a good person, but I don’t know why my daughter is so vicious.”
The Count stuck the needle of the syringe into Karl's arm with the corners of his lips twitching.
And that was the moment when he tried to put strength into his fingers.
“Master, Master! We’ve got a big problem! There’s a fire in the lab! It’s Lab 3!”
"What?"
The Count became thoughtful at those words. He hastily withdrew his hand from the syringe.
“That’s where my most precious ingredients are gathered! It’s full of rare herbs!”
The Count ran out of the basement without even looking back at Karl, shouting evil words.
The Count's voice, along with the footsteps of the maids, servants, and doorkeepers following him, could be heard from afar.
In the quiet prison cell, Karl pulled out the syringe stuck in his arm without expression. There was no sign of relief or fear on his face.
And how much time passed?
Crack, crack.
A woman's footsteps were heard coming down the stairs of the dungeon.
“Hello, how have you been?”
Odette, carrying a basket, approached with a leisurely gait and smiled at Karl.
A soft candlelight illuminated the pitch-black basement. Even though the light was very soft, Karl found the woman dazzling.
“You’ve gotten more handsome in the meantime?”
Only then did something like interest appear in Karl's red eyes.
***
Annex.
A two-story building with a large garden compared to the size of the building.
The underground prison in the annex was soundproofed to the highest standard. It was because her father had built it specifically to torture Karl.
'Isn't this something you should be thankful for now?'
She thought as she closed the iron door to the dungeon.
This means that they can talk comfortably here without anyone overhearing.
“I really missed you, Karl.”
Karl looked back at her, wearing the magic restraints that Sion had filled and the prison restraints that the Count had filled.
Odette put the key she had obtained from the dungeon into the keyhole of the bars.
As expected, the iron door opened with a creaking sound.
The mansion had the same keyhole, whether it was an annex or the main building.
“Now, put your arms this way. And your legs too.”
She placed her hands on the magical restraints that had been placed on Karl. The restraints that glowed white were released one by one.
But one of the Count's restraints attached to his arms and legs could not be released.
Finally, after releasing what was in his mouth, Karl's mouth was also free.
“Master.”
Her father wouldn't be back for a while. The Third Research Institute would be burning for at least a week.
In the meantime, she was thinking of releasing Karl from his restraints. As long as he didn't get caught by her father, right?
“The place you will be staying is prison, but don’t be too upset. You will only be staying here for a short while.”
“This place is fine too.”
Karl spoke plainly. It was different from the main building’s underground prison, perhaps because this was a place where her father spent a lot of time.
It was a neat space reminiscent of a large, sparsely furnished room in a temple, except for the bars and the fact that Karl was chained to a restraint device in the wall.
'Once I get Karl out of my father's clutches, I'll be free of this place.'
Odette said, taking out the items in the basket.
“You have a lot of wounds from being scratched by the restraints. Just wait. I’ll apply some medicine for you.”
“It’s okay, master.”
“If you let me apply the medicine, I will give you the letters the children wrote.”
At those words, Karl no longer refused and obediently held out his arm.
Look at this. It was a good thing I left the kids in my hands.
The reason why the ointment was applied to the slave mark was that it was one of the events that fixed the favorability rating.
Although she can't see it, her favorability rating probably went up by 5 or so.
As promised, she handed the letter to Karl. As he was turning the last page of the letter, a bright red status window popped up before his eyes.
[ A decrease in disgust is detected. (-5) ]
It was understandable. The contents of the letter were filled with peaceful and pleasant stories that would make anyone who heard it smile.
The first food children eat, expensive clothes and daily necessities, and stories of safe and warm homes.
'It's best to know the current level of disgust.'
The disgust level that went up when she ripped off the seal was a whopping 40. So this time, she have to lower the disgust level by 40 to get back to the starting point.
'I wish I could fill that unmet condition.'
Even though Odette had Maleah search through all the related books in the Count's study, she couldn't find anything that could provide a clue.
After reading the letter, Karl said:
“Thank you, master.”
'Then. I ordered Gisela to do so and she did such a good job.'
If you knew the price of gold in there, you'd be shocked. Really.
“I’ve sent someone to the tundra, so you’ll see the results soon. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear from you.”
[ A decrease in disgust is detected. (-10) ]
Odette looked at the red status window that had popped up once again with satisfaction.
“I can do anything for you from now on. That’s what love is all about. So if you need anything, just tell me.”
As she said that, she took out some food from the basket.
***
“Is the bread tasty?”
“Yes, master.”
The chains the Count had put on Karl tied his hands, ankles, and neck to the wall.
'That suspicious gentleman seems to have set up a separate key for the chain.'
The length was so long that Karl could not possibly eat with his hands, as his movements were limited.
Because of that, Odette had to break the bread into pieces with her own hands and feed it to him one by one.
“Drink some milk too.”
She tilted the glass bottle and poured the milk into Karl's mouth.
Gulp-.
While he was drinking, a couple of drops flowed down the corner of Karl's mouth. As she had nothing to wipe away, Odette ran her index finger over it, and he stared at her as if he was measuring her.
She paused for a moment at those eyes, then put the last piece of bread in Karl's mouth and spoke.
“It’s already evening. It’s late, so I should go now.”
Because there was work that had to be finished before midnight.
Suddenly, she heard a loud thud and he grabbed her wrist.
“When will you come back again?”
Odett found herself thinking again about Karl's unresponsive expression of emotion.
'Just a few days ago, I would have thought that the reason this child was expressing his emotions was because the <Fenrir Prison Incident> had disappeared.'
It seems that Karl became like a machine because of the <Fenrir Prison Incident>. Now that one tragedy has disappeared, it seems that Karl is no longer like a machine. He must have felt that it was worthwhile to change the past.
But according to the information Sion gave, that wasn't it.
“I’ll be right back. I don’t leave my stuff unattended for too long.”
Odette stroked his head, thinking back to the information she had received from Sion.
"Karl: Known as the expressionless Crown Prince. There are many testimonies that even the Fenrir children in the prison looked down on Karl. "
Gisela also reported that Luca and Lara were overly afraid of Karl.
'He was originally a machine-like child. So he's only expressing his emotions to me. Isn't that strange? Why to me of all people and not the female protagonist?'
Although Odette was internally annoyed by Karl's appearance, she smiled on the outside and stroked his cheek.
“Besides, you are my most precious possession. I will never leave you alone for too long.”
“Master.”
“Until I come back, think of the next wish you have for me.”
She said that and smiled faintly. Then she lightly stroked Karl's hair.
“Get some sleep first. Hasn’t it been a long time since you had a good night’s sleep? You haven’t had a deep sleep since we left the tundra.”
The strength that had been holding her arm slowly released as she brushed her hair. It was the timing when the sleeping pill in the syringe began to take effect.
Damian had the Count's brainwashing drugs and poisons replaced with sleeping pills and stamina restoratives used by Charlotte in the game.
And it was also a precaution in case something happened. So that Karl wouldn't do anything while he was asleep.
“But when I fall asleep... bad things happen.”
As Odette stroked his head with calculating eyes, she flinched at the sound of his voice, which was slightly slowed down by the effects of the drug.
“I was always late and ruined everything.”
It was only then that it dawned on her that Karl was 17 years old.
'It was also written in the information that Sion sent. The disaster in the Kingdom of Fenrir happened when Karl was away.'
Moreover, the disaster in this camp occurred when Karl left for the capital.
It was only natural that he would become obsessed with it, since every time he was away, a great disaster would occur to the Fenrir clan.
How heavy must that fact have been for a 17-year-old? Perhaps it was natural for him to suffer from insomnia.
“If only I had been a little faster-”
“Nothing happened because you were late, Karl. Sometimes, terrible things happen to innocent people.”
“...”
“You couldn’t have been faster than that. Karl, you always did your best.”
“Then why... am I... in such despair?”
“People don’t always feel guilty when they do something wrong. They also feel guilty when someone they love does something wrong.”
“...”
“You did nothing wrong. Your despair is because you loved the people you lost with all your might.”
Karl's eyes slowly became hazy at the sound of her soothing voice.
“So don’t dream and sleep deeply. Nothing bad will happen.”
Soon he exhaled comfortably. Odette laid the sleeping Karl down comfortably and smiled bitterly.
'I think I know why you only express your feelings to me.'
Karl, who was once the Crown Prince and somehow became the eldest member of the Fenrir clan, may have lost the ability to express his emotions because he never had the chance to complain.
'I'm only one year older than you, and I'm Karl's master, so it just came out.'
She felt a little sorry for thinking that it might be a lie.
“Good night, Karl.”
“...”
This was her sincerity, with all my might. Perhaps it was the only sincerity she showed to Karl.
***
"Because the fire isn't being put out, Ferdinand and I won't be able to return for at least two weeks."
The servant who had followed the Count returned to the Count's residence the next morning and told her the news of the Count.
The Count and Ferdinand had already been away for extended periods on several occasions and each time they had given a brief notice of the period during which they would not be able to return.
It means that it is an everyday occurrence that has always happened.
So she had no idea what kind of butterfly effect this would have.
The Countess, who had been living in seclusion, could not have imagined how long she had been waiting for the news that the Count and the Young Master would not be returning for a while.
As soon as the Countess heard the news, she immediately set out for the visit.
“Get Mrs. Becker out of the room right now!”
From the early hours of the morning, Rolf and Paula were ordered to drag Mrs. Becker out of her room, where she was sleeping soundly.
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