Odette was surprised.
'Hanging? Me?'
Why did I have to be hanged? And why was His Highness the Crown Prince so angry?
'Because I refused the dance the Crown Prince requested? Because I avoided him every time he tried to talk to me?'
Is the story about hanging something my father said to save me?
Or is it because of the murder my brother committed in the past? Is that hanging being carried out again?
Since Odette didn't know anything, she couldn't help but keep her expressionless face even more, even though she was confused inside.
Of course, she didn't even nod.
“When you don’t understand a situation, or when it’s a situation I haven’t specifically trained you on, just stay still with a doll-like expression.”
Because that was what her father taught her.
“Yeah. You’ve always been that kind of person.”
The Crown Prince said in a chewed-out tone.
“Look, Charlotte. There’s no point in coming here to talk. You’ll just end up more disappointed every time.”
“Your Highness, please listen to the girl for a moment.”
“Lotte, I agree with His Highness. Let’s stop now. We know this woman better than you do.”
The cotton candy girl, the Crown Prince, and the Marquis looked very friendly.
The Crown Prince and the Marquis from when she first met them overlapped.
A blunt and dreary appearance. A blatant disappointment that was different from expectations.
Yet their kindness was the greatest affection she had ever received in her life.
She thought about it for a long time because she was so grateful, and eventually, she came to admire the Crown Prince and Marquis who treated her like a human being.
But after seeing how they treated Charlotte, Ofette couldn't help but realize.
That the affection that was shown to her wasn't really sincere or affectionate.
Just as she was fake, their affection was also fake.
'That affection was worthless...'
The transcendent beings who looked at her with contempt turned away coldly.
The cotton candy girl also followed them, fidgeting.
'...Don't be miserable. It's okay. I have a family.'
Her father's orders took priority over things like her broken dreams.
Odette endured, endured, endured, and endured the anxiety in prison.
If she holds on like that, her family will come pick her up again. Like always.
When Odette opened her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
'It's not even a mental debuff, but why are my dreams so vivid?'
It was so real that as soon as she opened her eyes, sbd checked to see if her tongue was still attached.
'Why did I dream about the mental debuff I suffered two days ago?'
The dream she had just now wasn't a mental debuff, but it wasn't a dream, and had herself either.
It was a dream that the necklace showed her.
“Do you have an ego? Why do you keep hitting people on the back of the head?”
Odette muttered annoyedly to the necklace.
'What good dream is this that makes me experience it twice? Don't even think about it as reality.'
Barely holding back her sinking feelings, Odette raised her upper body and checked her surroundings.
Certainly, after spitting up blood, her body felt much lighter. If only the timing hadn't been in front of Viktor, it would have been much better.
She opened the necklace and checked the watch.
'Fortunately, I was only down for about two hours. But why did he bring me to the Crown Prince's bedroom?'
It was her first time seeing this place, but she thought it felt familiar. It was exactly like the Crown Prince's Palace in <Redemption>.
If Victor had brought her to the palace... He probably wouldn't have been able to put out the fire in the laboratory. There would have been a large-scale riot in the slums soon after.
It's fortunate that she somehow managed to stop Victor from putting out the fire.
'What was he thinking when he left me here?'
If he were so excited to see me fall over, he should have left me at the mansion or left me there. You damn fool.
It was a time when Mrs. Becker's mother was searching the house to catch the accuser because the precious metals she had stolen had not been found.
Her mother considered me illiterate, so she was ruled out as a suspect from the beginning... But if she were caught suddenly disappearing from the mansion at this time, she could arouse unnecessary suspicion.
'It would be better to find it in the garden.'
Of course, if her mother caught her leaving the room without permission, she would have gotten in trouble, but she should have taken that risk when she tried to wear the ring in the first place.
'Is it the habit of all transcendent beings to work hard?'
Odette sighed. The first priority was to quickly return to the mansion.
And who changed the dress?
'I'm in my pajamas, but I don't have time to buy clothes. I'll just go back to the mansion as quickly as I can-'
It was the moment she was about to get up. Knock, knock, the door opened with a knock.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
"...Your Highness?"
“Victor brought you here and left right away. I heard there was a big commotion in the slums.”
As he said that, he sat down on the chair next to the bed.
John's stern expression reminded her of the John Odette had just seen in her dream.
John's face was filled with resentment, disappointment, and contempt.
“Your Highness, I am truly sorry for having to take your care of me. I will now return to my home.”
“Home? Are you calling the Count’s residence your home now?”
John snorted in amazement. Odette stopped in her tracks, startled.
'Could John be so cynical and sarcastic?'
Even when she lost her eye while driving wildly and they became enemies, she never saw anything like that.
“The doctor who examined your body said so. They tried to avoid leaving scars, but judging by the way your bones were broken and mended, the abuse must have been very long ago.”
Did you see me?
Victor wouldn't have put himself through such a hassle...It seems that John had come to see her out of chivalry.
“Who would believe that you, who deserves the highest treatment in the empire, are being treated like this?”
John let out a nervous, annoyed laugh.
Odette looked at his expression unfamiliarly. It was an expression she had never seen before in <Redemption>, so it was difficult to figure out how best to treat him.
'No, before that, what was he angry about?'
It was difficult to gauge the true nature of his feelings. Odette had already reported the abuse to Sion last time.
Why are you overreacting now?
“They say the exact cause of the blood vomit is unknown. It seems to be due to repeated bouts of tuberculosis, but they say that you would not have vomited blood unless you had been thrown underground hundreds of times.”
"Your Highness."
“But you’re going home? Is that really home to you?”
“...”
“I can’t send you to a place like that. You... No, even if it’s not you, no human being should be treated like that.”
It's not a wrong statement, but to her, it was just an idealism that she heard but didn't really care about.
'It would be more helpful if you sent me back quickly.'
“Your Highness, I apologize for interrupting, but I must return as soon as possible. I must not let my mother find out that I escaped.”
“Don’t worry. There’s no sign of you being looked for in that damn house right now. My aides have checked dozens of times, and they’re still checking.”
If they're the Crown Prince's adjutants, aren't they B-class Transcendents? Why are such precious personnel...?
“I just got a report that your mother is sleeping. So please go to sleep.”
John's attitude seemed strangely desperate. Odette rolled her eyes, unable to figure out what his feelings were, and then she saw John's shirt. The shirt was soaked in the blood she had vomited out.
'With that John's personality, he didn't change out of his bloody shirt before coming to visit?'
It doesn't make sense to say that he didn't have time to change into the transcendent's physical abilities. Rather, it would be a more appropriate explanation to say that he didn't have the presence of mind to do so.
'Ah. Okay.'
Odette smiled inwardly when she realized the truth.
'That's... self-reproach.'
An upright character. The Crown Prince, who grew up in an affluent environment, would not have properly understood the abuse even after receiving reports of it.
At best, he would have understood it as verbal abuse or a few slaps to the face.
Because he is a man who believes that it is natural for a knight to live by military law, imperial law, and chivalry. He has no imagination whatsoever about the 'true depths of a horrible human being' who has no morals.
There was an episode in the game that showed John's morality, right?
A soldier was immediately cut off on the spot by his authority after being accused of whistling at a passing female pedestrian.
'It must have been shocking for a guy like that to encounter abuse that was beyond his imagination.'
Now she understands the true nature of the abuse and feels guilty.
That's why they act so unresponsively. They feel guilty for not being able to properly protect the weak after seeing the abuse, and they're angry at themselves.
...And, if that’s really so...
'I have to use John's guilt.'
'Hanging? Me?'
Why did I have to be hanged? And why was His Highness the Crown Prince so angry?
'Because I refused the dance the Crown Prince requested? Because I avoided him every time he tried to talk to me?'
Is the story about hanging something my father said to save me?
Or is it because of the murder my brother committed in the past? Is that hanging being carried out again?
Since Odette didn't know anything, she couldn't help but keep her expressionless face even more, even though she was confused inside.
Of course, she didn't even nod.
“When you don’t understand a situation, or when it’s a situation I haven’t specifically trained you on, just stay still with a doll-like expression.”
Because that was what her father taught her.
“Yeah. You’ve always been that kind of person.”
The Crown Prince said in a chewed-out tone.
“Look, Charlotte. There’s no point in coming here to talk. You’ll just end up more disappointed every time.”
“Your Highness, please listen to the girl for a moment.”
“Lotte, I agree with His Highness. Let’s stop now. We know this woman better than you do.”
The cotton candy girl, the Crown Prince, and the Marquis looked very friendly.
The Crown Prince and the Marquis from when she first met them overlapped.
A blunt and dreary appearance. A blatant disappointment that was different from expectations.
Yet their kindness was the greatest affection she had ever received in her life.
She thought about it for a long time because she was so grateful, and eventually, she came to admire the Crown Prince and Marquis who treated her like a human being.
But after seeing how they treated Charlotte, Ofette couldn't help but realize.
That the affection that was shown to her wasn't really sincere or affectionate.
Just as she was fake, their affection was also fake.
'That affection was worthless...'
The transcendent beings who looked at her with contempt turned away coldly.
The cotton candy girl also followed them, fidgeting.
'...Don't be miserable. It's okay. I have a family.'
Her father's orders took priority over things like her broken dreams.
Odette endured, endured, endured, and endured the anxiety in prison.
If she holds on like that, her family will come pick her up again. Like always.
***
When Odette opened her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
'It's not even a mental debuff, but why are my dreams so vivid?'
It was so real that as soon as she opened her eyes, sbd checked to see if her tongue was still attached.
'Why did I dream about the mental debuff I suffered two days ago?'
The dream she had just now wasn't a mental debuff, but it wasn't a dream, and had herself either.
It was a dream that the necklace showed her.
“Do you have an ego? Why do you keep hitting people on the back of the head?”
Odette muttered annoyedly to the necklace.
'What good dream is this that makes me experience it twice? Don't even think about it as reality.'
Barely holding back her sinking feelings, Odette raised her upper body and checked her surroundings.
Certainly, after spitting up blood, her body felt much lighter. If only the timing hadn't been in front of Viktor, it would have been much better.
She opened the necklace and checked the watch.
'Fortunately, I was only down for about two hours. But why did he bring me to the Crown Prince's bedroom?'
It was her first time seeing this place, but she thought it felt familiar. It was exactly like the Crown Prince's Palace in <Redemption>.
If Victor had brought her to the palace... He probably wouldn't have been able to put out the fire in the laboratory. There would have been a large-scale riot in the slums soon after.
It's fortunate that she somehow managed to stop Victor from putting out the fire.
'What was he thinking when he left me here?'
If he were so excited to see me fall over, he should have left me at the mansion or left me there. You damn fool.
It was a time when Mrs. Becker's mother was searching the house to catch the accuser because the precious metals she had stolen had not been found.
Her mother considered me illiterate, so she was ruled out as a suspect from the beginning... But if she were caught suddenly disappearing from the mansion at this time, she could arouse unnecessary suspicion.
'It would be better to find it in the garden.'
Of course, if her mother caught her leaving the room without permission, she would have gotten in trouble, but she should have taken that risk when she tried to wear the ring in the first place.
'Is it the habit of all transcendent beings to work hard?'
Odette sighed. The first priority was to quickly return to the mansion.
And who changed the dress?
'I'm in my pajamas, but I don't have time to buy clothes. I'll just go back to the mansion as quickly as I can-'
It was the moment she was about to get up. Knock, knock, the door opened with a knock.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
"...Your Highness?"
“Victor brought you here and left right away. I heard there was a big commotion in the slums.”
As he said that, he sat down on the chair next to the bed.
John's stern expression reminded her of the John Odette had just seen in her dream.
John's face was filled with resentment, disappointment, and contempt.
“Your Highness, I am truly sorry for having to take your care of me. I will now return to my home.”
“Home? Are you calling the Count’s residence your home now?”
John snorted in amazement. Odette stopped in her tracks, startled.
'Could John be so cynical and sarcastic?'
Even when she lost her eye while driving wildly and they became enemies, she never saw anything like that.
“The doctor who examined your body said so. They tried to avoid leaving scars, but judging by the way your bones were broken and mended, the abuse must have been very long ago.”
Did you see me?
Victor wouldn't have put himself through such a hassle...It seems that John had come to see her out of chivalry.
“Who would believe that you, who deserves the highest treatment in the empire, are being treated like this?”
John let out a nervous, annoyed laugh.
Odette looked at his expression unfamiliarly. It was an expression she had never seen before in <Redemption>, so it was difficult to figure out how best to treat him.
'No, before that, what was he angry about?'
It was difficult to gauge the true nature of his feelings. Odette had already reported the abuse to Sion last time.
Why are you overreacting now?
“They say the exact cause of the blood vomit is unknown. It seems to be due to repeated bouts of tuberculosis, but they say that you would not have vomited blood unless you had been thrown underground hundreds of times.”
"Your Highness."
“But you’re going home? Is that really home to you?”
“...”
“I can’t send you to a place like that. You... No, even if it’s not you, no human being should be treated like that.”
It's not a wrong statement, but to her, it was just an idealism that she heard but didn't really care about.
'It would be more helpful if you sent me back quickly.'
“Your Highness, I apologize for interrupting, but I must return as soon as possible. I must not let my mother find out that I escaped.”
“Don’t worry. There’s no sign of you being looked for in that damn house right now. My aides have checked dozens of times, and they’re still checking.”
If they're the Crown Prince's adjutants, aren't they B-class Transcendents? Why are such precious personnel...?
“I just got a report that your mother is sleeping. So please go to sleep.”
John's attitude seemed strangely desperate. Odette rolled her eyes, unable to figure out what his feelings were, and then she saw John's shirt. The shirt was soaked in the blood she had vomited out.
'With that John's personality, he didn't change out of his bloody shirt before coming to visit?'
It doesn't make sense to say that he didn't have time to change into the transcendent's physical abilities. Rather, it would be a more appropriate explanation to say that he didn't have the presence of mind to do so.
'Ah. Okay.'
Odette smiled inwardly when she realized the truth.
'That's... self-reproach.'
An upright character. The Crown Prince, who grew up in an affluent environment, would not have properly understood the abuse even after receiving reports of it.
At best, he would have understood it as verbal abuse or a few slaps to the face.
Because he is a man who believes that it is natural for a knight to live by military law, imperial law, and chivalry. He has no imagination whatsoever about the 'true depths of a horrible human being' who has no morals.
There was an episode in the game that showed John's morality, right?
A soldier was immediately cut off on the spot by his authority after being accused of whistling at a passing female pedestrian.
'It must have been shocking for a guy like that to encounter abuse that was beyond his imagination.'
Now she understands the true nature of the abuse and feels guilty.
That's why they act so unresponsively. They feel guilty for not being able to properly protect the weak after seeing the abuse, and they're angry at themselves.
...And, if that’s really so...
'I have to use John's guilt.'
Odette's judged quickly.
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