In my head because I didn't have a pet, to begin with, but Lady L'Arpege, who was very excited, didn't see it.
“Oh my, you’re coming out at the right time.”
As I turned my gaze at her words, the thick iron door at the edge of the stage began to open.
And when I saw him walk out of there, my lips parted on their own.
'That's ridiculous.'
“You have such a wonderful ‘dog’. I’m so jealous of you, Young Lady.”
“I also brought a pretty good ‘dog’ with me this time. I’m so excited to show it off today.”
The thrilled face of Lady L'Arpege, who was whispering next to me, was so thrilling that I could almost feel the creeps.
“...Carsis?”
I realized that the 'dogs' they were talking about were people.
Like Carsis standing alone there.
“You crazy bitch.”
The first words out of my mouth were harsh curses.
“Huh? Young Lady, what did you just say?”
Fortunately, however, due to the noisy atmosphere, Lady L'Arpege could not hear my words.
“No, Young Lady. Nothing...”
As I barely managed to raise the corners of my stiff lips and smile, Lady L'Arpege smiled in response.
“Come on, take a seat. I have prepared a short plaything for you, Young Lady, especially.”
Graceful gestures and soft voice.
Everything about L'Arpege was aristocratic, but to me, it all seemed barbaric.
It was sickening to see people laughing and talking while committing inhuman acts.
I suppressed the urge to run out the door at any moment and followed behind Lady L'Arpege.
Phew-.
As soon as I sat down, a piercing whistle was heard.
Then the eerie friction of chains echoed throughout the room.
'What...?'
As I looked around to assess the situation, a tiger appeared, sauntering out from behind a giant door.
“Why, the tiger...”
“That’s Kelmanzah’s tiger, starving all day for today. Don’t you think it’ll be a fun sight to see before the real dogfight?”
L'Arpege asked in a voice as if to ask why I was so surprised.
'Does that really look fun?'
What does that woman find so enjoyable about pushing people to their deaths?
Her face looked as innocent as a girl lost in happy thought before a sweet dessert.
I barely resisted the urge to hit the back of L'Arpege's head and turned my gaze to the stadium. The tiger, which was scanning the surroundings as if her words were not a lie, was completely dried up, with only its skin remaining.
Although it had been starving for a long time and was weak, a beast is still a beast. The tiger's sharp teeth and claws were still sharp.
'Oh my God.'
But in contrast, all Carsis is holding is an old-looking sword.
It was a truly insignificant weapon against a hungry tiger.
‘If he keeps going like this, he might really die...’
I clenched my fists without realizing it.
Anxiety and fear that someone might die right before my eyes, and nervousness enveloped my body.
'What should I do?'
Shouldn't we stop this game right now?
But what should I say to stop it?
At that moment, all kinds of thoughts were swirling around in my head.
“Oh my, here it comes.”
As soon as Lady L'Arpege finished speaking, the tiger rushed at Carsis.
"No...!"
It was a split second.
As soon as I gave my final cry, Carsis was crushed by a giant tiger and disappeared.
Everyone in the audience held their breath, anticipating what would happen next.
And...
Phew-.
With a loud cracking sound, a sword rose high above the tiger's neck.
'Ha.'
A short sigh escaped my lips.
'Is that possible...?'
But everyone except me began clapping their hands together in excitement as if they had expected this to happen. They looked as if they were in ecstasy as if they had just watched a moving opera.
'What the hell is this country?'
I, who had been looking at the audience with a blank expression, turned my gaze back to the stadium.
A giant tiger with a sword stuck in it and a black-haired man covered in the beast's blood.
And some women are having fun, dressed to the nines in expensive dresses.
I swallowed without realizing it at the bizarre sight.
Then I barely turned my stiff head to look at Carsis.
Then my gaze met the man's gaze in the air.
Since when has he been looking at me?
His whole body was soaked in blood and he couldn't even tell the color of his hair.
His brown eyes were fixed on me without a hint of hesitation.
With very persistent and tenacious eyes.
As if I was the only audience member on this stage.
In the arena where the tiger's carcass was removed, the competition between people called dog fighters continued.
Soon, the stadium was stained with their blood as they took on the sharp blades without any protective gear.
People cheer every time red blood spurts.
I had no choice but to quickly escape from that place, under the illusion that I would turn into a monster if I got caught in their gap.
“Ugh-.”
I, who had excused myself from the room under the pretense of feeling unwell, vomited several times as soon as I left the building.
Because of the tight corset, I couldn't eat proper food, and only sour liquid kept coming out of my mouth. After vomiting stomach acid for a long time, I leaned against the outer wall of the building.
Maybe I relaxed because I thought there was no one around.
I slumped to the floor, my legs giving out, and she muttered quietly.
“Everyone is crazy.”
But the craziest of them all is probably Elizabeth, the owner of the body I possessed.
You have the Crown Prince as your fiancé, yet you play around with your knight, and even treat that knight like a toy in such ridiculous games...
My fists, which had been holding the hem of my skirt, turned white.
I recalled her conversation with Lady L'Arpege a little while ago.
"As expected, Carsis doesn't disappoint. Lady Elizabeth must be so happy to have such a dependable dog. I'm so jealous."
"...Yes, well."
"More than that, I would like to express my gratitude to Young Lady."
"What are you talking about..."
"Dogfighting. The Young Lady suggested it. Thanks to you, our family’s business has grown greatly. There is no noble family in the capital that does not have a dogfighting family."
According to her, the nobles brought in people of unknown origin as their family's bodyguards and trained them as fighting dogs. I was astonished to hear that they even resorted to illegal trade to obtain strong fighting dogs.
“And on top of that, I’m the one who created this shitty situation.”
I was so close to wanting to deny reality.
Now I think I understand why Lady L'Arpege showed me such a crazy performance to celebrate my marriage.
"Shit."
Perhaps because I was clenching my fist too tightly, blood was seeping out between my fingernails and the delicate skin.
Because it was a situation that was too overwhelming for me, who was just an ordinary 25-year-old college student just a few days ago.
May looked at my expression as I returned to the mansion and asked with concern.
“Miss, did something happen at the tea party? You look so pale.”
“No, nothing. More importantly, Carsis...”
'Are you okay?'
The words were stuck in my throat, but I couldn't bring myself to say them.
Because I ran away after hearing L'Arpege's words, I didn't know if Carsis had returned safely or what his condition was.
'You weren't seriously hurt, were you?'
It was impossible to tell if Carsis was injured because of the tiger's blood mixed in.
No matter how shocked I was, I should have taken care of Carsis myself.
As I bit my lip in worry, May asked.
“Why Carsis? Should I bring him over?”
“No, I was just curious about what he was doing... Should you go now? I’m a little tired after going out for the first time in a while.”
“Yes, I understand...”
May nodded at my command to congratulate me, then looked at my palm and shouted.
“Miss! You hurt your hand!”
Was it because I was clenching my fist too tightly earlier?
On my palms were hardened drops of red blood.
“How could such beautiful hands...! Hurry up and come to the doctor...!”
“It’s okay, I just had a slight bruise. It’s nothing serious, so just go away, I’m tired.”
"But..."
“May.”
“...Yes, I understand. Then.”
May, who seemed to agree, took a small glass bottle out of a drawer in the corner of the room and handed it to me.
“You must apply this medicine.”
"Yes."
I answered in a half-resigned voice, as May pretended not to leave the room unless I said yes.
"Ha-."
Soon, as May disappeared from the room, a sigh escaped my lips.
“I guess I’ll just go to sleep...”
I didn't want to think about this troublesome problem anymore.
“Oh my, you’re coming out at the right time.”
As I turned my gaze at her words, the thick iron door at the edge of the stage began to open.
And when I saw him walk out of there, my lips parted on their own.
'That's ridiculous.'
“You have such a wonderful ‘dog’. I’m so jealous of you, Young Lady.”
“I also brought a pretty good ‘dog’ with me this time. I’m so excited to show it off today.”
The thrilled face of Lady L'Arpege, who was whispering next to me, was so thrilling that I could almost feel the creeps.
“...Carsis?”
I realized that the 'dogs' they were talking about were people.
Like Carsis standing alone there.
“You crazy bitch.”
The first words out of my mouth were harsh curses.
“Huh? Young Lady, what did you just say?”
Fortunately, however, due to the noisy atmosphere, Lady L'Arpege could not hear my words.
“No, Young Lady. Nothing...”
As I barely managed to raise the corners of my stiff lips and smile, Lady L'Arpege smiled in response.
“Come on, take a seat. I have prepared a short plaything for you, Young Lady, especially.”
Graceful gestures and soft voice.
Everything about L'Arpege was aristocratic, but to me, it all seemed barbaric.
It was sickening to see people laughing and talking while committing inhuman acts.
I suppressed the urge to run out the door at any moment and followed behind Lady L'Arpege.
Phew-.
As soon as I sat down, a piercing whistle was heard.
Then the eerie friction of chains echoed throughout the room.
'What...?'
As I looked around to assess the situation, a tiger appeared, sauntering out from behind a giant door.
“Why, the tiger...”
“That’s Kelmanzah’s tiger, starving all day for today. Don’t you think it’ll be a fun sight to see before the real dogfight?”
L'Arpege asked in a voice as if to ask why I was so surprised.
'Does that really look fun?'
What does that woman find so enjoyable about pushing people to their deaths?
Her face looked as innocent as a girl lost in happy thought before a sweet dessert.
I barely resisted the urge to hit the back of L'Arpege's head and turned my gaze to the stadium. The tiger, which was scanning the surroundings as if her words were not a lie, was completely dried up, with only its skin remaining.
Although it had been starving for a long time and was weak, a beast is still a beast. The tiger's sharp teeth and claws were still sharp.
'Oh my God.'
But in contrast, all Carsis is holding is an old-looking sword.
It was a truly insignificant weapon against a hungry tiger.
‘If he keeps going like this, he might really die...’
I clenched my fists without realizing it.
Anxiety and fear that someone might die right before my eyes, and nervousness enveloped my body.
'What should I do?'
Shouldn't we stop this game right now?
But what should I say to stop it?
At that moment, all kinds of thoughts were swirling around in my head.
“Oh my, here it comes.”
As soon as Lady L'Arpege finished speaking, the tiger rushed at Carsis.
"No...!"
It was a split second.
As soon as I gave my final cry, Carsis was crushed by a giant tiger and disappeared.
Everyone in the audience held their breath, anticipating what would happen next.
And...
Phew-.
With a loud cracking sound, a sword rose high above the tiger's neck.
'Ha.'
A short sigh escaped my lips.
'Is that possible...?'
But everyone except me began clapping their hands together in excitement as if they had expected this to happen. They looked as if they were in ecstasy as if they had just watched a moving opera.
'What the hell is this country?'
I, who had been looking at the audience with a blank expression, turned my gaze back to the stadium.
A giant tiger with a sword stuck in it and a black-haired man covered in the beast's blood.
And some women are having fun, dressed to the nines in expensive dresses.
I swallowed without realizing it at the bizarre sight.
Then I barely turned my stiff head to look at Carsis.
Then my gaze met the man's gaze in the air.
Since when has he been looking at me?
His whole body was soaked in blood and he couldn't even tell the color of his hair.
His brown eyes were fixed on me without a hint of hesitation.
With very persistent and tenacious eyes.
As if I was the only audience member on this stage.
***
In the arena where the tiger's carcass was removed, the competition between people called dog fighters continued.
Soon, the stadium was stained with their blood as they took on the sharp blades without any protective gear.
People cheer every time red blood spurts.
I had no choice but to quickly escape from that place, under the illusion that I would turn into a monster if I got caught in their gap.
“Ugh-.”
I, who had excused myself from the room under the pretense of feeling unwell, vomited several times as soon as I left the building.
Because of the tight corset, I couldn't eat proper food, and only sour liquid kept coming out of my mouth. After vomiting stomach acid for a long time, I leaned against the outer wall of the building.
Maybe I relaxed because I thought there was no one around.
I slumped to the floor, my legs giving out, and she muttered quietly.
“Everyone is crazy.”
But the craziest of them all is probably Elizabeth, the owner of the body I possessed.
You have the Crown Prince as your fiancé, yet you play around with your knight, and even treat that knight like a toy in such ridiculous games...
My fists, which had been holding the hem of my skirt, turned white.
I recalled her conversation with Lady L'Arpege a little while ago.
"As expected, Carsis doesn't disappoint. Lady Elizabeth must be so happy to have such a dependable dog. I'm so jealous."
"...Yes, well."
"More than that, I would like to express my gratitude to Young Lady."
"What are you talking about..."
"Dogfighting. The Young Lady suggested it. Thanks to you, our family’s business has grown greatly. There is no noble family in the capital that does not have a dogfighting family."
According to her, the nobles brought in people of unknown origin as their family's bodyguards and trained them as fighting dogs. I was astonished to hear that they even resorted to illegal trade to obtain strong fighting dogs.
“And on top of that, I’m the one who created this shitty situation.”
I was so close to wanting to deny reality.
Now I think I understand why Lady L'Arpege showed me such a crazy performance to celebrate my marriage.
"Shit."
Perhaps because I was clenching my fist too tightly, blood was seeping out between my fingernails and the delicate skin.
Because it was a situation that was too overwhelming for me, who was just an ordinary 25-year-old college student just a few days ago.
***
May looked at my expression as I returned to the mansion and asked with concern.
“Miss, did something happen at the tea party? You look so pale.”
“No, nothing. More importantly, Carsis...”
'Are you okay?'
The words were stuck in my throat, but I couldn't bring myself to say them.
Because I ran away after hearing L'Arpege's words, I didn't know if Carsis had returned safely or what his condition was.
'You weren't seriously hurt, were you?'
It was impossible to tell if Carsis was injured because of the tiger's blood mixed in.
No matter how shocked I was, I should have taken care of Carsis myself.
As I bit my lip in worry, May asked.
“Why Carsis? Should I bring him over?”
“No, I was just curious about what he was doing... Should you go now? I’m a little tired after going out for the first time in a while.”
“Yes, I understand...”
May nodded at my command to congratulate me, then looked at my palm and shouted.
“Miss! You hurt your hand!”
Was it because I was clenching my fist too tightly earlier?
On my palms were hardened drops of red blood.
“How could such beautiful hands...! Hurry up and come to the doctor...!”
“It’s okay, I just had a slight bruise. It’s nothing serious, so just go away, I’m tired.”
"But..."
“May.”
“...Yes, I understand. Then.”
May, who seemed to agree, took a small glass bottle out of a drawer in the corner of the room and handed it to me.
“You must apply this medicine.”
"Yes."
I answered in a half-resigned voice, as May pretended not to leave the room unless I said yes.
"Ha-."
Soon, as May disappeared from the room, a sigh escaped my lips.
“I guess I’ll just go to sleep...”
I didn't want to think about this troublesome problem anymore.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment