Aila tried her best not to show it, but she guessed she aroused suspicion.
But it was still possible to make amends. In the dozen years she had spent with this demon, this was not the first time she had provoked his wrath.
Every time she begged and begged, she was able to regain her faith. This time, too, she had to do the same.
Even though she had to kneel before the devil and beg, she could endure it to the extent that she could defeat that devil.
“I’m sorry, Father. Oh, I had a nightmare. I was scared... I was so scared... I won’t do it again. Please forgive me just this once.”
Aila pretended to be scared and clung to Byron's leg, begging. She almost cried because she felt so wronged by this man who wouldn't be satisfied even if she were to strangle him, but it actually made her acting more realistic.
The sight of Rodrick's daughter, whom he hated so much, crying and crying so pitifully, is enough to satisfy Byron's twisted judgment.
“Nightmare? What kind of nightmare did you have...?”
And her prediction turned out to be perfectly accurate, and his ominous expression seemed to have softened a little.
“That, that... It was a scary dream of being abandoned by my father.”
A nightmare where you are deceived your whole life, used as much as you can, and then killed when you are no longer useful.
It wasn't a complete lie, except that it was a future event that actually happened, not a dream.
“...My daughter. Forget that dream right away. There’s no way I would abandon you.”
Yes. Not yet. She hasn't done everything she needs to do yet. She's still useful.
“Do you forgive me?”
“Then. You are my only hope. So I hope that such a thing doesn’t happen again. You are the only one who can end this father’s revenge. If you slack off on your training, this father will be so sad.”
After he finished speaking, he gently stroked Aila's hair again.
Meanwhile, a sumptuous meal was prepared for Byron.
“Now, go back to your seat and eat your meal.”
He took his hand off her head and made a gesture as if he were shooing away an annoying fly. Aila barely managed to suppress the nausea that was rising and went back to her place.
The servants standing by Byron were serving him in place of his lack of a right hand, cutting delicious-looking steaks and pouring wine redder than blood into wine glasses.
It was a bit heavy for breakfast or lunch, but Byron's meals were always like this. Fresh meat was always prepared for him, who loved meat.
“Um, good. Is it antelope steak today?”
“Yes, master. It’s the antelope I caught this morning.”
Byron elegantly placed the steak the servant had sliced into his mouth. As she stared at his face, which seemed to be savoring the taste of the meat with his eyes slightly closed, Aila felt a queasy feeling and quickly turned her head to her plate.
“It’s nutritious and tasty, but lacks fat. Beef is more tender and tasty, right?”
“Yes, master.”
“But what can I do? I can’t ask for fresh beef in these mountains.”
Byron sat hunched over, his arms resting on the armrests, taking a sip of his wine with a disgruntled expression.
'You are quite the gourmet.'
Aila smiled bitterly, mocking him inwardly. It was a thought she could never express out loud.
It was clear that the past Aila had been using her bean pods properly. While seeing him living such a luxurious life as he ran around here and there, she thought her father was perfect.
As she was trying to focus on cooking the nutritious steak, worrying that he might get back at her, Byron mentioned her, as expected.
“...Haa. If I want to eat the beef I like like before, my daughter will have to work hard. I hope she trains quickly and finishes her father’s revenge. Only then will I not have to hide like I am now.”
Isn't it amazing? It was a line that she couldn't bear to listen to while laughing.
If it were before, she would have vowed to herself, 'I must work hard for my father.' But now that she knows everything, it takes a lot of patience to just laugh it off.
But Aila showed patience and smiled brightly.
“Yes, Father. I will work hard.”
At her immediate answer, Byron smiled happily and returned to his meal.
Byron's meals always took a long time. This may have been due to the inconvenience of having no hands, but it was more likely due to the leisurely and leisurely way he ate.
Aila's meal took longer than usual due to the awkward situation, but Byron enjoyed the flavor of the nutritious meat for much longer.
Because of that, Aila had to stay in the same seat for a long time after finishing her meal until Byron woke up.
“Then get up now, my daughter. I believe you will work hard starting from the afternoon training.”
After a long while, Byron got up from his seat and said, elegantly sweeping his hair back.
Even though he said he would forgive her, his words continued to make people feel uncomfortable. If it had been her before, how anxious would she have been at those words? She would have thought about how to appease her father and make him happy.
As Aila was glaring at him as he left the restaurant, feeling so sorry for her foolish past, she saw something shining on Byron's waist.
It was a dagger.
A large violet diamond set into a scabbard, ornately crafted from platinum.
The dagger she used to eliminate Rodrick.
In the end, it was the poison, not the wound from the sword, that took Rodrick's life, but the memory of her biological father being killed by the sword she swung remained in Aila's mind.
Even if she went back in time and everything she had done was erased, it was still vivid in her memory.
It felt like something was rising up inside me.
She didn't think much of it before, but after learning of Byron's pathological obsession with Ophelia, she began to see that sword differently.
Doesn't it seem like it symbolizes Ophelia, with her smooth silver hair and affectionate purple eyes?
It may seem like a bit of a leap to associate Ophelia with a dagger that was nothing more than a piece of metal, but it was a problem that could not be overlooked.
The elegant and delicate craftsmanship also seemed to resemble Ophelia's feelings. When she added Byron's appearance of cherishing the sword and not allowing anyone to touch it, the disgust only grew.
Aila couldn't wait to take the dagger from Byron right now. He didn't deserve it.
She never knew exactly what happened between her parents, Byron, and the three of them.
When she thinks of Ophelia and Rodrick, whose gazes were filled with affection for each other, it was clearly Byron who interfered between them and needlessly disturbed their relationship.
Not Rodrick.
"Miss."
As Aila was staring at Byron's waist, which was disappearing as if flames were about to burst out of her eyes, Cloud spoke to me.
“It’s time for afternoon training, Miss.”
“Yes. I’ll go.”
Now was not the time. It was time to hold one's breath, gather one's strength, and wait.
Aila followed Cloud, clenching her fists. It was almost as if she could hear teeth grinding.
In the afternoon, she spent time training with Cloud to become an assassin.
It was a class where they would stand in front of a model of the human body and study where to aim to instantly end a person's life, or swing a dagger.
As for Aila, it was a fact that she already knew, but she didn't forget to show a moderately bad side of herself because she didn't want to arouse suspicion if she showed too much of her ability all at once.
However, if she approached the class without sincerity, there was no way of knowing what Cloud or Laura would say to Byron, so she attended the class with her eyes shining as if she were enthusiastic.
Pretending not to be able to do something that can be done as easily as breathing was also extremely tiring.
She didn't exactly remember what level she was at when she was twelve, but fortunately, there was no noticeable change in expression on Cloud's blunt face.
It didn't seem that unnatural.
Dinner was simple and was eaten separately in her room. The reason was that Byron was busy with a meeting.
It was nice to be able to eat alone without having to face his disgusting face, but all she could think about was how great it would be if she could evade Laura's surveillance, sneak into Byron's room, and eavesdrop on the meeting.
“Don’t be sorry, young lady. The master is busy and has no choice but to eat separately. He asked me to tell you that he is sorry.”
"...Yes."
That wasn't really what Aila was regretting, but Laura spoke to her in a soothing tone after seeing her expression.
It was always like this. She would drive her hard and frighten her, but then she would quickly become affectionate as if nothing had happened. Everyone, including Byron and Laura.
As a child, she was accustomed to this situation and was always fidgety, watching their reactions.
“Our master is truly merciful. He forgave the young lady who overslept and only finished half of your early morning training. You can see how much he loves and cherishes you.”
“He would never forgive me,” Laura said, glaring and shaking her head.
“So, from now on, you will have to work hard to live up to your master’s expectations, right?”
But it was still possible to make amends. In the dozen years she had spent with this demon, this was not the first time she had provoked his wrath.
Every time she begged and begged, she was able to regain her faith. This time, too, she had to do the same.
Even though she had to kneel before the devil and beg, she could endure it to the extent that she could defeat that devil.
“I’m sorry, Father. Oh, I had a nightmare. I was scared... I was so scared... I won’t do it again. Please forgive me just this once.”
Aila pretended to be scared and clung to Byron's leg, begging. She almost cried because she felt so wronged by this man who wouldn't be satisfied even if she were to strangle him, but it actually made her acting more realistic.
The sight of Rodrick's daughter, whom he hated so much, crying and crying so pitifully, is enough to satisfy Byron's twisted judgment.
“Nightmare? What kind of nightmare did you have...?”
And her prediction turned out to be perfectly accurate, and his ominous expression seemed to have softened a little.
“That, that... It was a scary dream of being abandoned by my father.”
A nightmare where you are deceived your whole life, used as much as you can, and then killed when you are no longer useful.
It wasn't a complete lie, except that it was a future event that actually happened, not a dream.
“...My daughter. Forget that dream right away. There’s no way I would abandon you.”
Yes. Not yet. She hasn't done everything she needs to do yet. She's still useful.
“Do you forgive me?”
“Then. You are my only hope. So I hope that such a thing doesn’t happen again. You are the only one who can end this father’s revenge. If you slack off on your training, this father will be so sad.”
After he finished speaking, he gently stroked Aila's hair again.
Meanwhile, a sumptuous meal was prepared for Byron.
“Now, go back to your seat and eat your meal.”
He took his hand off her head and made a gesture as if he were shooing away an annoying fly. Aila barely managed to suppress the nausea that was rising and went back to her place.
The servants standing by Byron were serving him in place of his lack of a right hand, cutting delicious-looking steaks and pouring wine redder than blood into wine glasses.
It was a bit heavy for breakfast or lunch, but Byron's meals were always like this. Fresh meat was always prepared for him, who loved meat.
“Um, good. Is it antelope steak today?”
“Yes, master. It’s the antelope I caught this morning.”
Byron elegantly placed the steak the servant had sliced into his mouth. As she stared at his face, which seemed to be savoring the taste of the meat with his eyes slightly closed, Aila felt a queasy feeling and quickly turned her head to her plate.
“It’s nutritious and tasty, but lacks fat. Beef is more tender and tasty, right?”
“Yes, master.”
“But what can I do? I can’t ask for fresh beef in these mountains.”
Byron sat hunched over, his arms resting on the armrests, taking a sip of his wine with a disgruntled expression.
'You are quite the gourmet.'
Aila smiled bitterly, mocking him inwardly. It was a thought she could never express out loud.
It was clear that the past Aila had been using her bean pods properly. While seeing him living such a luxurious life as he ran around here and there, she thought her father was perfect.
As she was trying to focus on cooking the nutritious steak, worrying that he might get back at her, Byron mentioned her, as expected.
“...Haa. If I want to eat the beef I like like before, my daughter will have to work hard. I hope she trains quickly and finishes her father’s revenge. Only then will I not have to hide like I am now.”
Isn't it amazing? It was a line that she couldn't bear to listen to while laughing.
If it were before, she would have vowed to herself, 'I must work hard for my father.' But now that she knows everything, it takes a lot of patience to just laugh it off.
But Aila showed patience and smiled brightly.
“Yes, Father. I will work hard.”
At her immediate answer, Byron smiled happily and returned to his meal.
Byron's meals always took a long time. This may have been due to the inconvenience of having no hands, but it was more likely due to the leisurely and leisurely way he ate.
Aila's meal took longer than usual due to the awkward situation, but Byron enjoyed the flavor of the nutritious meat for much longer.
Because of that, Aila had to stay in the same seat for a long time after finishing her meal until Byron woke up.
“Then get up now, my daughter. I believe you will work hard starting from the afternoon training.”
After a long while, Byron got up from his seat and said, elegantly sweeping his hair back.
Even though he said he would forgive her, his words continued to make people feel uncomfortable. If it had been her before, how anxious would she have been at those words? She would have thought about how to appease her father and make him happy.
As Aila was glaring at him as he left the restaurant, feeling so sorry for her foolish past, she saw something shining on Byron's waist.
It was a dagger.
A large violet diamond set into a scabbard, ornately crafted from platinum.
The dagger she used to eliminate Rodrick.
In the end, it was the poison, not the wound from the sword, that took Rodrick's life, but the memory of her biological father being killed by the sword she swung remained in Aila's mind.
Even if she went back in time and everything she had done was erased, it was still vivid in her memory.
It felt like something was rising up inside me.
She didn't think much of it before, but after learning of Byron's pathological obsession with Ophelia, she began to see that sword differently.
Doesn't it seem like it symbolizes Ophelia, with her smooth silver hair and affectionate purple eyes?
It may seem like a bit of a leap to associate Ophelia with a dagger that was nothing more than a piece of metal, but it was a problem that could not be overlooked.
The elegant and delicate craftsmanship also seemed to resemble Ophelia's feelings. When she added Byron's appearance of cherishing the sword and not allowing anyone to touch it, the disgust only grew.
Aila couldn't wait to take the dagger from Byron right now. He didn't deserve it.
She never knew exactly what happened between her parents, Byron, and the three of them.
When she thinks of Ophelia and Rodrick, whose gazes were filled with affection for each other, it was clearly Byron who interfered between them and needlessly disturbed their relationship.
Not Rodrick.
"Miss."
As Aila was staring at Byron's waist, which was disappearing as if flames were about to burst out of her eyes, Cloud spoke to me.
“It’s time for afternoon training, Miss.”
“Yes. I’ll go.”
Now was not the time. It was time to hold one's breath, gather one's strength, and wait.
Aila followed Cloud, clenching her fists. It was almost as if she could hear teeth grinding.
In the afternoon, she spent time training with Cloud to become an assassin.
It was a class where they would stand in front of a model of the human body and study where to aim to instantly end a person's life, or swing a dagger.
As for Aila, it was a fact that she already knew, but she didn't forget to show a moderately bad side of herself because she didn't want to arouse suspicion if she showed too much of her ability all at once.
However, if she approached the class without sincerity, there was no way of knowing what Cloud or Laura would say to Byron, so she attended the class with her eyes shining as if she were enthusiastic.
Pretending not to be able to do something that can be done as easily as breathing was also extremely tiring.
She didn't exactly remember what level she was at when she was twelve, but fortunately, there was no noticeable change in expression on Cloud's blunt face.
It didn't seem that unnatural.
Dinner was simple and was eaten separately in her room. The reason was that Byron was busy with a meeting.
It was nice to be able to eat alone without having to face his disgusting face, but all she could think about was how great it would be if she could evade Laura's surveillance, sneak into Byron's room, and eavesdrop on the meeting.
“Don’t be sorry, young lady. The master is busy and has no choice but to eat separately. He asked me to tell you that he is sorry.”
"...Yes."
That wasn't really what Aila was regretting, but Laura spoke to her in a soothing tone after seeing her expression.
It was always like this. She would drive her hard and frighten her, but then she would quickly become affectionate as if nothing had happened. Everyone, including Byron and Laura.
As a child, she was accustomed to this situation and was always fidgety, watching their reactions.
“Our master is truly merciful. He forgave the young lady who overslept and only finished half of your early morning training. You can see how much he loves and cherishes you.”
“He would never forgive me,” Laura said, glaring and shaking her head.
“So, from now on, you will have to work hard to live up to your master’s expectations, right?”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment