82. Ripple
“Here it is.”
The smell of rotting corpses vibrated. All the coffins were open. At the knight’s words, Asherad strode toward the place. And the moment he saw the woman inside the coffin, Asherad let out a hollow laugh.
"Ha..."
The woman inside the coffin was asleep. Despite the commotion of opening the coffin, the woman in deep sleep was so beautiful.
Brilliant blonde hair, long eyelashes, red lips. Blush.
"Daphne."
The woman was so beautiful, and Asherad recognized her beauty. He lifted up his woman, who was sleeping like a corpse in a coffin. He raised the corners of his mouth.
He wanted to wake up the sleeping woman and destroy that pure world. Suppressing that twisted urge, he looked at Daphne for a long time.
At first, when he heard the report that Daphne was trying to escape, he really thought about killing her. It was a feeling of something being torn apart, but also a heart-wrenching feeling. He thought about eliminating the cause.
But the woman he holds in his hand is so small and beautiful.
The warmth in those two hands, the innocence of sleeping without knowing anything, was lovely. Asherad looked at Daphne and smiled brightly.
Thank goodness. Thank goodness I got it back. Thank goodness it's in my hands.
Despite the stench of the rotting corpse, he pressed his cheek against her flushed cheek. And then, he kissed her quietly. Ioannis looked at the man’s jubilant appearance with a hardened expression.
Blood dripped. Daphne looked at Asherad, who was holding the blade, with her eyes wide open. He lowered his eyes and looked back and forth between the dagger and Daphne.
"Ha..."
He let out a hollow laugh. It was an empty laugh. Asherad looked at the one who had tried to kill him. Daphne dropped her hand from the dagger in surprise. He saw the dagger glowing blue. He picked it up and threw it away.
“Huh!”
Daphne squeezed her eyes shut, but soon she heard the cold sound of metal hitting the floor. When Daphne opened her eyes, Asherad looked at her. He raised his hand and stroked Daphne’s cheek. It felt warm and damp, and there was a strong smell of blood. Asherad had touched Daphne’s face with his injured hand.
“If you wanted to kill me, you should have stabbed me hard. This way, it’ll only end up as a minor wound.”
“...”
“You wanted to... kill me?”
There was a slight tremor in those words, but Daphne didn't notice it. Even if she had, she probably thought it was natural to be surprised when a pet dog bites its owner.
Daphne was simply scared. She was scared of herself for swinging her sword to harm people, and she was scared of what an angry Asherad would do to her.
“I, I...”
Daphne was speechless. Asherad looked at Daphne and whispered.
“I’ll let you have a look, Daphne.”
“...”
“Pick it up quickly.”
As she stood there, holding the dagger with trembling hands, Asherad pointed his finger at her. It meant to tell her to die.
Her heart beat fast. Daphne looked at the cold, shining silver dagger.
Surely he would watch Daphne's death in detail. If she raised her sword and stabbed her heart, she would die. Bleeding, like that.
When she dies, she will meet her mother. She will be free from all this, and she will finally be able to run away from that damn man.
But why should I die?
The moment that thought crossed her mind, she was unable to do anything.
Why?
That one small question alone made it impossible for her to choose death.
Should she decide whether to die or not based on the decision that person made? It hurts when you stab your heart with a sword. She didn't want to feel pain.
A life meant for punishment, a life meant for imprisonment. And a life where death is the only way to escape.
She didn't want to end up living that kind of life.
Daphne wants to live a different life. A life where she is the subject, not a life where someone forces her to make choices. So, she didn't want to have her death decided by someone else.
No, she wanted to be honest.
Scary.
She was scared.
She was scared that she would have to kill herself.
And the man immediately noticed Daphne's hesitation. His hand snatched the dagger from Daphne's wrist. He spoke to the trembling Daphne.
“Look at that.”
“...”
“Can’t you die?”
“...”
“If you can’t die, you have to live by my side for the rest of your life.”
At that horrible sound, Daphne shook her head like crazy. No, no, no! But Asherad, who was looking at that small resistance with affection, said.
“Daphne. Don’t we have a conversation we need to finish?”
“...”
He lifted Daphne's chin with his hand and stroked her cheek. The tenderness was creepy. Asherad lowered his voice and whispered.
“Be honest.”
Daphne flinched.
“What kind of person helped you?”
Daphne's eyes widened.
“I have no one...”
Could it be that Count Locania has been captured? Or.. Sarah has been captured? That can't be the case, said Asherad.
“Do you not know that you have two female maids as your confidants?”
“...”
“Daphne, do you really think I don’t know anything? Really?”
Daphne wanted to break free from Asherad's grasp, but he gripped her jaw tightly, preventing her from moving.
“Do you think I didn’t know you’d run away one day?”
“...”
“Yes, there was a time when I was blinded by foolish love and almost believed you.”
He chuckled. Daphne couldn't understand. Why, why was that man's face so full of betrayal? After all, she was the one who was fooled and deceived by the lies. But why?
“The moment I heard that you ran away, I thought, ‘Well, that must be it.’”
He raised his finger and scratched Daphne's cheek. It felt hot, as if she had been burned, even though he didn't scratch with much force. Daphne closed her eyes at the thick smell of blood.
“Daphne, do you really think I went on an inspection tour?”
“...”
It was as if she were in the palm of Asherad's hand. Was he really a demon? Or a god? How could he...
“I was just curious about your assistant.”
Could it be that he had faked his inspection? To find out who her helper was? Daphne bit her numb lips.
"Say it."
“I just ran away... by myself.”
“No, Daphne. If you were there, someone must have promised to get you out.”
It was a sharp observation. Her heart pounded.
“Tell me, tell me, and I’ll forgive you. I’m also willing to bury it as if this never happened.”
Asherad whispered sweetly. Of course, Daphne did not believe him. It had happened anyway. She thought about it. The reason he was asking this now was that he had not found out about Count Locania.
“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager...”
“...”
“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager said so.”
Daphne squeezed her eyes shut. Her voice trembled. But she also had an idea. Veronica, who had almost killed the Emperor of the old empire, was able to return to her homeland alive thanks to Asherad.
It was Kalista who barely managed to help Daphne escape. Even though she helped Daphne escape, Asherad could not arbitrarily punish and torment Kalista.
Trying to suppress the guilt that was creeping up on her, Daphne pointed to Kalista. He stared intently at Daphne’s face. Asherad looked into Daphne’s eyes as if he were trying to determine whether she was telling the truth or lying.
Daphne trembled as she met his green eyes. After a while, Askerad avoided those eyes. Do you believe it? Before she could even have a faint hope, Askerad spoke.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and someone came in. At that, Daphne's eyes widened. The person who came in was Daphne's maid, Amanda, and... Ioannis Turboll.
"What..."
Daphne looked at Ioannis, but Ioannis did not even meet her eyes. He stood behind Amanda, who had a puzzled expression, and watched the room. Blood was running down one of Daphne’s cheeks, and blood was also running down Asherad's hand.
When Daphne tried to move her body after seeing Ioannis, Asherad gently grabbed her hand. He whispered in Daphne's ear.
“I thought about it, Daphne.”
“...”
“What should I do? Should I just kill you? Should I turn you into a corpse, knowing you’ll run away and smell like a corpse?”
“...”
Daphne let out a groan of pain as Asherad's grip on her hand tightened.
“So I left it up to you to decide.”
“...”
“You were the one who didn’t want to die.”
Her eyes were drawn to the bloody dagger that Asherad had placed on the table. That’s right. Daphne couldn’t bear to die. In fact, it was Asherad who had been wounded, not her.
“Still, I feel like I should give you a punishment.”
What the hell? Daphne tried to pull his hand away, but it was no use. Instead, the force pulling her made her lose her balance. Then, Asherad turned her body around and forced her to look forward. At that moment, she had an ominous feeling.
“Ioannis.”
Daphne looked at Ioannis. Amanda still had no idea what was going on. Ioannis shook his head at her earnest gaze.
“Oh, no, don’t do that.”
Daphne shook her head, sobbing. Perhaps Daphne felt relieved when Ioannis came in. He was always there for her, taking care of her. He helped her draw secretly and complained about the small title she had received.
Then he will stop Askeraad.
“Ha, don’t do that!”
Daphne cried out, sobbing. Amanda was puzzled by Daphne's scream. Then, the moment she saw the blood on Daphne's face, a fear slowly began to creep up on Amanda's face.
“Why? You ran away when I was in the war zone. Didn’t you think your close maid would die then? Now you’re saying it’s not okay?”
“That’s because I thought you wouldn’t care about me!”
Daphne shouted. Yes, that was it. She thought Asherad's attention had been cut off while she was out on the battlefield.
“Isn’t that maid curious too?”
“Please, Your Majesty. Please!”
Daphne screamed desperately. Amanda, who was standing in front of Ioannis, shook her head. She realized what was going to happen to her because of Daphne's outburst.
“S, save me... ugh!”
Daphne's eyes widened. Time seemed to have stopped. Daphne watched the tragedy unfold before her without even being able to breathe.
It was clearly Ioannis' sword that pierced Amanda's stomach.
Strange, why was Ioannis behind? Daphne wondered. But the sword that had pierced her stomach was quickly withdrawn, and the moment Ioannis patted the blood off the sword, Daphne knew what had happened.
Ioannis killed Amanda.
“Here it is.”
The smell of rotting corpses vibrated. All the coffins were open. At the knight’s words, Asherad strode toward the place. And the moment he saw the woman inside the coffin, Asherad let out a hollow laugh.
"Ha..."
The woman inside the coffin was asleep. Despite the commotion of opening the coffin, the woman in deep sleep was so beautiful.
Brilliant blonde hair, long eyelashes, red lips. Blush.
"Daphne."
The woman was so beautiful, and Asherad recognized her beauty. He lifted up his woman, who was sleeping like a corpse in a coffin. He raised the corners of his mouth.
He wanted to wake up the sleeping woman and destroy that pure world. Suppressing that twisted urge, he looked at Daphne for a long time.
At first, when he heard the report that Daphne was trying to escape, he really thought about killing her. It was a feeling of something being torn apart, but also a heart-wrenching feeling. He thought about eliminating the cause.
But the woman he holds in his hand is so small and beautiful.
The warmth in those two hands, the innocence of sleeping without knowing anything, was lovely. Asherad looked at Daphne and smiled brightly.
Thank goodness. Thank goodness I got it back. Thank goodness it's in my hands.
Despite the stench of the rotting corpse, he pressed his cheek against her flushed cheek. And then, he kissed her quietly. Ioannis looked at the man’s jubilant appearance with a hardened expression.
***
Blood dripped. Daphne looked at Asherad, who was holding the blade, with her eyes wide open. He lowered his eyes and looked back and forth between the dagger and Daphne.
"Ha..."
He let out a hollow laugh. It was an empty laugh. Asherad looked at the one who had tried to kill him. Daphne dropped her hand from the dagger in surprise. He saw the dagger glowing blue. He picked it up and threw it away.
“Huh!”
Daphne squeezed her eyes shut, but soon she heard the cold sound of metal hitting the floor. When Daphne opened her eyes, Asherad looked at her. He raised his hand and stroked Daphne’s cheek. It felt warm and damp, and there was a strong smell of blood. Asherad had touched Daphne’s face with his injured hand.
“If you wanted to kill me, you should have stabbed me hard. This way, it’ll only end up as a minor wound.”
“...”
“You wanted to... kill me?”
There was a slight tremor in those words, but Daphne didn't notice it. Even if she had, she probably thought it was natural to be surprised when a pet dog bites its owner.
Daphne was simply scared. She was scared of herself for swinging her sword to harm people, and she was scared of what an angry Asherad would do to her.
“I, I...”
Daphne was speechless. Asherad looked at Daphne and whispered.
“I’ll let you have a look, Daphne.”
“...”
“Pick it up quickly.”
As she stood there, holding the dagger with trembling hands, Asherad pointed his finger at her. It meant to tell her to die.
Her heart beat fast. Daphne looked at the cold, shining silver dagger.
Surely he would watch Daphne's death in detail. If she raised her sword and stabbed her heart, she would die. Bleeding, like that.
When she dies, she will meet her mother. She will be free from all this, and she will finally be able to run away from that damn man.
But why should I die?
The moment that thought crossed her mind, she was unable to do anything.
Why?
That one small question alone made it impossible for her to choose death.
Should she decide whether to die or not based on the decision that person made? It hurts when you stab your heart with a sword. She didn't want to feel pain.
A life meant for punishment, a life meant for imprisonment. And a life where death is the only way to escape.
She didn't want to end up living that kind of life.
Daphne wants to live a different life. A life where she is the subject, not a life where someone forces her to make choices. So, she didn't want to have her death decided by someone else.
No, she wanted to be honest.
Scary.
She was scared.
She was scared that she would have to kill herself.
And the man immediately noticed Daphne's hesitation. His hand snatched the dagger from Daphne's wrist. He spoke to the trembling Daphne.
“Look at that.”
“...”
“Can’t you die?”
“...”
“If you can’t die, you have to live by my side for the rest of your life.”
At that horrible sound, Daphne shook her head like crazy. No, no, no! But Asherad, who was looking at that small resistance with affection, said.
“Daphne. Don’t we have a conversation we need to finish?”
“...”
He lifted Daphne's chin with his hand and stroked her cheek. The tenderness was creepy. Asherad lowered his voice and whispered.
“Be honest.”
Daphne flinched.
“What kind of person helped you?”
Daphne's eyes widened.
“I have no one...”
Could it be that Count Locania has been captured? Or.. Sarah has been captured? That can't be the case, said Asherad.
“Do you not know that you have two female maids as your confidants?”
“...”
“Daphne, do you really think I don’t know anything? Really?”
Daphne wanted to break free from Asherad's grasp, but he gripped her jaw tightly, preventing her from moving.
“Do you think I didn’t know you’d run away one day?”
“...”
“Yes, there was a time when I was blinded by foolish love and almost believed you.”
He chuckled. Daphne couldn't understand. Why, why was that man's face so full of betrayal? After all, she was the one who was fooled and deceived by the lies. But why?
“The moment I heard that you ran away, I thought, ‘Well, that must be it.’”
He raised his finger and scratched Daphne's cheek. It felt hot, as if she had been burned, even though he didn't scratch with much force. Daphne closed her eyes at the thick smell of blood.
“Daphne, do you really think I went on an inspection tour?”
“...”
It was as if she were in the palm of Asherad's hand. Was he really a demon? Or a god? How could he...
“I was just curious about your assistant.”
Could it be that he had faked his inspection? To find out who her helper was? Daphne bit her numb lips.
"Say it."
“I just ran away... by myself.”
“No, Daphne. If you were there, someone must have promised to get you out.”
It was a sharp observation. Her heart pounded.
“Tell me, tell me, and I’ll forgive you. I’m also willing to bury it as if this never happened.”
Asherad whispered sweetly. Of course, Daphne did not believe him. It had happened anyway. She thought about it. The reason he was asking this now was that he had not found out about Count Locania.
“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager...”
“...”
“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager said so.”
Daphne squeezed her eyes shut. Her voice trembled. But she also had an idea. Veronica, who had almost killed the Emperor of the old empire, was able to return to her homeland alive thanks to Asherad.
It was Kalista who barely managed to help Daphne escape. Even though she helped Daphne escape, Asherad could not arbitrarily punish and torment Kalista.
Trying to suppress the guilt that was creeping up on her, Daphne pointed to Kalista. He stared intently at Daphne’s face. Asherad looked into Daphne’s eyes as if he were trying to determine whether she was telling the truth or lying.
Daphne trembled as she met his green eyes. After a while, Askerad avoided those eyes. Do you believe it? Before she could even have a faint hope, Askerad spoke.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and someone came in. At that, Daphne's eyes widened. The person who came in was Daphne's maid, Amanda, and... Ioannis Turboll.
"What..."
Daphne looked at Ioannis, but Ioannis did not even meet her eyes. He stood behind Amanda, who had a puzzled expression, and watched the room. Blood was running down one of Daphne’s cheeks, and blood was also running down Asherad's hand.
When Daphne tried to move her body after seeing Ioannis, Asherad gently grabbed her hand. He whispered in Daphne's ear.
“I thought about it, Daphne.”
“...”
“What should I do? Should I just kill you? Should I turn you into a corpse, knowing you’ll run away and smell like a corpse?”
“...”
Daphne let out a groan of pain as Asherad's grip on her hand tightened.
“So I left it up to you to decide.”
“...”
“You were the one who didn’t want to die.”
Her eyes were drawn to the bloody dagger that Asherad had placed on the table. That’s right. Daphne couldn’t bear to die. In fact, it was Asherad who had been wounded, not her.
“Still, I feel like I should give you a punishment.”
What the hell? Daphne tried to pull his hand away, but it was no use. Instead, the force pulling her made her lose her balance. Then, Asherad turned her body around and forced her to look forward. At that moment, she had an ominous feeling.
“Ioannis.”
Daphne looked at Ioannis. Amanda still had no idea what was going on. Ioannis shook his head at her earnest gaze.
“Oh, no, don’t do that.”
Daphne shook her head, sobbing. Perhaps Daphne felt relieved when Ioannis came in. He was always there for her, taking care of her. He helped her draw secretly and complained about the small title she had received.
Then he will stop Askeraad.
“Ha, don’t do that!”
Daphne cried out, sobbing. Amanda was puzzled by Daphne's scream. Then, the moment she saw the blood on Daphne's face, a fear slowly began to creep up on Amanda's face.
“Why? You ran away when I was in the war zone. Didn’t you think your close maid would die then? Now you’re saying it’s not okay?”
“That’s because I thought you wouldn’t care about me!”
Daphne shouted. Yes, that was it. She thought Asherad's attention had been cut off while she was out on the battlefield.
“Isn’t that maid curious too?”
“Please, Your Majesty. Please!”
Daphne screamed desperately. Amanda, who was standing in front of Ioannis, shook her head. She realized what was going to happen to her because of Daphne's outburst.
“S, save me... ugh!”
Daphne's eyes widened. Time seemed to have stopped. Daphne watched the tragedy unfold before her without even being able to breathe.
It was clearly Ioannis' sword that pierced Amanda's stomach.
Strange, why was Ioannis behind? Daphne wondered. But the sword that had pierced her stomach was quickly withdrawn, and the moment Ioannis patted the blood off the sword, Daphne knew what had happened.
Ioannis killed Amanda.
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