89. Bad relationship
Daphne's face hardened as she looked at the dead Kalista lying face down. Kalista still had an expression on her face that seemed unaware of what had happened to her, but after hearing Asherad's harsh words, he brutally killed her.
Kalista's eyes were fixed on Daphne. Before she died, she was begging for her life.
Daphne looked at Asherad with a pale face. Daphne could not understand Asherad. He killed the woman who loved him so much, so easily.
Why? Why...?
Daphne looked at Asherad. He approached her slowly, lowered his head, looked at Kalista, and raised the corners of his mouth as he looked at her lifeless body.
“Your Majesty, why on earth...”
There was no justification for this. Of course, there wasn't any great justification for the murders he had committed, but this one shocked Daphne greatly.
Daphne even witnessed them kissing. And Asherad was definitely helped and loved by Kalista. But she died so cruelly.
Daphne had no favors toward Kalista. No wonder she ignored and beat Daphne. Asherad reached out to Daphne, who was pale, and touched her forehead, which was covered in ointment and bandages, before chuckling.
“Isn’t that obvious?”
"What..."
“She hurt you like this.”
Daphne made a face that said she couldn't understand. Daphne wasn't exactly a saint. If Asherad had punished Kalista in the same way, Daphne would have felt relieved inside. But this, she couldn't understand at all. Is that all?
She thought back to the servant he had killed while trying to let Daphne escape.
“She told me she was going to kill you.”
“...”
“Shr made you run away.”
Asherad lowered the hand that had been caressing Daphne's forehead and stroked her cheek.
“Was there any reason why I shouldn’t kill her?”
With a gentle touch, he told her why he killed Kalista. Daphne shook her head with tearful eyes. So you took her life? Then, you shouldn't have done that.
“I was already planning on killing her the moment that woman told me you ran away.”
Asherad whispered softly. Daphne fell into even greater despair. Daphne had lied.
Kalista indeed contributed to the aid, but she did not actively cause the escape. She said that Kalista caused the escape to protect Count Locania.
At that point, Asherad is said to have decided to kill Kalista.
So, he killed Kalista because of Daphne. Daphne raised both hands and grabbed her hair.
This time, Daphne could say it for sure. She had never thought that Asherad would kill Kalista because of her. It was true. She had hated the woman who had been in a similar situation to her, but she had never wished for her death.
Asherad probably didn't plan on killing Kalista either.
I killed her.
I framed that woman and killed her.
I... killed that woman.
“Gyaaaah!”
She screamed, unable to breathe. How many people were dead in front of me? Daphne looked at Asherad with his sword. Looking at the man she had lusted after, the devil, so beautiful, so maddening. This, this was a curse. Daphne was a walking curse!
"Daphne."
Daphne shook her head madly and stepped back. She cried as she refused Asherad's touch.
“Come here.”
Daphne shook her head. All she wanted to do now was not to look at Asherad's face. But her hopes were dashed, Asherad grabbed her arm, and Daphne was trapped in his arms.
She struggled. She screamed and sobbed without even looking at Asherad.
“Why, I love you easily.”
If this was love, then she never wanted to love again. This love was a curse. She doesn’t know if she ever loved this person or if she still loves him. Daphne gave up resisting and fell into Asherad's arms.
“I love you, Daphne, I love you.”
He kissed Daphne on the forehead and then on the cheek. His confession over the blood-stained corpse was truly lovely.
Daphne listened to his confession of love over and over again, her eyes blank and tears streaming down her face.
Sarah looked at Daphne, who was still crying. Daphne didn't cry out loud, but she was sobbing and whimpering. It seemed like she hadn't gotten tired in days.
“What on earth is going on?”
Sarah said irritably. Daphne shook her head. In fact, Sarah's question felt warmer to her.
“Do you want to see the cooks die because of you again? Because you don’t eat.”
At those words, Daphne raised her head and got out of bed. She suddenly stuffed the bread piled on the table into her mouth. Her cheeks swelled as if they were going to burst. Daphne picked up the spoon, put the soup in her mouth, swallowed it, and soon made a gurgling sound.
Sarah came over and patted Daphne on the back. Her touch was so warm. It was so warm that it made her feel crazy. She knew that it wasn’t the affection she felt for Daphne. She forced herself to eat the bread and soon felt nauseous.
“What are you really doing?”
Daphne raised her head at Sarah's nagging and spoke weakly.
“The cook died...”
At those words, a fire lit up in Sarah's eyes.
“Now that I think about it, really...”
At those words, Daphne raised her head. Tears burst out again. She looked at Sarah with empty eyes. Sarah grabbed Daphne's shoulder and spoke in a low voice.
“If you had known that sooner, my brother wouldn’t have died.”
“Brother?”
Ah, brother. She had heard before that Sarah had a brother. But at some point, they stopped talking about it...
“Why, don’t you remember? The servant who died after having a conversation with you.”
Daphne's heart sank. It was because she realized why Sarah hated her. Yes, this person was also a victim of her own actions. Daphne quietly shed tears at Sarah's harsh words.
“You completely forgot.”
“...”
“If you remembered and were sorry, I might have forgiven you. Because I know that it’s not all your fault.”
Daphne was moved by Sarah's words. Sarah, who was understanding and kind, tried to understand Daphne even after her brother's death. However, Daphne had forgotten about his existence.
“Yes, you really forgot. My parents passed away, and my only blood relative was my brother. The person who was most precious to me in the world was someone you would just forget when he died.”
“...”
“I hate myself for saying in front of my brother that I felt sorry for you. My brother has been kind to you since then...”
A thought flashed through Daphne's mind. She remembered that there was a male servant who had been kind to her in the past.
“When he came back, he told me that your voice was really pretty...”
A man's voice flashed through Daphne's head.
'I didn't know you could talk. Your voice is so pretty.'
Daphne doesn't remember his face, but she remembers him being kind. But she didn't see him after that... She thought he had gone somewhere, and soon forgot about him. She remembered Sarah having a hard time at that time.
"Ah..."
Tears flowed down Daphne's face. He had died because of her, but she didn't even remember it. How many innocent lives were lost like this?
Daphne felt like she was sinking into a rotten swamp. She was at the bottom, with nowhere else to go. Daphne muttered with a blank expression.
“Sarah, did you say you wished for me to be unhappy?”
“...”
“Then I’ll be satisfied. I’m the most unhappy right now.”
Daphne was unfortunate. But some died without even experiencing that misfortune: Sarah's brother, Fabian, and the nameless maids.
Daphne looked at the ceiling. It was high, but it was like a coffin. It was the decayed room where she had once lived. Daphne realized that she had never left that place.
And she knew what to do.
Ioannis knocked on Daphne's door with a stern face. When he didn't hear a voice, he opened the door. Daphne was sitting at the table with a pale face. Daphne smiled faintly as she looked at Ioannis.
“Welcome.”
Ioannis felt puzzled. Daphne always looked uncomfortable whenever she met Ioannis after killing the maid. Daphne told Ioannis to sit down.
“I heard you were sick.”
“A little.”
Ioannis looked at Daphne for a long time. Her face was unusually pale. He thought he should tell the doctor.
“You won’t see Asherad...”
“I don’t want to see him.”
“Was it that shocking to kill the Empress Dowager?”
Daphne flinched. Ioannis saw her and said.
“Understand. The dead Empress Dowager deserved to die at the moment she made that slip of the tongue in the palace.”
“...”
“Shouldn’t we prevent dirty rumors from spreading about His Majesty?”
Daphne lowered her head. She felt dizzy and put her hand on her forehead.
“So, he killed her so cruelly in front of me?”
He spat venomous words at Kalista and stabbed her with his sword. When she did not die, he stabbed her in the heart, killing her. Then he smiled and said that it was for his own good. Ioannis was left speechless for a moment at those words.
“He just wanted to show you.”
“For me?”
“I think he wanted to sacrifice that woman’s neck. Because he knew that she had been harassing you.”
“Killing someone for me... for me?”
Ioannis nodded at Daphne's trembling words. He looked at Daphne's face, conflicted, and then said.
“Asherad hated you. But he also loved you.”
“...”
“That’s why his way of expressing himself was distorted. No, maybe he didn’t learn how to properly give or receive love.”
Daphne saw the guilt in Ioannis' eyes. Why did he feel guilty? But what did it matter now? Daphne smiled faintly.
"Yes."
“...”
“Hr didn’t know how to give and receive love...”
At that moment, Daphne started coughing. Ioannis got up from his seat and approached Daphne. Daphne smiled faintly, saying that she was okay.
He was worried, but he told her about Asherad's childhood, how he was raised, and why he had to be that way.
He hoped that Daphne would accept Asherad, if not understand him. Hearing that, Daphne smiled sadly and lowered her eyes.
At that moment, Daphne began to cough again. Red droplets appeared on the white tablecloth. When Ioannis looked at Daphne in surprise, Daphne smiled.
"Daphne!"
“As expected, that person and I are no good...”
“...”
“Oh, it’s such a bad relationship.”
With those words, Daphne closed her eyes.
Daphne's face hardened as she looked at the dead Kalista lying face down. Kalista still had an expression on her face that seemed unaware of what had happened to her, but after hearing Asherad's harsh words, he brutally killed her.
Kalista's eyes were fixed on Daphne. Before she died, she was begging for her life.
Daphne looked at Asherad with a pale face. Daphne could not understand Asherad. He killed the woman who loved him so much, so easily.
Why? Why...?
Daphne looked at Asherad. He approached her slowly, lowered his head, looked at Kalista, and raised the corners of his mouth as he looked at her lifeless body.
“Your Majesty, why on earth...”
There was no justification for this. Of course, there wasn't any great justification for the murders he had committed, but this one shocked Daphne greatly.
Daphne even witnessed them kissing. And Asherad was definitely helped and loved by Kalista. But she died so cruelly.
Daphne had no favors toward Kalista. No wonder she ignored and beat Daphne. Asherad reached out to Daphne, who was pale, and touched her forehead, which was covered in ointment and bandages, before chuckling.
“Isn’t that obvious?”
"What..."
“She hurt you like this.”
Daphne made a face that said she couldn't understand. Daphne wasn't exactly a saint. If Asherad had punished Kalista in the same way, Daphne would have felt relieved inside. But this, she couldn't understand at all. Is that all?
She thought back to the servant he had killed while trying to let Daphne escape.
“She told me she was going to kill you.”
“...”
“Shr made you run away.”
Asherad lowered the hand that had been caressing Daphne's forehead and stroked her cheek.
“Was there any reason why I shouldn’t kill her?”
With a gentle touch, he told her why he killed Kalista. Daphne shook her head with tearful eyes. So you took her life? Then, you shouldn't have done that.
“I was already planning on killing her the moment that woman told me you ran away.”
Asherad whispered softly. Daphne fell into even greater despair. Daphne had lied.
Kalista indeed contributed to the aid, but she did not actively cause the escape. She said that Kalista caused the escape to protect Count Locania.
At that point, Asherad is said to have decided to kill Kalista.
So, he killed Kalista because of Daphne. Daphne raised both hands and grabbed her hair.
This time, Daphne could say it for sure. She had never thought that Asherad would kill Kalista because of her. It was true. She had hated the woman who had been in a similar situation to her, but she had never wished for her death.
Asherad probably didn't plan on killing Kalista either.
I killed her.
I framed that woman and killed her.
I... killed that woman.
“Gyaaaah!”
She screamed, unable to breathe. How many people were dead in front of me? Daphne looked at Asherad with his sword. Looking at the man she had lusted after, the devil, so beautiful, so maddening. This, this was a curse. Daphne was a walking curse!
"Daphne."
Daphne shook her head madly and stepped back. She cried as she refused Asherad's touch.
“Come here.”
Daphne shook her head. All she wanted to do now was not to look at Asherad's face. But her hopes were dashed, Asherad grabbed her arm, and Daphne was trapped in his arms.
She struggled. She screamed and sobbed without even looking at Asherad.
“Why, I love you easily.”
If this was love, then she never wanted to love again. This love was a curse. She doesn’t know if she ever loved this person or if she still loves him. Daphne gave up resisting and fell into Asherad's arms.
“I love you, Daphne, I love you.”
He kissed Daphne on the forehead and then on the cheek. His confession over the blood-stained corpse was truly lovely.
Daphne listened to his confession of love over and over again, her eyes blank and tears streaming down her face.
***
Sarah looked at Daphne, who was still crying. Daphne didn't cry out loud, but she was sobbing and whimpering. It seemed like she hadn't gotten tired in days.
“What on earth is going on?”
Sarah said irritably. Daphne shook her head. In fact, Sarah's question felt warmer to her.
“Do you want to see the cooks die because of you again? Because you don’t eat.”
At those words, Daphne raised her head and got out of bed. She suddenly stuffed the bread piled on the table into her mouth. Her cheeks swelled as if they were going to burst. Daphne picked up the spoon, put the soup in her mouth, swallowed it, and soon made a gurgling sound.
Sarah came over and patted Daphne on the back. Her touch was so warm. It was so warm that it made her feel crazy. She knew that it wasn’t the affection she felt for Daphne. She forced herself to eat the bread and soon felt nauseous.
“What are you really doing?”
Daphne raised her head at Sarah's nagging and spoke weakly.
“The cook died...”
At those words, a fire lit up in Sarah's eyes.
“Now that I think about it, really...”
At those words, Daphne raised her head. Tears burst out again. She looked at Sarah with empty eyes. Sarah grabbed Daphne's shoulder and spoke in a low voice.
“If you had known that sooner, my brother wouldn’t have died.”
“Brother?”
Ah, brother. She had heard before that Sarah had a brother. But at some point, they stopped talking about it...
“Why, don’t you remember? The servant who died after having a conversation with you.”
Daphne's heart sank. It was because she realized why Sarah hated her. Yes, this person was also a victim of her own actions. Daphne quietly shed tears at Sarah's harsh words.
“You completely forgot.”
“...”
“If you remembered and were sorry, I might have forgiven you. Because I know that it’s not all your fault.”
Daphne was moved by Sarah's words. Sarah, who was understanding and kind, tried to understand Daphne even after her brother's death. However, Daphne had forgotten about his existence.
“Yes, you really forgot. My parents passed away, and my only blood relative was my brother. The person who was most precious to me in the world was someone you would just forget when he died.”
“...”
“I hate myself for saying in front of my brother that I felt sorry for you. My brother has been kind to you since then...”
A thought flashed through Daphne's mind. She remembered that there was a male servant who had been kind to her in the past.
“When he came back, he told me that your voice was really pretty...”
A man's voice flashed through Daphne's head.
'I didn't know you could talk. Your voice is so pretty.'
Daphne doesn't remember his face, but she remembers him being kind. But she didn't see him after that... She thought he had gone somewhere, and soon forgot about him. She remembered Sarah having a hard time at that time.
"Ah..."
Tears flowed down Daphne's face. He had died because of her, but she didn't even remember it. How many innocent lives were lost like this?
Daphne felt like she was sinking into a rotten swamp. She was at the bottom, with nowhere else to go. Daphne muttered with a blank expression.
“Sarah, did you say you wished for me to be unhappy?”
“...”
“Then I’ll be satisfied. I’m the most unhappy right now.”
Daphne was unfortunate. But some died without even experiencing that misfortune: Sarah's brother, Fabian, and the nameless maids.
Daphne looked at the ceiling. It was high, but it was like a coffin. It was the decayed room where she had once lived. Daphne realized that she had never left that place.
And she knew what to do.
***
Ioannis knocked on Daphne's door with a stern face. When he didn't hear a voice, he opened the door. Daphne was sitting at the table with a pale face. Daphne smiled faintly as she looked at Ioannis.
“Welcome.”
Ioannis felt puzzled. Daphne always looked uncomfortable whenever she met Ioannis after killing the maid. Daphne told Ioannis to sit down.
“I heard you were sick.”
“A little.”
Ioannis looked at Daphne for a long time. Her face was unusually pale. He thought he should tell the doctor.
“You won’t see Asherad...”
“I don’t want to see him.”
“Was it that shocking to kill the Empress Dowager?”
Daphne flinched. Ioannis saw her and said.
“Understand. The dead Empress Dowager deserved to die at the moment she made that slip of the tongue in the palace.”
“...”
“Shouldn’t we prevent dirty rumors from spreading about His Majesty?”
Daphne lowered her head. She felt dizzy and put her hand on her forehead.
“So, he killed her so cruelly in front of me?”
He spat venomous words at Kalista and stabbed her with his sword. When she did not die, he stabbed her in the heart, killing her. Then he smiled and said that it was for his own good. Ioannis was left speechless for a moment at those words.
“He just wanted to show you.”
“For me?”
“I think he wanted to sacrifice that woman’s neck. Because he knew that she had been harassing you.”
“Killing someone for me... for me?”
Ioannis nodded at Daphne's trembling words. He looked at Daphne's face, conflicted, and then said.
“Asherad hated you. But he also loved you.”
“...”
“That’s why his way of expressing himself was distorted. No, maybe he didn’t learn how to properly give or receive love.”
Daphne saw the guilt in Ioannis' eyes. Why did he feel guilty? But what did it matter now? Daphne smiled faintly.
"Yes."
“...”
“Hr didn’t know how to give and receive love...”
At that moment, Daphne started coughing. Ioannis got up from his seat and approached Daphne. Daphne smiled faintly, saying that she was okay.
He was worried, but he told her about Asherad's childhood, how he was raised, and why he had to be that way.
He hoped that Daphne would accept Asherad, if not understand him. Hearing that, Daphne smiled sadly and lowered her eyes.
At that moment, Daphne began to cough again. Red droplets appeared on the white tablecloth. When Ioannis looked at Daphne in surprise, Daphne smiled.
"Daphne!"
“As expected, that person and I are no good...”
“...”
“Oh, it’s such a bad relationship.”
With those words, Daphne closed her eyes.
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