The noble ladies around her looked at her sadly and smirked.
"Oh, I think she lost her partner position to a Young Lady named 'Mori'. In the past, she always appeared as a partner of His Highness."
"Eh... I'm sorry. I think it's going to be a problem if we leave her like that, so why don't we talk to her?"
Isolene, who was listening to their shyness, wiped away a tear. Then she began to gnash her teeth angrily. The surprised ladies exchanged signals with each other not to touch her.
Finally, the first song is over. Gremory and Chession danced only one song as planned, and then left the concourse and headed toward Isolene. They laughed at each other.
It was then that Isolene ran to them.
"Your Highness!"
"Isolene? Why are you crying?"
"Do you ask because you don't know that? I couldn't...! I couldn't stand by and watch Your Highness dance with another woman."
Chession's expression hardened. Gremory looked at Isolene indifferently and clung to Chession's right arm.
Chession pretended to be embarrassed and sided with Gremory.
"What are you talking about, Isolene? This is something you agreed to."
"I had to agree! Your Highness, the Grand Duke cares so much about Mori, so how could I oppose you!"
Isolene's pathetic and loud sobs made her surroundings calm.
Yes, it's going according to plan. Isolene started the climax.
"You naughty witch! Get away from His Highness right now!"
"Ugh!"
Isolene slapped Gremory in the face. She didn't hit it too hard, but Gremory fell to the ground.
"...sob."
Pretending to be hurt, Gremory ran out of the banquet hall. Chession and Isolene stayed and continued the drama.
"Mori is a witch, Isolene! How dare you insult me so much in front of me!"
"Are you so angry that Mori is insulted? Aren't you so angry when I insult you, Duke of Ortega?"
"I wasn't near you at that time, so I couldn't do anything about it!"
The band forgot to play the next song and focused on their political drama. Everything went well. Now that Gremory had escaped from the banquet hall, all he had to do was go to the west spire to check on Saera's safety.
***
Gremory covered her face with her sleeve and walked out of the banquet hall as if she were crying.
'Yes?'
After moving away from the banquet hall for some time, the surroundings became dark. Eyesight has also become poor. And there were secret voices here and there.
This was a tacit place where men and women who met eye to eye at the banquet hall were promised to meet together. Therefore, the security is also weak.
It wasn't a good place to go alone, but Chession decided it would be better to take advantage of the lack of security.
'Did you say that if I come to a fork in the road here, I can go left?'
After memorizing the map that Chession had drawn for her, Gremory skillfully found her way.
Finally, the spire she reached was quite high. Unable to climb the stairs, Gremory simply lumped and threw herself into the window on the top floor.
Even though she didn't put much effort into it, the flimsy wooden window on the top floor was smashed.
"Ahh... Alice! Someone came!"
Saera, a blonde girl who looked to be about twelve years old, screamed and was hugged by someone.
A young woman with long, wavy black hair, Alice, is a warmonger witch.
"Ah! What are you? Yes? Could it be Gremory?"
"...!"
Gremory encountered Alice in a random place and was stunned for a moment. Was the energy of the Superior Witch that she felt in the morning Alice's?
'It's not the time to be idle.'
Alice revealed her true identity. She had to kill Alice before she could reveal her position in the Demon Realm.
Gremory was shining her red eyes and baring her fangs.
Suddenly, Alice hit her head on the ground.
"Sorry! I am guilty of death!"
Gremory looked at the top of Alice's head with a puzzled face. Alice lay flat on her stomach and begged.
"I know you came to kill me! But I have a rabbit-like contractor that I need to raise until she reaches adulthood! So please forgive me!"
"..."
Saera cried helplessly, and then she followed Alice to the ground.
"I'm sorry too! Please save our Alice!"
Gremory's eyes disappeared in a daze.
"What are you guys doing?"
Alice looked up.
"I'm begging for help."
"Is the little girl next to you Saera?"
"Yes, Saera Brilliant."
Gremory looked at the trembling child. In this way, her purple eyes resemble those of Chession.
"Explain to me, why do you have to raise her until she becomes an adult?"
"Because Saera made such a wish. She asked me to be a good nanny until she became an adult. That's why I have to be nice now."
"I'm going crazy. So what did the little girl bet in exchange for her wish?"
"The soul."
"Whew... Hey, kid. Did you make a wish knowing what it meant to give your soul?! I think you were deceived by the witch."
Saera replied with a trembling voice.
"I know what you mean. Once your wish is granted, you can't die for the rest of your life; you have to live like a slave and disappear forever."
"Did you pray even though you knew that? To a witch who feeds on other people's misfortunes?"
"I did it because I wanted to be happy even for a moment. Even if it's just for a moment..."
Saera cried and blurted out.
A sigh came out of Gremory's mouth. She had to kill Alice, but she wondered if she should kill that small, harmless little kid.
"Somehow, I suddenly felt the energy of a high-level witch and then disappeared. I was summoned to be a good person, and I became a carefree nanny."
Seeing that Saera was trapped in the spire, she could have guessed how she would summon a high-level witch. Someone's warm hand, the air outside, must have been very desperate for her. Enough to summon a very strong witch.
'When I was also trapped... Did I desperately want someone to take it out? I don't know.'
Gremory, who was stunned for no reason, sighed heavily.
"Alice."
"Yes, Gremory"
"Do you intend to tell the demon world that I am in the human world?"
"Oh, what are you talking about? Not at all! In addition, I have to stay by her side every day according to my contract, so I can't even go to the Demon World! And I have to be a 'good' nanny, so I can't do such bad things. Until... I'll call her to marry."
"That's fine."
Gremory turned away. Alice's eyes widened in surprise.
"Are you just leaving?"
"What are you going to do by bullying a helpless kid and a nanny? I'm leaving."
"Now, wait a minute!"
"What? Why?"
"...It won't be useful to run away like that. Your turn will keep coming back."
An offering to the demon god every 24 years, Gremory didn't want to be like that, so she ran away. Even if she ran away now, her turn would continue to come back after 24 years.
Gremory's expression, knowing this familiarly, hardened.
"That's why I'm hiding in the human world. I'm going to live in hiding for 10 years or 100 years."
"The enraged demon god may intervene directly."
"Or tell me so. You take care of him, he's skinny."
Gremory tried to jump out of the window. The witch is guarding Saera as a nanny, so she will be safe until she becomes an adult. Maybe.
At that moment, Alice's meaningful voice caught Gremory.
"Since you have spared me, let me tell you a secret."
"What is it?"
"Have you started to feel emotions lately? Joy, comfort, loneliness, fear, pain."
"Why is that?"
"Your feelings were sealed by your mother. If the strongest livestock in the Demon Realm has feelings and is angry about their situation, they will be in trouble. But looking at you now, it seems that the seal is gradually being broken."
"..."
"Be careful. There will be a backlash soon."
Alice chuckled, and Gremory's brow furrowed. What is the purpose of talking about such an unfortunate word as a secret in the current situation?
"You can go now. Until the enraged demon god comes to eat you himself, enjoy a short period of freedom."
Gremory raised her middle finger and jumped out of the window.
Whether or not the enraged demon god came to hunt her down was not Gremory's concern.
A momentary happiness that is sure to collapse someday. That's all she wants.
"Maybe... I have the same goal as Saera."
What would happen to me and that little child? Gremory imagined the future for a moment and then quickly gave up.
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