“...”
Roderick accepted the cat with a dumbfounded expression.
In any case, to lift the curse on his daughter, he had to break Suki's magical seal, so if she said it like this, it wouldn't be a bad idea to believe her.
As he nodded, Isidore took off the bracelet he had put on Suki's wrist.
She stretched her wrists, twisting them from side to side, then glanced at Aila, who was standing awkwardly in the corner.
“Are you that kid? You’ve grown so much, I don’t recognize you.”
It wasn't the best time to feel the transience of time, but Suki looked the small girl up and down with a bitter smile.
“It’s noisy, so hurry up and proceed with the ceremony.”
As Isidore dismissed it with a cold voice, Suki pouted and began preparing for the ritual to lift the curse.
The first thing she did was brew a potion under Isidore's supervision. He kept a close eye on Suki, making sure she didn't add anything suspicious.
After the finished potion received Isidore's approval, she handed Aila a vial containing a clear blue liquid.
"Now, girl. When the ritual begins, hold this in your mouth. Don't spit it out until it's finished."
Aila, who had already experienced this ritual once in her past life, nodded. If her memory held true, Suki was about to draw a magic circle on the floor with crimson magic ink.
And just as Aila had expected, she began to draw a complex magic circle on the floor, struggling to keep up. It was a process that took quite a while.
"Yes, that's it. Girl, take your medicine and come sit here."
As Aila followed her instructions and took the medicine in her mouth, she sat down in the center of the magic circle. Suki put red ink on her hand and drew a pattern on Aila's forehead.
After that elaborate and delicate work was completed.
As Roderick watched, holding the cat, Suki knelt on the floor and began reciting a spell. The symbols surrounding Ala glowed brightly, emitting a mysterious aura.
And when that light begins to disperse little by little.
Aila felt somehow lighter than usual.
“...It’s over now.”
Suki held out the bowl to her, meaning she could spit out the medicine now.
Aila opened her mouth and spat out the medicine. The liquid, which had clearly been blue, had turned pitch black. It was a deep black, as if it had absorbed all the light in the world.
Why didn't she realize it in her past life? No matter how she looked at it, it was a ritual so suspicious, yet she blindly believed Byron's lie that it was a ritual for success.
But that was in the past, and now...
'There is no curse anymore.'
Aila wiped her mouth with the handkerchief her father held out and quietly closed her eyes.
She was very happy, relieved, and overwhelmed... but... She didn’t feel completely happy.
Because she hasn't yet finished taking revenge on the person who did this to her.
Until now, her parents had cooperated with her operations because of the curse, but there was no telling what would happen in the future.
“...Come here, Aila.”
When she opened her eyes, Roderick was there with his arms outstretched, wearing the brightest, most radiant smile she had ever seen.
Aila ran quickly to her father and hugged him. His embrace was warm as always, and it smelled fresh and woody.
“Don’t worry about anything now, my daughter.”
“Yes, Father. Thank you very much.”
She held back her tears and hugged her father tightly. Then, Roderick whispered softly in her ear.
"I've already obtained your mother's permission before we depart. We'll do as you wish. Set a trap and capture him. But if you become dangerous, we can always change our minds."
“Is that true, Father?”
It was unbelievable. It was enough to be free from the curse that threatened her life, but to even get permission from her parents. With this feeling, she felt like she could fly.
“Yes, that’s true.”
Roderick said in a gentle voice.
"We'll share the joy later, and now I'll let this body go. So, can I just go back to my beloved Pumpkin and my treasured home?"
But then, Suki opened her mouth, breaking the friendly atmosphere.
"...What do you mean, releasing you? Just because you've lifted the curse now doesn't mean the sins you committed will disappear. You deserve to be punished accordingly."
Isidore, who had been looking at his nephew and brother-in-law with a warm smile, narrowed his eyes and spoke. His expression was truly astonishing.
“What is that...! Isn’t this story different from the first one?”
"You'll have to stay here for the time being. Until I catch the person who asked you to place the curse. After that... you'll have to face punishment according to the law."
Roderick also seemed to agree with Isidore, speaking in a blunt voice.
Suki shouted with a grim expression on her face.
"It's unfair! I never truly intended to harm anyone! I just placed the curse just in case, and he said he's never used it! I just thought it was fun to try magic myself, so I did it..."
“...Then I guess you can testify like that in court. Then you might be able to avoid the death penalty.”
Roderick answered nonchalantly, wrapping his cloak around Aila's shoulders, while Isidore, with a stern look on his face, put the bracelet back on her wrist.
"Don't worry, I won't neglect you while you're here. Even though it's a curse you created yourself, you did save my daughter's life, so I'll treat you as a benefactor."
Roderick returned the cat to Suki's hands, saying, "Pumpkin, back in your owner's arms, purred and rubbed your face against hers."
“...”
Suki sat on the bed with a sullen face, stroking her cat. Her expression was very complicated.
“Then let’s go. I need to wipe the ink off your forehead before you go to bed.”
“Yes, Father.”
It was when they were trying to get out of the prison, leaving Suki behind.
“Wait a minute, stand right there.”
Suki grabbed them with an urgent voice.
"...What?"
"I'm sorry. I wanted to apologize. I'm not asking for forgiveness. If someone were to place such a terrible curse on my pumpkin... I wouldn't be able to forgive them either."
She bowed her head and apologized politely. Her voice was full of sincerity.
“...Yes, I understand.”
Although slightly surprised by the unexpected apology, Roderick left the dungeon with a silent expression.
And then he thought this.
He thought that Suki Insidio, although she was still immature and somewhat strange, even though she was well over forty, might not be such a bad person.
Laura, who had unknowingly taken a sleeping pill and fallen asleep, slept soundly until the next morning. She slept so soundly that the fatigue from the long journey had completely disappeared, leaving her feeling noticeably lighter.
'Ah, that feels good. Then I guess I'll go wake that girl up.'
Laura stretched, ready to start her day. It was a normal day, no different from any other. Her day always began with waking up Aila Hailing Weishaffen.
Even when she had to flee the empire with her mother as a member of a rebel family, even when she went undercover to infiltrate the Duke's family, her enemy, and even now, when she left that place for a while.
Nothing changed.
'It's annoying, but what can I do?'
Laura sighed deeply and headed to Aila's room.
It was fortunate that she was able to wake up on her own without having to make any effort, as she had been accustomed to early morning training since she was young.
“Miss, wake up. The sun will be high in the sky at this rate.”
She shook Aila awake, who was sound asleep, without anyone noticing.
Actually, she had planned to spend the day at the villa resting and recovering from the aftereffects, so there was no need to wake her up early. However, she didn't want to see the annoying Aila comfortably sleeping in.
"Miss!"
Laura raised her voice slightly and woke Aila again. Normally, she would have been awake by now, but today, no matter how much she shook her, she didn't seem to want to wake up.
“...Why is it like this?”
She frowned in puzzlement as she examined Aila's condition. She had been fine until the night before, but for some reason, she was groaning and sweating profusely.
‘I don’t think there’s a fever... What should I do?’
Laura froze for a moment, startled. It was even more disconcerting because Aila wasn't a frequent sufferer.
'Let's let everyone know first. Then, when I have the chance, I'll contact my mother.'
She quickly calmed down, then bit her lip nervously. Byron had instructed her to contact him in case of any emergency.
And a little while later, Roderick and Isidore, startled by Laura's words that Aila was sick, came running into the room.
“Aila, Aila!”
Roderick called out to his daughter in a panicked voice, waking her up. With his already booming voice, even the most deeply asleep girl was bound to wake up.
But Aila didn't wake up even to the loud noise. She wasn't unresponsive, but she simply grimaced at the loud noise, unable to come to her senses.
Roderick accepted the cat with a dumbfounded expression.
In any case, to lift the curse on his daughter, he had to break Suki's magical seal, so if she said it like this, it wouldn't be a bad idea to believe her.
As he nodded, Isidore took off the bracelet he had put on Suki's wrist.
She stretched her wrists, twisting them from side to side, then glanced at Aila, who was standing awkwardly in the corner.
“Are you that kid? You’ve grown so much, I don’t recognize you.”
It wasn't the best time to feel the transience of time, but Suki looked the small girl up and down with a bitter smile.
“It’s noisy, so hurry up and proceed with the ceremony.”
As Isidore dismissed it with a cold voice, Suki pouted and began preparing for the ritual to lift the curse.
The first thing she did was brew a potion under Isidore's supervision. He kept a close eye on Suki, making sure she didn't add anything suspicious.
After the finished potion received Isidore's approval, she handed Aila a vial containing a clear blue liquid.
"Now, girl. When the ritual begins, hold this in your mouth. Don't spit it out until it's finished."
Aila, who had already experienced this ritual once in her past life, nodded. If her memory held true, Suki was about to draw a magic circle on the floor with crimson magic ink.
And just as Aila had expected, she began to draw a complex magic circle on the floor, struggling to keep up. It was a process that took quite a while.
"Yes, that's it. Girl, take your medicine and come sit here."
As Aila followed her instructions and took the medicine in her mouth, she sat down in the center of the magic circle. Suki put red ink on her hand and drew a pattern on Aila's forehead.
After that elaborate and delicate work was completed.
As Roderick watched, holding the cat, Suki knelt on the floor and began reciting a spell. The symbols surrounding Ala glowed brightly, emitting a mysterious aura.
And when that light begins to disperse little by little.
Aila felt somehow lighter than usual.
“...It’s over now.”
Suki held out the bowl to her, meaning she could spit out the medicine now.
Aila opened her mouth and spat out the medicine. The liquid, which had clearly been blue, had turned pitch black. It was a deep black, as if it had absorbed all the light in the world.
Why didn't she realize it in her past life? No matter how she looked at it, it was a ritual so suspicious, yet she blindly believed Byron's lie that it was a ritual for success.
But that was in the past, and now...
'There is no curse anymore.'
Aila wiped her mouth with the handkerchief her father held out and quietly closed her eyes.
She was very happy, relieved, and overwhelmed... but... She didn’t feel completely happy.
Because she hasn't yet finished taking revenge on the person who did this to her.
Until now, her parents had cooperated with her operations because of the curse, but there was no telling what would happen in the future.
“...Come here, Aila.”
When she opened her eyes, Roderick was there with his arms outstretched, wearing the brightest, most radiant smile she had ever seen.
Aila ran quickly to her father and hugged him. His embrace was warm as always, and it smelled fresh and woody.
“Don’t worry about anything now, my daughter.”
“Yes, Father. Thank you very much.”
She held back her tears and hugged her father tightly. Then, Roderick whispered softly in her ear.
"I've already obtained your mother's permission before we depart. We'll do as you wish. Set a trap and capture him. But if you become dangerous, we can always change our minds."
“Is that true, Father?”
It was unbelievable. It was enough to be free from the curse that threatened her life, but to even get permission from her parents. With this feeling, she felt like she could fly.
“Yes, that’s true.”
Roderick said in a gentle voice.
"We'll share the joy later, and now I'll let this body go. So, can I just go back to my beloved Pumpkin and my treasured home?"
But then, Suki opened her mouth, breaking the friendly atmosphere.
"...What do you mean, releasing you? Just because you've lifted the curse now doesn't mean the sins you committed will disappear. You deserve to be punished accordingly."
Isidore, who had been looking at his nephew and brother-in-law with a warm smile, narrowed his eyes and spoke. His expression was truly astonishing.
“What is that...! Isn’t this story different from the first one?”
"You'll have to stay here for the time being. Until I catch the person who asked you to place the curse. After that... you'll have to face punishment according to the law."
Roderick also seemed to agree with Isidore, speaking in a blunt voice.
Suki shouted with a grim expression on her face.
"It's unfair! I never truly intended to harm anyone! I just placed the curse just in case, and he said he's never used it! I just thought it was fun to try magic myself, so I did it..."
“...Then I guess you can testify like that in court. Then you might be able to avoid the death penalty.”
Roderick answered nonchalantly, wrapping his cloak around Aila's shoulders, while Isidore, with a stern look on his face, put the bracelet back on her wrist.
"Don't worry, I won't neglect you while you're here. Even though it's a curse you created yourself, you did save my daughter's life, so I'll treat you as a benefactor."
Roderick returned the cat to Suki's hands, saying, "Pumpkin, back in your owner's arms, purred and rubbed your face against hers."
“...”
Suki sat on the bed with a sullen face, stroking her cat. Her expression was very complicated.
“Then let’s go. I need to wipe the ink off your forehead before you go to bed.”
“Yes, Father.”
It was when they were trying to get out of the prison, leaving Suki behind.
“Wait a minute, stand right there.”
Suki grabbed them with an urgent voice.
"...What?"
"I'm sorry. I wanted to apologize. I'm not asking for forgiveness. If someone were to place such a terrible curse on my pumpkin... I wouldn't be able to forgive them either."
She bowed her head and apologized politely. Her voice was full of sincerity.
“...Yes, I understand.”
Although slightly surprised by the unexpected apology, Roderick left the dungeon with a silent expression.
And then he thought this.
He thought that Suki Insidio, although she was still immature and somewhat strange, even though she was well over forty, might not be such a bad person.
***
Laura, who had unknowingly taken a sleeping pill and fallen asleep, slept soundly until the next morning. She slept so soundly that the fatigue from the long journey had completely disappeared, leaving her feeling noticeably lighter.
'Ah, that feels good. Then I guess I'll go wake that girl up.'
Laura stretched, ready to start her day. It was a normal day, no different from any other. Her day always began with waking up Aila Hailing Weishaffen.
Even when she had to flee the empire with her mother as a member of a rebel family, even when she went undercover to infiltrate the Duke's family, her enemy, and even now, when she left that place for a while.
Nothing changed.
'It's annoying, but what can I do?'
Laura sighed deeply and headed to Aila's room.
It was fortunate that she was able to wake up on her own without having to make any effort, as she had been accustomed to early morning training since she was young.
“Miss, wake up. The sun will be high in the sky at this rate.”
She shook Aila awake, who was sound asleep, without anyone noticing.
Actually, she had planned to spend the day at the villa resting and recovering from the aftereffects, so there was no need to wake her up early. However, she didn't want to see the annoying Aila comfortably sleeping in.
"Miss!"
Laura raised her voice slightly and woke Aila again. Normally, she would have been awake by now, but today, no matter how much she shook her, she didn't seem to want to wake up.
“...Why is it like this?”
She frowned in puzzlement as she examined Aila's condition. She had been fine until the night before, but for some reason, she was groaning and sweating profusely.
‘I don’t think there’s a fever... What should I do?’
Laura froze for a moment, startled. It was even more disconcerting because Aila wasn't a frequent sufferer.
'Let's let everyone know first. Then, when I have the chance, I'll contact my mother.'
She quickly calmed down, then bit her lip nervously. Byron had instructed her to contact him in case of any emergency.
And a little while later, Roderick and Isidore, startled by Laura's words that Aila was sick, came running into the room.
“Aila, Aila!”
Roderick called out to his daughter in a panicked voice, waking her up. With his already booming voice, even the most deeply asleep girl was bound to wake up.
But Aila didn't wake up even to the loud noise. She wasn't unresponsive, but she simply grimaced at the loud noise, unable to come to her senses.
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