Episode 155 – A Stern Rebuke
by Afuhfuihgs
*
Boldiras Mansion.
No, this massive mansion, no longer called by that name, was literally becoming a monstrosity.
The iron gates and walls, having borne the brunt of countless people’s anger, were bent or collapsed in places, and the once-beautiful garden was unkempt, with unsightly weeds sticking out everywhere.
The artistic fountain in the center, which once endlessly spouted clear water from its stone statue, no longer worked, and the stagnant water below teemed with the grotesque wriggling of insect eggs and larvae.
Everyone knew that at least one person still lived in this mansion, but no one had actually witnessed her coming or going.
Rumor had it that on clear days with bright sunshine, someone could be seen passing by inside the sun-filled windows, but very few people claimed to have witnessed it directly.
A month had already passed since the true identity of that evil person, the Hero, or rather, Robin, had been revealed.
The people’s fear and anger showed no signs of abating, but voices of pity for the unfortunate woman trapped in that monstrous mansion began to emerge, one by one.
Of course, the prevailing opinion was still the suspicion and speculation that she was in league with the Demon King.
Thanks to the mansion’s increasingly monstrous appearance, some cursed and reviled her as a witch.
Even the voices of low-class men, who didn’t hesitate to hurl unspeakable sexual insults at the former Saintess, could be heard every night in some pub in the city.
A monstrous mansion inhabited by a seductress.
The reputation of this mansion, once the home of the Hero party members, was falling as dramatically as its owner’s name.
Before the entrance of such a mansion, a carriage stopped after a long time.
As the carriage bearing the royal crest slowly came to a halt, the coachman jumped down from his seat, rushed to open the carriage door, and bowed.
From inside the shaded carriage, Princess Elisabeth’s figure slowly emerged.
Elly carefully gathered her dress and stepped out of the carriage.
As soon as Elly got out of the carriage, she frowned at the strangeness she felt.
Quiet.
An almost frightening silence weighed heavily on the mansion and its surroundings.
No matter how hard she listened, the only sounds she could hear were the breathing of the coachman and the horse.
The wind wasn’t blowing, and for some reason, not even a single insect chirped, making the massive mansion eerily silent.
It might be a strange analogy to use for a building, but it even seemed as if it were dead.
Elly gestured to the coachman, then took out a cane from her sleeve and swung it towards the iron gate.
Keolkeodeong
With a dull noise of rusted metal forcibly separating, the massive iron gate opened with a metallic groan.
The coachman calmed the horse, startled by the sudden noise, climbed back onto his seat, firmly gripped the reins, and left the front of the mansion.
Elly glanced sideways at the cold sweat on the coachman’s forehead and slowly shook her head.
Apparently, he had come this far because of the princess’s orders, but he seemed very reluctant to come to the mansion where the Demon King had lived.
Well, judging by the coachman’s wrinkled forehead, he must have been one of those who had experienced the rampant monsters of the past, so it’s no wonder he was so scared.
Elly slowly walked into the mansion.
With no servants to stop her or butlers to ask about her business, she strode confidently across the garden and soon reached the front door of the mansion building.
Elly slowly pushed the door.
Surprisingly, the door was unlocked.
,Saintess-nim?
An echo answers instead of a reply.
It crossed Elly’s mind that if this large mansion continued to be neglected, it wouldn’t be surprising if bats started living here.
In fact, the inside of the mansion was dark and damp, with no light source except for the sunlight coming in through the windows, making it feel like a real cave.
In addition, there was a faint, musty smell.
Elly focused on the tip of her nose and carefully moved her steps, following the unidentified stench.
The sound of the wooden floorboards screaming as they were trampled under her shoes sharply pierced Elly’s ears.
Elly’s nose wasn’t as sensitive as a beastman’s, so she struggled a bit, but she was able to notice the even stronger stench as soon as she reached the second floor.
Elly hurried her steps, wondering if she might be dead.
Following the stench that was clearly emanating from something rotting, she finally reached a door and threw it open without hesitation.
As soon as the door opened, Elly violently covered her nose and mouth.
,Saintess-nim?
Confirming the disheveled woman lying face down on the bed, Elly slowly approached her.
It was difficult to see because of the curtains blocking the light, but fortunately, it seemed that the worst situation Elly had imagined had been avoided, judging by the slight heaving.
Elly turned her head and looked at the basket placed on the table.
Inside the basket, vegetables that were clearly bought from the market and meat wrapped in thin paper were left to rot and decay.
All sorts of gnats swarmed over the basket, and as Elly’s footsteps drew closer, four or five cockroaches jumped out of the basket and scattered in all directions.
Elly flinched in surprise and approached Mella, gently tapping her shoulder.
,S-Saintess-nim.
,,
Giving strength to roll Mella’s body over, Elly ended up making eye contact with her.
Mella was awake.
However, it was impossible to think that she was in her right mind.
Her greasy, unwashed curly hair had lost its sun-like vitality and had become thin, and even in this deep darkness, half of it had turned white.
Moreover, a few strands were stuck to her greasy face, and the unfocused, brown eyes pitifully embedded between those strands of hair were facing Elly but not seeing her at all.
As could be seen from the state of the food in the rotten basket, Mella’s cheeks, who had obviously not had a proper meal for a very long time, were sunken and grotesquely withered, and Mella’s arms, shoulders, and even legs were emaciated.
Her unkempt, slightly long nails were cracked and torn, with traces of red blood in places.
It was a miserable sight to behold.
Elly grabbed Mella’s shoulder and shook her gently.
,Get a grip.
,I heard you coming.
Elly felt her mind go blank at Mella’s voice.
It wasn’t easy to react to that pitifully weak voice.
However, Elly shook her head, pulled herself together, and said.
,Even though I came without an appointment, if you heard me coming, you should have prepared to greet a guest.
,…Because I heard you…
,…What do you mean?
,…Because if it were Ed, he would have appeared without making a sound.
,,
Elly slowly looked at Mella.
Mella’s unfocused eyes were simply in place, unable to reflect what they were seeing.
Perhaps she was only looking at the back of Ed, who was somewhere in the past, not at Elly in front of her.
Elly slowly got up.
,,
And then slapped Mella’s cheek.
Tchak
The dry sound echoed as if cutting through the stench in the room.
Mella’s limp head slowly turned towards Elly.
Elly wasn’t angry in the slightest.
Rather, she was calm and collected, far from being excited.
Elly opened her mouth.
,I’ve heard the stories, but seeing it in person, you’re really hopeless.
,,
Mella didn’t answer.
Or perhaps she didn’t have the strength to say anything, considering the time she had been starving.
But Elly had no intention of pitying Mella.
Of course, her miserable appearance evoked human compassion, but the pain and trials that Ed had already experienced occupied all of Elly’s heart, preventing her from pitying Mella’s life.
Elly coldly stated the purpose of her visit.
,The Papal State has contacted me. Edward… At the request of your son, Edward, someone from the Papal State will be coming to take you soon. Mella. You are to follow him to the Papal State to recover your body and mind. This is an order.
,,
,I know what happened. I know what you’ve been through. I know what you’ve lost and what’s been taken from you.
,,
,But think of your children. And what about the child in your womb?
,…That,
,Ed told me.
,,
Elly suddenly glanced at Mella’s stomach.
Judging by the timing, the reason she hadn’t eaten for a long time might not only be psychological but also due to morning sickness, but considering she was living with rotten food next to her, it might not be related to morning sickness at all.
Due to the overwhelming stress, the fetus might already be dead.
Whatever the case, it was clear that leaving Mella in this state would be dangerous, so Elly opened her mouth with a firm attitude.
,Don’t want to give birth? Then don’t. Want to die? Then die. I don’t give a damn about anything that will hurt Ed anyway.
,…!
Mella flinched greatly, even in her current state, as if she had read Elly’s favor towards Ed in her words.
Elly averted her gaze from Mella and picked up the basket.
A damp, dirty liquid dripped down with a terrible stench, but Elly didn’t care.
,But don’t you think this is a bit much, even if you think about it yourself?
,,
,Like you’re begging Ed to pay attention to you, saying how hard you’re having it.
,,
Elly left the room without looking back at Mella and continued speaking.
,You deserve not to suffer anymore. I guarantee it. I, the Princess of the Sionisia Empire, testify that Mella is an innocent victim and a sad victim of fate who was swayed by the lies of a villain. But…
Elly paused for a moment, taking a step before exiting into the hallway.
There were many things she wanted to say.
Honestly, she wanted to resent, ridicule, and curse.
Who are you to make Ed wait?
But Elly barely overcame that impulse.
If Mella were to really take her own life, Ed might be saddened,
Elly slowly turned her head towards Mella.
Unlike Mella’s empty eyes, Elly’s eyes were blazing with contempt, jealousy, and affection and possessiveness towards Ed.
,Ed deserves to be happy now just as much.
,…Righ…
,,
,…That’s righ…t…
Elly sighed.
,The carriage will arrive tomorrow, they say. Don’t make it any harder. Not for Ed, nor for your son named after him.
,,
Elly strode away.
Mella’s door was left open because ventilation was needed.
Carrying the smelly basket, Elly left the mansion, threw the basket into the overgrown garden, and hurried away.
She felt like the unpleasant stench was clinging to her body.
Elly hurried her steps, wanting to get out of this mansion as soon as possible.
Her stride gradually increased until she was almost running through the mansion’s garden, and only after completely leaving the mansion did Elly stop walking, panting and catching her breath.
Elly lowered her head and tightly gripped the hem of her dress.
,…Hngh,
Tears welled up in Elly’s eyes.
Mella had given up.
She knew that Ed wouldn’t come to see her.
And Elly knew it too.
That the day a few days ago was the last day she would meet Ed,
The music box for contact, placed in the gold coin box he left for Deborah, proved it.
Ed will leave.
.
She didn’t know what method he would use to take his own life, or if he would just hole up somewhere and live like this.
Perhaps he would sling the Holy Sword over his shoulder and wander around, saving villages suffering from monsters.
Elly could understand whatever choice Ed made.
But, I…
Elly slowly raised her head and looked back at the mansion.
,…I’ll never make that kind of mistake. Ed.
.
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