episode_0023

“Erinsia~ Try eating this. It must be really delicious, right? Hehehe.”

“I-I don’t want to… It’s a bug…”

“Why? Can’t you eat bugs?”

“Hehe. Maybe because they’re my kind.”

“Go ahead and eat. If you don’t finish it, it won’t end, don’t you realize that now?”

Squelch, squish.

“Eugh…! Eww!”

“Hahaha! What a foolish girl. What will you do if you really eat it, Erinsia?”

“Hehe. How is it? The taste of your kind?”

Please… just leave me alone…

I feel like my stomach is turning…

“Today is a game of tag, Erinsia. It’ll be fun, right?”

“But do you know what’s even more fun? A game of tag where you get caught and beaten. You should run away quickly, shouldn’t you? Hahaha!”

Thud!

“Ack-! Let go, please…!”

“Pfft. Is that what you call running?”

“Now that you’ve been caught, is it time to be beaten?”

Whack!

“Ugh… please… stop hitting me…”

“Then should I hit you to make you happy? Should I hit you to make you strong? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure your delicate face doesn’t get hurt.”

“Pfft, should I blame your slow legs for not being able to run fast?”

Whack!

“Ugh… please… stop hitting me…”

“It’s all for your own good. You’re so weak, how can you survive in this harsh world?”

“Hehe. There’s a saying, you know. The pain of not being able to kill makes me stronger, right?”

Why…

Why are you doing this…

I just… want to study happily…

“Erinsia? Do you wonder why you’re living like this?”

“It’s because you’re weak. Your family is weak. You’ve heard of survival of the fittest, right? It’s natural for the weak to be preyed upon by the strong. Simple, isn’t it?”

Elden…

Instead of looking at me with such pitiful eyes…

Please, please, can’t you help me just once…?

“Pfft. Elden, should we educate this girl who seems to be reaching out for help…?”

“…Let’s go drink. Sir Blend. There’s no interest in something that’s already fallen.”

“Ah, come on. Come and show me what kind of person you are. Show this pitiful woman that there’s nothing as futile as false hope.”

“…I understand.”

Ah…

No…

Please, anyone, just get me out of this hell…

Crack.

“Ugh…! No, please…!”

“Hehe. That’s right. Elden, that’s you. Crush that hand reaching out for hope. Don’t let her have false hope again.”

Ugh…

Ugh…

It’s so hard…

I feel like I’m going to die…

But still… I don’t blame you… for not running away even though it’s so difficult…

I chose to endure the pain of hell for the joy of learning…

Ugh…

But…

Really…

“Princess… are you crying?!”

“Princess?! Please wake up…!”

It was then…

“Was it a nightmare?”

“Ah…”

Remyang, who had woken up from her sleep, was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning her upper body.

Marion was sitting next to her, wiping the cold sweat off her arms and neck with a towel.

“You woke up later than usual, so I came in just in case and was surprised.”

With vacant blue pupils, lips that seemed to be cracked from the sun, and hair stuck to her head with cold sweat that she couldn’t pull off, Remyang couldn’t move.

Seeing the lady in such a state for the first time, Marion’s face was also quite surprised.

And so was Remyang.

After graduating from the academy, she had never had nightmares.

Pain and tears were left behind at the academy as she returned home, burying herself in experiments and research based on the knowledge and wisdom she had acquired over the past three years.

Enduring the hellish trials for three years, she had gradually overcome each of those hells with the knowledge and wisdom gained through the sacrifices made.

She had no regrets.

If it weren’t for the curse of the tribe leader, she wouldn’t have called those three years hell…just a lingering sense of regret.

Those days were truly unbearable.

She had feared more the immediate pain of abuse than the curse of death that could strike at any moment.

Yet, out of guilt for defying her father’s wishes and revealing her true identity, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

For her father, who shed tears to protect her, she couldn’t expose herself or reveal the misdeeds of the four.

The scars on her body had to be hidden deep within.

It was all a result of her stubbornness, her choices born out of that stubbornness.

That’s why she believed it was right to bear it alone, and why she chose forgetfulness over revenge.

Of course, when the scars from the abuse occasionally throbbed, the terror of those days forcibly resurfaced, causing her body to tremble as if the world was collapsing.

Shattered memories.

Perhaps she had immersed herself more in research and experiments to forget those memories.

Nevertheless, those memories that occasionally resurfaced and disturbed her mind were what led her to choose the four as the final candidates for the marriage ceremony.

For complete forgetfulness.

For complete liberation.

Of course, she didn’t know if forgetfulness and liberation awaited her at the end.

Anyway.

For some reason, she had never had a nightmare before, so the sudden occurrence left her bewildered and shocked.

Why now?

It was incomprehensible to Remyang.

As she wiped her face, Marion asked with concern, “But… Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“In the marriage ceremony, you have to choose the ‘absolute’ candidate with the strongest bond, right?”

Remyang nodded.

Just as there had never been a withdrawal candidate in the history of the marriage ceremony, there had never been a time when the winner of the marriage ceremony was not chosen.

By selecting one of the four final candidates and performing the marriage ceremony, the marriage ceremony would come to a grand conclusion.

It was the tradition of the Winterfell Ducal family, and her brothers and sisters were all living happily after following that tradition and marrying the winners.

“…That’s right.”

“Have you thought about it at all?”

Marion was the only one who knew about Remyang’s revenge.

She was worried about the young lady who was fading like a withered flower since the revenge had begun.

Especially since Elden Raphelion had withdrawn, she seemed to be deteriorating rapidly.

At times, she muttered to herself, tore at her hair, and scribbled on paper.

She didn’t eat properly, and her beloved research and experiments were neglected as she spent all day lost in thought.

She knew it was a quest to find enlightenment, but in this state, would there truly be enlightenment at the end…Marion couldn’t help but have doubts.

She wanted to be honest.

Despite knowing that she sometimes succumbed to the terror of that day, and that she couldn’t easily shake it off, she couldn’t help but worry if it was the right choice.

Seeing Marion’s concern, Remyang forced a smile and gently stroked her head.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

“…I’m worried.”

“Then, Marien, who would you like me to marry?”

“Hmm….”

It was a difficult question.

For someone who knew Remiann’s scars among the four, it was a cruel question to choose one of them.

Unable to answer, Remiann instead provided an answer.

“Either one.”

“Excuse me?”

“The one who sincerely repents and reflects. Or… the one who never regrets or repents until the end. Which one do you think will marry me?”

“Ah….”

In the former case, it would be a happy ending for everyone, but in the latter case, it felt like it would be a bad ending.

So, Marien let out a vague sigh.

I hope at least my lady has a happy ending.

**

Tap, tap.

Remiann, who had gathered her energy, was sitting in the study.

The youngest daughter of the Duke’s family.

As an unmarried youngest daughter who had not yet entered the adult world, there were no official documents to review or approvals to process in the study.

She was simply pondering over the problem thrown by Elden Raphellion.

“Your Grace.”

Entering the room was Gelwood.

“Welcome. Please have a seat here.”

It was to report what he had gathered and understood about the first challenger under the surveillance and investigation ordered by the Duchess.

Sitting on the sofa with Remiann, Gelwood spoke with a worried look in his eyes.

“You don’t look well. Is something wrong?”

With the upcoming face-to-face meeting in a few days, the nervous face of the main character who had been chosen as the overall responsible person for the pre-engagement ceremony was a concern.

Just like Remiann had told Marien, she forced a smile and replied.

“I’m fine. But more importantly, have there been any special developments after graduation?”

“Not really.”

“…I see. And after the challenge?”

“It was definitely strange.”

“In what way?”

Showing interest, Remiann leaned forward.

“He doesn’t receive any visitors at the annex during the night, and he doesn’t drink at all.”

“…Elden Raphellion?”

To the unbelievable report, Remiann had to ask in disbelief.

A heavy drinker, a lecher.

These two epithets were representative pronouns for Elden Raphellion.

Moreover, it was happening inside the annex, and there was no reason to go to great lengths to stage a drama where no one could see.

Or…

“Could it be that he noticed the surveillance and tailing?”

Gelwood firmly shook his head, dismissing the possibility.

“That’s unlikely. He’s someone who pays well for his worth.”

“…I see. Is the credibility of the testimony sufficient?”

“Yes. The maid in the annex testified directly. It seems he refused the wine.”

“…Anything else?”

“After declaring the challenge, he enjoys reading. He visits the library every day.”

“Really?”

Remiann furrowed her brow.

It was such a bizarre story.

If he wanted to write a book, he would write, not enjoy the letters in it.

“And today, he had lunch with the one he was reading with, and then headed to the training ground with his escort.”

“Wait. He had lunch with the one he was reading with?”

“Yes.”

“Who was it?”

“Countess Ariel Elond.”

“Yes…?”

Ariel Elond.

At that name, Remiann’s pupils dilated.

An unexpected name, a name that had been buried beneath the surface of memory, along with many other names that didn’t need to be brought up, resurfaced.

At the same time, the image of a blonde girl with a roll bun who was always reading novels but not interested in academics came to mind.

A bookworm and a playboy.

The combination of opposing qualities was enough to raise suspicions.

“Do you know her?”

A new hypothesis came to Remiann’s mind, one that she had never considered, never approached through any path.

Love.

If there is a force that can forcibly pull and mix the nature with stark opposites, it might be able to solve this complex and absurd puzzle.

If there is a powerful force that can even mix water and oil, it might be able to free the researcher who was struggling with an unsolvable problem.

“Could you make some room?”

“Are you referring to the seat with Elder Gongja?”

“No. It’s for Viscountess Ariel.”