episode_0153

[149th Episode] – Experiment to Lift the Curse (3)

In an instant, the atmosphere in the room turned chilly. Titania looked at me and Veronica with a calm expression, but her thinly veiled eyes and cold smile revealed how angry she was.

I shuddered and turned my head away from Titania’s chilling gaze. No, I had to turn away. It was too frightening to meet Titania’s eyes right now.

Shaking, I leaned into Veronica’s embrace—

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

“No, do I really need to be afraid of Titania?”

Our relationship is nothing more than acquaintances. Why should I be scared just because I kissed Veronica, who is like a daughter to me? As her mother, I should be able to kiss and hug her, right?

In fact, I needed to stand tall here. I am Titania’s mother, not her lover. Avoiding her gaze and being afraid would mean admitting that I’m wary of Titania.

As if there were no room for hesitation, I stared boldly at Titania, my eyes wide open. Yes, I did nothing wrong. I just kissed my daughter. I did nothing wrong.

“Titania, this is—”

“……”

“This, this is…”

Just as I was about to say, “What’s wrong with kissing?” I was silenced by Titania’s gesture, as she raised her hand to her chin and looked down at me sharply, as if urging me to speak if I had something to say.

Under that settled, cold gaze, I ended up unable to say anything and only pursed my lips.

I lifted my head and sent a look to Veronica as if to say, “Say something!” but Veronica just avoided my gaze. You provoked her…!

“Mother, come here.”

At that moment, Titania beckoned me with a flick of her finger. As I hesitated whether to go or not, Veronica picked me up and placed me on the ground as I was.

Alone, I looked up at Veronica with a betrayed expression, but she casually turned away from my passionate gaze. How could you do this to me…!

“Mother.”

Once again, a cold voice settled in my ear.

In the end, I approached Titania cautiously, groaning softly. It felt like being a child going to receive punishment for making a mistake. Surely, they wouldn’t put me back in chains just for kissing someone else, would they?

“Titania… You’re not angry, are you…?”

As I tenderly called out to Titania with a slightly pleading look, she slipped her hand into the crook of my arm and raised it, emitting a faint smile.

“I’m not angry.”

“R-really…?”

As I gazed at her gentle smile, my tense shoulders relaxed. As the tension dissipated, a sigh of relief escaped me.

I chuckled softly and gently stroked Titania’s head as if to reassure her. In response, Titania looked puzzled and asked me.

“I’m actually curious. Mother, why do you think I was angry?”

“The way you looked at Veronica and me, and the atmosphere… because I kissed Veronica…?”

“…What? You kissed Sister Veronica?”

“…Huh?”

Taken aback by Titania’s cold tone, I could only widen my eyes in surprise. Titania looked at me as if she truly didn’t know, squinting her eyes.

Seeing that gaze, I realized my mistake. I involuntarily shrunk my shoulders in the chilling atmosphere that settled once again.

“The reason I was upset… is because you were playing on Sister’s lap.”

Titania murmured softly, pressing her index finger against my lips as if to silence me. Despite speaking calmly, her clear anger made it even more intimidating.

As soon as I entered the room, I felt jealous seeing my mother sitting on my sister’s lap, facing each other and laughing. But endlessly feeling jealous about this kind of thing is pointless…

“…T, Titania… I mean, this is…”

“But they even kissed…”

Ah, it’s a pattern that won’t be heard no matter how much I talk about it.

I turned my head to Veronica for help, but as soon as our eyes met, she turned away. Ungrateful child!!

“It, it was just an experiment! Because you and Veronica are the same person… So, if I kiss Veronica, will the curse be lifted…”

I tried to explain that it was just an experiment, but it didn’t matter to Titania. It seemed she didn’t like the act of me kissing someone other than herself.

As if trying to silence my babbling, Titania grasped my chin. The calm look in her eyes seemed to indicate what was about to happen.

“Refuse. If it gets bigger, your clothes will tear.”

“Wait, wait, ugh…!!!”

She held my chin and leaned down to kiss me.

Despite my protests, every time I refused, Titania forcefully held my chin and roughly pressed her lips against mine.

It was truly one-sided kissing, so forceful that the term “oppressive” came to mind involuntarily. I tried to keep my lips tightly closed and resist, but Titania forcibly opened my mouth by gripping my chin.

“Ugh!! Ugh!!!!”

Her tongue forcefully pushed into my forcibly opened lips, deep, thick, sticky, and persistently entwining. With a large tongue in a small mouth, I could hardly breathe.

I cried and tapped on Titania’s shoulder, but the more I resisted, the stronger and more persistent she became, pushing her tongue further. My mouth was filled with Titania’s tongue, making it hard to breathe, feeling like I was being suffocated.

Whenever Titania’s tongue moved in my mouth, my whole body felt as though it would soon melt and merge. In this state, all I could do was hold onto Titania’s clothes and shiver.

When I opened my eyes and looked at Titania, she wasn’t looking at me as she usually did when we kissed. Instead, she was gazing at Veronica, sitting beside her, with eyes that seemed to possess a fierce obsession, as if claiming me as her own.

As I glanced at Veronica, she was watching Titania’s kiss, mixed with obsession, with her chin resting on her hand and a smirk on her lips.

“What kind of reaction is that?”

Our lips finally parted just before I ran out of breath. Gasping for air, I panted like a puppy, sticking out the tip of my tongue to breathe.

“I told you not to put your tongue in…! It’s hard to breathe…!”

“Think of it as payback.”

I had no strength left to argue further.

Thankfully, due to the rule that a curse isn’t lifted by forced kissing, I was still able to maintain the body of a child. Exhausted, I eventually leaned on Titania’s shoulder and slumped down.

“Really… take it easy…”

“I did take it easy.”

With those words…

Titania placed me back in the chair. Seeing me exhausted, leaning back in the chair, she approached Veronica and handed her a certain “document.”

“I came to ask about this… but I forgot.”

“What is this?”

“A research journal found in Katarina’s room.”

As if the previous incident hadn’t happened, the two began talking. Was my annoyance due to my mood?

Veronica, taking the research journal from Titania, twitched one of her eyebrows. Then, after releasing a deep sigh, she smiled at me.

“Excuse us, I want to talk to Titania alone for a moment.”

“…Is this something I shouldn’t hear?”

“Yeah, I hope you didn’t hear. Please, pretend you didn’t.”

…What kind of story could it be that they’re talking about it so urgently?

I let out a small sigh and hopped off the chair, heading towards the door. I jumped in place to open the door with difficulty, then turned my head to look at Veronica and Titania.

“I’ll wait outside, call me when you’re done.”

“…Okay.”

*

As Vivian went outside, Veronica sighed deeply, alternating between looking at Titania and the research journal, furrowing her brow irritably.

I thought I had hidden it well until now. I couldn’t help being caught, although I don’t know why Titania went into Katarina’s room.

Perhaps it’s fortunate that only Titania found out. Veronica sighed irritably and mentally pressed Katarina. She should tidy up the research journal or something.

After a moment of silence, Titania pulled a chair over and sat in front of Veronica, asking, “You know that I don’t have those feelings for Mother.”

“Then why did you kiss like that in front of me?”

“I told you. It was an act. Well… it’s an excuse, but it was a chance to kiss Mother. I didn’t want to miss it.”

Veronica chuckled at Titania’s confident explanation. Unable to do much about their relationship, Veronica could only laugh.

“In fact, it ended like this because it was you. Not someone else, but my own sister like me.”

“…Yeah.”

“So, I can understand your feelings to some extent. Even the emotions behind the research written in this research journal.”

Titania calmly smiled and took the document from Veronica’s hand, starting to read it again. Although it contained absurd content, Titania could understand Veronica’s feelings about this research.

A way to become human without using the egg of a fairy. That method is-

“…You are trying to-”

“Titania.”

Veronica interrupted Titania’s words and grinned.

“I’ve abandoned that research.”

“…But.”

“I have no intention of realizing the contents written in that research journal. Instead, I believe there are other methods that are more reliable and safe.”

Veronica took back the research journal from Titania’s hand and began tearing it to pieces, so much so that it was difficult to recognize a single character.

“…The experiment to lift my curse will proceed as soon as preparations are complete. Once the experiment is over, I will leave you all behind.”

“Sister…”

“I intended to do so from the beginning. There is no reason for me to stay here once you become queen. I also need to find my own life, don’t I? So…”

The torn paper is scattered on the floor, as if representing Veronica’s heart. It seems to say that the story is already over and she does not want to think about it anymore.

“Don’t worry too much about me. If you understand me, then I believe you’ll understand my current feelings too.”

Titania tried to say something, but she just nodded her head without saying anything. She understood her sister’s feelings, but she couldn’t understand the reason for her closed heart.

If it were Mother, she would surely…