CHAPTER 91…………………………………
“There’s no lock.”
The lock, which had always lingered firmly above the exclamation mark as if constantly rejecting Esther, was nowhere to be seen.
“…What.”
Esther murmured, a little dejected.
She had dressed up carefully just to undo that lock.
“‘What are you doing here all of a sudden?’—I should be the one asking that. What’s the matter this time? Tsk… Did you already forget when I said I wouldn’t fall for that cute act of yours?”
Fall for it or not… you already did.
Esther blinked a few times and looked at her.
In the time she hadn’t seen her, she seemed slightly older.
Not that wrinkles had increased, but the existing ones had deepened a little, and her eyes drooped slightly at the corners.
Esther swallowed and shook her head slightly.
“Grandma… you still don’t dislike me, right?”
“……”
Esther asked just in case.
The woman, who had been looking at some documents, removed her glasses and stared at Esther silently.
“Yes, I hate you very much, you little brat. I hate liars above all else.”
“Liar?”
When did I ever lie?
“You say you’ll come every time, yet how many times have you just stopped showing up? That scoundrel.”
There was a strange lack of force in her voice. Esther looked at her, slightly confused.
“Uh… it’s not that I wanted to do that…”
“I know, it was because it hurt, right?”
“……”
Well, it didn’t really hurt; if anything, she was growing.
“I didn’t know you were so lonely and struggling.”
“…What?”
“I didn’t think you would go all the way to the annex and make that choice…”
So, where exactly had she gone, and what had she done that even Esther herself didn’t know?
By now, Esther was genuinely curious.
‘I must ask Laxer properly next time.’
Last time, she had brushed it off, saying something about triggering a device and getting cursed.
Esther gave an awkward smile.
“Yes…”
Feeling a hint of guilt, Esther rolled her eyes unconsciously.
“Grandma… you don’t dislike our family, right?”
Esther scuttled over to Marie Egbert and jumped onto the desk.
Even for actions that deserved a scolding, Marie Egbert stayed silent for a moment.
“I told you before, didn’t I? How could I possibly hate you?”
“Yeah, you’re just a little clumsy.”
Esther smiled.
“You get angry because of the vow, right? That’s why you acted so sternly?”
“……”
“If you were kind parents, when you collapsed because of the vow, Dad and Uncle would be sad.”
Marie Egbert frowned.
“And since Grandpa would be left alone for life, you thought about the people who would be left behind in case something unexpected happened, right?”
So she chose to be the villain. Rather than causing a great wound, she decided to pile up small ones.
Without realizing that these small wounds would eventually become far greater than a single large wound.
At that moment, parchment unfolded before Esther.
[Becoming the Villain.
Marie Egbert was an ideal woman. Obedient to her family, aware of honor, the most refined and noble match in high society.
She believed her life was entirely about preserving honor and serving her family.
And then, one day, she met someone.
A man completely opposite to her, free from all constraints.
He was different from any man she had ever seen.
He silently destroyed all the cages that confined her and chose to confine himself instead.
Honor and family must be protected. Yet he bore all the burdens she was meant to carry.
For him, who had crawled into a narrow cage for her sake, she vowed to break the vow she had made before her family: to protect and obey for life.
Thus, she swore to herself:
She would no longer tarnish her family’s name or diminish its honor.
She became sharp, vigilant, and a stern head of the family rather than a gentle mother.
Kindness can sometimes be poison.
She knew that if Ernhart Egbert, who had once been treated kindly by her, ever lost her, he would despair greatly.
Breaking the vow would mean her death.
If that happened, those she loved would be left alone, and everything she had protected would collapse.
So she raised her children strictly, like a lion driving its cubs off a cliff, pushing them roughly.
She wanted them to become useful, strong, unshakable people, not easily swayed like herself.
Yes, they grew up splendidly.
…Or so she thought.
Thus, the family’s honor was preserved, and the Egberts’ prestige rose.
Ernhart Egbert led every battle, understanding public sentiment, undertaking unpleasant or dirty tasks without hesitation.
Marie Egbert, too, often stayed up nights.
Yes, Marie Egbert had faithfully upheld her vow, believing it was the way to protect her family.
But everything went wrong.
She failed to uphold her vow and also failed to raise her children as she had hoped.
Before she realized it, she had become the villain.
She was everyone’s enemy.
Even knowing it was wrong, she could not change it.
The small rift had deepened into a valley, the vow remained unbroken, and the now-adult children no longer listened to her story.
Regret was deep, but the path she had walked was already too far.**]
Esther quietly read the parchment and glanced at her.
She looked more worn and aged than the last time Esther had seen her.
“Grandma… shall we break the vow?”
“What?”
“I can break it. You didn’t properly make the vow, right?”
“What are you talking about? I drew the symbols correctly and made the vow on top of them.”
Then… was that wrong?
“Did you see the dragon at the end of the vow?”
“…Dragon? No, I didn’t see it.”
“You must see the dragon at the end of a vow. If you didn’t, the vow remained incomplete.”
“…Impossible.”
Marie Egbert looked at Esther in shock and whispered in disbelief.
“Normally, breaking a vow would mean instant death… yet you’re still alive. So clearly, it wasn’t properly made.”
So the side effect ended up being just sleep.
-Should I get rid of this genius and cute me?
This plump hatchling was truly innocent.
Seeing the hatchling barge in, Esther frowned.
-I can get rid of this! Up close, this isn’t that impressive. You know? I’m more impressive and genius!
-If you can, then try.
At Esther’s words, the hatchling’s plump cheeks jiggled.
Simultaneously, deep blue magic spread from it, sweeping past Marie Egbert.
The chains of the vow loosely wrapped around Marie Egbert shattered and broke apart.
Marie Egbert’s eyes widened, as if witnessing it herself.
“You’re free now, Grandma. Congratulations.”
Having achieved what she had tried so hard to do with unexpected ease, Esther jumped down from the desk with a subtle expression.
**[Congratulations!
The curse has been greatly lifted!
Blessing rate: 40%!
Over 10 years old! The curse “Infantilization” has been removed!]**
Esther paused.
‘40 percent.’
She had only solved one black exclamation mark, yet the effect was huge.
‘Does that mean it was that difficult?’
But in fact, it was easier than expected.
-See? How about it? Am I genius? Helpful, right?
-Yes, yes.
-Because it’s a rare pet!
Just as Esther was about to leave the room:
“Esther.”
Her eyes widened at the unexpected call.
Caught off guard by her name, she turned.
“I’m sorry.”
“…For what?”
“For everything. I knew I shouldn’t have treated you so harshly. Humans… are really cunning. It takes receiving help before finding the courage to apologize.”
Marie Egbert pressed her palm to her eyelid.
“Hearing how you collapsed, I reflected a lot and regretted it too.”
“Mm.”
“Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to apologize to you.”
Esther rolled her eyes.
It wasn’t really anything serious—just some growth. She gave a faint smile.
“I wish I had received the apology a little earlier.”
Esther left the room.
In truth, the person to receive the apology wasn’t Esther, so no reply was needed.
Ever since entering this body, Esther had lived doing as she pleased.
‘It’s about what the original owner would want.’
Even if they were dead and couldn’t converse.
-Owner, was I helpful?
-Yes, you were.
-Hehe~ Then why don’t you pat me? Usually pets get petted when they do well, according to the book.
The plump hatchling, holding food in both hands, said.
‘Where did that meat even come from?’
The thick, bone-in meat looked delicious, but there’s no way the hatchling could have gotten it.
-Book? What book?
-This one!
The book the hatchling held was truly jaw-dropping.
