Chapter 43
When I went down to the dining room, everyone was still waiting, not yet touching their utensils. Even Ethan had already taken his seat.
“You’re late. I’m sorry,” I said.
“It’s fine, sit down quickly,” Father replied.
“Yes.”
I quietly observed Father’s kind face before searching for an empty seat. The one directly across from Ethan was vacant—right beside Diana.
Ethan stood up, pulled out my chair, and escorted me.
“Thank you.”
I gave him a quick nod and sat. As I subtly examined his face, his sculpted features remained flawlessly polished, just as always.
…Nothing happened while I was gone, right?
Perhaps he sensed my stare, because as he pushed in my chair, he whispered,
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I just looked. Is that a problem?”
“It might be.”
“……”
Not worth responding to. I snapped my head away.
Next to me, Diana must’ve heard the whisper, because she went, “Ugh,” making a gagging gesture—only to be sternly warned by Mother: “Diana.”
A small laugh slipped out.
…A peaceful family dinner, unchanged. My worries had truly been unnecessary.
A modest chandelier illuminated the dining room, and the cutlery before each seat gleamed without a single stain.
Soon the chef brought out the dishes, all of them exceptional—good enough to proudly serve to Ethan Behemoth.
The crusty bread puffed beautifully in the oven, its golden-brown crust splitting to release the sweet scent of butter.
And that wasn’t all—there were amuse-bouches of fresh herbs and raw meat, a soup filled with mushrooms, a salad made of mashed sweet potatoes, perfectly cooked steak, and the main dish: turkey stuffed with fragrant mashed fruits peeking through the tender meat….
A feast prepared to celebrate the safe return of the baron’s cherished daughter after the commotion at the Academy.
Everything was peaceful and smooth.
‘Right. There’s no need to fuss about one small wound.’
Maybe they didn’t notice. It is fading now….
Just as I finally felt myself relax—
The conversation at the table shifted entirely toward our guest, Ethan Behemoth.
Whether I had adapted well at the Academy, and what exactly had happened during the subjugation mission.
Mother and Father asked the types of questions any parents of a student would.
Ethan, unlike his usual behavior, responded like a remarkably polite young man.
“…So thanks to the Imperial Knights arriving just in time, we were able to clear out the monsters that invaded the campsite.”
“My, that sounds like it was a truly urgent situation. I was so relieved to hear Edith was safe that I didn’t hear any of these details.”
“We’re really grateful the young Lord Behemoth was with our Edith. We don’t know how to thank you….”
Mother and Father listened intently, completely drawn in. Ethan handled the conversation with a level of skill that didn’t match his age.
“The Headmaster likely held back details so you wouldn’t worry too much. And honestly, I received a lot of help from Edith instead.”
So he can flatter me when he wants. I leisurely sipped water as the three talked.
It certainly looked better for Ethan to praise me than for me to boast through my own mouth.
And to ease Father’s worries, having someone like Ethan vouch for me was useful.
Still… If Ethan praised me this much, I expected Diana to show at least a little fondness toward him.
But her reaction was terrible.
Even if Ethan planned to stay only briefly, Crowell territory was the kind of place one could explore entirely in three days—or not finish exploring in three months.
Because most of it remained undeveloped wasteland.
Crowell only rose to prominence after I became a hero.
For now, it was just a remote land frequently raided by monsters, with constant kidnappings among the residents.
So if Ethan were to tour the territory, he’d likely need three days—and during those days, he’d inevitably run into Diana often. It would be a problem if she stayed irritated every time she saw him.
Diana, who normally liked people, disliking Ethan for no reason… I hadn’t expected that.
Lowering my cup, I glanced at her.
Now that I thought about it—why was she so quiet?
Even if attention was on Ethan, she was only twelve.
When I remembered meals at Crowell Castle, Diana was always chattering away.
But today she was silent.
Peeking at her, I saw her pale and barely pretending to eat. She was missing her food entirely, poking at the air with an empty fork.
…Was she still upset that Ethan was my friend?
“Diana.”
“……!”
Trying to comfort her, I leaned in to whisper.
She jolted in surprise, dropping her fork.
Clatter!
A sharp sound rang across the dining room.
“Oh dear, I’ll pick that up.”
I bent down under the table—
…and felt something strange in the air.
A chilling stillness had fallen over the table.
Mother and Father, who had been talking nonstop, suddenly went silent.
“Diana, did you just drop your fork?”
It was the first time I heard Father speak in such a grim voice. Not even the day I returned from the subjugation did he sound this cold.
Slowly, I picked up the fork and straightened my back.
“I dropped it. I’m sorry.”
At once, Father’s frozen expression melted into gentleness.
Diana looked at me with a face drained of color.
Deliberately avoiding her gaze, I asked a servant for a new fork and looked back toward the table.
Father, as if someone had wound up a talking doll again, resumed speaking as though nothing had happened.
“Where was I? Ah, yes—that’s how Edith came to attend the Academy.”
Then he looked at me and smiled warmly.
The same smile he had worn when I first entered the dining room.
Mother, too, smiled at me with that same brightness.
“Edith? You don’t look well.”
“Is something wrong?”
Neither of them gave even a passing glance at the bandages wrapped around my hand. It was impossible not to notice.
And that smile—so bright it felt unnatural.
“……”
Diana trembled, unable to lift her head, while across from me Ethan Behemoth stopped speaking and stared at me with a humorless expression. He must have realized it too.
That these were not the loving family I remembered. That something was wrong.
I forced the corners of my mouth up. My hand slackened around the fork. I couldn’t even stand up.
I couldn’t tell when—how—things started to go wrong.
***
I couldn’t eat anything after that.
But Ethan smoothly kept the conversation going, giving me time to regain myself and piece together information.
Thanks to that, I discovered a few patterns in Mother and Father’s strange behavior.
First: they don’t notice any changes to my body that happened after I left Crowell Castle.
Second: they’re extremely sensitive to damaged objects. I don’t yet understand what counts as an “object.”
And third: they… love me.
Overwhelmingly.
Sticky, melting ice cream pooled in the dessert dish.
“Edith, you don’t look well. You may go to your room first,” Mother said.
Her gentle voice startled me.
Just moments earlier, when Diana dropped her dessert plate and broke it, Mother had coldly ordered her to return to her room and reflect.
It was the first time she had forgotten all about the guest—Ethan—and allowed her anger to show.
As that thought sank in, the gap between the parents in my memories and the parents before me widened until my head felt like it would explode.
Pretending to yield to Mother’s concern, I nodded.
“…I’m sorry. I must be tired from traveling. I’ll excuse myself first.”
“Go ahead.”
“Edith, if anything hurts, you must tell us, alright?”
Then why didn’t you notice the wound on my hand?
“…Yes.”
I bowed slightly and stood.
I couldn’t bear to stay at that table any longer.
