~Chapter 30~
As soon as I got home and collapsed onto the bed, it felt like heaven.
“Oh my goodness, miss! You need to wash up first!”
Emily gasped and tried to pull me up, but my body was already at its limit. I couldn’t move at all.
“I-I’ll get some water! Don’t fall asleep until I’m back!”
She rushed out of the room in a panic.
I let out a small sigh and pulled a pouch from inside my clothes.
Inside was the root of the World Tree I had taken from the Dremokan Forest.
“So gross…”
I couldn’t help but frown as I looked inside.
The root didn’t look anything like the tree roots I was familiar with.
It looked more like a leech than a root.
Even though it didn’t feel right to describe something from the World Tree like that, I couldn’t think of a better comparison.
Wriggle.
See? It even moved! It was alive!
I grimaced and quickly closed the pouch again.
Ugh. I need to give this to Peril soon.
Just looking at something so gross made me feel like bugs were crawling all over me.
While rubbing my goosebump-covered arm, I stepped out of my room.
Thud! Bang!
I heard loud, rushed movements coming from downstairs.
When I went down to see what was going on, I found Bailey pale-faced, frantically packing her things.
“Miss!”
Atticus came over to me, just as confused as I was.
“What’s going on with her?”
“She suddenly said she had to leave for the countryside right after you returned.”
So suddenly?
Not even a few hours had passed since the coronation.
Well, I didn’t mind if she was leaving.
But it didn’t seem like she had discussed this with Elizabeth.
“Bailey, is something wrong?”
“N-no! I just… want to go home!”
She was panicking so much, it was obvious something was bothering her.
“You’re leaving already?”
I asked as I stepped down the stairs. She visibly flinched.
Seeing her up close was even more shocking.
It wasn’t even winter, but her face was blue, and her lips were completely drained of color.
“…Are you sick or something?”
Seriously, you’d have to be really unwell to look like that.
“Are you mocking me right now?”
She snapped back, thinking I was teasing her, even though I’d asked sincerely.
Then Elizabeth approached me.
“You should’ve died in the war…”
The words she had shouted at Grandfather yesterday kept echoing in my head.
“I heard from someone yesterday that you told our granddaughter to leave this house, Bianca.”
“Yes.”
“And just because she annoyed you?”
“I won’t deny it.”
When I looked at Bailey, she flinched again and shouted:
“That’s not why I’m leaving! I swear!”
Even if it was because of what happened yesterday, I didn’t really care.
I just wanted both of them out of this house.
Before she could change her mind, I figured I might as well say goodbye.
“Oh, right. I still haven’t properly thanked you, Grandmother.”
After what I said, suspicion filled Elizabeth’s eyes.
“If you had accepted me and my brother, we probably would’ve grown up like Bailey. So really, thank you for abandoning us.”
Elizabeth smirked, as if my words proved her point.
“I can tell. Bluear was never fit to raise anyone. You still follow the man who caused your parents’ deaths?”
“Oh, you mean the curse of the magic war?”
I shrugged casually.
“I thought it was more like the curse from you and the other relatives.”
Elizabeth frowned.
“Isn’t it essentially a curse to say that someone who survived the war should have died?”
“Are you accusing us?”
“No way. I was just wondering if maybe it was a blessing in disguise.”
Bailey, who’d been silently watching us, tried to speak up. But the moment my eyes landed on her, she started hiccupping.
…She wasn’t acting like this yesterday.
“If he had died in that war, your parents—and you—would’ve had a peaceful life. You would’ve grown into a better person than you are now.”
“The dumbest thing a person can do is to think about what might have happened.”
I stayed calm.
“If Grandpa hadn’t come back, we would’ve frozen to death after being abandoned by you.”
“So what? Are you trying to make me a murderer now?”
“No, Grandmother. You can’t be a murderer.”
I gave a dry smile.
“You’d probably just say our deaths were another tragedy of the war.”
That must’ve hit a nerve.
For the first time, Elizabeth was at a loss for words.
…How could she be this shameless?
“Don’t ever show yourself in front of Grandpa again.”
“…”
“I don’t want my little act of revenge to cause more tragedies in our family.”
I smiled faintly.
***
After Elizabeth and Bailey hurried out of the house that day, Grandpa and Cedric were confused but didn’t press me for details.
I had asked the servants to keep quiet too.
‘Grandpa would be furious.’
If he knew how Elizabeth had spoken to me, it would make him angry—and I didn’t want that.
Also…
‘He probably wouldn’t want me to know how badly she treated him, either.’
So I decided to keep what happened locked away in my heart.
That said… Bailey really was awful to the very end.
“You and the Duke? You actually make a great couple.”
Even while leaving, she threw in a nasty remark. Just thinking about it still made my teeth grind.
Ugh, whatever. I’ll deal with it later.
I sighed and pushed open the shop door.
Ding!
“Welcome!”
But instead of the usual shopkeeper from the Sun’s Shop, a stranger stood there—a woman I’d never seen before.
Something about her didn’t feel quite right… like the usual sharp-eyed glares were missing.
“Where’s the person who used to be here?”
I didn’t want to explain everything about Peril right away.
Just then, the woman’s eyes curved into a soft smile.
“You’re Lady Bianca, right?”
“Huh? Do we know each other?”
“Of course. You’re the one who called our master an idiot, aren’t you?”
“…I said that?”
She laughed and nodded.
I wasn’t that reckless, was I?
But thinking back, yeah… I did kind of lose it once.
“You could’ve sent a bird like before. Why use such a stupid method?”
Ha… So he really held a grudge.
Did he tell all his disciples about it too?
“Master went to heal you personally and got insulted. He was pretty upset.”
The woman tied her hair with a scrunchie on her wrist.
She was gorgeous—so much so that I found myself staring.
She noticed and smiled.
“Because of that, Master said he’s taking a break for a while.”
“What a lame excuse.”
What the heck?! I came all this way, and he’s resting?
“Probably. He’s lazier than he looks. Dumped all his work on me and ran off.”
“Oh dear…”
She was too pretty to be working so hard.
Without meaning to, I found myself sympathizing with her.
“That’s really unfair. I actually came to ask for help, and now he’s avoiding me over something so small. Do you know where he is?”
“Hmm? Maybe in bed?”
She muttered. I let out a half-laugh.
Unbelievable.
I did ask him for a favor, but wasn’t this basically a deal?
“Is he at the same place where the Moon’s Shop appeared before?”
“Yes, I think so…”
“Fine. I’ll go find that sulky man myself.”
I huffed and turned toward the door—
But just as I grabbed the handle, another hand grabbed it at the same time.
And then—white hair spilled over my shoulder.
“Who are you calling sulky?”
I slowly looked up.
And there he was—Peril, smiling at me.
