Episode 6

“I’ll just check if she’s hurt, then come right back.”

Ignoring his friends’ warnings, Rigreto packed and immediately left for the forest. It would take three days to get there, but it didn’t feel that far. Because at the end of the road, Violeta would be there.

By the time he arrived, snow had started falling.

His heart dropped when he saw the old cabin. The area around it was bleak—completely different from what Violeta used to love. The cabin looked like it could collapse at any moment. It wasn’t even properly sealed from the cold.

“To think she was living here…”

Even though he was one of the people who put her there, he was still shocked. He didn’t think it would be this bad.

‘It’s not too late. I’ll just start over now.’

Not even thinking clearly, Rigreto knocked on the old door.

Knock, knock.

No answer. He knocked again. Still no sound. A deep worry crept into him.

Bang!

The door creaked open with a weak sound.

“Violeta?”

The cabin… was completely empty.

My plan was simple. Leave the cabin and head to Wintergarten.

It was snowing, so my schedule got a bit delayed. But besides that, everything was going smoothly.

It took five days to escape after Calix’s visit.

I wanted to leave right away, but I saw a bunch of herbs growing around the cabin. No one would use them after I left, right? So I picked some. It only delayed me two days.

I got past the barrier safely. But the real problem started after that.

Someone began chasing me.

How many days has it been now? Two? Three? I’m losing my mind.

I panted hard between my teeth.

“She’s close! The tracks stop here!”

“Search the area!”

I hid tightly behind a big rock, listening. The quiet forest suddenly filled with barking dogs and human voices.

“Damn it. How did they even find me?”

I whispered nervously.

“Storage space, come on!”

I had used too much energy while running. For the past three days, my magical storage space wouldn’t open. If only it did, I could’ve hidden temporarily.

And then—

“…Why did it suddenly get quiet?”

It wasn’t just my imagination.

The dogs that were chasing me non-stop were now silent.

“This feels bad…”

And of course, that gut feeling came true.

Grrr…

A large, scary-looking dog poked its nose toward where I was hiding.

There was nowhere left to run. My hands shook violently.

The dog opened its mouth wide.

Bark! Bark bark!

“There she is! The fugitive is over there!”

“No no no! Open, damn it, storage space!”

“Violeta!”

But the storage didn’t respond.

I didn’t have time to be upset. I threw all the paralyzing and relaxing potions I had prepared in every direction and ran out from under the rock.

I ran like crazy. I tripped and fell many times. My body was getting more and more injured.

My hands and feet were freezing from running through snow too long.

But I kept running. Until I saw the edge.

“Violeta, stop!”

“Don’t tell me what to do!”

“That’s a cliff—Violeta!”

Suddenly, the trees thinned, and the light got brighter. I hadn’t noticed the forest was ending.

I tried to stop, but my momentum pushed me forward, and I rolled onto the ground.

“Violeta!”

“Don’t come closer!”

“Are… are you okay?”

A disgustingly fake voice came from nearby.

I stood up without hesitation. My body screamed in pain, but I didn’t want to show weakness in front of them.

I gulped down a painkiller and looked around. Behind me was a cliff. In front of me…

“There she is! Idiot. What did she think, running away to a place like this?”

“Violeta, please stop. Let’s go back, okay?”

I saw old faces—the ones who had come to hunt me.

“I’m so touched I could cry.”

“Violeta.”

“But guess what? I’m not going back.”

Leonhart raised a hand to stop the others, then spoke.

“How did you weaken the barrier?”

I shrugged.

“How would I know? Maybe your power just wasn’t enough.”

“Violeta!”

Now I understood how they found me so fast. They must’ve felt the barrier weakening and came to check.

“Relax. Why so serious?”

I was exhausted after running for over two days. I knew I couldn’t outrun them like this.

I laughed—an out-of-place, crazy laugh. I bent over laughing, then slowly raised my head. The dumb looks on their faces made me laugh more.

“Anyway, I’m not going back.”

“Even if we kill your whole family?”

“Go ahead.”

Why should I care about a family that abandoned me?

It was their fault for raising a daughter like me. Just like it was their fault I got blamed for something I didn’t do.

“Actually, this is perfect. I have something to say.”

“…Say what?”

I looked at each of them. Leonhart, Vanetta, Calix… and finally, my ex after two years—Rigreto.

Rigreto looked pale. His lips trembled.

“Y-You’re bleeding.”

“Oh.”

Is that a big deal?

I didn’t even know why he cared now. I lazily wiped my face with one hand. He still looked shocked.

“You guys want something from me, don’t you?”

“W-What are you talking about?”

“Calix told me. That’s why you kept me alive. But I guess you’re not gonna tell me what it is.”

Leonhart motioned for the others to stay back. Vanetta cautiously stepped forward.

“Violeta, it’s a misunderstanding.”

The only thing I could do to that was laugh.

I took a step back. Rigreto looked even paler. The others froze too.

“Violeta, calm down. Please, just listen to us.”

“Why should I?”

“Violeta!”

I pulled out a potion bottle from my bag with shaky hands.

“See this? I made a new potion.”

Even in the cabin, I made potions again and again.

Did I really mess up? What did I do wrong? No, I was sure I didn’t.

I believed in my skills. But doubting myself hurt so much. I even thought it would be better to die.

“My potion was perfect. So why did it only hurt you guys?”

No matter how many times I remade it, there were no problems. I couldn’t recreate the effect that supposedly poisoned them.

“But here’s the thing. No matter what I tried, my potions couldn’t hurt anyone.”

It felt like a play. I’d been practicing this line for so long—what I needed to say, what I wanted to say.

It felt so good to finally say it.

It wasn’t fair. My potion wasn’t the problem. It could never hurt people.

I wanted to restore my name. My potion’s name.

I raised my voice loud enough for even the people far away to hear.

“So, I had an idea. A new idea.”

“…What?”

“What if I made a potion that really could hurt people?”

Pop. The bottle opened with a sharp sound. I spun it in my fingers and smiled, like I was enjoying the smell of wine.

“It’s not perfect yet. But it’s close.”

They finally realized what I was about to do. The color drained from their faces.

“Now we’re even, right?”

“…Even? What does that mean?”

“It means this.”

A sweet smell came from the bottle. Without hesitation, I drank it.

“Violeta!”

A scream rang out.

Pain spread from my stomach to my whole body. A bitter taste filled my mouth.

“Goodbye, you bastards.”