Chapter 8
A series of events that changed the head maid’s fate.
Trivial, if you looked at it that way.
I had simply tried to point out and correct a servant’s mistake.
There had never been any grand vow like, “I will change fate!” behind those actions.
…Which meant that fate was changed not by some grand gesture, but by a small and seemingly meaningless action at a completely unexpected moment.
A moment so anticlimactic, it felt almost absurd.
“…Then Gerard, and I too…”
Gerard, Anditne, Edvon—
And all the people of the ducal house who died due to Gerard’s rampage.
“So fate can be changed.”
That meant fate could be altered.
…If only Gerard’s rampage could be stopped.
If Gerard could be protected by his parents, his life wouldn’t be so painful, and all of us might be able to survive.
If only we could stop the mana rampage.
‘But why does his mana go out of control in the first place?’
Even digging quickly through Anditne’s memories, I couldn’t find any information related to that question.
Unfortunately, Anditne didn’t know why mana went berserk.
All I had seen in her life was Gerard frightened by Anditne’s violence and verbal abuse, followed by his sudden mana rampage.
“Then…”
…So does it happen when he gets scared?
Knock knock.
“Ma’am, I’m coming in for a moment.”
My chain of thoughts was abruptly broken by Edvon’s knock.
Click.
Edvon entered the room and frowned slightly when he saw me sitting on the floor.
Only then did I realize how out of character my actions were—not only for Anditne, but even by ordinary standards—and quickly stood up.
As I awkwardly dusted off my skirt, I turned my gaze to the man who followed Edvon into the room.
A short, slight man.
He had pale skin and freckles, but what drew the most attention was the deep dark circles under his eyes.
When I stared at the unfamiliar man, Edvon spoke.
“He’s the most skilled magician when it comes to curses.”
“I am Dante, a mage, Madam Duchesse.”
A magician.
I had thought it would take quite a while to bring someone in, but when I checked the time, it hadn’t even been twenty minutes.
‘Did our house even have a magician?’
I frowned slightly, surprised by how quickly he had arrived, and Edvon added a reassuring explanation.
“He’s an expert from the Mage Tower, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
A Mage Tower affiliate.
Ah, magic…
Only then did I remember that magic existed in this world.
Apparently, this mage Dante had used teleportation to arrive.
“…Madam.”
Edvon gestured with his eyes for me to come over and walked toward the couch.
I hurried after him and sat down. The mage, who looked utterly exhausted, began to speak.
“Now then, Madam, let me take a look at the curse.”
I hesitated, then placed my right foot up on the tea table. Dante read the red symbols etched there, his expression growing more serious by the second.
“What kind of curse is it?”
In the silent room where not even a breath could be heard, the atmosphere grew heavier, and I couldn’t suppress my anxiety any longer.
“It is a life-stealing curse. It will take your voice, your sight, and eventually all your senses, leading to death.”
Dante didn’t even look away from the red letters as he continued.
His voice was grim, underscoring the seriousness of the situation.
A curse. A curse that would ultimately take my life.
“…It can be broken, right?”
“It may take some time.”
From Edvon to the mage—
I was terrified to the point of panic, yet both of them remained emotionally unaffected, as if it were no big deal.
As if my death didn’t concern them at all.
Their cold rationality only deepened my fear.
It felt like something I had to face completely alone.
“You can break it before I die, right?”
“I will do my best.”
I sought a more reassuring answer out of desperation, but it wasn’t what I wanted to hear.
Still, pressuring the mage wouldn’t change anything, so in the end, I just bit my lip in frustration.
“But you said it takes away the voice. I’m still fine, though.”
The mage nodded slowly.
Fear was rising in my chest, making it difficult to speak, but I clenched the hem of my skirt and forced myself to continue.
“…So until I lose my voice—until I die—how much time do I have left?”
“It is a powerful curse formed by a soul-binding contract. At most, Madam, you have one week left.”
One week.
At best, just one week.
There was still so much I needed to ask, yet I couldn’t bring myself to speak anymore.
“If we can identify the caster of the curse, it will be easier to break…”
“…The one who cast it.”
The mage pressed his lips into a thin line and bowed his head slightly, as if regretful. His formal attitude made me even more afraid, and I fell silent.
…There was no way it would be easy to identify who had cast the curse.
“I didn’t think there were still dark mages in the Empire.”
At that, Edvon broke the silence.
“This is also the first time I’ve seen this kind of black magic myself. It wouldn’t be anyone from the Mage Tower…”
Black magic.
Magic that allowed things impossible with conventional spells. But to use such magic, one had to pay a price.
The greater the cost, the more powerful the black magic. That’s why it allowed some to cast spells beyond their skill level.
…Which was also why many mages had died.
Feared by both mages and citizens, black magic had eventually been banned throughout the Empire.
All books related to it were designated as forbidden texts.
Most had been confiscated and burned.
For someone to still be using black magic, they must have obtained a forbidden book or had a master.
“Then I will take my leave. If I want to lift the curse even a little sooner, I can’t afford to waste time.”
“The butler will show you to your room while you stay at the duchy.”
Edvon nodded and walked toward the door.
“Then, Madam. Please get some rest.”
He bowed and turned as if to leave the room.
…Even though I could die, Edvon showed not the slightest worry. As if he’d done everything he needed to do.
Maybe it was because I didn’t want to be left alone?
Still, I called out to stop him.
“W-wait!”
At my urgent voice, Edvon stopped in his tracks and turned around.
“There’s a lot we need to talk about. You and I.”
Edvon raised one eyebrow, as if to say, Now what?
There was definitely a lot we needed to discuss.
Starting with who had brought the head maid into the household…
‘I need to catch the person who cursed me as soon as possible. But I guess they don’t care what happens to me.’
…Shouldn’t we at least find out who’s behind this?
Even if not for me, it was something that needed to be done for the family.
“I’m talking about the head maid.”
Edvon stared at me silently, then quietly closed the door and returned to my side.
“So. What are you trying to say?”
“Well, I’m not sure what the exact deal was, but there was definitely a transaction between the head maid and someone. After that, she started getting rid of the servants. Probably the ones she thought I wouldn’t like.”
Edvon remained still, watching me as if urging me to go on.
There were two likely reasons someone would plant the head maid into the family.
To extract information through her.
Or to eliminate servants loyal to the family.
“More specifically, the ones who supported the duchy were probably dismissed.”
“Servants who supported the duchy?”
“I don’t know how long Gerard’s personal maid has been stealing from him, but it seemed like all the other maids already knew. So it must’ve been a long time. And yet I only just found out today. I don’t think there’s anyone left among the staff who truly care about the family.”
If there were no loyal servants left, it meant the household was in a vulnerable, unstable position, where betrayal could strike at any time.
…Whoever was behind this clearly intended to shake the foundations of the ducal house.
“Someone who dislikes the Duke, or who wants to bring the family down.”
Edvon’s expression remained unreadable.
“Do you have any guesses?”
After staring at me for a long time, his lips finally parted.
“Do you have anyone in mind, Madam?”
“I think…”
From accessing forbidden black magic to undermining the ducal house…
“It must be one of the nobles.”
Besides, the head maid acted as if she had powerful backing.
…Even accusing the Duchess—me—without hesitation.
That meant she had nothing to fear, even if she turned the Duchess into an enemy. She had someone behind her stronger than Anditne…
…Edvon’s face remained as unreadable as ever.
Even when told someone had infiltrated his household.
Even when a sudden explosion had killed the head maid and injured the servants. Even when I told him I’d been cursed—by banned black magic, no less—he didn’t show the slightest shock.
That expression, almost indifferent.
“Ah…”
But Edvon Martinhez wasn’t indifferent.
“…You suspect the royal family.”
He was simply suspicious of Anditne.
