Chapter 35
The station was so old and shabby it felt eerie, and there wasn’t even a station attendant in sight.
Odette spotted a bright red warning sign posted near the station exit.
「※Fenrir clan forbidden from using public roads」
It stated that the Fenrir clan could not use public roads and were only permitted to walk through the sewer paths adjacent to them.
“That bastard of a count. How far is he willing to go to torment these kids?”
This was an area where, due to frequent disasters, no imperial citizens lived anyway. So what was the point of barring road access? The spitefulness of it all was revolting.
With a cold expression, Odette tore down the warning sign.
“I’m sure they used my name to justify doing this, too.”
Click, clack. As she stepped outside the station, a desolate wasteland unfolded before her. The land, ravaged by countless disasters, was filled only with the ruins of collapsed houses.
After walking a while along the main road, she finally arrived at the detention district.
From the outside, the compound looked fortified, surrounded by high walls.
And beyond those walls, yet another layer of metal bars wrapped around them — clearly built to ensure that no one inside could ever escape.
The structure even prevented those within from catching a glimpse of the outside world. It resembled a cage made of walls.
Odette headed toward the compound’s only entrance — a massive gate made from pitch-black magic stone.
The gate was enchanted to allow passage only to authorized individuals.
No one imprisoned within could leave. It was a hellish environment clearly designed to let them wither and die.
With a sigh, Odette stood before the pitch-black gate and raised her palm. As if recognizing its owner, a white septragram magic circle glowed beneath her feet and rose upward.
“As I thought, I’m registered as the owner of this gate. Just like in my previous life.”
In her past life, when the courtroom’s magic gate recognized her as its owner despite her having never seen it before, the absurdity of it had left her speechless.
Odette let out a bitter laugh.
“My father’s obsession with turning me into a villainess turns out to be surprisingly useful at times like this.”
When the white light faded, the heavy gate rattled and slowly slid open, creating a path.
But as she stepped inside, Odette immediately had to stop.
A young boy with shackles on both ankles was looking up at her with round eyes.
“Luca.”
She recognized him from Karl’s flashback in The Orphanage Chronicles. The boy who, even in that memory, was already dead.
“Who… who are you, ma’am?”
The heavy shackles were attached to an iron ball the size of a cannonball. They bore the same magic circle as the one etched onto the gate.
“A device that would cause the child’s body to explode on the spot if anyone passed through the gate without my permission.”
The boy looked no older than eleven. His round eyes gave him the innocent look of a puppy.
“Luca.”
Odette softly called his name. The boy flinched, then quickly averted his eyes and dropped to his knees.
“I’m sorry for daring to look at an imperial citizen. I’m sorry for trying to spread disease.”
Luca trembled as he lowered his head.
“Dear god.”
No crops, no people — only wasteland. The Count’s lackeys must have brought in supplies once in a while.
Odette could imagine all too well how they must have treated Luca here.
“Filthy bastards.”
The magic gate only recognized its owner or those who shared their blood.
To think they had taken her blood and used it just to torment a child like this — Odette felt her blood boil with rage.
She slowly approached Luca so as not to startle him, then crouched down to examine him.
“His ankles are a mess.”
The boy’s ankles were torn and bloodied from being scraped and bound by the iron shackles. Odette carefully avoided touching the wounds as she reached for the shackles.
The septragram engraved on them glowed white and, with a soft click, came undone.
“This… This can’t be opened. Odette-nim will punish me later!”
Luca, pale with fear, scrambled to re-fasten the loosened shackles.
“So they even used my name when abusing him? Those goddamn bastards. The next time I see them, I’ll make sure they regret it.”
Luca had never even met Odette. Just how deep did the brainwashing have to go for a child to say something like that?
“Don’t worry. That’s not going to happen, Luca.”
“You… you don’t know how much Odette-nim hates me… B-But how do you know my name?”
He looked distressed, unable to re-fasten the shackles properly.
“I’m Odette, Luca. And I’ve never hated you.”
She spoke gently, then took out emergency medicinal herbs she’d brought from the estate and began treating the wounds on his ankles. Luca’s round eyes widened even more.
Afraid her fingers might hurt him, Odette applied the medicine with utmost care. Luca looked up at her with an overwhelmed expression.
His cheeks flushed, as if unused to physical contact. His pure, innocent eyes were filled with confusion.
* * *
The inside of the compound was even more desolate than it appeared from outside.
The well water was filthy, and the food rations distributed the day before were all spoiled or rotten.
To drink clean water or cook spoiled ingredients, the children had to gather firewood themselves within the compound.
In this barren land, where even dry grass was rare, the children had to drag their heavy shackles and roam endlessly just to survive.
“Unbelievable. They can’t manage supply distribution properly, but they sure know how to torment kids, don’t they?”
Her damned father again.
At that moment, Luca, who had been quietly watching her, suddenly tugged on her sleeve.
He pointed to a poorly built shack that barely qualified as a hut.
“This is our home, Nuna.”
After learning she was Odette, Luca had kept a little distance, but as she helped him along, he seemed to grow more comfortable with her.
“Can I take a look inside?”
“Of course! This whole compound belongs to Odette-nuna. We’re alive thanks to your grace.”
“I explained so many times on the way here that it wasn’t true… It’s not something that can be unlearned so easily, I suppose.”
With a bitter smile, Odette gently patted Luca’s head.
Creeeeak! As Luca pulled the door open, a harsh metallic screech rang out, and dust swirled across the dry ground.
“Cough, cough!”
Seemingly used to such noises, Luca paid them no mind and called out a name.
“Lara! You in there?”
Clang, thunk. Clang, thunk. The sound of chains clinking echoed as a young girl came toward the entrance.
“Luca oppa!”
A small girl suddenly popped out of the entrance.
“Huh? Who’s this lady?”
“That must be… Lara.”
She had a short bob haircut and looked adorably rabbit-like with one missing front tooth. She stared up at Odette with a slack-jawed smile.
Far too small and thin to be wearing such heavy shackles.
Odette knelt down to meet her eyes and greeted her.
“Hello, Lara. My name is Odette.”
Using the kindest voice she could muster.
Lara’s face lit up instantly at the mention of her name.
“Wow! The great Lady Odette! It’s an honor to meet you!”
“…What?”
“Thank you for letting a filthy Fenrir like me live here!”
…!
Lara dropped to her knees and bowed deeply, her expression filled with blind reverence. Odette felt like she had been struck in the head.
“What kind of child says something like that?”
Just how much abuse and brainwashing does it take for a child to sincerely degrade herself like this?
“I underestimated the level of cruelty in this place. I didn’t realize it was this bad.”
As Odette stared in shock, Lara’s sparkling eyes overlapped with her own from childhood.
The young Odette, who had believed she was a terrible being after years of abuse — and looked up at the Count’s family with shining eyes for taking her in.
Frozen in place from the shock, Odette heard the loud creak of the shack’s door opening again.
