TVIOWHFW 53

Before Estelle returned from the auction house.

John was examining a bear-shaped cookie.

‘It’s a really ordinary cookie.’

But he had even cast a preservation spell on this common cookie. He hadn’t even offered it in his deal with the demon.

‘Because it was given to me by Estelle.’

However, demons are born from chaos.

They never act without reason.

‘What could be so special about this cookie…’

John analyzed it from various angles and finally popped the bear cookie into his mouth.

It tasted ordinary.

‘Really, there’s nothing—’

At that moment, his vision blurred, and everything soon darkened completely.

‘Could it be poison?’

John fell asleep gently on the sofa as if entering a trance.

In the pitch-black darkness, only his other senses remained sharp.

The chilling cold enveloping his body and the sound of chains clashing. He immediately realized where he was.

It was the prison where he was confined as a child.

‘Sorry.’

A gentle voice echoed in his ears.

‘You must have been in a lot of pain. It’s probably very hard now, isn’t it?’

The more he heard that voice, the more his heart felt heavy.

‘Stay strong. You can do it. If you endure this moment, you will surely succeed in your revenge.’

Who was the owner of this voice?

‘Even the seemingly mighty Duke of Libertan can be toppled, and you can do what you desire.’

The more he thought about that voice, the more a fog of confusion and pain settled in his mind.

‘When you get out of this prison, there will be someone to help you. Someone who cares for you, supports you, and is loyal to you. So, even if it’s tough, hang in there.’

Despite everything, one thought came to him.

‘This… is a phrase I used to remind myself of when things were tough.’

He thought he had made it up as self-comfort, but it turned out to be someone’s comfort.

‘It would be so nice if my warmth reached you.’

The voice became so faint that he could no longer hear it.

‘John. Just wait a little longer. I’ll be right—’

As this ended, his body’s senses gradually began returning to reality.

A strange warmth, starting from his fingertips, spread all over his body. But only his senses returned; his body remained immobile.

And then, another incomprehensible event occurred.

‘Has the Guardian Ring returned?’

The Guardian Ring—completely destroyed to save Estelle.

That rare magic, which could never be reversed except through a pact with a demon, was returning to John.

It seemed that the Guardian Ring was unable to move his body because it was being repaired.

‘Can such a thing really happen?’

John carefully reviewed what had just happened.

‘It all started with the cookie.’

It wasn’t poison, magic, or black magic.

It felt as if it were awakening a sense he had forgotten.

So, the moment he heard the voice, John was quite startled to realize he had forgotten such a thing.

Even if it was from his childhood, he couldn’t have forgotten the memories of his imprisonment back then.

‘Unless some unknown power didn’t erase my memories…’

A multitude of questions flooded his mind.

‘…Estelle, you—’

Knock.

“John. Are you there?”

Just then, as if waiting, Estelle knocked on his office door.

John’s senses hadn’t fully returned, so he couldn’t move. Still, he sensed her approach carefully.

“Really handsome…”—she murmured softly, seated in front of him.

Unaware that John was awake, Estelle gently touched his face, and her adorable behavior made him want to just crush her.

‘To overwhelm her.’

If he could move his body, he’d instantly open his eyes and tease her.

‘She’d react with such a cute expression.’

Just as his eyelids started to tremble…

“Today, I missed you so much. I kept thinking about you even when I was outside,” she said softly.

What?

“John. Maybe I…”

Estelle, holding her breath, finally whispered softly.

“I think I love you.”

His heart sank. John was immensely annoyed that he couldn’t move.

‘I should’ve seen her confession.’

He should have grabbed her, pressed her, and revealed her true feelings immediately.

If he missed this moment, Estelle, who strictly maintained boundaries, would retreat again.

‘Damn it. Why am I not moving…’

All his swirling questions disappeared.

Estelle, who had been fidgeting, quickly left his office.

John reflected on her confession.

‘I think I love you, I think I love you, I love…’

He managed to sit up straight, wiping his smooth face.

“…Estelle, do you love me?”

A fluttering sensation filled his entire body—something he had never experienced before.

“I do love you.”

John placed his hand over his pounding heart, blushing his ears.

It wasn’t the first time he received a confession.

As the most sought-after groom candidate in the empire, John was courted by many women. Even before becoming the Duke of Blanchet.

Whether he had money, status, or not.

Naturally, John, born a noble, was always popular among women.

Honestly, no confession from any woman moved him. It even seemed amusing.

None of the women who claimed to know everything about him and said they loved him ever truly understood his true nature.

Most would run away in fear once they saw his true self.

‘Or they were crazy enough to like me even knowing the truth.’

Perhaps Estelle was like those women. She was also deceived by his perfect act.

Now, even the entire empire had begun to truly believe in the marriage of the two, once doubted.

‘She’s so different.’

John touched his ear, aware of Estelle’s soft breath as if she were nearby.

‘Why can’t I calm down?’

His usual composure was helpless in the face of such sincere confession.

Honestly, John couldn’t pretend to be unaffected by Estelle’s adorable face.

He kept wandering around her, trying to subtly probe until the end of the day.

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

It became harder to look at John’s face, even though it was strange.

Having spent the evening at dinner and all day together, the change felt even more noticeable because they no longer did so.

‘Surely John isn’t avoiding me…?’

It seemed that he suddenly had to go to the grand duke’s estate, so he had no time to see her.

He should have been happy to secretly prepare to escape without John noticing, but he wasn’t.

‘Why do I feel so sad?’

It might be a silly thought, but if John was avoiding her, she’d feel a little sad.

‘Let’s focus on my work.’

She tried to recover her fairy power using the Undine Tier.

-Moreover! That’s the heart of Eden Rose.

-Since Eden Rose itself was born from your fairy power, if you root it there, Eden Rose will absorb the spirit’s power.

“But what if someone secretly digs around before it absorbs?”

-…Oh, it’ll melt before that.

She gently dug into the root of Eden Rose, inserted the Undine Tier, and covered it.

“Is it really over like this?”

-Yes. Once Eden Rose has absorbed the spirit’s power, you can use it to lift your curse. At the same time, you’ll get used to your fairy power.

No change had yet occurred in Eden Rose.

“Even if someone else breaks Eden Rose, won’t that cause a problem?”

-Of course! That’s why I put the Undine Tier in Eden Rose’s roots.

-If anyone tries something foolish, we’ll report to you quickly.

Spending some time with the trees, I then went to find Erich with Betty.

“Now, Betty, you don’t have to come along every time.”

“I’m not okay with that. I trust the vow of loyalty, but I also can’t fully believe it.”

Since learning that Betty and Erich were siblings, I’d always wondered about that.

“I didn’t want to be under that kid.”

“…”

“Of course, it’s much easier to be a commoner spy.”

Looking around, everyone close to me seemed to have an extraordinary past.

“But soon, I’ll return to my noble status. I think I’ll need a respectable position.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I want to become your first lady-in-waiting.”

Lady-in-waiting was a title only the highest-ranking nobles like duchesses, queens, or duchess consorts could hold—only aristocrats could be lady-in-waiting.

“So, if Betty becomes my first lady-in-waiting, I’d be very happy.”

I held Betty’s hands and smiled warmly.

“I’ll always keep the position of your first lady-in-waiting open for you.”

“…My lady.”

Betty’s brown eyes, like a puppy’s, shimmered with emotion.

“I love you the most in the world, my lady.”

Suddenly, Erich appeared and looked at us with a smirk.

“What a touching scene. Should I cry too?”

Betty shot a glare at Erich.

“Such a shameless person.”

“Betty, you and I aren’t that different, you know?”

They growled at each other, with me in between.

‘At first, I thought they were a loving sibling pair who cared deeply for each other.’

But seeing them now, they didn’t even like to see each other’s faces much.

“I don’t want to see your face either, honestly, if it weren’t for my lady.”

“I was the first to recognize my lady, you know?”

“Yeah. That… is true…”

A shadow of guilt flickered in Erich’s eyes. Somehow, he looked a bit downcast.

“It’s okay, Lord Erich. It’s in the past. By the way, did you find the book I asked for before?”

“Yes. I will continue to look into books related to this.”

I asked Erich to gather some old texts about fairies and black magic.

‘It’s hard to discern the truth from the books in the library.’

“As for John…”

“Yes. I’ve handled it discreetly so that no one will notice. You won’t realize that Lady is collecting old texts.”

“If only he didn’t have that ability…”

“Thanks for the compliment, little brother.”

Betty muttered reluctantly at the end. Erich simply shrugged nonchalantly.

As John’s closest aide, Erich was quite capable of almost anything.

“By the way, Lord Erich.”

“Yes?”

I stared at Erich’s face quietly.

He was a beautiful, pristine young man. His perfectly styled hair suited him, but somehow, it looked a bit constraining.

“Do you always keep your hair tied up like that?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Is it uncomfortable if you don’t tie it up?”

“Not exactly… but it’s a habit.”

I went behind Erich and gently loosened and tied his long hair loosely.

“All done.”

Every time I moved, Erich tensed and trembled slightly.

“What is it?”

“Look. It suits you much better if you let your bangs fall slightly and tie it loosely.”

His face turned red at my compliment.

“What? Erich, are you shy?”

“Ah, no!”

He blushed even more and hurriedly said, “I’ll follow your orders anyway!” then ran away.

“What a guy…”

Betty shook her head and hurriedly urged me.

“Lady, don’t mind him. Just go upstairs.”

“Should I?”

At the door to my room, the maid chief, Patricia, was waiting. She elegantly stood holding a bundle of documents.

‘It’s about time the punishment ends.’

Since she’s a somewhat reluctant person, I asked cautiously.

“Madam Gilete, is something wrong?”

“Look at these.”

Patricia showed me a letter.

It contained questions about rumors and gossip about me.

‘Is she trying to confront me with this?’

But what Patricia said was completely different.

“Lady. These names are all ones you should remember and then erase.”

“…Erase?”

Patricia answered gracefully.

“Didn’t you slander the Duchess of Blanchet?”

…Patricia, what are you doing now?

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

It was the day of the execution of the Libertan couple.

Reports about the Libertan dukes kept coming in.

[The Duke and Duchess of Libertan are showing unusual symptoms.]

But John didn’t go to see them. There was simply no reason to.

‘Was it a pyre?’

He was planning to visit only after the execution was over.

‘Anyway, they’re not going to die right away.’

He only barely kept his life, secretly witnessing Estelle’s despair.

‘Let her find her parents, dying in the basement—’

John clenched his fists.

‘That’s impossible.’

If he did that, he wouldn’t be able to see that lovely smile again.

Since Estelle’s confession, John had forcibly reminded himself of his own desire.

Now, seeing Estelle didn’t bring revenge to mind.

Estelle, revenge.

These two felt completely separate.

‘What do I really want to do?’

John visited the palace to finalize his last execution.

‘Is it okay to be executed like this?’

Suddenly, he felt worried about Estelle.

At that moment, he saw a familiar woman across from the palace entrance.

It was Saintella, the elegant maiden with a white veil as an ornament.

She was walking modestly, protected by three priests, just like always. Her innocent face and gentle eyes looked saintly and kind.

She held a precious-looking water flask, shyly.

‘Why does my desire boil every time I see that woman?’

It was a similar feeling to when he met the Libertan couple.

‘Should I kill her?’

John’s calm, calculated smile stiffened slightly.

Stella’s steps, which had been graceful, faltered a little.

“Oh my.”

She suddenly stopped as if about to faint, with a sweet-sounding voice, right in front of John.

“…Sudden dizziness.”

Stella touched her forehead, groaning faintly as if exhausted.

Her eyes met John’s as she lifted her head. She widened her blue eyes, surprised, blinking rapidly.

‘Disgusting.’

He felt an impulse to rip out those blinking eyes.

“John, I’ve been acting indecent,” Stella suddenly said, breaking into a wide smile again.

“Oh, calling me by my name without permission. I’m really sorry…” She bowed her head in apology, then wobbled again.

When John didn’t catch her, the priests standing nearby hurriedly supported Stella.

“Saint Stella, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I guess I suddenly got anemia.”

Stella, who was observing John, looked at him with wide eyes as if surprised. Just then, she spilled the water she was holding onto John’s feet.

“What’s this…?”

Her brows furrowed deeply as she quickly took out a handkerchief and knelt down. She elegantly wiped his feet.

I’ve been showing her a lot of foolishness, huh…

As she was wiping, she looked up.

“I’m so upset.”

Then, her dress’s cleavage, which was previously puffed out, became more prominent.

And naturally, her collarbone was revealed.

‘That…’

John narrowed his sharp eyes.

He recognized the familiar pattern.

‘Lily vine pattern.’

It was the protective magic of Libertan.

~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~

Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉

Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

~~~Next Chapter~~~

Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.

See you then!!