Chapter 69
It was the day when, after his right arm, Duke Partin’s left leg had withered away.
“If only I had the legacy… Meldion’s legacy… then such an illness….”
The Duke muttered in a chilling voice, clutching his own face with his left hand.
At his mutterings, Ellicia—who was preparing the medicine prescribed by the physician—froze for a moment.
She felt as though her face might betray her with anger at any second.
It was, in a way, natural for the Duke to bring up the legacy.
Ellicia had expected as much.
If that legacy could grant immortality to humankind, how could it fail to cure a mere disease?
And yet—it had been a very long time since she last heard it mentioned.
Since his body had begun to collapse, Duke Partin had lain bedridden and never dared to seek out the legacy again.
But now that death was staring him in the face, even he could not help but bring it up again.
The tips of Ellicia’s fingers holding the cup turned pale.
She was sick and tired of that legacy.
Whenever it was mentioned, the crying face of Eden—long buried in a corner of her memory—would come flooding back.
She would rather recall children, or people who resembled him, and sink into nostalgic daydreams.
At least then she could remember her happy past with Eden however she wished.
“Ellicia. The key. Find the key.”
Sunken, skull-like eyes fixed on her. His face was terrifying.
Ellicia took a deep breath and sat down on a small chair to ask him,
“Father. What key?”
Her emotions were draining away.
Her expression and voice sank into the depths.
“To use Meldion’s legacy, you need a key… With the legacy, I can live! Not just live—immortality…! I can enjoy eternal life, free from the terror of death forever!!”
Though the medicine had not yet spread through his whole body, the Duke was already gaunt and withered.
He should have been drained of strength, and yet his face brimmed with desire to survive.
On top of his greed, it revealed the ugly truth of his humanity.
“Contact Delphiir! She’ll explain everything. No—no. What if she already found the key and is hiding it? Yes. That must be it. That woman would do such a thing!!”
Ellicia’s head tilted downward, shadows falling across her face.
“If only…! If only you two had been born properly!!”
As his emotions spiked, Duke Partin went into a fit.
When Ellicia tried to quietly retreat, his left hand suddenly seized her by the hair.
“……!”
Did this man have a grudge against her hair or something?
Instead of pulling back, Ellicia leaned closer, hoping to lessen the force of his pull.
“You and Ariel being like this—it’s why I, I suffer so! Because of you!!”
Unable to endure without blaming someone, his venom turned toward Ellicia and Ariel.
“Father, please, let go of me, please…!”
She deliberately cried out loudly enough for people outside to hear.
She knew he would never release her of his own accord.
At her shout, the Duke’s door slammed open.
“Excuse me, my lord. I’ll have to step in.”
Lizbet rolled up her sleeves as she spoke.
Behind her, Dale silently observed Ellicia and the Duke.
Ellicia had brought Lizbet here for this very reason.
Dale, who obeyed only the Duke, would never respond to her cries.
Lizbet strode forward and pried them apart.
Breathing hard, Ellicia closed her eyes tight, her hair now a tangled mess.
Die. Die. Just die already.
Stop clinging on and die.
The thought echoed in her mind, her eyes growing sharper, more murderous.
“Let me go!! It’s all her fault! Useless, worthless creature…!”
Flailing his left arm, the Duke screamed while restrained by Lizbet.
“My lady. Perhaps you should leave first….”
Judging his fit would last a while, Lizbet advised Ellicia to step outside.
But Ellicia, instead, clenched the bedsheet in her fist and muttered something.
Between the Duke’s roars, her words slipped through.
“Mother. It’s all right. That man will never go where you are.”
Through her black hair, Lizbet caught sight of Ellicia’s bloodshot eyes.
“Even in death, he won’t be able to torment you.”
Lizbet stared at her in shock.
She couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
The best she could do was quietly calculate her distance from Dale outside.
The Duke’s ranting was loud, but Ellicia’s voice had been faint.
Fortunately, Dale seemed not to have heard a word. He stood still, unmoving.
“Hee-hm—”
Ariel’s wavy hair bounced with each step as she walked.
Her steps toward the dining hall carried a lighthearted cheer.
—Shall we have dinner together for once?
The way she had shouted at Ellicia a few days ago, declaring she hated her, was already long forgotten.
When Ariel pushed open the dining hall doors, Ellicia, already seated, smiled with her eyes and welcomed her sister.
“You’re early. Come, sit.”
“Uh? O-okay….”
Her cheerful mood instantly sank. Ariel’s lips slowly drooped.
Ellicia didn’t seem to be in good spirits.
To Ariel, her sister’s smiling face felt forced, fake.
Guess she’s not in a good mood today.
Ariel slid quietly into her seat, picked up her fork and knife, and pondered.
Only the clinking of tableware filled the silence.
As Ariel moved to pick out her broccoli, her hand froze. She glanced at Ellicia.
Their eyes met.
“Ariel.”
“I-I’ll eat it! I’ll eat the broccoli!”
Startled, Ariel waved her utensils in panic.
Ellicia, who had been forcing her expression into calmness, couldn’t help but grimace.
“No, that’s not it. Ariel. I have something to tell you.”
“Something to tell me…?”
For a fleeting moment, Ariel wondered if she had done something wrong lately.
But no—if she had, Ellicia wouldn’t look so sorrowful.
Her face looked as though she were about to commit a sin against Ariel, filled with guilt.
“Ariel. Starting next week, you’ll attend the Academy.”
It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a unilateral declaration.
The fork and knife slipped from Ariel’s hands onto the table. The knife clattered to the floor.
A nearby maid quietly stepped forward and placed a new one in front of her.
“Why? W-why me…?” Ariel stammered.
As though expecting this very reaction, Ellicia smiled faintly.
“I can’t tell you the reason.”
It meant: please don’t ask.
“But it’s for your own good.”
“For me?”
“Yes. For you.”
Ellicia had lived her whole life for Ariel.
And Ariel knew that. That’s why even when she felt hurt or neglected, it never lasted long—because she knew how much her sister loved her.
Why else would Ellicia spend years pretending to care for a father she loathed?
Ariel placed her hands neatly on her lap.
“I… I want to stay with you….”
She voiced her wish, timidly.
—I want to stay here too.
And once again, Ellicia thought of Eden.
For the same reason as before, she wanted Ariel out of this mansion.
“I do too. I want to stay with you.”
“Then…”
“That’s why we have to be apart for a little while.”
“……”
“When this is over, I’ll come to the Empire.”
The Academy was in the Empire.
Once Duke Partin died, Ellicia planned to move there permanently.
If Ariel awakened as a mage, she would have to join the Tower anyway.
If she were to awaken now…
The Duke must never find out.
That single thought drove Ellicia to send Ariel to the Academy.
“You go on ahead.”
“…You’ll really come, right?”
“Of course.”
Hearing her sister’s firm answer, Ariel pressed her lips shut.
Then another worry struck her.
What if I fail the entrance exam?
If she truly didn’t want to go, that could be one way out.
But Ariel didn’t want Ellicia to see her fail.
I need to study. I’ll study hard.
She didn’t want to disappoint her sister.
For her pride, and for Ellicia—Ariel resolved to study.
“That Lady Ariel would agree so obediently….”
Lizbet, wiping her sword with a dry cloth, couldn’t hide her surprise.
“She seems to be getting more sensitive as she grows up.”
Ellicia’s voice carried guilt.
“…I’ll send my sister to enroll as well.”
After a moment’s thought, Lizbet made her decision.
“Your sister?”
“Yes. Thanks to your support, she’s recovered enough to live normally again.”
Lizbet slid the sword back into its sheath.
“She needs education if she’s to become head of our family someday. I was just about to suggest it to her.”
“Oh…”
“While she’s there, I’ll make sure she accompanies Lady Ariel.”
“That… I’d be grateful for that….”
Wouldn’t it be difficult, though, with Ariel’s strong personality?
Ellicia, touched by Lizbet’s thoughtfulness, couldn’t help feeling guilty toward her sister whom she’d never even met.
