Chapter 19

***

Rabin looked at the boy with an unbelievably angry face. The Count’s son, who heard that, immediately looked around and smiled, as it was ridiculous.

“What? Me?”

“Then, who else here is a b*stard other than you?”

“B*stard? Did you just call me b*stard?”

“Then who would be yelling and swearing if you’re not a b*stard?”

“You!”

Did Rabin say he lived on the street? Yuri quietly held Rabin’s hand and shook her head from side to side.

‘It’s not good to use bad words.’

She wanted to say that, but it was clear that the meaning had not been properly conveyed to Rabin.

“Your father and Lady Yuri’s marriage is a decision the two have made!”

“Ha! Then I’ll have to tell my father. My father will listen to everything I say.”

“Even when you’re that old, do you still want to whine in your father’s arms? You little boy!”

The Count’s son, who heard Rabin’s belittling voice, tried to say something with his face full of anger, but he couldn’t say anything and only shook his fists. As if he had won, Rabin raised his confident face.

Yuri hurriedly looked around at the servants. She was insulted first, so it was obvious that this would be overlooked. They soon coughed and turned their heads away. 

“Hey, Rabin…… .”

“I’m sorry.”

Rabin immediately looked at Yuri who was in trouble and quietly shut his mouth, but his expression was a look of displeasure. After stroking Rabin’s hair, Yuri squatted down in front of the Count’s son.

“My name is Yu, Yuri.”

“..…… So what?”

“So, what’s Count’s son’s name?”

“… Rato. Edrato Sen Erentail.”

“Yes. Thanks for giving me the name.”

Edrato’s face turned red, as if he was getting annoyed. He seemed uncomfortable making eye contact with Yuri. Yuri didn’t say anything. Edrato immediately looked at her with a significant face.

“I, I won’t accept you as my mother!”

“You don’t have to.”

“What?”

Yuri wanted to deal with him a little more, but she was too tired today. Seeing that Count Erentail didn’t come out to greet her, it looked like he wasn’t interested in Yuri.

“Ah, butler. Do you happen to have a room prepared for me?”

“Ah, ah… yes! Of course there is.”

“Well then, please guide me.”

John nodded his head in response to Yuri’s words.

‘If there’s a room prepared. …… I don’t think he’s going to kill me right away.’

If it hadn’t been for the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs to the second floor, Yuri would have been ushered into her room.

The sound of familiar shoes was heard. Yuri knew who the main character of the footsteps was. Soon, a cold voice was heard.

“What a fuss.”

Yuri reflexively placed her hand on her neck. Perhaps because of the memories of that night, her body was trembling. She soon looked up at him.

Blue eyes. There were eyes that were colder than any other iceberg.

***

In one corner, firewood was burning in the fireplace. The two sat on a comfortable sofa with a table between them.

“Drink.”

Larkshid Erentail. He poured the tea into Yuri’s cup with his crude hand. The teacup held in Yuri’s hand clearly showed her tremors.

“Oh, that’s weird.”

“What?”

“I thought you were going to kill me right away.”

Larkshid laughed at that. Yuri was startled by the sound for a moment, but tried her best not to show it as much as possible.

“Does such a person bring a child with these limbs?”

“… Oh, I thought you would take care of at least one child.”

“It’s funny. This isn’t an orphanage.”

His words were like a cold blade. That day, if Yuri had not fallen out of the window, Yuri would have died by that hand.

‘Focus.’

The pain of that day, which she couldn’t feel, came to her neck again. As if he was strangling Yuri, it was difficult to breathe. Yuri brought her hand to her neck reflexively.

“Yes. Be honest. I tried to do that too.”

Larkshid took a sip of tea with a relaxed face, but Yuri could not comfortably drink her tea. Even the fragrant smell from the tea seemed to make her nauseous.

“But not now.”

“…”

“You from that day, it was quite fun.”

Fun? Yuri grabbed her neck tightly. She was still afraid of him. She hated her own helplessness to die with one gesture of his.

The memory of that night was a terrible trauma for her.

‘It didn’t have fun.’

It was terrible. Yuri bit her lips. Larkshid calmly talked to her Yuri while holding a teacup.

“My son…he thought I loved you.”

“…”

“So I don’t want anyone to leave his side.”

That was the reason Yuri was kept alive.

‘You have lived because of my son.’ 

She had no desire to thank. As the tea cooled, her heart began to cool faster.

Tack, Tack. Firewood was burning in the fireplace. Yuri nodded her head.

“There is only one thing I want to say.” (Larkshid)

Larkshid’s friendly voice filled the office. The tea was no longer fragrant.

“… yes, tell me.” (Yuri)

“Live for me.”

“Yes?”

“If you do, then the child you brought with you.”

“…”

“I’ll take care of him as you wish.”

It wasn’t a bad condition. Yuri didn’t like his personality, but it didn’t matter because she wouldn’t be seeing him. 

Yuri stood up from her seat. It was difficult for her to stand up without a cane or help, but she said proudly in front of him.

“….… Ha,, is that all you want to say?”

“Yes. You can go now.”

It was then that the tension was relieved a little. Then through the crack in the door, Yuri glared at him. 

‘…. he’s in a bad mood.’

His long, red hair was flowing greedily. All of a sudden, his cold blue eyes turned to the papers. He completely ignored her, as if nothing had happened in this room.

‘Still.’

Closing the door, Yuri’s heart was beating wildly.

‘I can live.’

It was her meeting with the man who was trying to kill her. She couldn’t help but be afraid. Yuri touched her neck. The fact that she was still attached to her neck reassured her that she was alive.

***

A man with red hair, he drank cold tea. After it cooled down, the scent seemed to have doubled. Larkshid thought of Yuri.

‘Was she afraid?’

She was holding her neck throughout the conversation. It was obvious that she was nervous about him killing her.

‘She looks like a different person.’

A lot has changed since then. It was different then when she ran away from him. Her violet-colored eyes, which then glistened alive and shining, had long since lost their vitality.

It wasn’t Yuri’s face that grabbed his attention now. There was a strange darkness around her. Ordinary people could not see it, but Larkshid was able to recognize it at a glance with the ability to transform into a monster. There was something wrong with Yuri.

‘What happened?’

He had no intention of killing her. At the point where he had already failed once, he had long since given up on killing her. His intention was getting a divorce and giving her alimony.

‘… At that time, I thought she was being loved.’

Yuri had the scent of a familiar death. It seemed that she would soon die on her own. He recalled Yuri of the past. 

“I, actually… really… ha, it’s hard…”

“Yes.”

“The, the masters are scary, ah, it hurts…”

“… keep talking.”

“Me too, ah, it hurts… it hurts….”

The woman was crying because it was too hard to bear. He was deeply saddened by that appearance, so he did not take Yuri’s life. She was so pathetic that she cried that she didn’t want to get married, but she didn’t refuse.

‘What the hell is the Duke thinking?’

Larkshid thought the Duke would be angry and cancel the engagement. For this, he was prepared to face trade retaliation. But the Duke pushed his daughter here.

“Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue briefly.

His son had mistakenly thought he had married Yuri because he really loved her.

He was a child who had already lost his mother. He (Larkshid) hoped that he would grow up as bright as the son of the woman he loved. It was not enough to give him love all his life.

‘I have something to hide for the rest of my life.’

He couldn’t say to such a child, ‘I was forced to marry your mother’s enemy.’ Even if the child was upset, he wanted him to believe that his father had a new lover.

“John.”

“Yes, Master.”

His butler, who was in the dark, answered his call quietly.

“Where is her room?”

“We prepared the rightmost room on the second floor.”

“Hmm.”

Larkshid stared at the small picture that was carefully placed on the side of his desk. Beautiful scarlet hair, and fiery red eyes. And she was a beautiful woman who smiled brighter than anyone else.

‘Senahan. What should I do?’

Larkshid was in deep despair. No matter what his feelings were, the beautiful woman’s expression in the picture did not change at all.

He swept his face. He wanted to avenge her miserable death which was his fault. However, the road to revenge was far too long. He clenched his teeth. 

“It was a marriage arranged by the imperial family.”

“Yes.”

“And, I didn’t come to the wedding….but they pushed her here.”

“Yes.”

“There is something wrong with that woman. Something that could bring down the Erentail.”

And, if he used her in reverse, he would be able to give the emperor a big blow.

Larkshid remembered the darkness that was floating around Yuri. It was clear that that was what the emperor was aiming for.

“But she looks normal. A person with such a thing…”

“The heirs of Slevard’s curse… are not the two young masters. Then there is only one left.”

“…!”

Larkshid spoke with a cold face. The successor to this generation’s curse was unknown. Wasn’t Slevard who had more scandal every time the curse was succeeded?

“That woman must have the curse.”

Slevard’s curse was different from other families. Their curses and abilities would change from generation to generation. Except that every curse was a curse that must be misfortune, it used to show a different aspect.

It was not known what the curse of Slevard of this generation was, but considering the darkness and situation that woman had, it was clear that she had the curse.

“Did the Shadow you planted in Slevard say anything?”

“According to Shadow, there were times when all the lights in the Duke’s mansion disappeared.”

“Not just a light, but all lights?”

“Yes.”

Larkshid pondered. The curse and the power Yuri had, was obviously ‘darkness’. Darkness came whenever Yuri was greatly surprised.

‘Maybe it’s emotional. It seems she doesn’t even know it herself…’

Larkshid muttered. After all, that woman was the one the emperor pushed here anyway.

“I’m going to have dinner with her.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Do you have the medicine I had prepared?”

“Yes. We even prepared an antidote for emergencies.”

“Let’s use it now.”

Poison her and throw her away. The idea was to turn that woman into the most dangerous bomb and drop it in the Imperial Palace.

“Use it as much as you can.”

“Yes.”

“And….After that.”

Larkshid’s lips twisted.

“Throw it away to the dogs.”

‘Senahan, now I have a way to get your revenge.’

A cold wind blew. The fire by the hearth, which had relied on the few remaining firewood, was soon extinguished by the strong wind. A blue light gleamed in his eyes as he watched the rising smoke.