CH 21

Episode 21

Rattle- Rattle-

The carriage that she rode on followed the man’s lead and jolted as it hit a rock.

Instead of meeting Persis or the she was adopted by the swindler and followed him.

In the end, it turned out like this, no different from the original story, driven out of the aristocratic family and adopted by the swindler.

Is this all that’s left for her, to be sold as a slave and continue living like that?

During the time she spent traveling with the man, she felt like she had become a pig being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

I glanced at the swindler sitting in front of me.

Did he value money so much that he would sell his morals and even a child? He seemed so tired of being angry that he appeared to be giving up.

I looked away from him and stared out the window.

Unconsciously, I drew a scenario of my future life in my head while looking at the peaceful outside.

The worst-case scenario is to be beaten to death after becoming a slave to the count’s daughter, like the original May.

So what’s the second-worst scenario?

It would be living a life of groveling and avoiding getting hit by that woman for the rest of my life.

I burst out laughing at the thought of that scenario. It felt like choosing a life worse than death to avoid death.

Before I possessed May’s body, I had a question that I threw into the void after reading the original novel. Could May truly not be happy?

But even in this bleak situation, I wanted to say no. I wanted to believe that May could be happy, no matter how dark things got in the future.

As I thought about it, I became tormented by the idea that the original May may have had the same mindset. To her, this positive attitude was nothing but a form of torture, hopelessly idealistic.

Such thoughts occurred to me. Perhaps I too am just thrashing about needlessly? Instead of struggling to find even a single happy moment, would it not be easier to simply accept my fate obediently?

What foolish thoughts.

Despite their futility, my mind was still troubled.

‘Don’t think like that.’

I tried my best to cut off my self-destructive thoughts and focus on the scenery outside.

Just with a single determination to somehow survive.

***

The carriage stopped in an alleyway around early evening. The man got out first and flicked his hand as if telling me to get out too.

“Get off.”

I rolled my eyes around, trying to come up with an escape plan, but as my eyes met with the scruffy-looking man in front of me who seemed strong enough to handle me, I gave up.

I gritted my teeth and got off the carriage, taking the con artist’s outstretched hand. It was the first time I had ever held someone’s hand so repulsively.

The man took me to the auctioneer.

“I brought her for today’s auction,” he said, and the auctioneer grabbed my chin and checked my face roughly.

His scrutinizing gaze was terrifying and disgusting at the same time.

He nodded his head and let go of my hand.

“What’s the desired amount?”

I blocked my ears because I couldn’t stand the man pricing me. However, the persistent amount that stuck in my ears was so strong that it made me want to throw up.

If I had the strength, I would have sewn their mouths shut, so they couldn’t talk for the rest of their lives.

“Okay. I’ll give you the money when this kid is sold.”

The auctioneer grabbed my arm tightly and pulled me toward him. The swindler whistled, happy to make some money.

“That’s how you do it. I’ll come back again.”

The swindler left me behind and walked toward the carriage, and the auctioneer took me by the arm and led me toward a gloomy building.

Although I wanted to fling my arm away, I was scared to do so because there was a man with a wavering body right next to me.

It was the moment when tears welled up and my eyes turned red because I felt sorrowful for being helpless.

Chwaaaak―

A sound of thick liquid splashing from behind was followed by a thud of a body falling.

Thump.

The voice that I might have missed came next.

“May Flotina.”

I shuddered at the call and stopped walking. The auctioneer, who was walking ahead of me, turned around. He looked at something behind me and suddenly trembled.

“S-s-save me…”

The auctioneer let go of my arm and took a few steps back. By the time he started running away, I heard his voice again.

“Close your eyes.”

I closed my eyes as he instructed. Then, I heard the sound again.

Chwaaaak―

Along with a pungent smell that stung my nose, I heard the sound of something being violently scattered on the ground. I heard the sound of a heavy body losing its balance and falling to the ground.

As I felt a few lukewarm drops of liquid splatter onto my cheek, I realized that the insane Persis had killed them.

The cold drops of liquid ran down my cheek and sent shivers down my spine as a droplet that had been hanging on my chin fell to the ground with a thud.

Two people had died. They may have been humans who were not worth living, but they were still people. Killed by Persis’s hands.

Until now, I had misunderstood the character of Persis. I thought he was a cold and ruthless man who would become a fool for Stella’s daughter. But maybe I was wrong. That interpretation was solely based on the Persis depicted in the original work.

The real Persis is different.

He is a descendant of the royal bloodline of Pasabaea.

Who is Pasabaea? He is the person who played a significant role in the founding of the Stacia Empire.

How many wars did he wage to establish the empire, and how many people did he kill? How many people did he put under his feet?

What did his grandson, Persis, see and learn as he grew up?

Persis is insane. He is so strong that he can kill anyone anytime he wants. He probably doesn’t feel any guilt about killing people.

Thump, thump. I heard the sound of him getting closer to me.

I didn’t open my eyes. I didn’t want to see the gruesome scene.

“Don’t open your eyes.”

He hugged me while saying those words.

It was the first time I felt Persis’s embrace. His warmth that seeped into me felt unfamiliar.

Was he always this warm? Did this warm person send his child to an orphanage?

I asked him as he held me, heading somewhere. My eyes were still closed.

“… How did you find out?”

“I chased after the carriage.” 

“Did the letter go that fast?”

“Did you send a letter? I didn’t come because of the letter. “

“Then why did Your Grace come to find me? You sent me to the orphanage like you never wanted to see me again, so why?”

His answer was lukewarm.

“I went to the orphanage to meet you, but I heard someone took you away just before I arrived. So I followed them, overheard their conversation, and killed them.”

He really did kill him.

He seemed so nonchalant about saying that he killed someone that I almost laughed out loud. Partly because he really seemed like a crazy person, and partly because I couldn’t even imagine how I could break free from the constraints of the original work without his help.

But despite my relief at avoiding death, I was bothered by his words.

“Why did you want to meet me?”

“…”

He remained silent and took me somewhere. I heard the sound of footsteps behind me and felt like I was climbing stairs. It seemed like we got on a carriage he rode.

He put me down and sat me somewhere. It felt like a soft seat in the carriage, judging by the feeling of my butt. Soon, I heard the sound of the door closing.

“Open your eyes.”

As expected, I opened my eyes to find myself inside the carriage. It was the same carriage that I had ridden in to attend a dinner invitation from Heint Nazet. It was the carriage that I had held back my tears in on my way back to the Duke’s residence.

Persis knelt in front of me and took out a gray handkerchief from his chest pocket. He wiped the blood from my cheek with it.

As I felt his unfamiliar but not unwelcome touch on my cheek, he spoke up.

“Did you ask why I wanted to meet you?”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t even guess why he wanted to meet me, since he didn’t come after reading my letter.

He stood up after wiping my blood away and sat in front of me.

“Before that, let’s apologize.”

“Apologize?”

The great Persis, apologizing? Even in the original novel, I never saw anyone other than Stella apologize, and now he’s apologizing to me?

I couldn’t believe it, so I just blinked my eyes, and he opened his lips with a blank expression.

What came out of his mouth was even more unbelievable.

“I apologize for trying to send you to an orphanage by force.”

My eyes widened after he finished his sentence.

Why are you apologizing for that? Did you do something wrong? Or did you lose your mind?

I couldn’t believe it, and I even wondered if the man in front of me was Persis.

But his apology didn’t end there.

“I also apologize for continuing to make Stella apologize to you, even though I knew it wasn’t your fault.”

What? You knew it wasn’t my fault? And yet you kept making me apologize? This is just…!

I was so angry that I clenched my fists.

It was not fair. Even if I hated it, how could he torture me like that? How unfair, angry, and sad I was…!

Just thinking about it made me want to cry again, but I tried to hold back my tears.

“I apologize for treating you unfairly. I’m sorry.”

Maybe because I was angry, his apology felt strange, so I was defensive.

“Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?”