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Chapter 26
There’s Nothing Impossible for Me
(2022.03.01)
Fortunately, I had the handkerchief Betty had packed for me. At least I wouldn’t have to walk around with unsightly blood stains on my clothes.
But still…
I didn’t want Erich to see me coughing up blood. He already hated me; I didn’t want to give him yet another reason to. Unaware of my situation, Erich slowly opened his mouth.
“I don’t want to see anyone get hurt in front of me.”
“……”
“Even if that person is you, whom I despise.”
Conflicting emotions flickered in Erich’s eyes.
“So if you want to die, do it somewhere else.”
My throat burned as I slowly opened my mouth.
When will Erich leave?
I just wanted him to go. But it seemed Erich misunderstood my silence.
“Are you saying you don’t even want to speak to me anymore? Then why does your complexion look so…”
His last words trembled slightly.
My complexion?
I had no mirror, so I didn’t know how I looked. Erich stared at me with something close to worry, then suddenly turned his body away.
“No. It’s my mistake for thinking I could have a conversation with someone like you.”
And with that, he left.
Good. I couldn’t have held on much longer anyway.
The moment Erich disappeared, I pulled out the handkerchief and covered my mouth. Blood gushed out.
It’s darker than last time.
The trees around me seemed more distressed than I was.
—Oh dear. How dreadful. The color’s pitch black.
—What kind of villain would curse our dear child like this?
“I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt.”
—That’s only because you’re healing. You can’t let your guard down.
—That one’s right. Your fairy power is holding it back for now, but if the curse grows stronger, your body could completely collapse.
“I’ll be careful, like you say.”
Who in the world would enjoy being sick? I hated it too.
“When will I be fully healed?”
—The curse inside you runs so deep… even we don’t know.
I sighed as I looked down at the bloodstained handkerchief.
Did the Duke and Duchess of Libertan really hate me so much that they cursed me?
Honestly, I hadn’t thought their hatred ran that deep. But in some ways, the thought was a relief. If they fell, I wouldn’t need to feel any pity for them.
For now, I need to think of a way to strengthen my fairy power.
As soon as I returned to the mansion, Betty greeted me.
“My lady, the master has been looking for you.”
“The duke?”
“It seems he’s prepared something for you.”
She led me elsewhere. Then she noticed the handkerchief I was absentmindedly holding.
“Ah, Betty, this is…”
“My lady.”
Her voice carried a strange sadness.
What excuse can I make?
With the evidence right there, I couldn’t say I wasn’t ill. If I wasn’t careful, I could lose my freedom altogether.
That would be a real problem.
Not only would I lose the little freedom I had, but I might be confined completely to the mansion, unable to do anything.
That won’t do.
I put a finger to my lips and looked at Betty. Her eyes welled with tears. She took the handkerchief from my hands and, holding back her sobs, nodded.
“I’ll take care of this.”
“Thank you.”
“And the master is waiting for you in this room.”
When I entered, Johann stood inside in a black tailcoat, arms folded. Handsome people seemed to suit even the most extravagant attire. His sharp, decadent face carried a noble aura.
“You’re here?”
He tilted his head lazily with a soft smile on his lips. The golden-embroidered epaulets of his uniform emphasized his broad, muscular build. His already wide shoulders and imposing frame looked even larger. The gap in his shirt revealed his masculine Adam’s apple and rugged neckline.
Definitely a dangerous man.
He looked dressed as if heading to a grand ball.
“Your Grace… are you going to a banquet?”
“Yes.”
Johann nodded without hesitation.
“To the place you wanted to go.”
“The place I wanted…?”
I didn’t recall telling Johann I wanted to go anywhere.
“Let’s just say I’m taking you to do what you wanted.”
His cryptic words only confused me more. I searched my memories but found nothing. Johann chuckled softly, as if amused by my bewilderment.
“Shall we go, my princess?”
He extended his large hand to me. It was the kind of hand that could take me anywhere instantly. I smiled faintly at him.
“Princess? What’s that about?”
“My wife is a princess I must serve. Does it bother you?”
“No. I don’t dislike it.”
Honestly, being called “princess” felt strange. I was dressed in a plain white dress, hardly looking the part. But maybe because the man before me was so dazzling, holding his hand made me feel like the most precious princess in the world. Slowly, I placed my hand in his. Johann naturally escorted me.
And the moment I took a step forward, the empty room transformed into a grand ballroom.
The hall was vast enough to hold dozens of people. Crystal chandeliers glittered above, ornate paintings decorated the walls, and jewel-like lights gleamed everywhere.
“You said it was a shame we couldn’t dance that time.”
Johann whispered languidly in my ear.
“So I thought of a way for us to dance alone.”
At that moment, my plain white dress shimmered into a gorgeous gown. A soft sky-blue silk dress, half-up hair adorned with jeweled ribbons and flowers, even gloves appeared out of nowhere. Everything felt magical. Most unbelievable of all was that this was prepared just for me.
“You can do all this with magic?”
“Normally, no.”
Johann shrugged lightly.
“But there’s nothing impossible for me.”
The space was breathtaking, and in it, Johann shone brighter than anything. I almost felt unworthy of holding his hand. He leaned so close our foreheads touched, and music began to play from somewhere nearby. His ruby-red eyes locked with mine as he gently clasped both my hands.
“Princess, may I have this dance?”
“Yes. I’d love to.”
Each step we took made the ballroom’s lights shimmer like breaking glass.
It feels like a dream.
With every movement, my body brushed dangerously close to Johann’s. The heat, the breeze through the windows—everything heightened the atmosphere. His solid muscles pressed through the uniform as he guided me. His hand around my waist made me keenly aware of our closeness.
The ballroom’s music hummed softly. His scent lingered near. A heartbeat—whose, I couldn’t even tell—pounded in my ears. Johann looked so breathtaking, he was like a beautiful illusion.
Strictly speaking, he isn’t mine.
We acted like a married couple, but we weren’t even officially wed.
I shouldn’t think like this.
I reminded myself of cold facts to calm my pounding heart. From the moment I was adopted into Libertan, Johann became someone forbidden to me. This was just a midsummer night’s dream, destined to shatter someday.
Unknowingly, words slipped from my lips.
“…Is this a dream?”
“It isn’t.”
He gazed at me with eyes as sweet as honey.
“…You’re right. This is real.”
Yet strangely, that gaze chilled my heart.
“Have you danced like this often, Your Grace?”
If not for him, my untrained feet would have stumbled already. Johann shook his head.
“No. Almost never.”
“You led me so naturally, I thought you must have.”
“Before I became duke, I didn’t live a life of nobility.”
A faintly bitter smile crossed his lips. Instantly, I thought of the hell he had endured—parents burned at the stake, a sister lost to torture, all when he was just a boy.
It really is incredible.
The Libertan family had thought nothing of a child escaping. Nobody believed a boy who had lost everything could do anything.
But Johann had. He faked his death, escaped their watch, and clawed his way forward by any means.
Of course, I don’t know everything.
The original story hadn’t detailed his preparations for revenge. But even the fragments showed how grueling his life had been. Even his flawless noble manners must have been cultivated for revenge.
Your revenge must not succeed.
That thought made his face, so close to mine, look a little sad.
But I want your revenge to succeed.
After everything he endured, after chasing a single purpose… wouldn’t it be too cruel if he achieved nothing? Yet knowing I was part of that revenge tore my heart apart. Even if it meant my death, the thought still ached unbearably.
I must be going mad.
It felt as though Johann had cast a spell over the whole ballroom. He caught my eyes.
“You look tired. Shall we rest?”
“Thank you.”
The moment we shifted aside, a bench appeared. I sat, and Johann immediately sat beside me.
“What is this place exactly? Is it inside the mansion?”
“Think of it as moving through magic.”
“Magic really is amazing.”
To even change my clothes entirely with a spell…
Thud! Thud!
The harmonious music stopped. Harsh scraping noises from outside drowned everything. The lights flickered. Johann’s face turned grim.
“Those bastards…”
“What is this…?”
He smiled faintly at me.
“Idiots, daring to trespass into my magic.”
“Then shouldn’t we leave immediately?”
“Don’t worry. Things like that—I can wipe them out in one blow.”
Yet unease twisted in my chest. Something ominous radiated from him.
As a fairy, you’re more sensitive to mana than others.
I recalled what the tree had once told me.
So whatever you feel is real.
My gaze fell on Johann’s gloved hand. From it, I felt a sinister energy. He spoke lightly, as if nothing were wrong.
“Don’t worry. Just trust me.”
He gently stroked my hair.
Dark magic was forbidden because its effects were powerful but its side effects were severe.
I don’t know much about those side effects…
The only thing that could heal them was divine power. But I had none. I’d never had any connection to it.
Even so, I impulsively took his hand and pulled off the glove.
“As I thought…”
His fingertips were blackened. Signs of losing control.
Crash!
A sharp shattering sound, like glass breaking, pierced my ears.
