🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 25
After Luna left, disappointed by the sudden change in the servants’ attitude, the maids let out small sighs.
“I honestly can’t believe it. Did you see Luna’s face earlier? She looked so pure…”
“But Gemma was right. What Luna said about the west annex… it was completely different from the truth. And Doris, who served this house for 20 years, was supposedly kicked out by Lady Aira. But when Doris visited yesterday…”
“She got angry when we mentioned that. And she was actually carrying jam meant for Lady Aira.”
“She even said Lady Aira helped her find a home for her retirement!”
The maids, who once had complete trust in Luna, now felt doubtful.
They had always thought of Luna as a poor victim and Aira as an arrogant noblewoman, but the truth they learned was shaking their beliefs.
“And if what Gemma said about Jessie is true…”
“…I just got chills.”
***
Inside her room, Luna’s fists trembled with rage. Her pink eyes burned with anger.
‘How dare those lowly servants…’
She had treated the maids kindly, saying they were no different from her friends. But she never truly saw them as equals. How could she, a noble lady, be the same as common-born servants?
She had only broken the barrier between them because it made things more convenient for her.
Now, without that barrier, they were doubting her.
‘Those fools can’t even look Aira in the eye, yet they dare to ignore me?’
The consequences of her fake friendliness were now scratching at her pride.
She placed a hand on her forehead.
“Miss.”
Amy’s voice came from outside the door.
In her hands was not the luxurious fabric Luna had wanted, but a more common, high-quality cloth.
Luna’s eyebrows shot up.
“I’m sorry. The maids insisted on following the rules…”
Luna wanted to slap Amy across the face. But if she did, things would only get worse.
She took a deep breath, barely suppressing her anger.
Then Amy spoke again.
“Oh, and the Count wants to see you. Would you like to go now?”
Luna’s eyes flickered. “What was his mood? Did he seem angry?”
“No, not at all. He was the same as usual.”
Luna sighed in relief.
She couldn’t be sure, but it didn’t seem like the Count was calling her to punish her for what she had done.
“Alright, prepare a simple dress for me.”
“I think it was a good idea to send that jam to Doris yesterday. The maids are really starting to doubt Luna now.”
Gemma spoke excitedly to Aira.
No matter how much Gemma had tried to tell them before, the maids had blindly trusted Luna.
But when Doris showed up and revealed that the rumors about Aira were false, their opinions started to change.
“Jessie hasn’t spoken up yet, but we’ve planted the seeds of doubt. Luna is running out of places to hide.”
Luna’s power came from being adored by everyone in the household.
Her privileges and influence all depended on that love.
Now that her lies and schemes were being exposed, everything she prided herself on would disappear like an illusion.
Aira stopped in the middle of her walk through the Marceline garden, gently touching a flower petal.
“…Then I should prepare for the next step.”
After returning to the past with the power of the sacred relic, Aira’s mind was sharper than ever.
Just earlier, she had met the noblewoman who once taught her. The woman was astonished that Aira could solve complex mathematical formulas and recite imperial etiquette by heart.
It seemed the power of the relic had even enhanced her memory and intelligence.
This was good. Being able to see two steps ahead would help perfect her plan.
“But why don’t you expose everything now? About Luna stealing the Countess’s belongings, turning you and Reina against each other as children… all the terrible things she’s done?”
“The trap needs to look harmless.”
Aira chuckled and shook her head.
“A trap?”
“Yes. This is a trap for two people—Luna and my father.”
Gemma’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Some men pretend not to see the way women stab each other in the back. They believe ignoring it is the path to peace. But in the end, their emotions always get in the way, and they act unfairly.”
Aira gave Gemma a faint smile and continued.
“They side with the one they cherish. Even if both are guilty, they comfort one while punishing the other. Isn’t it ridiculous?”
The Count of Marceline wasn’t someone Aira needed revenge on, but he was far from a good father.
“How cowardly.”
Even after marrying, he had played around with other women and had an illegitimate child.
How could he ever be considered a good father?
After Aira’s mother passed away, he brought Luna into the house.
He wasn’t particularly affectionate, but it was clear that he treated Luna with more warmth than he did to Aira.
Perhaps he was simply being stricter with his firstborn, but that didn’t make it any less painful for Aira.
‘His favoritism is what let Luna grow bold enough to try and hand Marceline over to Julienne.’
But now, she wouldn’t let them take this family so easily.
The Count’s heart was already starting to lean toward Aira, shaken by his disappointment in Luna and the comforting taste of wine.
But even the smallest bit of trust he had left in Luna had to be completely destroyed.
Not just weakened—he had to see Luna in a way that made him never want to look at her again.
“My father will open his own eyes and see Luna for what she truly is.”
Aira’s lips curled into a sly smile.
“He will see, without a doubt, what a monstrous mask his daughter has been wearing.”
Luna would never expect what was coming.
She had no idea what Aira was planning.
“Even my father’s unconscious cowardice will lose its power.”
As Aira took another step deeper into the garden—
Thump.
Her chest pounded, as if the world had suddenly shifted.
Aira froze in place, pressing a hand to her chest.
Thump—
Another sharp pain shot through her, followed by a wave of nausea.
Her vision blurred, turning red.
“Miss? Are you feeling unwell?”
Noticing Aira’s pale face, Gemma quickly approached to help.
But Aira pushed her away, making Gemma fall to the ground.
“Miss…!”
Aira’s red eyes wavered dangerously.
With great difficulty, she managed to speak.
“Gemma. Go and bring me some medicine. A painkiller should be enough.”
Her voice was trembling so much that Gemma immediately shook her head.
“Miss, let me help you inside first. We should call a doctor—”
“Hurry up and listen to me!”
Aira’s sharp, cracked voice snapped at Gemma.
Gemma flinched at Aira’s furious expression.
With such a terrifying expression, why is she acting like this?
“Go! Right now!”
Aira forced out her last bit of sanity and shouted at Gemma.
Suddenly, she remembered the book’s warning that the power of the Holy Relic could become unmanageable. She couldn’t let Gemma see her like this.
“It’s like carrying a bomb inside you—it could explode at any moment.”
“Y-Yes, my lady.”
Gemma hesitated but had no choice. She nodded quickly and ran off, repeating “painkiller” in her mind.
As soon as Gemma left, Aira collapsed onto the ground.
It felt like the power of the Holy Relic had turned into sharp spikes, stabbing every part of her insides.
No… this can’t be happening so suddenly…
She desperately clung to her consciousness, digging her fingers into the ground.
The power was too massive and fierce for a human to control.
Carrying it inside her body was like having a ticking time bomb inside her heart.
A double-edged sword.
It’s only the beginning…
“Ugh…”
She felt the metallic taste of blood rising in her throat.
The moment of her past death flashed before her eyes, and fear overwhelmed her.
The unbearable pain of having her organs torn apart. She never wanted to experience that again!
Most of all, she hadn’t even started her revenge yet. She couldn’t end like this…
“Ngh…”
Aira clenched her eyes shut, struggling to suppress the power of the Holy Relic.
But just as a human’s prayers cannot stop a storm, she could not stop the raging force inside her body.
A natural disaster surging within her with no warning.
“Please…”
As her breath became ragged, a shadow fell over her.
Once before, when she was dying from the power’s rampage, Xavier had stood before her just like this.
As that memory flickered in her mind, Aira weakly lifted her head.
“…”
A tall man with broad shoulders.
His black clothing made it difficult to tell his status.
Her vision blurred from the pain, making his face unclear.
Black… hair?
