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chapter 21
“You too? Who’s been going around spouting such nonsense?”
“It just… came out that way. I was only assuming there might be someone like that, and before I knew it…”
As I hurriedly tried to take back my words, breaking out in a cold sweat, I felt a surge of relief that my guess hadn’t been wrong after all.
“If you need anything for teaching, have Hans prepare it.”
My eyes met Killian’s.
Perhaps the question I’d thrown at him earlier had truly annoyed him—there was even a faint hint of reproach in his gaze.
“Thank you.”
Suppressing my guilt, I expressed my gratitude.
“And thank you for making time for me on such short notice.”
I was just about to stand up, feeling lighter—
“Do you know how to lift the curse?”
“There’s no way I would.”
A sigh escaped me before I could stop it. The question felt all too familiar.
“If I did, then I would’ve long since—”
“Your behavior makes it seem as though you’re certain the curse will be lifted.”
I was left speechless.
If that’s how it looked to him, then…
It’s because I know this novel ends with a happy ending.
Even if the curse isn’t a major element in the story, there’s no such thing as a protagonist who ends up unhappy after a happy ending.
“I don’t know anything.”
“With abilities like yours, how long am I supposed to pretend I believe that?”
A sneer tugged at the corner of Killian’s lips.
“I hear a woman of the Guillot clan kissed the top of your foot. Are you going to tell me you don’t know what that means either?”
The conversation suddenly veered in an entirely unexpected direction.
“Does it have some special meaning? I thought it was simply a sign of respect.”
It was only half the truth—but the best answer I could give right now.
Killian’s gaze grew even colder.
“I didn’t realize you thought I was such a fool.”
“Don’t be sarcastic.”
My hands trembled as I braced myself against the desk and stood.
“It’s not something to boast about, but I only learned about the Guillot clan this time. The curse too. If I hadn’t run into the children by chance, I’d still know nothing—about their existence or about my strange ability. Weren’t you the ones who wanted me to remain ignorant?”
Only the sound of my ragged breathing filled the vast room.
“……”
“……”
Ironically, my agitation seemed to restore Killian’s composure.
After staring at me for a long moment, he finally spoke.
“Priests like to assign pointless meanings to even the smallest actions.”
I said nothing and simply listened.
“They say the Guillot clan kisses the foot for two reasons.”
“And those are?”
The brief wait for his answer felt like an eternity.
“One is when they seek a blessing from a high priest who has received a revelation from the goddess.”
He stood and walked toward me, as if he wanted to observe my reaction up close.
“And the other is when they offer condolences to a living sacrifice to be presented to the goddess.”
The door slammed shut.
Cielina’s footsteps rapidly faded away.
“Madam…!”
Only after Gabriel’s urgent footsteps chasing after her disappeared did Hans step out from where he’d been holding his breath in the corner.
“Your Grace, why are you tormenting the Duchess like that?”
“Tormenting? Me?”
Killian asked in genuine confusion as he draped his cloak over his shoulders.
He had originally planned to attend the new knights’ sparring session, but Cielina’s visit had delayed him.
“The rumor that the Guillot clan offers humans as sacrifices is nothing but slander meant to vilify them.”
Hans continued speaking, closely following behind Killian, who pretended not to hear.
“Her Grace truly wants to help the young master and young lady. You saw it yourself—how she held them tightly when they were on the brink of losing control.”
Killian frowned at the deliberate barrage.
“I also know you secretly summoned the ‘Black Wolf’ informants without informing either me or Sir Winter. You must have investigated whether Her Grace had a hidden backer, or whether her abilities were some sort of profane sorcery.”
Killian let out a hollow laugh.
“Hah… sounds like it’s time to replace the wolves.”
“No matter how exceptional they are, no wolf can deceive this old butler under the Duke’s roof.”
Hans returned to the main point.
“You took no action because Her Grace’s innocence was proven, did you not?”
“……”
Hans knew well that his master’s sulky silence meant affirmation.
A gentle smile crept onto his face as he pressed on.
“I distinctly remember you saying that if you were to accept the marriage proposal, you would at least ensure that Her Grace would not regret this marriage.”
Killian let out a long sigh, stopped in his tracks, and turned around.
“Have I given Cielina reason to regret anything?”
“Do you truly believe you’ve lacked nothing?”
Hans asked, eyes wide in disbelief.
“With all due respect, Your Grace—even if you were to squander every hidden asset of the ducal house, it would still be a frugal life compared to her days as the Grand Duke of Kiev’s daughter.”
“…….”
Killian’s lips parted slightly, then he abruptly turned and began striding toward the training grounds.
“It’s about time you admit it, Your Grace.”
Panting, Hans stubbornly kept up.
“You simply don’t know how to treat Her Grace. Now that you’ve become conscious of her, you find it terribly awkward. Others may not understand—but I do.”
Under Hans’s relentless verbal bombardment, Killian finally covered his ears.
The next morning, yesterday’s events resurfaced the moment I opened my eyes.
A living sacrifice? Condolences? Seriously?
It was Gabriel who cleared up my misunderstanding after I’d panicked and fled the office.
“The Guillot clan is known to be so reverent of life that they won’t even pluck a withered leaf. They believe all life was conceived by the goddess Habina.”
Even now, the thought left me dumbfounded.
“My lady, it’s Anna.”
“Come in.”
The maids entered with Anna and swiftly tidied my discarded clothes and the bed.
“Where’s Lily?”
“She said she’d personally bring your meal and went to the kitchen.”
Judging by how often she’d been making excuses to go there, things between her and Toby must have been going splendidly.
“All right, you may go.”
“Yes, please call if you need anything.”
Once Anna left, I opened the box with the solemnity of someone performing a ritual.
The goddess statue, wrapped tightly in a handkerchief, was still lying exactly where I’d tossed it.
I brought it back so confidently… but now I have no idea what to do with it.
At this point, I was almost starting to suspect that seeing the self-proclaimed goddess had just been a dream.
“My lady.”
A deep voice sounded from outside the door.
Eek.
I withdrew my hand from the statue and shut the box.
“Come in, Hans.”
For no good reason, the urge to just throw the whole thing away crossed my mind.
Hans greeted me with a kindly smile.
“My lady, did you rest well?”
“Thanks to you.”
For some reason, seeing Hans kept making me think of his master, which made my tone sharper than intended—but Hans wasn’t the type to be shaken by that.
“What brings you here so early?”
When I asked, resigned, Hans replied seriously.
“You mentioned yesterday that suitable tutors for the young master and young lady are hard to come by. I’ve long thought the same, but—”
“You have a solution?”
Nodding slightly, he asked,
“Have you ever heard of Pavel Yotrica, once praised as the Young Grand Sage?”
“Pavel Yotrica…?”
Of course I hadn’t.
Sensing my embarrassment as my eyes darted around, Hans quickly continued.
“It’s only natural you wouldn’t know. His rise to fame at the Mage Tower was over a decade ago.”
Even so, the title Grand Sage wasn’t something given lightly—let alone to a child.
“The Young Grand Sage was a legendary prodigy who became the head researcher of the Imperial Mage Tower at just nine years old.”
“Nine… as head researcher?”
“Yes. By imperial command, he even taught His Highness the Crown Prince, who was already an adult at the time. In recognition of his service, he was granted the countship and the territory of Haksen—said to be the most fertile land in the Empire.”
“The Crown Prince’s teacher… a count…”
My jaw practically dropped.
“But Hans.”
“Yes, my lady?”
I voiced the question that naturally came to mind.
“We are talking about finding a tutor for Erhi and Irene, right…?”
Hans nodded.
“Everything I’ve mentioned is merely his past glory. No one calls him a Grand Sage anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ten years ago, he was dismissed on charges of embezzling Mage Tower funds.”
This time, my mouth fell open for an entirely different reason.
“While listening to yesterday’s conversation between you and His Grace, I remembered that the monastery where he was exiled happens to be near the ducal territory—and that his exile period is nearing its end.”
A cursed—
