Chapter 4
When she covered her face and swallowed her tears, Karia felt as if she had been struck hard on the back of her head. A hereditary disease of the royal family? No matter the circumstances, she had lived as a member of the royal family since she was five years old. Yet, she had never heard of such a disease.
And on top of that, there was no cure—didn’t that mean it was an incurable disease? The sudden flood of information left her mind blank, unable to control her thoughts.
Karia asked the head of the orphanage what she knew about the disease, and the woman bit her lower lip tightly before showing her her grandfather’s research documents that she had been secretly searching through, perhaps hoping Karia wouldn’t know.
“I’m sorry, Duchess. I never imagined you would be unaware of such a painful illness…”
“Why does such a terrible disease run in the royal bloodline?”
Karia read every piece of data she could get her hands on. The symptoms she had experienced, the cycles, the pain — everything was detailed. But nowhere was there a cure. Feeling weak, she placed her palm on her forehead and collapsed onto the bed.
“Hah, stupidly pretending this fatal disease is nothing…”
“Duchess!”
“Ah, it’s alright. Honestly, I feel relieved. So that’s it. This is an incurable disease.”
Yes, that’s how it was. Karia nodded with a dazed expression. In fact, the orphanage head’s words barely registered in her ears. She was only shuddering at the thought of the pain that would come more frequently and dry up her blood, with death as the only end.
She didn’t remember exactly how she made it back home from the orphanage. Her feet had blisters that burst, peeling the skin, so it was certain she had walked for a very long time.
“You’re late.”
“Ah, yes.”
When Karia reached the main entrance hall past the front gate, Rubidef Pandeon was standing there, dressed neatly. Perhaps returning from a party, his hair was well-groomed, and a strong scent of perfume wafted from the hem of his coat.
“Then please rest.”
“Um, Duchess!”
It had been two weeks since she last saw his face and three full months since they last spoke. Yet her husband only had a greeting to say to her. Nothing special. They didn’t usually speak much unless there was a reason.
But unlike usual, this time Karia grabbed the sleeve of Rubidef as he turned to leave, trying to walk away. The cold fingers that had been outside for hours brushed her skin, causing the duke to flinch his shoulder sharply.
“Do you have something to say?”
But the look he sent back held no concern whatsoever. Karia usually didn’t cling to him or waste his time. Even so, Rubidef expressed his annoyance with his whole body.
Karia silently stared at his urging face and then slowly released his sleeve. This disease was bewildering even to her, and she had yet to find words to say to her husband.
“No, nothing.”
After she lowered her head and closed her mouth, Rubidef turned and went up to his room as he wished. His attitude clearly showed that his rest was more important than her strange behavior. Watching his back, Karia wondered:
What kind of face would he make if I were to die? Would he be surprised? Would he pity me? Would he regret his indifferent attitude a little? Or would he remain calm as always?
“Could he possibly be happy?”
Rubidef Pandeon at least didn’t like her. Even now, six years after their wedding day, their relationship was so cold that they didn’t even eat together on days they were both at the mansion.
Karia had tried in every way to get closer to him. In a house where she had no one else to rely on, the only person she had was her husband in name.
So when he came home, she followed him, chattering away, and brought him food when he locked himself in his study and skipped meals.
But Rubidef never once gave her a warm glance or a kind word. A relationship can’t be built by one person’s efforts alone. Today, that felt unbearably painful.
“Maybe I should just die now?”
They said there was nothing but pain in her future. What would change if she lived a little longer? But that felt so empty. So unfair.
“I want to take revenge on those who tormented me. If I kill myself, will you have a hard time too?”
For the first time in her life, a very dark feeling was born in Karia’s heart — the desire to hurt someone else.
“Hey, what are you doing in the way?”
When she came to her senses, she was standing at the top of the central stairs on the second floor, overlooking the front entrance. The venerable and damn Pandeon mansion was built in old style with high ceilings. The marble stairs were steep, and if she rolled down here, she could get seriously injured.
Dry saliva slid down her throat, and her eyes trembled wildly.
“S-scared!”
Her heart pounded madly as if it might jump out of her mouth. Rationally, she knew this wasn’t right.
Even if she chose death, there would be a better way. If she got a fatal injury but didn’t die, she might have to spend the rest of her time lying in bed.
Snapping back from her tragic misfortune to a more tragic reality, Karia turned around to step back to safety.
“Move out of the way, please!”
“Madam, if you still have something to say…”
Then, unexpectedly, she was pushed back by a laundry basket that came from somewhere. She looked at the returning husband, and Rubidef’s eyes were wide open, staring at Karia.
“Huh?”
“D-Duchess? Wait a moment!”
She lost balance in an instant and rolled down quickly. Screams rang out from all sides.
They were voices she didn’t want to hear, from people she disliked. Before she could get up from the bed, her memories as Karia ended.
“And so, you’re saying I’m alive here now?”
During the time she was unconscious, she had a long, grand dream. The dream was that she became Asmodeus, the great mage and right-hand to the first emperor Rudwalt, who unified the continent. The dream was so vivid and long that it pained her heart with sadness.
No, was it really a dream? She had never felt such clear anger and malice in her life. In the dream, she overflowed with confidence — just like the great mage Asmodeus herself.
Karia instinctively knew that this terrible dream was her past.
“They said they called the doctor…”
The maid who said she would call the physician for her had gone completely silent. Or maybe the physician who heard that she had woken up was dawdling and being slow. Either way, their disrespectful attitude towards the lady of the house was intolerable.
Karia smiled coldly with just the corners of her mouth — a look unseen before but not awkward at all.
“It’s faster if I check myself.”
With a single gesture, a golden mist gathered. Karia quietly observed the condensed mana and then stretched her legs out below the window. Her new form naturally fell downwards.
When the lazy duke family doctor grumbled and arrived in the room, the duchess, who had been unconscious for five days, was nowhere to be seen.
Karia walked lightly with a calm face that did not look like someone who had just jumped from the third floor. The golden mist that safely cradled her body like a cradle vanished as soon as she touched the ground. She handled the mist skillfully as if she had it from birth.
As far as she knew, no one in this world could use magic anymore. She looked at her hands in wonder and headed toward the mansion’s side gate.
“What, when did you get up?”
Her unclear memories still needed verification. Just as Karia was about to leave the mansion for him, a high-pitched voice full of malice stopped her.
Slowly turning her head toward the voice, she saw a little girl no taller than her waist looking at her with a sharp gaze.
“You clumsily slipped on the stairs, didn’t you? Do you know how much trouble Ellie got because of that? Father was really angry!”
“Ellie? Oh, you mean the girl who pushed me down the stairs?”
“- Ellie said the stepmother bumped into her first?”
Lamia, the seven-year-old princess of Pandeon, looked utterly doubtful as if she couldn’t believe what Karia said.
“Don’t lie. Ellie said the stepmother was the one who bumped into her first! You’ve been lying there for five days just because you fell a little, such a fuss!”
Lamia blatantly snorted. Whether her behavior was known or not, it was an inappropriate thing to say to someone who had just recovered after five days.
But Lamia put her small hands on her waist, rather showing that she was offended. Even considering her young age, she was unbearably rude, acting as if she was entitled to treat Karia that way.
“What’s with the look? Why are you staring like that?”
“You’re saying that even though you know I was lying there for five days.”
At Karia’s calm tone, Lamia frowned fiercely.
No matter what nonsense she threw, Karia usually would look troubled and quickly try to appease her. Today, Karia thought that would be the case again, but why did she have such a cold, unfeeling look in her eyes?
