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~Chapter 46~
In the meantime, Shariette opened the heavy, gold-edged book and quickly flipped through its pages.
Her eyes, moving rapidly, stopped at one particular place.
“…‘Sometimes, due to the tricks of fate, there are those born into a family who do not inherit their blessings.’”
Thump. Thump.
With each word she read, her heart beat louder than usual.
‘Shasha, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have to live such a miserable life.’
“…If they’re not born with it, they could just take it away.”
‘It’s all your fault. You and your mother! You thieves ruined my life!’
Noxian, who had casually kicked the flower language dictionary aside, peered over Shariette’s shoulder at what she was reading.
“That’s a unique thought, but it’s not very ‘apothecary-like,’ is it? How could someone steal away their innate constitution?”
“….”
Well, that’s true.
…Wait.
It was so obvious, yet she hadn’t realized it until now. Shariette stared at the book, her mind a whirlwind, and looked up at Noxian in disbelief.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Just because you share the same bloodline doesn’t mean you’re the same. If you’re unlucky, the only heir might not get any of the bloodline’s blessings.”
“…If you’re unlucky.”
Shariette numbly repeated his words, and Noxian continued explaining.
“Take our family, for example. My father was born with a weaker blessing than most, while Nixia and I were born with much stronger ones. If you go back further, there are plenty of people who didn’t get the blessing at all. For the Rubellot family, some even died young because of it.”
It felt like something invisible had shattered with a loud crack.
The rat who had stolen Blanche’s blessing.
It was the sound of that inevitable, long-held crime finally breaking apart.
Shariette had known very well what it meant to be an illegitimate child since she was young.
Her mother had made sure to thoroughly teach her in preparation for any unfortunate events that might happen.
“Remember this well, Shariette.”
“Don’t ever be curious about or try to find out about the other parent.”
“Living without ever knowing each other is the happiest thing.”
“Mom loves you, but that person won’t.”
Even if you were unlucky enough to find out, you should never get involved.
If you find yourself in the worst-case scenario, lower your head completely.
“You must show that you know your place. That way, they won’t harm you.”
The lessons were always a little different, but the core message remained the same.
“I’m sorry, Shariette. I’m sorry I had to teach you these things. I truly am sorry.”
Know your place.
And when she was around ten years old, the worst possible situation came to pass. Shariette had to kneel before the precious young princess of the Argen family.
Blanche, her half-sister, was quite generous with someone who knew their place.
She even gave Shariette the name “Shasha” and placed her in the collection of her treasured toys.
It wasn’t until Shariette’s bruises from being beaten with a stick by a broomstick were miraculously healed by the next day that she realized it.
“Since then, I’ve been the thief who stole Blanche’s blessing.”
Although she had no memory of actually stealing it, after three days of being beaten with a stick, most people, including Shariette, would end up understanding things they hadn’t before.
From that moment, her original sin was not only being born but also stealing what belonged to the rightful heir.
“Shasha. Are you in pain? Did you say you’re hurt?”
Her cheek burned. With her blurry vision, stars sparkled before her eyes.
Shariette barely opened her eyes. The sobs that had been trying to crawl up her throat were instantly suppressed.
Blanche’s angelic face was hanging upside down before her.
Instinctively, Shariette lied.
“Ah, no… it doesn’t hurt…”
Blanche smiled brightly.
“See? You’re not hurt. Since you stole my blessing, you should be able to endure this much. You’re fine, Shasha. Don’t stop.”
With a sharp, cutting sound that sliced through the air, the world tilted violently around her.
Blink. Blink.
The liquid that dripped down her face blurred her vision, and everything turned a reddish-black.
Shariette learned two more things on top of “don’t resist” and “don’t fight back.”
Don’t make a sound.
Endure this much.
The test of just how powerful the stolen blessing was was a surprising one.
Ironically, Shariette, despite being an illegitimate child, had the most powerful blessing among all the Argen bloodline.
Most of the Argen family was blessed with the blessing of the Latium Forest, which slowed their aging and kept them free from illness. Their lifespan was long, and they had strong self-healing abilities.
As a result, healers were often born among them.
However, the most beautiful of them all, the one who shone the brightest with the most admiration and congratulations, Blanche, was not born with any blessing at all.
Shariette thought it was only natural that Blanche hated her.
After all, she didn’t kill her. Wasn’t that generous?
“Shasha, be happy. There’s a way for you to repay your sins now.”
Luckily, in the Argen family, Blanche Argen, who didn’t receive any blessing, manifested a far greater power instead.
“That blessing was originally mine. It should be used for me, right?”
Transfer.
And for the first use of that power, “Shasha” was chosen.
Gurgle.
Instead of a reply, an air bubble escaped.
“See? You’re happy, aren’t you? Be grateful, Shasha.”
When Shariette’s role became clear—that she would absorb Blanche’s wounds and pain—she thought to herself in the tank of water:
‘I’m glad I’m strong.’
It’s not that bad if it hurts a little. I’ll heal anyway.
Had there been anyone sane near the eleven-year-old girl, they would have pulled her out of the insane situation and tried to fix her broken mind.
Unfortunately, there was no one like that, and this half-Argen family excellently learned from their examples of madness.
That was the truth, and the law of the world within the castle.
“I didn’t steal it…”
I wasn’t a thief.
Shariette grabbed the book tightly with both hands.
She couldn’t have read a book like this in the Argen family. Of course not. It wasn’t information she was supposed to know.
So, all of it…
The things she thought were punishments she deserved.
Were they really not deserved after all?
Every result has a cause.
Things happen for a reason.
Punishments are given because of crimes.
That simple, yet solid shield of a belief shattered.
The box she had tightly locked rattled.
Her long-held guilt stirred and became lost.
So, what am I now?
“Shariette. Look at me.”
Noxian grabbed Shariette’s shoulder, looking into her eyes as she stood there dazed.
“Tell me. What’s wrong?”
“……”
She couldn’t say everything.
She couldn’t talk about the family that received the blessing of a guardian spirit when she had pretended to be a commoner with a strange constitution.
But…
“What if… I thought I stole something, but it turns out I didn’t? What should I do?”
She needed an answer.
To cut and untangle this mess and put it back into the box.
And for some reason, she felt like this man might know the answer.
“I thought I stole it, but I didn’t steal it.”
Noxian quickly recalled their earlier conversation.
Blessing. Stealing.
The Argen family with the blessing of Latium.
“From what you said, there’s nothing major. No matter how timely the antidote was administered, considering how much recovery there has been in such a short time, it’s likely due to your unusual constitution, much like the Rubellots.”
Shariette, Shasha’s unusual constitution.
“Did you figure out who Shasha is, or what kind of woman she was? She’s a disgrace from birth. A rat who stole the blessing of Latium!”
Even the cocky words of that dead bastard.
It wasn’t difficult to piece together the scattered fragments.
His eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
The vermin that had already been killed, but whose arrogant words still echoed in the air.
Steal a blessing?
They didn’t truly believe such nonsense themselves.
It was all just a way to vent their anger or to train her, imposing a ridiculous burden. How dare they.
“Shariette. Look at me.”
The hand that had been on her shoulder moved to her cheek.
The cool, smooth surface of his glove brushed gently against her soft skin near her eyes, snapping Shariette back to her senses.
The man who had stubbornly held her gaze and wouldn’t let go spoke.
“I don’t know who filled your head with such nonsense.”
He spoke so elegantly, yet the words were anything but noble.
“If you’ve been blamed for something you didn’t do, then you should be angry, Shariette.”
