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Chapter 43
Reunion (2)
How could someone look so sweet and beautiful? Diana thought as she looked at the princess’s face. Her pale skin was dazzling, and her pink hair looked like candy. Even her jade-green eyes made her appearance even more striking.
It was a look so vibrant it felt like it existed on a completely different plane from Diana, who looked like a faded doll.
“…….”
When Diana didn’t say anything, Princess Levian tilted her head curiously. But Diana couldn’t bring herself to speak. She feared that if she opened her mouth, a curse toward the princess might slip out.
She focused solely on suppressing her hatred and making sure she didn’t appear hateful. That alone was exhausting. Ah, I want to strangle her. I want to stab her. Diana’s lips trembled, and forcing a smile, she spoke.
“Excuse me. It’s my first time meeting someone from the Rodbrock Kingdom, so I was a little surprised.”
“Oh, no, not at all.”
“Nice to meet you, Princess. I am Diana Brien, the eldest daughter of the Brien family.”
“I am Sarubia Levian, the eldest daughter of the Levian family of Rodbrock.”
Even saying the word “Brien” in front of Princess Levian was painful for Diana. This was the family that had dared to enslave the king—her mortal enemy—and a family she had mocked for being utterly destroyed. Even uttering her own family name felt unbearably shameful.
Diana lowered her waist, holding the edge of her skirt, and Princess Levian beamed brightly.
“Apologies for the sudden visit, Princess. My cousin just married the nearby Count Judrel. We came to celebrate their wedding, and I heard there was a festival, so I thought we’d stop by.”
“I see.”
“I’ve heard the festival in Panborough is incredible. I was so eager to see it that I pestered Count Judrel and Duke Brien, and I’m glad they indulged my request.”
“…….”
“And you will welcome me, won’t you, Princess?”
It was an obvious push, mentioning that she already had Duke Brien’s permission. Diana nodded.
“Of course.”
“Oh, how delightful! We’re daughters of the same ducal family. I’ve been wanting to meet someone my age! How wonderful!”
Seeing Princess Levian speak so warmly, Diana forced a smile, though facing her was torture. Levian continued.
“You’ll need to be my companion while you’re here. Understood?”
“……Of course.”
Ah, Diana thought, I should have refused. But she couldn’t bring herself to say no. She felt pathetic for trying to please the princess unconsciously. All she could do was nod.
Then her gaze shifted to Giscar, standing behind her.
Wait.
Does this woman know Giscar’s face? What if she does? Diana instinctively blocked Giscar from Princess Levian’s sight. She simply didn’t want her to see him. She hated the entire encounter.
“Welcome to the Duchy of Brien. I hope the princess enjoys her stay here.”
Diana forced a smile. It felt like her cheek might twitch involuntarily.
“Ugh, ughhh!”
Back in her room, Diana vomited, emptying everything from her body. The nausea was indescribable. Giscar patted her back, and the gesture started to irritate her.
“Don’t touch me!”
She wanted to shout at him to stop, but instead spoke softly, keeping as much courtesy as she could.
She even hated Giscar for being behind her. She hated him so much she could barely stand it. She knew he had done nothing wrong, but she couldn’t separate her emotions.
Why? Why did this happen?
Why did he drive me insane in that moment?
Why, as his wife, did he let me suffer like that?
Why did he have a child with the woman who destroyed mine?
Why did he plan to make me a prostitute later? Giscar Rodbrock! Diana struggled to suppress the torrent of thoughts bursting forth.
It was maddening. She was the only one who knew the truth. Wasn’t her memory from a past life just a dream? She must be crazy, yet the sensations in her body, the fury of that day, came back vividly.
Ah, ahhh!
“I’ll call the physician.”
Giscar said coldly. His composure fueled her anger.
“No! Just… leave.”
“…….”
“Please leave. Now.”
Still, she held onto her last shred of reason. This was from a past life, and this slave was a pitiful victim.
So she suppressed everything she wanted to say, over and over. She wanted to curse, to hate. But she mustn’t.
Giscar looked at her, made a strange expression, then nodded. After he left, Diana vomited several more times.
Her stomach hurt.
The loss of the child she briefly held, the helplessness of being unable to act, the anger toward those who caused this, and the despair of surviving in that hell—it all erupted.
“Ah, ahhhh!”
Diana screamed, her face flushed, tears streaming. Her body shook with rage.
[Silph, Silph!]
She called out sharply. Silph appeared, responding to her anger.
[Why?]
[Kill her! That girl!]
Silph looked puzzled at Diana’s sharp words. She yelled, almost like a scream.
[Kill her! Cut off her breath immediately!]
Silph’s expression changed. She wanted to destroy her. That flawless face, the one that had harmed Giscar’s family, that had killed her child—she wanted to tear her apart. She hated her carefree smile.
[Why, why are you like this!]
Silph asked, confused.
[Kill her! Please, kill her!]
But Diana knew. Silph could not kill a human. Unlike monsters, to humans, a lowly spirit’s wind was like a gentle breeze. Moreover, even if Diana asked for someone’s death, Silph lacked the intelligence to identify a specific person.
Spirits weren’t human. That’s why she could pour out her demand for death. She knew the princess in front of her had done nothing wrong. She knew it perfectly. That’s also why she didn’t take revenge on Giscar.
Diana remembered her past life. She had been trampled like an animal merely as punishment for her family’s sins. She had survived that hell. Clearly, she had been wounded, yet these people had committed no crime. Where should her heart go?
Where should these feelings go?
She knew, she knew perfectly well. They were innocent, so she shouldn’t hate them. But she did. She still wanted to take revenge on Giscar, and she still hated him intensely.
Diana wept and sobbed for a long time. She felt utterly alone. In another time and world, she had always been lonely and in pain.
Giscar was trapped in his room. For a long while, his presence was forgotten; no one called for him. Dust had accumulated like snow in the cold, grim space. He thought he would finally be abandoned. And he was right. Diana had finally realized what had happened to her.
Giscar felt the same.
When the slave mark had been branded, he had thought it was miserable but otherwise inconsequential.
But once he understood the reality of being a slave, he had screamed. The horror of being reduced to a dog, his situation—he had screamed repeatedly. Diana must have felt the same. She must have realized just how terrible his betrayal was.
Alone in the warehouse-like room, Giscar thought and thought.
Strangely, why did he feel reassured?
Why did seeing her like that make him feel at ease? He kept thinking about Diana’s face.
She, who had always been calm, suffered because of him. Because of him. That had to be right. That had to be the truth. Giscar laughed bitterly at his own base emotions.
These feelings were no different from those of the monsters who had wronged them. Bestial emotions. Giscar laughed in disbelief.
Had he truly become a monster like them?
He thought he would have no right to complain even if abandoned.
But Diana Brien had not abandoned him. His room was worse and colder than the one given in the mansion, but the clothes were warm, and the food arrived on time. Waiting for a master who wouldn’t call for him, Giscar thought constantly of Diana.
What will happen now?
Had Diana Brien abandoned him forever?
Would her kindness to a slave turn into a curse, poisoning him?
Giscar hugged his knees.
He thought Diana was foolish, but he was even more foolish. Not following Emil’s advice had been a mistake.
He had wavered slightly. She had been the only one to fight for him. Why had he made such a foolish choice, swept up in fleeting emotions?
Looking back, it had been a truly joyous thing. Giscar’s mind raced.
He thought of Diana.
That girl, unknowable, kind yet cold, weak yet strong.
Like a boy falling in love. Desperate and fervent.
So, Diana Brien. I hope you come find me soon.
Giscar kept picturing her face. The boy thought relentlessly of his master, ardently and with all his heart.
