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Chapter 114
Kiss Mark
I calmly asked Isidore.
“—Are you sure about that?”
“Yeah. I’m sure. The trees might be fooled, but I won’t be.”
Suddenly, the moment Stella had healed me flashed in my mind.
‘Back then, I just thought she was different because she was a saint, unlike the other priests with their holy powers.’
But thinking about it now, there were more than a few suspicious points.
“How could someone else have the power of my fairy?”
“There’s only one way: a curse.”
“A curse?”
Isidore’s voice was full of hostility.
“Yeah. She used a curse to take your fairy’s power. In the first place, only a power like a curse could steal a fairy’s abilities.”
A memory I couldn’t understand resurfaced.
‘A childhood memory I have no recollection of at all.’
Back then, in front of the living Estella, I was being abused by the Duke and Duchess of Libertan.
‘So those scars that were said to have appeared by chance… were all real scars from the abuse?’
I was still confused, but I tried to carefully organize the truths I knew.
The Estella I thought dead was actually alive.
‘Living better than anyone else in the guise of a saint.’
For some reason, no one recognized her, but she hadn’t died and had apparently tormented me alongside the Duke and Duchess of Libertan.
‘Even the curse on my body was for Estella.’
The scars that appeared for no reason, the power constantly being taken away from me, and the fact that I could feel that power in Estella…
‘Could it really be a coincidence?’
It seemed unlikely that Estella’s illness itself was a lie. Then the most probable scenario was clear.
‘Estella must have cursed me to survive.’
A chill ran down my spine. Isidore spoke to me, who had frozen like stone.
“—Actually, you can’t be certain of the curse’s nature from this alone. What’s clear now is that that woman is using the curse to take your power and life and use it as her own.”
Stella spoke, watching me stand.
“Stand there, Duchess.”
Her eyes were as clear as a blue lake.
“Thinking of leaving before our conversation is even finished?”
“……”
“Sit back down.”
On Stella’s face, the wicked expression of the young Estella overlapped. Behind that noble expression, I vividly recalled the detestable look she hid beneath.
It made me feel nauseous.
“We still have plenty of time, so don’t stop drinking your tea yet.”
At that moment, under the green grass spread across the floor, gray mist began to spread like heat haze.
“-Spread the fairy power on the ground.”
“-Won’t the saint notice that I’m resisting? Oh, maybe she already knows.”
I habitually hid my powers, so I instinctively thought to conceal them.
“-If you just don’t use your fairy power too strongly, she’ll never detect your strength.”
“-So that means I can use my power without the saint noticing?”
“-Yes, it’s a good opportunity.”
I followed Isidore’s advice and carefully controlled my fairy power.
‘Maybe because there are a lot of plants around?’
It felt easier than usual to manipulate my fairy power. The fairy power spread like seeds across the ground, preventing Stella’s power from seeping into me.
Kiiiiiing—
A strange cracking sound arose as the fairy power clashed with the saint’s power.
‘Does the saint not hear this sound?’
Stella raised the corners of her mouth in a mocking smile.
“I’ve given you many chances. And this opportunity will never come again.”
A chill, like a blade against my whole body, ran through me. But had there ever been a time when I could gain something without risking my life?
‘This is the chance.’
Pretending to be overwhelmed by the saint’s power, I flinched and spoke.
“I’m not sure what opportunity the saint has given me.”
“You still have no intention of reflecting, do you?”
“I can’t reflect if I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Really, to the end……”
Stella’s brows furrowed with irritation, yet her voice conveyed an oddly pitiful tone.
‘She seems to be consciously speaking differently with her voice alone.’
I had no energy to care about that.
Kiiiiiing—
The ringing in my ears grew louder. Stella’s aura was intensifying. I pretended to glare at the saint and asked Isidore.
“-What power is the saint using on me?”
“At first, I thought she was just trying to steal your power……”
Isidore paused before speaking again.
“-Now it seems she’s trying to strengthen the curse on you. Probably because she hasn’t been getting enough power from you recently, and it’s urgent.”
Knowing her purpose reassured me.
“-Then I don’t need to keep talking with Stella anymore.”
I tucked my long hair behind my ears and gave the saint a sly smile, subtly looking down on her as she had looked at me before.
“Tea was good. But I don’t think we have anything else to discuss.”
Stella openly showed displeasure.
“Is that so, Estelle? If that’s your choice, I suppose I can’t pray for you anymore either.”
“Is that so?”
“Perhaps punishment will give you a chance to repent……”
Stella smiled hypocritically.
“Don’t regret it when the time comes.”
“You too, saint.”
I returned her smile.
“If you’re trampled again, it’ll be troublesome.”
As I slowly turned to leave, Isidore spoke quickly.
“-I kept watching the saint just in case, and I can sense some unfamiliar magical aura among hers.”
“-A magical aura?”
“-Looks like she used a magic tool that records sound. She might have used it during your conversation.”
I recalled my conversation with the saint.
“-……That’s strange. Yet she didn’t answer kindly either.”
Normally, if she could record, she wouldn’t reveal her true intentions so oddly. Stella treated me like a thief, and if this conversation got exposed, everyone would be shocked to know the saint’s true nature.
“-It’s not a regular recording tool. Seems like it records reality differently than the words spoken.”
“-Wow, such a tool exists.”
Recording tools haven’t been around long. I walked without looking back, but my mind was buzzing.
“-Then is there a way to stop it? Break it, perhaps?”
“-Yeah, if there were no way, I wouldn’t have even mentioned it.”
“-……Even if there’s no way, just tell me. I need to know so I can prepare.”
A tingle ran through my wrist. I felt a power slightly different from my fairy magic.
‘It’s Isidore’s power.’
Isidore’s power shot like a dagger toward Stella. I walked calmly, waiting to hear his words.
“-Done.”
“-Handled well?”
“-Yeah. Finished well.”
“-So the tool is completely destroyed?”
“-I left you a little gift, just in case.”
A playful tone laced Isidore’s voice.
“-What exactly did you do?”
“-If she tries any tricks, you’ll find out naturally. Nothing will happen if used correctly……”
After a while, I saw Betty running from afar.
“Milady!”
“Ah, Betty.”
“Was everything alright? Did the saint harm you…?”
“No. Nothing like that happened.”
“Phew. Good. But next time, take me with you. I want to know what she’ll do.”
Betty shook her head and glared toward the saint.
“My instincts say she’s plotting something.”
Her instincts were always precise. I nodded, impressed, and suddenly a thought struck me.
“-By the way, Isidore, you said Stella uses my power as her own. So what happens if I use up all my power?”
“-You probably won’t be able to use it anymore.”
“-Then……”
A good idea came to mind.
“-The power I nearly got hit by earlier from Stella, I can use that……”
Saint Stella remained seated even after Estelle disappeared. That innocent smile that seemed unaware made my irritation unbearable.
‘……It’s all your fault.’
Stella had tried repeatedly to give her chances.
She tried to make the undeserving one realize her role, even teaching her kindly.
‘I thought she was just foolish, not inherently evil.’
It was wrong to show mercy to a fake in the first place.
‘And that fake even deceives Johan’s eyes.’
Thinking of Johan, forever manipulated and unable to be saved, Stella’s heart ached. Transparent tears gathered in her gentle eyes.
‘Wait for me, Johan.’
The man prepared for her, Johan Blanchet. Perfect looks, overwhelming strength, aristocratic aura, noble bloodline—everything about him was flawless, but most importantly, he existed for Stella.
Her family’s dedication had made him perfect.
‘I will save you, according to your destiny.’
Estella fiddled with her sacred bracelet, eyes shining.
“-Once this is over, come see me again. I’ll think more about your curse in the meantime.”
The conversation with Isidore ended. Then, I immediately spoke to the trees.
“-Did anything happen with the saint just now?”
“-Yeah! Didn’t she use some strange power again?”
“I did encounter strange power, but Isidore came and helped, so it’s fine.”
I calmed the trees and explained everything. They looked very puzzled.
“-You say the saint has a power similar to yours? We don’t quite get it.”
“-Yes, it felt odd, but I thought it was holy power. Maybe it felt like a fairy’s.”
“Then, any idea about that warning voice among the trees?”
“-Ah, no.”
“-Haha. We really don’t know anything. Who could be behind this……”
“-Well, let’s check among the trees. If it can talk to you, it might have responded when we tried.”
Since there was nothing urgent, I decided to search for the warning voice with the trees.
“-I sense another presence?”
Following the trees, I saw a familiar brown head, and then I immediately spotted Johan.
He dismounted his horse and approached me.
“Where have you been? I was looking for you after the hunt.”
“Already done?”
“Yes.”
Johan’s aura seemed unusual. A sturdy tree pressed against his back.
He pulled me between himself and the tree. His decadent face cast a shadow, making him seem more dangerous. Johan smiled, satisfied, seeing me trapped in his arms.
“Did you hear?”
He whispered softly.
“Leandro said he’d give you the prey.”
I felt his gaze was intense. I blinked obediently, and Johan caressed my cheek and shoulder.
He pressed his lips close to my ear and bit my earlobe.
“Actually, it’s not just Leandro. Viscount Hincklin, Count Roderick, and all the other scoundrels claim to hunt for you behind your back.”
“……”
“Don’t they know who you belong to?”
His red eyes glimmered drowsily. The low voice carried a terrifying anger, revealing the barbarism beneath his usual brilliance.
I blushed, swept up in the heated atmosphere, my body stiff with tension.
“What should we do then?”
“Let them know, these fools.”
Johan’s hands slowly explored my restrained body.
“So they absolutely cannot miss it.”
His hands wound around my waist, lips slowly tracing from my forehead down the bridge of my nose. The raw heat on my skin was vivid.
“Focus on me.”
His lips brushed and sucked my neck languidly.
“I’ll leave only proof.”
He greedily bit my neck and descended to my collarbone, leaving a scorching mark.
My whole body felt enveloped in his scent, and I grew dizzy. Johan’s gestures, full of desire and possessiveness, wrapped me tightly.
Finally, our red eyes met. I cautiously spoke.
“Th-This will leave a mark.”
“I intended it to.”
With sharp, elegant eyes, he held my chin and kissed my cheek repeatedly.
“We’re married anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
“……”
“If it’s beautifully engraved like this……”
He slowly lifted his head and touched the mark he left with his thumb. It seemed to radiate heat.
“No one would dare come between us.”
