WSO 07

How long had it been since she’d last woken to such a refreshing morning?

“Good morning, Giselle. Did you sleep well?”

“Good morning, my lady. I was a bit restless, but it’s fine.”

Giselle gave a small smile and tilted her head.

This was a code between the two of us.

I had asked Giselle if Dejan and his subordinate had caused any trouble during the night, and Giselle had answered that there were some minor issues, but nothing to worry about too much.

“Is that so? Shall we have some tea together later?”

“Yes, understood.”

That meant we would go check on the situation of the two men.

“The weather is so nice, I brought lighter colors for you today.”

“How about these pearl earrings?”

“Everything looks good. As expected, you both have excellent taste.”

“You flatter us.”

Exchanging light-hearted chatter with the innocent maids who broke into giggles, I finished my morning preparations cheerfully.

After breakfast, I went for a walk with Giselle.

After handling a few matters related to managing the estate, the morning flew by.

“Oh, right!”

As I was leisurely about to enjoy some afternoon tea, I clapped my hands as if suddenly remembering something.

“There was something else to do, wasn’t there?”

I had completely forgotten about the existence of Dejan and the hostage.

Well, I had been intentionally forgetting.

“I wonder if they’ve had anything to eat? I’m a bit worried.”

I spoke in a tone that suggested I wasn’t worried at all, resting my cheek on my hand and letting out a exaggerated sigh.

“I wonder if he likes sweet things.”

Then, I packed the fruits, desserts, and light snacks prepared for tea time into a large picnic basket.

I didn’t forget to pack a colorful mat and a lantern as well.

“Hmm hm hm~”

On the way to the dungeon, a cheerful tune escaped my lips with every excited step.

‘I hope he has a weak mental fortitude… I wonder?’

I wanted to extract the blood of the immortal and summon the demon as soon as possible.

‘It’s bound to succeed this time.’

Humming a tune, I descended the stairs into the underground dungeon, one by one.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

“Cough…! You…!”

The pitiful sound of someone inside the dungeon rattling the bars irritated my ears.

‘He has a great sense of rhythm.’

The sound perfectly complemented the tune I had been humming.

“Did you have a peaceful night?”

I asked with a clear smile, but I didn’t need an answer.

Dejan Vojislav Nemanjić was crouched in a corner of the dungeon, covering his ears. He looked thoroughly fed up. And his subordinate was hanging onto the bars like a wet rag, hacking up coughs.

“Why…! Why are you, cough, coming only now!”

“Because I felt like it?”

I retorted with a smile to his resentful question. Holden, lost for words, just opened and closed his mouth.

Meanwhile, Giselle spread the mat near the bars and set out the food.

I picked up the sweetest-looking item and slid it through the bars.

“Eat up. I wasn’t sure if you liked sweet things, so I prepared a variety.”

“Don’t eat that, cough, my lord. Who knows if the food is poisoned?”

“Sir Holden looks like he needs a cool drink. Here you go.”

Chralalak.

Pouring the chilled fruit juice with ice into a cup, the refreshing sound alone filled the dungeon. I placed the cup in front of Holden, who was staring longingly at the drink, then I poured the same juice for myself and deliberately drank it in front of him. Only then did Holden gulp down his drink hurriedly.

“Didn’t it occur to you that I might have poisoned the cup itself?”

“Pfft! Cough, hack!”

“Oh my. I was just joking.”

As I said lightly, Holden glared at me with wide eyes.

I didn’t bother avoiding his gaze.

“I heard you were looking for me quite desperately last night.”

I wondered what strange and interesting things that head of his had come up with.

I was already feeling amused.

Holden, who had been sending me a sour look, abruptly thrust his empty cup towards me.

“Yes. I didn’t think you’d so steadfastly ignore the commotion. May I have another glass?”

“Of course. There’s also iced tea.”

“Thank you.”

As he gave a curt thanks and refreshingly quenched his thirst, Dejan approached closer to the bars.

Of course, his reason for approaching wasn’t the food.

“Have you changed your mind?”

“No? Not at all.”

“The demon is far more horrific than you can imagine, and it will demand a terrible price.”

“Is that so.”

I replied dryly and took a sip of tea, pushing a plate towards him.

“Eat. This is our chef’s most confident dessert.”

“I’m not just saying this.”

“Enough of that. Just say what you have to say.”

“…”

“You caused a commotion all night looking for me, surely it’s to propose something else? I’ll listen.”

Seizing on my words, Dejan hastily shut his mouth. Then he subtly glanced at Holden. Following his gaze, my eyes met Holden’s.

“The person who summoned the demon that cursed His Highness was my father,” Holden began abruptly.

“Let me explain briefly. We offered a human heart as the price for summoning the demon. The owner of that heart was the former Margrave Nemanjić. His Highness’s paternal uncle.”

‘Heart?’

The two-syllable word lodged itself firmly in my mind.

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. Everything was done according to the former margrave’s will.”

Holden added that Dejan was the only one who hadn’t been involved in the decision-making at the time.

‘What on earth did they summon that demanded such a price?’

The difference between a heart and thirteen drops of blood was far too extreme.

I decided to wait silently and listen to what he had to say.

“For generations, the Nemanjić family has created an immortal by sacrificing one of their sons.”

“They summoned a demon that grants the power of immortality in exchange for a heart?”

“Yes. More precisely, he received regenerative abilities so excellent they border on immortality. The price was a terrible bloodlust and searing pain.”

Bordering on immortality meant it couldn’t defy the flow of time. In other words, he would age and die.

‘So it’s not complete immortality.’

“Right after receiving the power of immortality, His Highness killed everyone present, including my father.”

“…”

“After that too, whenever he got injured, he couldn’t distinguish friend from foe and killed everyone around him. The bloodlust is proportional to the severity of the injury, and when the urge subsides, he has to endure the pain of his body burning.”

I glanced briefly at Dejan.

He was sitting with his head bowed low like a sinner, silently fidgeting with his fingertips. The fingertips where all his nails had fallen off.

‘Since it wasn’t a power he wanted, is it a curse?’

That was too simplistic a calculation. Wasn’t it because he obtained that power that he had preserved his life and consolidated his power until now?

Sorry to Dejan, but I wished I had even that much power.

“And why are you confessing these facts so readily?”

“I wish to propose a deal.”

“A deal? How dare you?”

Were they truly aware of their current situation?

I asked, wiping the smile from my face, but Holden’s expression didn’t change.

“Allow me to meet the demon you are trying to summon, my Lady.”

Instead, he stated his request in a serious voice.

‘He’s already summoned a demon before, but he wants to meet a different one?’

The son of the man who summoned the demon. And the demon who killed that son’s father.

Even if they were sworn enemies, it wouldn’t be strange, so what purpose did these two have for being together?

And why were they looking for a different demon?

“The purpose?”

“I consider it my mission to lift His Highness’s curse.”

“Because it was your father who caused it?”

“Yes.”

“But he killed your father, didn’t he?”

“That wasn’t His Highness’s will. And, to be honest…”

Holden hesitated for a moment, then his face suddenly contorted. It wasn’t the expression of someone recalling a respected father.

“I think he deserved to die.”

What on earth had he gone through?

But as much as I might have wanted to listen to his story, my own situation was more urgent.

“You may think it’s filial impiety. I don’t care. It’s just that, well, not everyone has a good father like Grand Duke Hubert.”

“…That is true, I suppose.”

I smiled faintly and pushed a plate containing dessert towards him as well.

“Ah, thank you.”

Unlike Dejan, Holden accepted it without reluctance and began to munch on it. He must have been quite hungry.

‘Hadn’t I told them to make sure he was fed?’

Come to think of it, I think I only told them to keep watch.

‘Well, I’m giving him food now, so it’s fine.’

I brushed the issue aside lightly and continued listening to the deal Holden was proposing.

“I will help you summon the demon, my Lady.”