Enlightenment (2)
An attempted rape targeting a noble—no, the daughter of a duke—was more than enough to turn the entire academy upside down. A professor who should have been teaching students had instead extended his filthy claws toward one of them. It was only natural that the academy's reputation would plummet. And with the potential for international disputes entangled in the mess, the situation was bound to grow noisy in every conceivable way.
But the victim herself—Grace—was eerily serene. She was currently resting in the infirmary. Delphoi's concocted paralyzing poison had remained intact right there, making detoxification a breeze. And as a bonus, Sivar's massage. The next day was the weekend, so no classes were missed, but she still needed a full week of recuperation.
Thank goodness it had ended as just an attempt. If she'd actually been harmed, Grace would have left the academy for good.
"The family asked me to pass on that they're fine with it. They'll cover everything needed for your treatment."
"……"
Before seeking out Sivar, Asuras had gone straight to Grace in the infirmary. She looked utterly deflated, perhaps from the shock—her usually sharp gaze noticeably softened. Even if it was merely an attempt, it was a horrific ordeal for any woman; it would be strange if no trauma lingered.
Asuras knew this well and gazed at her with pity. Family policy or not, a sister was a sister. Unlike the family head, who offered no carrots and only the whip, Asuras at least had his head screwed on straight.
"……Even in something like this, big brother shows up. The family head would never."
"……"
"I know he's busy. But……the punishment for Professor Delphoi? It's ultimately for the family's honor, not me."
Grace let out a wry chuckle, her face etched with utter resignation.
The Berche Duke family had personally demanded Delphoi's disposal. The academy had cut ties faster than anyone. But this was for the duke family's reputation—not for Grace. At least, that's how she saw it. Otherwise, the family head himself would have come, not the eldest son. If they truly cared as family.
"……He's not as heartless as you think. He's probably agonizing over it right now."
"Forget it. Whatever affection was there has long dried up. And if you're succeeding the family, I won't have to see his face anyway. Just tell him to stay holed up there."
"……"
Asuras offered no reply to Grace's venomous words. Or rather, he couldn't. He had nothing to say on that front himself.
That was the Berche Duke family's creed. Don't expect handouts if you can't achieve it yourself. That was their foundation.
The problem? They enforced it far too harshly. Children were meant to grow in their parents' embrace. Without that protection, they ended up fragile beyond measure.
Like Grace right now.
"……How's Mother?"
"I barely stopped her from coming."
That answer seemed to ease her a fraction. The sharpness in Grace's expression softened just a touch.
Mother was utterly ordinary compared to Father—strict, but affectionate as a mother ought to be. Yet her chronic illness grew worse by the day.
Because of it, Father's whippings had only intensified.
'If something happens to Mother……'
She couldn't even imagine. But one thing was certain: the lashings would grow harsher still.
Could she endure? Would the family step in if another incident like this erupted?
Who knew.
Grace sighed deeply, her mood sinking into gloom.
"If you want, the family can dispatch an escort knight. Who would you like?"
"……If I want?"
Grace let out a disbelieving scoff. In a situation like this, shouldn't they assign one unconditionally—not "if you want"?
It had nearly been a scandal for the duke's own daughter, for heaven's sake.
Irritation laced her voice as she replied.
"Forget it. Tell them not to bother. Instead, double the financial support."
"What for?"
"My business. Problem?"
"None."
Cold hard cash was far preferable. At least she wouldn't gripe about that.
Still, it left her unsatisfied.
Grace nodded with a complicated look, then something occurred to her—the knight who had saved her from peril. Not Delphoi. Not the family. Sivar.
As Asuras rose to leave, she blurted urgently.
"What about Sivar?"
"Who?"
"Sivar. The one who saved me."
"Ah. The forest survivor?"
Rumors of Sivar had already reached the duke's household.
With his parade of colorful incidents, word spread inevitably.
Promising academy students usually gained fame for looks or lineage, but Sivar's backstory packed its own punch. Most pegged him as a wild man from the woods.
Asuras was no different.
"I'll thank that student personally. Compensation too."
"Then……"
Grace hesitated. Was such a request appropriate?
Anyone else, and a suitable reward would suffice.
But Sivar? Tricky. Money? He didn't grasp the concept. Food? Her conscience stung.
"Could you……ask Sivar if he'd be my escort?"
"What? Escort?"
"Yes. He's unique, so think of it as escort duty and reward."
Her solution: bodyguardcompensation.
A month's worth of cakes ought to do it.
To Asuras, unfamiliar with Sivar, the proposal was utterly baffling.
"……No clue what you're thinking. An escort, out of nowhere?"
"Not possible?"
"I'll float it……but you sure?"
The question carried layers.
She'd nearly fallen to someone relatively close, after all.
And to Asuras, Sivar was a ticking time bomb—pure instinct-driven wildling. Case closed.
"Yes. Sivar's not like that. Far nobler than that trash Delphoi."
"If so……I'll propose it. Family won't fuss anyway."
"Second most useful thing after money, then."
Grace skewered the Berche Duke family with biting sarcasm.
Asuras couldn't argue.
Soon after, he departed with well-wishes to take care.
Leaving Grace alone in the room.
A private suite—silence and stillness enveloped it.
An inexplicable void tugged at her as she slowly lay back.
'Fairy tales……really are terrifying.'
Princesses in fairy tales faced peril after peril.
A knight swooped in to save the day.
Innocent back then. But becoming the princess? The psychological blow was immense.
Now she knew: knights existed, but fairy tales did not.
Grace thought so.
"Haa……Huh?"
Sighing amid tangled emotions, something snagged her eye.
Her uniform.
Delphoi had shredded the shirt beneath, but the uniform itself was fine.
'Now that I think……inside there……'
Grace propped up, arm stretching toward the uniform.
Not the top—the skirt pocket.
Sure enough, out came a grape candy.
The one from Sivar.
She stared blankly, then unwrapped it slow as if spellbound.
"Nom."
Purple candy slipped into her mouth.
Soon, grape scent flooded.
Not her favorite flavor, but tolerable. She loved sweets anyway.
She chewed absently.
Candy melting, taste blooming across her tongue.
-Eat it when you're tired.
Sivar's voice echoed like a hallucination.
Expressionless, yet his worry shone through.
That worry took root—and soon, he appeared like a true knight.
Without him, she'd have been sullied for sure.
Drip—
Emotions surged. A single tear traced her cheek.
Memories flooded: every helping hand Sivar had extended.
Kindnesses bartered for mere cake.
Pure goodwill was rare in the academy.
But Sivar? Purest of the pure.
"Uheuk……"
Lip bit hard, but sobs escaped anyway.
Sivar's absence loomed vast.
Reflection showed she'd always leaned on his kindness.
Duke's lady, fierce demeanor—others kept distance.
Yet Sivar approached, blank-faced.
His demand? One cake slice.
Lip service, really—practically pro bono.
Pure goodwill.
Guilt pricked for deceiving him.
'Such a genuinely good person……'
Grace wiped ceaseless tears.
No proper upbringing—how could he be so kind?
Civilized folk committing atrocities instead.
No farther than Delphoi.
'And me……I tried to use Sivar too……'
Lured by his raw power.
But learning his heart? Only regret remained.
Desperate to repay, yet clueless how.
Family aid? Unneeded.
What would delight Sivar?
Food? Not nearly enough.
Knock knock—
As despair crept in, a knock at the door.
Grace hastily dabbed her eyes.
Knocker wasn't Asuras—someone else.
Couldn't show a sloppy mess.
Traces lingered, but better than streaming.
"……Who is it?"
Voice quavered despite herself.
Grace asked in a subdued tone.
The visitor was Lee Yeonju.
Normally, non-relatives faced strict visiting rules.
But Yeonju was one Grace had specifically requested.
Always tagging along, they'd grown close.
Like an attachment plushie.
Grace chewed her candy, murmuring permission.
"Come in."
Creak—
Permission granted, Yeonju eased the door open.
Face-to-face with Grace immediately.
Tear tracks stark. Eyes still glossy from fresh crying.
Yeonju's heart ached, but she kept it hidden.
No need to deepen the wound.
"Here—the books you asked for, Grace."
"Thanks……"
No platitudes like "I'm fine." Wrong timing.
Grace took the books from Yeonju.
Not novels—fairy tales.
She'd shared her tastes with Yeonju a while back.
Constant company made it natural.
Never to others, but Yeonju felt like a safe plushie.
"……Hm? What's this?"
Grace spotted an unfamiliar one.
Title alone felt offbeat.
"Fool On'geon and Princess Pyeongha……? An Eastern tale?"
"Well……it's from our region, exactly. Want to read?"
Yeonju offered with subtle correction.
Grace flipped it open thoughtlessly.
First Eastern fairy tale for her.
Childhood East was too volatile for trade.
Common-tongue translations? Rare.
Wondered what Eastern tales felt like.
"……"
Grace dove deep into the recommended story.
Plot refreshingly novel.
Fool On'geon meets Princess Pyeongha, grows.
Twist: both flawed.
On'geon fool-bad, Pyeongha stubbornly so.
Yet her devoted efforts forged him into a general of renown.
Tragic end—On'geon's death—but Grace shrugged it off.
"Yeonju."
"Yes?"
"Was On'geon……really a fool?"
Yeonju paused at the question.
Famous tale, varied takes—but consensus: no true fool.
Naive goodness, not mental defect.
Real issues? No generalcy.
Scholars agreed.
"No. Just uneducated. Talent? Top-tier. Otherwise, no general."
"……"
Grace's mind flashed to one: Sivar, midterm madman.
Wild-raised didn't mean dim.
Dimwits died in wilds.
On'geon same.
Uneducated simplicity, but general-caliber talent.
Pyeongha's devotion made it happen.
"……I see."
Grace's brooding face began to brighten.
Candy nearly gone.
"That's it!"
"Huh?"
Grace cried out, enlightened.
Gloom vanished.
She gripped Yeonju's shoulders tight.
Yeonju's slight frame looked devourable.
"The knight! Not perfect from the start! Nothing is, in this world!"
"Y-Yes?"
"Perfection isn't born—it's made! On'geon too! Princess's devotion made the general!"
"???"
Yeonju's face twisted in confusion.
Couldn't parse Grace's epiphany.
One fairy tale, and this?
Undeterred, Grace beamed rapture, head high.
Arms flung skyward, joyful shout.
"Fairy tales! Don't come to you!"
Her inner child whispered.
"I'll craft my own fairy tale! With these hands!"
No barriers left.
Straight ahead only.
Yeonju gawked, uncomprehending.
Grace gradually reined in her fervor.
Candy fully dissolved.
Sweetness lingered vivid.
"First things first—one task."
"……What?"
"Marriage."
"……Pardon?"
Yeonju blinked.
"Marry Sivar. Forge him into a knight with my devotion."
"……"
"Then my dreamed fairy tale completes. Perfect, right?"
Her face plunged into utter chaos.
Meanwhile, same moment.
+1 Faith
"?"
Sivar, mid-conversation with Asuras, received sudden divine sponsorship.