Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: The Twins' Bold Escape
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Ella and Elun lived just the two of them in a small cabin deep in the forest after losing their parents. Despite their young age, both were so clever that they had no trouble surviving. Life had been incredibly hard after their parents passed away, but they managed to endure because they had each other.
Then one day, they encountered a lost magician in the woods and struck up a connection. Feeling pity for the twin siblings living alone without parents, the magician visited often afterward, providing them with plenty of help.
"Magician bro! What'd you bring today? Those cookies from last time were so delicious!"
"Oppa, I want the cotton candy you gave me as thanks when I got lost in the woods!"
"Haha, cotton candy, huh? But I'm sorry—what should I do? I didn't bring any snacks today... Instead! I'll teach you some magic today!"
"Whoa! Really?"
"Can we make sparkly stuff like you, big bro?"
"Of course! Both of you, hold out your hands."
"Here!"
"Like this!"
"Even if it hurts a little or feels weird, you have to endure it, okay?"
The innocent little ones, convinced they were about to learn magic, held out their hands without hesitation. They gritted their teeth through the unpleasant sensation that felt like it was churning up their insides, eagerly awaiting the moment they could cast spells.
On the back of the children's hands, after enduring it all, a white, shimmering pattern appeared.
The magician had a similar white, glowing pattern on the back of his own hand—though different—so the kids didn't suspect a thing. They jumped for joy, thinking they could now use magic too.
The magician told them they'd be able to use magic starting the next day, played with them until evening as usual, and then left.
And that very night, thugs broke into the cabin, and the children were sold off at a slave auction.
That was when their misfortune truly began.
Ella and Elun couldn't bring themselves to believe it when they learned the pattern on their hands was a slave brand. No, they simply refused to believe it. Locked behind iron bars, they screamed over and over that something must be wrong.
But it turned out the magician was a specialist in branding slaves, and he'd targeted Ella and Elun from the start.
The reason he'd gained their trust and frequented their home was to confirm whether they had any guardians watching over them.
Ella and Elun were auctioned off to a wealthy merchant, but they seized a slim chance and escaped just before the bidding ended.
They ended up in the slums, where their sharp minds and sociable nature quickly won over the other slum kids. Even when the others discovered the slave brands on their hands, the kids said it was fine and played with them anyway.
At least on the surface.
The slum kids reported the twins and collected a hefty bounty. Ella and Elun were captured by slave hunters.
That was when the slave brand on the backs of their hands was moved to their backs.
The master who had bought them at the auction dressed them in ridiculous outfits and made them perform in front of crowds—reciting the exact same lines as twins, with the same expressions, movements, dances, and songs. Any tiny mistake meant a beating afterward, targeted at spots hidden by their clothes.
Then one day, a noble who liked their performance bought them back for a small fortune. The new master didn't make the siblings perform in front of people like the previous one had.
He fed them well and dressed them in clean clothes. They did have to stay locked in a pretty birdcage-like iron enclosure until the master arrived, but he never hit them.
Instead, the master wanted them to stay glued to each other. Feeding each other or helping change clothes wasn't so bad. Holding hands or hugging was the same. But the demands escalated, and as even the young siblings started sensing something was off, Ella finally burst into tears.
Her sister's tears hit Elun hard. His sister, who never shed a single tear no matter how tough things got—instead cursing boldly and holding her head high—had broken down.
Elun could no longer hold back.
That very night, the night his sister cried.
Elun secretly cut his sleeping sister's hair short. Then, clutching the locks of hair, he waited for the maid who always snuck in at night to bring cookies.
Tears welling up, Elun told the maid.
He'd fought with his twin sibling, and while he slept, the twin had chopped his hair like this. The master would surely be furious if he found out. Please help him.
The maid who brought the cookies seemed shocked but tried her best to fix it. She spent the night clumsily making a wig and fitted it on Elun. It was a bit shorter, but enough to fool the master.
Elun straightened his shoulders, twirled his newly lengthened hair around his finger, and stood where the mirror was visible. A prim expression with slightly pursed lips.
From that day on, Elun became Ella.
When Ella woke up, she gaped at her severed hair and the wig on Elun, then let out a disbelieving chuckle.
Though he'd ruined her sister's prized, luscious locks, she didn't get mad at him.
The unevenly chopped strands of his sister's hair bothered him. He should've cut it more neatly.
"I'm okay now. I won't cry anymore."
Even if it was scary, it was fine if it was with him, she said, hiding her trembling hands behind her back and flashing a grin.
Elun stared at his sister's smile—still beautiful despite the short hair—for a long time before his face crumpled and he burst into tears.
"Sis, I... I hate this. I don't want to live like this anymore. Run away with me. Please? I'm too scared to do it alone...!"
It's too awful, too scary. Sobbing, Elun poured his heart out to his sister.
His kindhearted sister knew full well it was dangerous, but she promised to do it anyway—to escape this hell together—and hugged him tight.
On the day they planned to flee.
Elun chose the flashiest, most cumbersome skirt and slipped on sparkling jeweled shoes. He specially braided the wig sideways for an innocent look and tied it with soft silk fabric.
He transferred lantern oil into a small perfume bottle and hid it in the puffed sleeve adorned with lace, stashing the secretly pilfered matchsticks inside his neatly braided hair.
The plan wasn't elaborate. Start a fire when the moment was right, then slip away while everyone was distracted. That was it.
...At least on the surface.
Elun knew deep down that escaping wouldn't solve anything. His sister Ella probably knew it too. The magically imprinted slave brand had a function that could roughly pinpoint their location.
They'd already escaped once, been recaptured, and knew the brand moved to their backs would be even stronger now. Even if they got lucky and succeeded this time, the contract etched into the brand might claim their lives. And if it didn't have such a clause, getting caught again would surely mean they wouldn't emerge unscathed.
Ella... his beloved sister... had promised to die with him.
Dressed up prettily, the two waited for their master to call them. He always summoned them in the late afternoon, and that day was no different.
Ella kept instinctively touching her short hair, hesitating midway. But the moment they stood before the master, she switched attitudes completely.
The twins knew each other too well; impersonating one another was a breeze.
As expected, the master didn't notice the switch at all. Pretending to be Ella, Elun approached timidly yet eagerly.
He double-checked the fork he'd hidden in his skirt folds without his sister's knowledge. When Elun lifted his skirt slightly to draw the fork, the master grinned lewdly and tried to peek inside.
Sis, I'll get us out of this hell for sure.
With that thought, Elun gripped the fork tight. He had to stab the throat or eye. Anything shallow would kill not the damned master, but him and his sister.
"It has to work in one strike."
Elun plunged the fork with all his might toward the master's right eye.
"Urk!"
Too tense, perhaps—the fork didn't sink deep, merely grazing the eye. The master groaned in pain, clutching it. Blood streamed from his eye, but that was the end of it.
I failed.
No way we'd survive this. In that case, at least leave a scar that lasts a lifetime.
Thinking that, Elun lunged again. The moment the master opened his mouth to scream toward the door, a shout came from behind.
"Elun, duck!"
Elun dropped flat on instinct. A whoosh passed over his head, followed by a heavy thud.
Elun stared blankly at the master collapsing with blood pouring from his head, then whipped around at the hand yanking him.
"What are you spacing out for?!"
Ella scolded Elun as she untied the ribbon from her wig and began binding the master's awkwardly sprawled arms and legs. Fortunately, the guards in the hallway hadn't heard. The soundproofing walls, installed to hide the master's secret hobby, had turned against him.
Snapping to his senses, Elun pulled out the oil-filled perfume bottle from his sleeve, uncapped it, and stuffed the opening with a handkerchief. A Molotov cocktail was complete.
It was small, but since the goal was just to start a fire a short distance away, it would suffice.
After tying the master's limbs securely, Ella went to the terrace and cracked open the window. Dinner was over, and the servants were eating, so only a few guards patrolled outside.
The master's room was on the top floor of the mansion, so jumping was out of the question. Ella and Elun exchanged a brief glance before ripping down the curtains, tearing them into long strips, and knotting them together. They tied the makeshift rope firmly to the terrace railing and dragged over some bedding.
Just to be safe, Ella smashed another bottle over the master's nape. It shattered this time, but she pocketed a sharp shard with a satisfied nod.
Elun headed to the terrace, lit a match, and waited for a guard to pass. Then he ignited the small firebomb and hurled it as far as he could.
The little bottle shattered silently.
The guards didn't notice right away. But the parched grass, dried out by the weather, caught fire instantly and began to blaze.
"Fire!"
A maid spotted it first and yelled. The patrolling guards and servants sprang into action, fetching water in unison. It didn't take long to put out the flames.
Then one guard noticed the pile of bedding on the ground. Puzzled by the random blankets, he looked up—and saw a long rope dangling from the terrace railing, black smoke rising from the master's bedroom.
"The, the master's room is on fire...!"