Chapter 582: Jealousy is My Power (82)
Chapter 582: Jealousy is My Power (82)
It was a night of raging blizzards.
While the Central Region, where the Academy was located, suffered under an untimely heatwave, the North was different. Instead, it was hosting a festival of ice and snow, acting as a herald for the approaching winter.
The wind howled with such ferocity it felt as though it could sear right through one's skin.
The mournful rattling of the windows was a chilling accompaniment. Amidst a blizzard that felt as if it could drop the temperature by several degrees just by listening to it, the head of the Yurdina family swirled the wine in her glass.
Delphine Yurdina.
Inside her office at Yurdina Castle, this captivating blonde woman was dressed in a way that was practically naked. Her snow-white skin peeked through the gaps of her slipping robe.
According to Senior Delphine, this wasn't a side of her she showed to just anyone.
She had said I was the first, and that I would continue to be the only one.
Under normal circumstances, it was a sight I would have wanted to linger on and commit to memory. However, the topic Senior Delphine had raised was so shocking that I could do nothing but remain silent for a long time.
When I finally managed to speak, my voice was thick with disbelief.
"Seria’s mother... killed your mother...?"
"She murdered her. To be more precise, it was a type of curse. It’s a fact my Elf friends discovered while investigating Leoric’s office. Father confirmed it as well."
"But why?"
The question escaped my lips reflexively.
In truth, it wasn't even a question directed at Senior Delphine. It was closer to a mutter, born from sheer bewilderment.
Even so, I couldn't help but immediately regret it.
This was a secret involving her own mother's death. The person most pained by this sudden truth was none other than Senior Delphine herself.
It had been public knowledge that Lady Yurdina died of illness during Delphine's childhood. Wasting away from an unknown disease was a common enough occurrence in the North, a place known for its extreme environment.
It was a story where there was no one to blame.
If she had truly died of an illness, that is.
But that was no longer the case. I broke into a cold sweat, unable to even begin to fathom the depth of Senior Delphine's heart.
Yet, Senior Delphine herself merely maintained a nonchalant expression.
"It seems the Dark Cult has had an interest in the North for a long time. They likely tried to seize control of the Yurdina family. Thanks to my foolish father entering into a contract, they were able to plant a 'Vampire' bloodline in the North without suspicion... Isn't the next step obvious?"
"They wanted to take complete control of the Yurdina family."
"My mother was simply sacrificed in that process. The only problem was that their conspiracy was eventually found out."
Senior Delphine stated this firmly as she sipped her wine.
Her tone was dry.
It lacked the sadness or anger that one would expect to feel. Her extremely business-like attitude actually made me worry more.
I wondered if she was intentionally acting tough.
However, Senior Delphine didn't show me even the slightest crack in her composure.
"I heard a distinguished guest visited the family back then. Apparently, a nameless old mage gave some advice—that our mother’s illness was not natural."
"A nameless old mage? You're saying you treated an unnamed old man as a distinguished guest?"
It was a suspicious story to anyone's ears.
Mages were fundamentally untrustworthy people. Among those who pursued the Truth, there were those who believed that the ends justified the means.
There was a reason why more than half of the folk tales passed down among commoners featured a wicked mage.
That was why nobles went through a rigorous verification process even when inviting a mage.
A nameless old mage?
Far from accepting him as a guest, it would have been a relief if they hadn't kicked him out. Especially if his skills were exceptional.
Senior Delphine seemed to harbor the same doubts.
"Well, I don't easily understand it either... but detailed records from that time don't remain. Father is particularly tight-lipped about that matter."
"And that old mage's claim...?"
"My conclusion is that it's reliable. It’s the conclusion reached not just by me, but by Father and the Elves as well."
If that was the case, there was no room for me to interfere.
They were people who would have examined the matter far more closely than I ever could. It was only rational to assume their conclusion was correct.
And so, I had no choice but to fall back into silence.
How long did that stillness last?
Eventually, a cautious voice leaked from my lips.
"Um, Senior Delphine. What about Seria...?"
"She doesn't know. And she never will."
It was a firm answer.
I could feel her iron will in that unwavering tone. It was her characteristic stubborn way of speaking, signaling that she would never reverse her decision.
After hesitating for a moment, I voiced a faint question.
"...Do you not resent them?"
"Who? Seria? Or Seria’s mother?"
With that, Senior Delphine let out a short, half-formed laugh. Her lips, stained by the wine, looked particularly alluring.
"Are you joking, Husband? I don't resent anyone. Being the 'Head of the Family' is a position of responsibility, not a position to shift blame onto others."
"Still, Seria must have resented you a lot. Last time, she said she was hurt because she felt like you were hiding something..."
"That, too, is a responsibility I must bear."
In that murmur, I felt as if I caught a glimpse of Senior Delphine's true feelings.
How heavy a burden must be resting on the shoulders of this woman sipping wine with a bittersweet expression?
But that was just a brief observation.
Soon, Senior Delphine returned to her playful smile, and I didn't intentionally pry into her heart.
A family head has the role of a family head.
I had no desire to carelessly uncover the true feelings of the lonely person standing beyond that role.
Consolation could wait until we met again.
Thinking that, I decided to engrave Senior Delphine's request into my heart.
"Husband, please keep this matter a secret as well. It suits Seria better to remain foolishly blaming others like this."
Finally, she concluded with a faint smile.
"Wouldn't she be a bit more charming that way?"
A sigh escaped my lips, and after that, our conversation turned to mundane things.
Senior Delphine asked me with a look of lingering concern.
"Will you be alright? Objectively speaking, your forces are too lacking. It might be better to aim for the next opportunity..."
"Senior Delphine, you said the position of family head is one of responsibility."
There was no reply.
Only a faint light flickered in her crimson eyes as she stared at me in silence.
Meeting her gaze, I emphasized once more.
"I also have a responsibility I must fulfill. Though... I'm not sure if I'll succeed."
This was a few days before Seria heard the truth.
*
Seria was trembling uncontrollably.
She didn't know how to respond, or perhaps she wondered if she had misunderstood her mother's confession.
Ian stood before her, clutching his forehead. His despairing expression revealed the man's inner turmoil.
In the end, he couldn't protect it.
Only a few days after Ian and Delphine had made their promise, Seria had heard the truth she was never supposed to hear. No one could know what consequences this catastrophe would bring.
No one, except Fate.
Seria’s trembling lips struggled to squeeze out a voice. But what leaked through the gaps were only groans that failed to become words.
"Ah, ugh, ah..."
Clack, clack, clatter.
The excessive shock caused the muscles throughout her body to convulse. Her jaw muscles were no exception, and Seria’s teeth slammed against each other, driving a sharp noise into her brain.
The girl's blue eyes were filled with terror.
It wasn't a fear directed at any specific object.
It was simply a feeling akin to despair toward the truth, the world, and an unbearable past. But Seria’s mother, intoxicated by blood, could not fathom her daughter's heart.
Because she was a monster.
How could a monster fathom a human heart?
And so, Seria was suddenly struck by fear. Even with her fractured mind, there was one fact she understood.
Am I also a monster?
A blood-red image from her jumbled memories surfaced.
What... what did I do?
"Even thinking about it now, it was a perfect plan. Delphine’s mother was already frail. If I just shook her body's balance a little with a 'curse,' you know? Especially since our family's sorcery was lost in ancient times, there was little worry of being caught."
"Huu, ugh, huu..."
"Delphine, that pathetic girl, didn't even know what was happening to her mother. She acted tough for a young thing... but on the day she died, she couldn't hide her tears. This is how the world works."
The silver-haired woman spoke like that with a benevolent smile.
Like a parent imparting a precious lesson.
All while being completely oblivious to the heart of Seria, who was trembling with her eyes fixed on the ground.
"If you don't take, you will be taken from... You were taken from because you couldn't take anything from Delphine, and I took a mother away from Delphine."
The broken dam of memory poured all sorts of scenes onto her retinas.
All the words of resentment.
The words she had spat out not long ago suddenly flashed through her mind.
['That day'? What do you mean...]
[The day you kicked Mother out.]
What did I say?
Even as her heart collapsed, the woman's voice continued. Voices and more voices were tangling together in the air.