Chapter 162
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 162
Perhaps she could see the hallucinations Pudding had created, for Agera blinked rapidly, her expression highly agitated.
"What… What is this?"
"It's all right, Lady Agera. This is just a nightmare. You must be tired today, so please go back to sleep."
I held her hand to soothe her, patting her chest in a steady rhythm.
"Amaranth, you won't go anywhere, right?" Agera asked, squeezing my hand tightly.
Even with her dementia, Amaranth's departure seemed to have left a deep trauma; she simply couldn't bear the thought of me disappearing. I’d heard that when I briefly visited the Rohanson mansion, she had turned the entire estate upside down looking for me.
"Yes. We'll go to the greenhouse together tomorrow, too. I promise."
Reassured by my words, Agera closed her eyes. Soon, the sound of her soft, even breathing filled the room. The Rat, who had been watching silently until now, finally spoke.
"So, the rumor that Mother was critically ill was a lie?"
It seemed to have only just realized Agera was perfectly healthy and unharmed. Smarter than I thought.
"You're not the only one who can set a trap."
I had used Agera as bait to quickly ensnare the Rat. I hadn’t wanted to resort to such a ruthless method. After all, Agera was Evangeline's flesh and blood, and I had grown fond of her as ‘Amaranth’ during my stay at the Duke's estate.
Honestly, I hadn't expected the Duke to agree to this. It was no different from using Agera, whom he cherished so deeply. On top of that, it involved spreading a rumor that she was critically ill—a scenario he wouldn't even want to imagine.
But perhaps it was because I had completed his route? Unexpectedly, the Duke accepted my proposal. Maybe he believed that since Agera's twisted obsession was the starting point of the Rat's appearance, it had to be resolved through her.
Of course, it came with the condition that Agera's safety must be guaranteed. But I had no intention of putting her in danger anyway. Besides, the Rat was incredibly soft on Agera, so it was certain she would never be harmed.
Whether it was because Pudding was holding a blade to its throat or because I was standing right next to Agera, the Rat couldn't even put up a proper fight. This really made me feel like the true villain.
"To think you walked right into the beast's mouth without even realizing it… Your filial piety is quite impressive," I said.
"Mother needs to know what a devious creature you really are!" the Rat sneered in response.
I didn't know how many people it had devoured, but its eloquence had certainly improved.
"I don't want to hear that from you," I replied coldly.
At the very least, I hadn't done anything to deserve scorn from a demon who went around murdering people.
"Do you even know what it means to become ‘Amaranth’?"
"I don't need a meaning. I am a seed. I was meant to germinate and sprout as Amaranth. Even though my body was torn apart by Father before I could be completed, forcing me to borrow the hideous form of a rat… If you hadn't stolen my place, that position would have been mine!" the Rat shrieked.
I worried the commotion might wake Agera, but fortunately, she remained fast asleep. Her grip on my hand had loosened, so I carefully moved it aside and stepped toward the Rat.
The moment I stepped away from Agera, the Rat tried to lunge at me, only to be pinned down and forced to its knees by Pudding once again. Was Agera more important to it than its own life? Its affection was far more blind than I had anticipated.
Unwilling to meet its gaze on equal terms, I remained standing. I simply looked down at the Rat, making sure it felt the full weight of its humiliation as it was forced to look up at me.
"You know, becoming Amaranth doesn't just mean becoming Agera's daughter…" I took a breath and continued, "…it means becoming my mother."
Just the thought of it was utterly repulsive. Whose place did it dare try to take? Amaranth's? Even as the words left my mouth, they were laced with pure disgust.
It felt like looking at an uninvited guest who had crashed a peaceful family dinner. And if that uninvited guest had murdered my mother and was now wearing her face, of course I would find it loathsome.
The Rat didn't avert its gaze. Rico's face glared up at me, contorted with rage. I was glad it had reverted to that face. If it had been wearing Amaranth's, I would have been deeply shaken. I didn't know why, but I felt it instinctively.
"What kind of mother in this world puts her own daughter in danger?"
Of course, it was a lie meant to rattle the Rat. There was no need to bring up fairy tales about wicked stepmothers; one only had to look at the newspapers to see how many biological mothers abused their children.
"So, if you were truly ‘Amaranth,’ you shouldn't have harbored such hostility toward me for taking your place."
I tapped the Rat's cheek and offered a faint smile, mimicking the one I had seen in Amaranth’s portrait.
"Isn't that right, Mother?"
Once I finished speaking, I felt my anger subside slightly. Ever since the Rat began mimicking Amaranth, a deep, boiling rage had been simmering inside me.
At first, I thought I was angry because the Rat had burned down the mansion, but it seemed I was also deeply offended by the mere fact that it was mimicking Amaranth and coveting her place. Was it my duty, as the one in Evangeline's body, to repay Amaranth’s grace?
"Amaranth."
I would rather die than call that thing Amaranth, but I deliberately spat out the name. The creature looked just as displeased as I felt. So, despite what I just said, it didn't want my acknowledgment, only Agera's? Fine. Whatever.
"Why don't you die for Agera's sake?"
Pudding moved his hand. Blood began to seep from the Rat's neck. A tense silence filled the room. Just as its head was about to roll, the door burst open.
"No!"
A child's shrill scream cut through the silence.
"Mavka?"
The one who appeared at the door was none other than Mavka. Why was she here? As I stared in bewilderment, Hazel, standing behind Mavka, had gone pale with dismay and was covering her mouth. She looked terrified by the scene inside the room.
"I-I'm so sorry. Mavka kept begging to see Lady Rohanson, so…" Hazel apologized, trembling as she bowed her head deeply.
Mavka shook off Hazel's grip and, undeterred by the gruesome state of the room, rushed forward to block my path.
"Mom! Don't hurt my mom!"
With that, Mavka burst into loud, wailing tears. A headache began to throb behind my temples. Why did it have to be Mavka? To her, it must have looked like I was about to slice her mom's throat.
First, I needed to clean up this environment; it was terrible for a child's mental health. At my silent command, Pudding snapped his fingers. The eyeballs embedded in the walls vanished, and the Duchess's room returned to its elegant, classic appearance.
I pressed a hand to my throbbing forehead, having absolutely no idea how to resolve this situation. Mavka was sobbing breathlessly, staring at the menacing scythe pointed at the Rat.
"Waaah, don't kill my mom…" Mavka wept, tears and snot streaming down her face.
I needed to soothe the child and get her out of here first. I couldn't execute the Rat while it wore Rico's face right in front of her.
"Mavka. The adults have something to discuss, so could you step outside for a moment?"
"Y-yes. Let's go outside together."
Hazel, lacking the strength to pick the child up, took Mavka's hand and tried to lead her out. However, her gentle and considerate nature meant her grip on the struggling child was far too weak.
Naturally, she was no match for a child desperately fighting to save her mother.
The moment Hazel lost her grip, Mavka seized the opportunity, switching targets to cling to the hem of Pudding's clothes. Pudding grimaced, looking utterly repulsed.
Imagining him making that exact same face back when he was a cat dealing with Mavka made me want to chuckle, despite the gravity of the situation. Pudding glared fiercely at her, debating whether to fling her off, but then he glanced at me and instantly smoothed his expression into a docile one, as if nothing had happened.
I looked away from Pudding and turned my attention back to Mavka.
"Mavka. I promise I won't kill Rico."
"Liar…!"
Yes, it was a lie. How did she know? Separating a child who loved her mother so dearly just to kill her… No matter how you looked at it, didn't I seem like the villain here?
"I'm never leaving! Mavka is going to protect Mom!" Mavka shouted with a determination unusual for a crying child.
She was far too clever. She was smart enough to realize I was just telling her what she wanted to hear.
She had realized that Rico would die the moment she left. And quite shrewdly, she was exploiting my weakness for children.
Was it because I felt guilty for failing to protect Rico, which made me yield to Mavka's every whim? Or had I made a mistake from the very beginning by gently comforting her whenever she cried?
"Well, this is entertaining…"
The Rat grinned from ear to ear, clearly delighted by Mavka's intrusion. It was so obnoxious I wanted to smack it. Still, I could understand its feelings. Who wouldn't be thrilled when a lifeline appeared just as they were pushed to the edge of a cliff?
Its intention to use Mavka was glaringly obvious. Rico, what are you doing? Your daughter is being targeted by a demon right now. Since this was a book, I wished Rico's remaining soul would summon some dramatic strength. I wanted her to miraculously seize control of her body and emerge.
"Mavka. My daughter," the Rat called out in a sweet, cooing voice.
The gentleness in its tone was enough to give me goosebumps. If its devotion to Agera was one hundred percent genuine, this voice was nothing but pure affectation.
"Mavka. Will you kill Evangeline and save Mom? If you're my beloved daughter, surely you'll do that for me, right?"
"…"
Ordering a child to kill someone? Seriously, don't gaslight your own kid into doing something so horrific.
Then again, that wasn't Rico; it was a demon. It had played the part of a devoted daughter to Agera so well that I had temporarily forgotten just how utterly depraved a demon's nature could be. My mistake.
"That witch is going to hurt Mom. She's going to tear Mom apart with her scythe. But Mavka can stop her by killing that witch, right? You'll protect Mom, won't you?"