Unshackled Devotion
I must break Mistylia. No matter what, I will lift this curse. This recent turn of events made it painfully clear: as long as Mistylia exists, there will be no happy ending.
It felt like being dragged out of a warm hot spring and thrown headfirst into a freezing snowfield. I never want to experience that sensation again. This is the second time. The second time Mistylia has ruined a crucial moment. Both instances were remarkably similar.
They were the moments when I felt our hearts connect, when I caught a glimpse of genuine affection from Carmel.
Perhaps that is the trigger for Mistylia. When Carmel's hatred wavers, or when another emotion begins to eclipse her malice, the curse activates, flooding Carmel's consciousness with pitch-black hatred. It is a curse designed to force her to live solely as a vengeful wraith against the Luistie Kingdom.
Did Carmel truly place this curse upon herself? Was the hatred she inherited so immense that she would discard her own feelings, her very life, to become a mere vessel for vengeance?
An ordinary person would never make such a choice. But knowing Carmel, I can believe she did. Her actions are already far beyond the comprehension of normal sensibilities. Becoming the queen of a nation she loathes, surrounding herself with the very things she detests—from the very beginning, her own happiness was never part of the equation.
Mistylia—Carmel's hatred—reeks of a foul, putrid rot. Like a mountain of garbage left to fester for years. A stench concentrated and decayed under the crushing weight of time. The original reason for her hatred has long since ceased to matter; only a raw, black malice remains. I wonder where it truly originated.
Carmel inherited this hatred from the Black Sanyanghoe. But why does the Black Sanyanghoe harbor such deep-seated animosity toward the Luistie Kingdom?
While I have uncovered some details about Mistylia, I still know next to nothing about the Black Sanyanghoe. I have ordered Masker to investigate, but... honestly, I am not holding my breath.
Well, perhaps I do not even need to know. Lifting Carmel's curse is the priority. The heretical cult of the past does not matter. If they are ever discovered within the kingdom, they will simply be eradicated on sight anyway.
Lost in thought, I soon arrived at the Forest Brothel. I pulled my hood down low and pushed the door open.
"Welcome, Your Highness," the proprietor greeted, bowing deeply as he recognized me.
I pulled two gold coins from my pocket and handed them to him.
"Thank you for taking care of her all this time. You may dispose of all the items I left here."
"Understood."
Passing him by, I made my way upstairs. I opened the familiar door to find Rika dressed in what was practically just underwear.
"Princess Sera..."
The face that called my name was no longer stoic. The fierce, rugged impression of the warrior I had first met was entirely gone. It was, without a doubt, the face of a completely tamed female.
I set down the small bag I had brought with me.
"Change into the clothes inside, Rika."
"...Yes..."
Rika carefully opened the bag. Inside was an incredibly ordinary outfit, the kind a simple village girl might wear.
"This is..."
It seemed to be different from what she had expected. Yet, without a word of complaint, Rika pulled the garments out and slipped them over her body. Though she had a somewhat sharp, fierce look, Rika was undeniably beautiful. In fact, her sharp features made the feminine attire look strikingly, beautifully contrasting on her.
"Follow me. If there is anything you wish to take with you, pack it in that bag."
"Anything to take... I have nothing of the sort..."
"Then that is fine. Let us go."
As I turned to leave the room, Rika spoke in a slightly trembling voice.
"Are we... going outside?"
"Yes."
Rika asked no further questions. Following me down the stairs, she gave an awkward nod of farewell to the proprietor before we stepped out of the brothel.
The feel of real soil beneath her feet, the unobstructed breeze, the clear sunlight—all of it must have felt incredibly foreign to her. Walking a half-step behind, Rika followed me silently. She asked nothing, and I was in no mood to talk.
We walked for a long time. Even after leaving the forest, we continued along the outer walls of Lurie. In the distance, a dilapidated monastery came into view. It was the Orbin Monastery, the residence of the Saintess.
Rielia welcomed us at the entrance.
"Welcome, Princess. And you too, Rika. I have been waiting for you."
Rielia greeted us with elegant grace, adopting her solemn Saintess persona instead of her usual flustered, chick-like self. Rika looked utterly bewildered by the situation.
"Princess... What is the meaning of this...?"
"From now on, you will live here at the Orbin Monastery. As long as you follow the rules, you will not have to worry about food or shelter. Nothing will confine you here. You are free now, Rika."
"Free...?"
Rika stared at me as if she did not even comprehend the word. Perhaps her long confinement in the brothel had made the concept of freedom entirely alien to her.
I intended to let Rika go. Living a healthy, structured life here at the monastery would gradually cleanse her of the Hypnotic Incense's lingering effects. Originally, I had kept Rika locked away in the brothel to use her as a hidden card. I had planned to use her as the final, devastating blow when I wanted to completely break Carmel.
But now, I had no desire to shatter Carmel's spirit. Both then and now, Carmel was someone 'precious' to me. However, the meaning of that word had slowly begun to shift recently. And Rika, too, was someone precious to Carmel. That was the primary reason behind my decision.
This choice might work against me. I could not deny the possibility that once Rika regained her freedom and shook off the Hypnotic Incense, she might return to Carmel or vow revenge against me. But I was willing to accept all of those risks. Even if Rika exposed everything I had done to Carmel, and even if Carmel burned with an even fiercer hatred for me as a result, this time, I would face it head-on, without hiding behind lies or pretending nothing had happened.
"Take care, Rika. ...I am sorry."
I turned to leave. Rielia would handle the rest beautifully. She was a kind-hearted Saintess, after all. She would take good care of her, even if Rika was of foreign descent.
Just then, someone grabbed my sleeve. With only two fingers, using the faintest, most delicate pressure. It was Rika. In a voice that had sunk to the absolute depths, she spoke.
"Princess, are you... abandoning me?"
"Abandoning you...? No. You will be free here—"
"I have never once wished for freedom."
"...What...?"
"Do you have any idea... with what feelings I spent every single day in that cramped, dark room? I lived thinking only of you, Princess. Not Lady Carmel, but only you... Even when I ate, even in my dreams, I thought only of you... relying on my memories of you... even when I pleasured myself... Why, why are you... abandoning me?"
"Ri—Rika?"
Rika's gaze was deadly serious. The hand gripping my sleeve trembled violently. Perhaps she refrained from grabbing my arm directly because she feared frightening me.
Her reaction was, ultimately, the result of the Hypnotic Incense. It had conditioned her to perceive me as her absolute master, the most important person in her world. Seeing her like this only deepened my guilt.
"Those feelings will change. Once you spend some time here, you will surely remember what it was like to be free. I am certain of it..."
"I refuse," Rika said flatly. Perhaps this was the only part of her where her stubborn, warrior-like nature still remained. "If I cannot see you, Princess, then I do not want freedom. I would rather you send me back to that room. Did you not... did you not promise to make me your dog?"
"...That was..."
I glanced sideways at Rielia. The Saintess had long since abandoned her holy facade; she was covering her wide-open mouth, her face flushed bright red as she listened to our conversation with rapt, breathless interest.
"S-So this is the legendary...!"
...I have no idea what you have heard, Rielia, but it is almost certainly not what you are thinking.
Rika paid absolutely no attention to Rielia or her surroundings, her burning gaze locked entirely on me. She looked as though she would stand frozen in this spot forever if she did not receive the answer she wanted.
There was only one way to make her move.
"...Very well, Rika."
Perhaps because of the word 'dog,' I could almost swear her ears perked up. Doubting whether this was truly the right approach, I continued.
"This is an order from your master. Until I command otherwise, you are to remain at this monastery. Just like when you were kept there... I will come to visit you from time to time."
I had no idea if this was a wise decision in the long run, but at the very least, it worked. Rika's expression finally shifted from that of an abandoned stray to one of profound relief.
"...Understood. Thank you, Princess."
Only then did she release my sleeve. Honestly, I could have shaken her off and walked away, but I had not wanted to. While I was relieved to have pacified Rika, I still had another massive headache to deal with.
"P-Princess... What is your r-relationship?! Just what on earth is your relationship with her?!"
...Today is just not my day. It seems I am destined to deal with one troublesome person after another.