The Allure of a Curse
As part of a princess's education, I had studied the history of this country to the level of an ordinary scholar. Judging by that knowledge, a witch named Enekra had never appeared in the history of this kingdom. At least, not as far as I knew.
Well, of course, it would be strange for such an ominous entity to operate openly in the annals of history. Enekra, the Black Witch... Still, since she left her name behind as the author of a grimoire, there had to be some records of her. The Magic Library or the Gerard family would surely have some information.
And another thing. Why did Carmel set the password to open that crucial box as the cursed words left behind by Enekra? Considering that the grimoire Carmel used in the original novel was the Book of Enekra, and that she was bound to it by fate, there was undoubtedly a connection.
Carmel's goal was to destroy the Luistie Kingdom. Perhaps her reason for wanting to ruin this country was somehow related to Enekra.
Yet, Enekra's attitude when she first saw me in my dream hadn't been entirely hostile. 'Hello, Luistie.' Her reaction upon realizing I belonged to the Luistie royal family was a mix of curiosity and a faint trace of anticipation.
Enekra only began to reveal her wicked, witch-like nature the moment I failed to recognize her. It almost seemed as if she was furious that I didn't recognize my benefactor. Well, of course, events in a dream couldn't be taken as absolute truth. Regardless, it gave me a new perspective to look deeper into Carmel's mind.
Although the secrets I had to uncover had multiplied, I had to be grateful for this new information. Furthermore, being able to open Carmel's trump card—the box—meant I had seized her leash once again.
My previous promise to Carmel was that I wouldn't "mention" the box, not that I wouldn't open it or take out its contents. She had likely agreed to those terms out of absolute confidence that I could never open it, never imagining that the ancient witch would leak the password in my dream. Naturally, neither had I.
What made this even more advantageous was that Carmel was completely oblivious to this fact. A surprise blow always hurts the most. A pleasant smile played on my lips.
The gravity of this matter was immense. In other words, the degree of humiliation I could demand from Carmel would be equally massive. Just imagining it sent a delicious shiver down my spine. What kind of degrading acts should I force her to do this time...? All sorts of thrilling delusions flooded my mind.
"Um, Your Highness, are you alright?"
"Pardon?"
"Y-you suddenly shuddered... If you are cold..."
"Ah, yes. It is a bit chilly. Would you mind preparing a warm drink for me?"
"I will prepare it right away. Will black tea be fine?"
"Yes, please."
It was a relief I had been looking out the window. Otherwise, she might have caught me wearing an expression entirely unbefitting of a princess. While the maid prepared the tea, I stared up at the blue sky, calming my racing heart.
"...What is all this?"
Returning from her duties, Carmel frowned at the pile of books stacked on the table. A History of Magic, The Founding of the Luistie Kingdom, In Search of the Golden Bough, The Tales of Aurilke... At a glance, the titles seemed to have no common thread.
But my purpose was clear: to gather even the slightest scrap of information related to Enekra. Staring at print all day had certainly strained my eyes. I placed a bookmark in the book I was reading and turned my gaze toward Carmel.
"I didn't have anything in particular to do. What better way to pass the idle hours than reading?"
"Hmph..."
Carmel sat diagonally across from me, her eyes quickly scanning the stack of books. She clearly didn't believe my sudden passion for reading was a mere hobby.
"So? I don't know what you're researching, but is it going well?"
"Well... I suppose you could say I've reaped some rewards. A little, at least."
In truth, there had been no harvest at all. The name Enekra was nowhere to be found in the history books, nor in the volumes of folklore and legends. Of course, I hadn't expected to discover anything in just a single day.
"Good for you. Then would you mind clearing this up? Having it cluttered like this is distracting."
Carmel acted as though she couldn't care less about what I was trying to uncover. But that was impossible. There was no way she didn't want to know what clue I had grasped this time. The only reason she hid her curiosity was because she knew showing it would expose a weakness.
Even if she appeared to want to end the conversation, the reality was likely the opposite. She was undoubtedly dying to talk to me. And the same went for me. Having drifted through a sea of meaningless information all day, I too craved a conversation with Carmel. I set the book in my hand down on the desk, looked straight at her, and spoke.
"Mother, shall we have a little chat?"
Though I spoke with a gentle smile, my voice was serious. Carmel maintained her languid expression, but a subtle tension crept into her voice.
"...About what?"
"Why is it that you wish to destroy this country, Mother?"
A direct question, straight to the point. Carmel paused for a brief moment before replying.
"I wondered what you were going to say with such a straight face... I am the Queen of this nation. Why would someone like me ever want to destroy the Luistie Kingdom?"
"Let us drop the act, Mother. Surely you and I are past the point of playing such hypocritical games?"
Carmel's gaze swept over the table and the sofa. She was likely checking to see if there was a hidden recording crystal or something similar nearby. Once she satisfied herself, she replied in a somewhat subdued voice.
"Even if that were true... why do you care?"
Questioning the "why" behind Carmel's actions and goals held a deeply significant meaning for me. It went beyond the practical purpose of anticipating her moves and staying one step ahead.
"I want to understand you better, Mother. Who knows? If I know exactly what you desire, and if I find it to be justified, I might even help you."
Carmel frowned, staring at me in disbelief.
"You expect me to believe that? That the princess of this kingdom... would help ruin it?"
"Ah, it is only a one-in-a-million chance, so please do not get your hopes too high. But surely you know by now, Mother? What I desire has very little to do with the survival of this kingdom."
Yes, my only desire was to play with Carmel's body and mind to my heart's content. As long as that was satisfied, I didn't particularly care what happened to the Luistie Kingdom. If Filgret ever found out, he would probably faint from shock.
Well, in principle, it was true that the survival of the Luistie Kingdom was overwhelmingly advantageous for maintaining my status and power. After all, a happy life with Carmel would only be sustainable if I possessed the power to protect it.
Carmel stared at me as if looking at some bizarre, grotesque creature—a royal princess uttering words bordering on high treason while wearing the gentle smile of an angel. Then, she let out a soft sigh.
"Do not worry. I have absolutely no intention of seeking your understanding, Sera Rustier."
"And why is that?"
"Because I am a witch. An entity that brings plague and corruption, one who rebels against the Goddess. To the people of your kingdom, I am nothing more than a living curse. That alone is enough, is it not?"
As she spoke, Carmel seemed to distance herself even more than usual. Though it was a bit strange to use such an expression when we were already enemies.
A witch, a curse... To me, those words sounded like something Carmel was forcing herself to believe. That she had to be a disaster-like existence—one who needed neither understanding nor persuasion, deserving only of everyone's hatred. Perhaps that, too, was a kind of curse. A cruel curse that Carmel herself, or perhaps someone else, had placed upon her.
Ha... This is just... too... too... too hot...
A villainess who rejected the understanding of any human being, throwing herself into the destruction of a nation while cloaking her incredibly lewd body in a curse of hatred. Every single element ruthlessly stimulated my fetishes.
While she was already a delicacy worth savoring in her own right, I was looking toward a realm one step beyond. What if I stripped away all those outer layers? What if I peeled back the solemn resolve filled with hatred, the determination born of a curse, to reveal the fragile heart beneath?
I had already caught glimpses of that hidden side during our intimate sessions of torment. The true self that perhaps Carmel herself knew existed but desperately rejected. The climax would undoubtedly be the moment she finally acknowledged it. It wouldn't be long now. The moment Carmel's very soul stood completely naked before me.
That would surely bring an overwhelming pleasure far surpassing any humiliation I had inflicted on her so far. It would be a delight so intense it would melt my brain. I didn't know how many more defeats, how many more humiliations I would have to gift her before then... but that moment would surely come. There was no need to rush. Very slowly, very gradually... I would close the distance.
Meeting my gaze, which was thick with a murky excitement, Carmel spoke in an anxious voice.
"W-what is with that look...? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Oh, it is nothing. I was just thinking that if you are a curse, Mother, it wouldn't be so bad to swallow you whole."
"You..."
Carmel started to say something, then stopped, her face twisting into a displeased scowl. An emotion that was hard to put into words flickered across her features.