Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: An Unwelcome Reunion
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"What are you talking about? I'm not getting mawwied for a long, long time."
"That's why you shouldn't get friendly with a guy like that. Got it?"
"...But he's my fiwst fwiend."
Maybe Sage didn't know what it meant when he invited me? I only just found out myself.
If he knew, he wouldn't have said it to me. Yeah, that must be it. Phew. I feel much better now.
"I don't think Sage knew."
"Like hell he didn't know!"
But Arban was still fuming. To calm him down, I offered him a chocolate cookie from the plate.
"Have dis."
"..."
"Looks yummy, wight?"
Arban fell silent and took the cookie with one hand. He gave me a strangely displeased look.
"Hey."
"What?"
"Do you think I'm a kid like you? That I'll quiet down if you give me something to eat?"
"So you'we not gonna eat it?"
"...I'm still going to eat it."
Arban snatched the cookie. It seemed like he still had more to say, but the cookie offensive had softened him.
Hmph. Arban's a kid, too. He's always the one treating me like a child.
I watched Arban eat and popped a cookie into my own mouth.
"By the way, Aban."
"What."
"You came to see Aileen to teach me about Su-in fowms, wight? 'Cause you wewe wowwied."
"...No, I didn't."
Then why did you come? There's no other reason for you to visit me.
As I stared at him, Arban flusteredly shot up from his seat. I could see his ears, slightly red, peeking through his curly black hair.
"I-I was just passing by! I just stopped in for a bit because I thought you might be bored, okay?"
Arban bolted out of the room like an arrow.
Slam!
The door slammed shut. Seeing this, Rosaria let out a small laugh.
"Young Master Arban isn't very honest, is he?"
"Wight?"
It was obvious now.
He could have just honestly said he wanted to go on the family trip soon, so he came to teach me how to transform.
* * *
Her head throbbed. Ella's eyes fluttered open as consciousness slowly returned.
The last thing she remembered was falling from a cliff. Waking up safely seemed to mean she had managed to survive.
She let out a sigh of relief and tried to sit up, only to realize her limbs were bound. Her eyes widened.
Not a trace of her pheromone could be felt.
Her mind clearing instantly, she frantically scanned her surroundings. All she could see was a dark, windowless underground prison.
"It seems you're finally awake. Did you sleep well, Miss Ella?"
"...Gasp!"
Ella sucked in a breath at the voice from behind her. Her body went rigid with fear.
The ropes, embedded with pheromone-suppressing stones, had prevented her from sensing Durias's presence.
Ella slowly turned her head toward the sound.
Durias was sitting in a chair, legs crossed, looking down at her.
And behind him, Hestia stood silently, keeping watch.
"Thanks to you being asleep, Miss Ella, we were able to return quickly without being detected."
"Mmph! Mmph!"
"Ah. I had you gagged, just in case. It may be uncomfortable, but please bear with it."
"Mmph...!"
"If you just wait a moment, the person who wishes to see you will arrive."
The person who wished to see her.
At those words, Ella held her breath. She knew instantly who it was without being told.
Her body began to tremble.
From beyond the silent cellar door, the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard.
Presently, the cellar door opened.
Ella's eyes wavered uncontrollably as she saw who it was.
"It's been a long time."
Kaide Astrofel. It was him.
* * *
As Kaide entered the cellar, Durias and Hestia respectfully bowed their heads and stepped back.
"You have arrived, My Lord."
"You're here, My Lord."
Kaide glanced at the two of them before turning his head toward the cell where Ella was imprisoned.
"...Mmph!"
In the darkness, a pair of red eyes appeared distinctly.
Ella hastily shoved her face to the floor, avoiding the chilling eyes that were staring at her.
"A familiar face, indeed. I remember you were the one who delivered Estella's child."
Estella. At the mention of a name she could not forget even in her dreams, the color drained from Ella's face.
Kaide watched her with a blank expression and continued speaking calmly.
"You may have heard, but a child not of our clan was born into my family."
"......!"
"I believe you might know the reason."
As Kaide continued to speak, Ella's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Her golden eyes, shifting aimlessly, looked so full of anxiety it was pitiful to watch.
Kaide unlocked the cell door, entered, and stopped in front of Ella.
He slowly bent down, grabbed the chin of the cowering Ella, and lifted her head, a smile playing on his lips.
His cold red eyes pierced through her.
"Gasp...!"
"I heard you headed east as soon as Estella passed away."
"......!"
"How strange. From what Estella told me, you were abandoned by your clan."
Kaide was right. Ella was a Su-in who had been abandoned by her clan.
The eastern region where she was born was very conservative, with a strong atmosphere of intolerance towards mixed bloods.
This was especially true for the more prideful families.
Estella had pitied her for this and taken her in.
She had actively helped Ella live in the south, and when she married Kaide, she even brought Ella to live with them in the family estate.
That was why he hadn't suspected a thing.
Even when Ella submitted her resignation, saying she would leave the family right after Estella's death, he had thought nothing of it.
The Astrofel family without Estella would be unbearable, after all.
Staying here would only be a painful reminder of Estella.
When she left, he had even given her a generous severance package. It was Kaide's last act of consideration.
But the Ella before him now...
Kaide's pheromones surged menacingly. A sinister energy radiated from him, as if he might snap Ella's neck at any moment.
Ella choked, unable to breathe properly from the crushing pain in her jaw.
"...I looked into where you went and found that the east took you in. There must have been a reason for them to accept you."
Durias and Hestia quickly covered their noses. The scent of poison was vibrating through the cellar.
It was powerful enough to poison not only Ella but also their fellow clansmen, Durias and Hestia.
Ella was already on the verge of losing consciousness, her eyes rolling back.
He released her chin, and Ella's body collapsed to the floor, the gag falling from her mouth.
Kaide's gaze shifted to Hestia.
Meeting his eerie, slit pupils, she flinched and swallowed nervously.
"Heal her, Hestia."
"...Yes, I understand."
She approached the unconscious Ella and began casting a healing spell.
As the poison was somewhat neutralized, Ella gasped in pain and opened her eyes. The moment her golden eyes saw Kaide, they flickered with despair.
She cried out in terror.
"I-I didn't do anything! I swear! I really didn't do anything!"
"We'll find that out once you have a conversation with my subordinate. I do hope you hold up well."
"Lord Kaide! Lord Kaide!"
Ella screamed as she watched Kaide leave the cellar.
Phew. Once the situation had settled down somewhat, Durias sighed, frowning at the loudly screaming Ella.
The truly important work was about to begin.
Durias began to remove his gloves, one by one.
"Now then, shall we have a little chat, Miss Ella?"
"...! I've been truly wronged. Lord Durias, you know, don't you? How much I adored Lady Estella!"
Ella looked at him desperately, tears streaming down her face.
Durias smiled brightly and said.
"Of course, I know very well how much you adored Lady Estella."
"Y-you do, right? You know, Lord Durias? What a relief. I'm so rel—"
"Then let me ask you directly, Miss Ella."
Ella, who had been smiling in relief, held her breath.
Sitting in the chair, Durias stared at her with emotionless eyes.
"Is it true that the Lady Estella you served died after giving birth to the heir?"
* * *
"Ella has disappeared, you say?"
"Yes, when we checked her residence this morning, she had vanished without a trace."
A large room, decorated with gold on all sides.
Beyond a long curtain of strung jade beads, a faint silhouette shimmered.
The man, leaning back on a jade throne, muttered as he drank his tea.
"This has become quite troublesome. Did she run away?"
"I don't believe so."
"You don't *believe* so?"
A chilling voice echoed through the room.
The man seemed displeased by the uncertain report.
In the instantly frigid atmosphere, Elvin held his breath and bowed his head low.
He knew all too well that his life would be forfeit the moment he displeased the man.
"Elvin."
"Yes."
"Didn't I tell you to take care of her sooner?"
"...My apologies."
"If she didn't run away, are you saying someone kidnapped her?"
"Circumstantially, we suspect the Astrofel family."
A pause. The man's hand, which had been swirling the teacup before bringing it to his lips, froze.
"There is no direct evidence of our involvement yet, so it should be fine."