For five days, an unrelenting monsoon had persisted, and now the day of the Crown Prince's birthday celebration had arrived. By midday, the sun had vanished, and dark clouds blanketing the sky poured forth rain. As night fell, the world grew even more gloomy, shrouded in the shadow of those dark clouds. The rain fell fiercely, intent on submerging the earth, drumming against the windows as if trying to force its way inside.
Kinder Toten checked once more that the windows were firmly shut and drew the curtains. The Toten Marquis residence, once always filled with the fragrance of sunlight, today exuded a damp, musty odor.
Kinder, having stayed awake for several nights straight, had dark circles under her eyes. Her eyelids were red from weeping. Sitting in the chair beside the bed all day had left her back feeling as though it might break. Yet Kinder forgot even her pain at the faint voice that soon reached her ears.
"Mo... ther..."
"Rider! Yes, Mama's here."
Rushing to the bed in a single stride, Kinder stroked her son's sweat-soaked head while continuing to speak to him. The warmth beneath her touch was unnaturally hot.
Five days ago, around the time the monsoon began, Rider's condition had deteriorated sharply. Yesterday, he had been unable to even open his eyes, suffering from high fever, and only after a night had passed did he finally regain consciousness.
Rider had been frequently ill since birth, but this time was the most severe. The servants working in the marquis household had even prepared black clothes in secret, without the mistress knowing. Only one person in the entire mansion refused to accept the child's death.
"Mother. My beloved mother."
"Don't say any more. It hurts a lot, doesn't it? My poor child. Don't worry. Mama will definitely heal you."
Rider fully felt the love and worry transmitted through his entire body. It felt as if the world was filled completely by this single presence. However, time was short now, so rather than acting like a spoiled child, he needed to convey his words to his mother first.
"This may be my last moment, so please let me leave my final words."
"No, that's not true! Rider. Why would you die? Why would you?"
Unlike the unusually calm child, Kinder scratched at her insides and wailed. The sound of rain outside swallowed her screams and grew even fiercer. The acceptance of death made it seem as though adult and child had somehow switched places.
"Mother. Please listen."
Final words. Perhaps because of that phrase, even with fever boiling within him, his appearance of speaking clearly without coughing was like an old person burning their last flame before death.
Kinder didn't want to believe it, but like an instinct, she realized that this was the final moment. So she swallowed her tears and drew close to the child. It was a consideration so Rider could speak comfortably and quietly. Hot breath spilled by her ear.
"Even without me, please protect the marquis household for Mother."
"Rider?"
"Though I couldn't inherit the marquis title, you must protect it, Mother."
Rider spoke of what would come after his death. The child's final words weren't about his own wishes, but rather for his mother who would be left alone and might lose everything after he died.
If his father and Rider himself both died, all that would remain for his mother was the marquis household. She couldn't be allowed to lose even that.
"Don't trust the butler. Or the nanny either."
Kinder nodded as if she were listening carefully. Seeing this with satisfaction, Rider began to cough violently.
"Please forgive me for leaving Mother alone."
Rider had fulfilled his duty as the young lord. Having delivered what he needed to say, tears burst forth. The child finally wept freely and began to act like a child. Kinder wiped the child's tears with her trembling hands. It felt as if someone were tearing her heart apart.
"I... I really wanted to be like Father."
"Rider."
The child wanted to grow up like his father, who didn't even remain in his faint memories. He wanted to be like the father everyone in the marquis household missed and loved.
"I wanted to become someone worthy of being a young lord."
"No, Rider. You did better than anyone. There's no child in this world as admirable as you."
Rider was a bright child and knew very well that there was only one person in the world who would think of him that way.
"I hate the curse too. It's not what I wanted."
"It's not a curse. It's not that. Who dared say such a thing? Your mother will scold them."
"Mom loves me, right?"
"Of course. I love you more than anything in this world."
I love you. My son. My beloved Rider. Kinder continued speaking until at some point, no answer returned. Not even the sound of tears could be heard. Did the rain steal away the sound of weeping?
"Rider? My child?"
Even the labored sound of breathing had ceased. Kinder stared blankly at Rider. Her vision flickered black. The child had fallen into deep slumber and grown still. His pupils were dilated. Kinder stroked his eyelids to close his eyes. The child's body temperature was unnaturally cold. It seemed the fever had finally broken. Kinder wiped away the child's tear marks and carefully covered him with thick blankets so his temperature wouldn't drop further.
"He's just sleeping... right?"
Her fingertips trembled. Seeing the motionless child, her head spun. Kinder wanted to scream and wail right this moment, but strangely detached from reality, she couldn't even shed tears.
No. Reality? This was nothing but a very unpleasant nightmare.
Smack!
Kinder slapped her own cheek. She hit herself so hard that she tasted blood in her mouth.
"Why does it hurt?"
Truly strange. It was clearly a dream. Rider was only sleeping now and would wake up soon. Behind Kinder, who stood rooted to the spot, thunder and lightning raged.
Finally, the end had arrived right before her eyes. Rider had ultimately taken his last breath within the monsoon where the sun had hidden away.
"Oh God, was my child not even pitiable to you?"
Was that why He hid behind dark clouds until the day the child died? In the end, Rider was ignored by the Sun God until the day he died.
Unable to accept reality, Kinder stroked the child, then burst into tears at his lifeless appearance, then laughed emptily. Yes. Rather than resenting a god she couldn't even hear, she would find someone else. Since she was abandoned by god, she had no choice but to seek another being. It was clear who she needed to find.
"I must go to Lady Rohanson."
Evangeline Rohanson. Yes, that pale devil had said that if she made a wish, she could revive the child. In exchange, she would have to trade a living person's life... Would her own life be acceptable as that life?
'I can give up my own life without hesitation, but if someone else's life is needed instead?'
However, the time for deliberation was short. Hadn't Kinder already made one wrong choice and was now regretting it bitterly? When the pale devil made the offer, she should have taken her hand without hesitation.
Kinder erased her distorted face and put on a peaceful mask.
Yes. Coincidentally, today was the day of the banquet at the imperial palace. Hadn't she agreed to be Lady Rohanson's chaperone? So seeking out Lady Rohanson now wasn't strange at all. There was plenty of time before the Crown Prince's banquet began. So she would meet Lady Evangeline early and ask for help. Since Kinder was Evangeline's chaperone, wouldn't she spare her a little, just a very little bit of time?
"Is anyone outside?"
"Yes, my lady."
A cracked voice answered. The door opened very quietly and a maid entered. She carried a water basin and towel, appearing to have brought fresh wet towels. Whether she had gone out in the rain, the maid's clothes still bore traces of moisture that hadn't dried.
"Rider's fever has finally broken."
Lying was easy. Rider would be revived, so rumors of his death must not spread. His already poor reputation would fall even further into the abyss. She would probably be treated like a monster, like Lady Rohanson.
"Really? Thank goodness."
When the maid looked at the young lord, just as she said, he appeared to be in deep sleep with the fever gone from his face. Despite the foul weather, it was truly fortunate that the meaning of changing the wet towels so many times had been realized.
"Where is the nanny that you're here instead? I haven't seen your face before?"
"Ah, I'm called Wether. It's been four years since I came here, but I've been working in the laundry, so it's natural for you not to know me, my lady."
"I'm sorry. I thought you were a new arrival."
At Kinder's apology, Wether waved her hands dismissively. What noble in this world would apologize to a mere laundry maid?
"Not at all! The nanny stepped away briefly to organize the room the young lord will soon visit."
"Young lord? The young lord who will soon visit...? Did the nanny call him that? Not Diez, but young lord?"
"Huh? Yes."
As Kinder, who had been exhausted and without strength, suddenly became fiercely angry, Wether trembled, wondering if she had said something strange.
The young lord she just mentioned referred not to Rider but to the marquis's younger brother, Diez. But she had heard the nanny had been a wet nurse when the marquis and his brother were young as well? Since she raised them as children, isn't it natural to call him young lord even when grown?
"I see. While my child is sick and dying, she went to attend to Diez's comfort."
Only then did Wether realize what had gone wrong.
'Ah. I ended up reporting on the nanny's whereabouts.'
"Wether."
"Yes, yes!"
"I need to go meet Lady Rohanson for a while. I'm the lady's chaperone, you see. So I have no choice but to leave my post."
Kinder gripped the maid's shoulder very tightly. Wether wanted to cry out it was so painful, but she couldn't even speak and squirmed.
"While I'm away, you will guard this place. The child is sleeping deeply, so don't wake him or go near him. Tell anyone that if they enter the room or cause a disturbance, I will punish them severely when I return. Even if the nanny or Diez comes, absolutely do not let them in."
"Me?"
"If you do well, I'll grant you whatever you wish. Please. There's no one else I can trust but you."
"Yes! I'll do my best!"
Wether squeezed the wet towel tightly and made a firm resolution. She squeezed it so hard that water beaded up and dripped from it.
Kinder entrusted her beloved son to a maid she had met for the first time today and left the room. It was barely two hours before the banquet began. In her heart, she wanted to rush to the Rohanson residence immediately, but to appear as usual, she called the maids and dressed hurriedly.
"Just put my hair up simply. Apply powder thickly enough that it won't wash away in the rain. As for ornaments... bring my jewelry box."
The maids moved their hands quickly following Kinder's instructions. Unlike usual when she would spend half a day preparing for outings, the instructions were so simple now that Kinder's appearance looked simpler than usual.
One maid, recalling the usually perfect marchioness, asked.
"My lady, isn't this too plain for a banquet at the imperial palace?"
"I've been exhausted from nursing Rider, so it's better to keep my styling simple. Or do you wish for me to dress lavishly while my son is ill?"
The usually kind marchioness was sharp today. It must be all because of sick Rider. The maid shifted the blame to the young lord instead. The other maids, who would have nothing to say even with ten mouths except for the one who spoke up, read the room and fell silent. They also glared at the maid who had said something unnecessary.
After taking a deep breath once, Kinder continued speaking with a determined voice as if she had made a great resolution.
"It's fine. I'm not the main character anyway."
As long as she could stand beside Evangeline Rohanson, it didn't matter whether she dressed splendidly or looked like a beggar.
Having finished preparing quickly, Kinder hurried down the stairs. At the entrance, the butler had prepared a carriage.
"My lady."
Kinder gazed blankly at the butler who had served faithfully in the Toten Marquis household all his life. Since her husband died, the butler had always treated Kinder with proper respect. She had been grateful and trusted him deeply.
It was lamentable that she learned too late that the butler's loyalty did not extend to Kinder's child. If she hadn't been pointed out by Lady Rohanson and heard the warning from her son, Kinder would never have noticed even if she lived her whole life.
Evangeline's words kept running through Kinder's mind. The words that a devil had revived someone. That seemed like a ray of hope. The hope that even if Rider really died, he could live again.
"When did you say Diez would arrive?"
"I heard it would be tonight. Though he could arrive earlier."
The butler somehow looked pleased when he said that.
Yes. How pleased he must be. Kinder ground her teeth. Wasn't the timing of someone who never visited during his lifetime remarkably precise? The butler must have secretly sent word. Thinking that Rider was seriously ill this time and would die? He was much quicker to grasp the situation than Kinder. Or perhaps he had good instincts.
If Rider's death became known, the next marquis title would be inherited by Diez, the husband's blood relative. Kinder, who bore the Toten name but had no blood connection, had no grounds to inherit the marquis position. If that happened, she would fail to keep even Rider's final words. Absolutely, absolutely she couldn't let that happen.
"You'll be going straight to the imperial palace, my lady? I'll inform the coachman."
Staring blankly at the carriage, Kinder asked for a horse instead of the carriage.
"I'm going to the Rohanson residence, so just prepare a single horse for me."
"My lady, with rain falling like this, you won't take the carriage?"
"Butler. Since when did you interfere with me so? I'll stop by the Rohanson residence and borrow a carriage, so it's fine."
Perhaps because she knew the whole truth, the words didn't come out gently. Kinder, who had been sharp without realizing it, instead of apologizing, mounted the horse a servant had hurriedly brought.
She needed a chance to talk with Evangeline. At the imperial palace, there were too many listening ears, so the Rohanson Count family's carriage would be most appropriate. Of course, she might have already departed for the palace, or might refuse to let Kinder board the carriage, but...
"Oh my."
The butler sighed. There was no chance to even stop her. Kinder pulled her robe's hood over her head, mounted the horse, and dug in her heels.
"Can you abandon that beloved Rahel and lean on a devil? Even if the price demanded is not the marquis household but a human life?"
Lady Rohanson's voice was still vivid. A devil. A devil... Kinder could finally give her answer to Lady Rohanson now.
She regretted the days she had spent hesitating. Kinder urged her horse onward. The horse slipped in the raindrops and nearly caused a major accident, but she paid it no mind. Her cheeks growing wet was from the rain, not tears. Kinder increased her speed even more. Quickly, quickly, to where the devil was.
After Kinder departed on horseback, the servants left behind whispered amongst themselves about the mistress's unusual behavior.
"Why did the lady leave in such a hurry?"
"She was supposed to be Lady Rohanson's chaperone."
"So she's going to be a chaperone while Rider is sick? Our lady riding a horse she's rarely ever ridden?"
"Is Lady Rohanson that frightening a person?"
Instead of warning the servants, the butler decided to choose his words for the distinguished guest arriving soon. That would be the more profitable course of action.
Shortly after, another carriage arrived at the marquis residence.
"Ah, my beloved home. Long time no see! So good!"
The man who descended from the carriage puffed out his chest and inhaled the scent. He was Diez, the younger brother of the deceased marquis. Perhaps because of the rain? Even the damp and rotting fishy smells of the Toten marquis household smelled particularly refreshing.
"What's this? Everyone came out to wait for me because I was coming? Gee, you didn't have to prepare all this."
Actually, they had come out to see the marchioness off, but the butler corrected his words without revealing the truth. The butler bowed his head deeply in greeting.
"Welcome, young lord. You've arrived early."
"Yeah, well. I wanted to see my sister-in-law's face sooner. Is she in that carriage? Then why doesn't she come out and greet me?"
Diez looked at the carriage in front of the residence and tilted his head in puzzlement.
"No. She departed on horseback."
"What! How confusing!"
Diez kicked at the carriage, and the loosely fitted wheel rattled.
"What is this? Why is it so old?"
"Who knows."
Diez coughed awkwardly and changed the subject.
"My sister-in-law had better enjoy herself and return. This might be her last banquet, you know? When I become the Toten marquis, she'll have no grounds to attend such events. She's not planning to remarry me for the sake of legitimacy, is she? Ugh."
Watching Diez, who was already acting like the master of the marquis household,拉克 reconsidered his choice. However, the dice had already been cast. For now, he could only pray that a high number would come up.
"Since it's raining, please come inside. Zion should have prepared the room for the young lord."
"The nanny too, long time no time."
Lak led Diez inside. Diez, strutting as if he had returned to his own home, suddenly stopped.
"Right. Where is that kid? Did my sister-in-law take him too?"
The person Diez mentioned was none other than Rider.
"No. Lord Rider is ill and lying in his room. Since the mistress went to attend the banquet, his condition must have improved quite a bit within a few days."
The butler, unaware of the child's death, offered his speculation. If the condition had improved significantly, the mother who loved her child deeply must have left him behind. For the butler who didn't know the marchioness was lying about the dead child sleeping, this was a very reasonable inference.
"Tsk, if he's going to die, he should die quickly. His life line is quite stubborn."
Diez clicked his tongue and sneered. Lak agreed as well. Rider was originally predicted not to survive past five, but he had passed five and survived until now. His life line, barely sustained like a thin thread, showed no sign of breaking.
There had even been an unexpected precedent of someone escaping the curse. Originally, they would have waited leisurely until the child died, but the situation had changed. What made Lak behave urgently was the sudden appearance of Evangeline. Lak feared that Evangeline might actually improve Rider's condition. That couldn't happen. They couldn't seat a cursed child in the marquis's position.
What helped Lak in his deliberation was a stranger. Of course, that person wasn't the foolish Diez.
"Is that so? His uncle came to visit and he doesn't even come to greet me. Well, he's sick so I'll have to understand. Shall I see his face after so long?"
Diez smiled with his lips curled crookedly as he climbed the stairs. He looked very pleased. To the butler, he looked exactly like a small child about to throw a stone at a frog.