13. Snow and the rabbit.
Evren spoke with a bitter coldness.
As soon as he thought of Lillian lying sick, his blood pressure rose, which he had never cared about in his entire life.
“It seems that the blood of the Balthazars truly runs through my veins, and here I am waking up to find that I have been deceived by my own relatives.”
“…….”
“Tell me, Duke, why did you kidnap your grandson’s leash and torture her? Huh?”
“How is that girl?”
“Do you need to know that?”
Evren made his annoyance public.
Was the Duke under the influence of a nightmare?
He didn't care much about it; The important thing is that he has come to his senses now and that is enough.
“What nonsense did you say to Lillian?”
“Huh...things from the past”
“And what exactly are these things?”
His speaking style gradually became that of a scoundrel.
“The Rabbit’s Story”
“...Oh my God”
Evren wiped his forehead while brushing his hair back.
Of all the stories, he had to tell the one he never intended to tell anyone...
He didn't mind being known, but the thought of Lillian hearing her made him feel a strange tightness in his chest.
The next time he holds her hand...
Maybe the feelings flowing to him from her are disgust or something like that.
But the Duke interrupted him, saying: “Her reaction was calm.”
If Evren had been given the choice between believing this relative or having a meal with the Emperor, he would have chosen the Emperor immediately.
“She told me that death is not something that others decide rashly.”
“…….”
“And even if I am part of the family, I do not have the right to decide your death or the death of the rest of the grandchildren.”
“That's interesting, it's very different from what I'm used to hearing.”
“…Are you blaming me?”
“Duke, I’m not even interested in you.”
“…….”
“Since I was born like this, I have nothing to blame you for.”
Evren was honest.
Duke Balthazar was not the only one who said such things.
The Duke's daughter (the First Empress) also did so.
'I put in so much effort...why were you born like this?'
The question ‘Why were you born like this?’ was synonymous with the phrase ‘Please when will you die and give us rest?’
He didn't feel pain.
But those sighs were bothering him like a foreign body stuck near his eardrum.
And yet…
‘Lillian Tillard, why is your heart so weak?’
No, it's not weak, it's...soft.
Evren believed that soft and fragile things lacked efficiency.
How did he end up being branded by a person who is the complete opposite of him?
'...I have to go to her side.'
He had always felt anxious when he was away from her, but now this anxiety had increased.
He had already released part of his anger.
“Now, go and attend the meetings yourself.”
He finished his words and left without even looking at him.
* * *
strange. I don't feel like I tried too hard.
Lillian thought in amazement.
As someone who used to be self-employed, buying ingredients at dawn and working at home, this amount is not 'excessive effort'.
'But nursing is so exaggerated that it makes my back itch with anxiety.'
For example, while she is lying resting on the couch, it appears as if a client suddenly entered the laboratory.
Margaret was lunging at her to keep her from getting up completely.
“Miss, stay lying down! If you need anything just call me!”
“I...my legs are not hurt.”
“Miss now...!”
“Ah, okay, I see.”
If she heard any more of this embarrassing talk about 'heart shock', she would feel a shiver run down her body.
She found herself forced to eat her meals in bed.
As for Elias and the rest of the shadows, they were drowning in guilt for arriving late at the Duke's hideout.
“Miss, we are deeply sorry. We did not expect you to go through this kind of situation.”
“It's okay, I was in the castle anyway.”
Our plan was flawless.
We just didn't know that the 'nightmare' would escalate at that moment and cause the Duke to commit an extreme act.
'I've been told that the Duke is recuperating in this castle as well.'
Lillian suddenly became curious.
Sir Elias, Jean, Margaret...
And the rest of the shadows...did they survive the war in the original novel?
Since they are the enemies of the hero and heroine, it is certain that they are all...
“…….”
I thought it was pointless.
Aren't you making all this effort now to prevent this from happening?
'I shouldn't buy anxiety'
I won't buy it, ever.
* * *
After some time, the villain visited her.
She thought that as soon as she woke up he would come to discuss future steps.
But he remained silent for a long time after he entered.
He remained lost in thought before finally asking, “Are you okay now?”
"Yes"
"……."
Does he want me to report on what will happen in the future?
She wanted to ask how Duke Balthazar was doing, but she felt that the time was not right.
“Your Highness, take this.”
Lillian showed Evren the blue spider, which she transferred into a magic bottle.
Margaret put it in the bottle while crying.
Is Margaret afraid of spiders too? …
“This is the proof that the Somnes family used 'Nightmare'.”
“…….”
“We can prove the Marquis's involvement, because there are traces of his ability on him.”
Abilities leave traces similar to fingerprints.
“The Pavel family will try to sacrifice the Marquis as a scapegoat; he is not officially subordinate to them.”
They will say that he did this out of a desire to court the Second Empress.
The Empress will find a thousand ways to appear oppressed.
But…
“For the Nightmare to materialize in the form of a spider like this, it would require a small amount of the Bavel venom.”
Evren quietly placed the bottle on the next table.
There was silence.
Lillian felt the weight of this silence; Because the Tarandians were never known for silence but for their lack of mercy.
He was the one who started talking first: “In the end, you heard everything.”
“Yes?”
“The Rabbit’s Story”
“Ah.”
Lillian remembered the Duke's words.
Lillian hesitated for a second.
Are you claiming she doesn't remember?
Are you saying she has partial amnesia as a side effect of claustrophobia?
‘This seems to be the villain’s deepest wound…’
I thought a little.
Is this a landmine, or just an obstacle to get over?
But wounds still hurt as long as we pretend not to see them.
Once you see it once, you will remember that pus and scar forever.
Lillian will remember this story every time she encounters this man in the future.
So, she answered honestly: “Yes, I heard it.”
“… What a pity. How shameful.”
The villain began to choose his words again.
“Olor from the Ministry of Finance, Chelsea from the Executive, Elwood from the Court...”
She didn't expect the names of high-ranking officials to come out of his mouth like this.
“You know the names of the Empire's ministers well, don't you?”
“Of course”
Wow, he looks like he's going to be a good king.
All he has to do now is fight against his brother, the protagonist.
While maintaining legitimacy and moral sense, to achieve a beautiful peace without wars...
“If I just vanish those today, the heart of the empire will be completely paralyzed.”
“…….”
“The Pavel, Tillard, and Bolivier families out of the five families must be destroyed, but since you are with me now, I am confident that I can annihilate them.”
“…….”
“Ah, since you are sick, we should postpone the matter for at least a month.”
It wasn't what she thought.
He was now inviting her to write the Death Note with him.
Or does he mean I have to stay sick forever to avoid this?