Chapter 117: The Spiral of Distortion
Sue had planned to take Ten straight to the next town, where the carriage was waiting. But she couldn’t, as Ten struggled violently and broke free from her grasp.
“W-what are you doing?!”
Ten was terrified, as if she was being sold into slavery.
Sue stared at her empty hand, her face expressionless. She was relieved that they were in a secluded alley, then replied curtly to Ten, who was rubbing her wrist,
“Let’s go back.”
“Go back… What are you talking about?”
Ten couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
“Ten, what’s… what’s wrong? We have to go back to the mansion.”
Nine, flustered by Ten’s reaction, tried to calm her down, her voice trembling.
“I told you to come back immediately.”
Sue snapped.
Her shabby appearance, her glazed eyes, her hand pushing Sue away.
Sue knew it was over, but she still ran her hand over her pale face and said plaintively,
“Let’s just stop this. I shouldn’t have interfered. I’m already going crazy taking care of Lady Enzhe, and now this… So let’s go back, Ten.”
“I’m not going back, Miss.”
Ten’s lips twisted into a grimace. Nine’s face paled at her disrespectful tone.
“…I don’t care if you believe in the Holy Demon Religion or not. Just come back to being my maid.”
“No, I’m not going. I’m never going back to that place.”
Sue felt a pang of disappointment and a headache at Ten’s firm refusal. She had planned to persuade her and then take her to Apricot Tea Forest, but it seemed like the brainwashing was deeper than she had thought.
There was nothing she could do. Sue sighed and ordered the escort knights,
“Grab Ten.”
“Ah, aahhh!”
Ten screamed and thrashed, as if she was being kidnapped, as the knights approached. Sue had wanted to cover her mouth and drag her away, but it was impossible with so many people around, so she waited for Ten to calm down.
‘Was the first brainwashing this intense?’
Sue leaned against the wall, trying to recall the novel. Something was strange.
The high priest’s brainwashing magic was a high-ranking magic that was layered gradually, so it didn’t cause seizures or fanaticism from the start.
“…Miss, please let me go.”
Ten, after calming down, spoke in a tearful voice. Sue, who had been watching her with her arms crossed, asked bluntly,
“Ten, you’ve been brainwashed.”
A heavy silence fell. Nine was so nervous that she even stopped breathing.
“Miss, I’m sorry, but I haven’t been brainwashed.”
Ten quickly broke the silence. Her voice was calm and composed, unlike the woman who had just been having a seizure.
“Really? Then why were you acting like that? You told me yourself that you don’t believe in God.”
Sue retorted coldly, not believing Ten’s absurd claim for a second. Ten slowly closed her eyes.
“I’m sorry, I was just thinking seriously and accepting my new life. Please understand.”
“New life?”
You’ve just fallen for a cult.
Sue scoffed.
Ten flinched, her eyes darting around, and said,
“Miss, I’m a Third.”
“…You mean that soul purity thing?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Ten nodded.
“There’s a class system based on soul purity, but the basic doctrine of the Holy Demon Religion is the same. Everyone has value. And if you cultivate that value, anyone can reach First…”
Ten recited the Holy Demon Religion’s doctrine, which she had heard directly from the high priest when she had first visited the chapel, her voice filled with rapture. Her eyes gleamed fiercely.
“Even a lowly maid like me can become a Saint.”
“….”
Sue looked up at the sky, leaving Ten to preach her doctrine with all her heart.
Anyone can become a First, anytime.
What a beautiful lie. If it hadn’t been a Holy Demon Religion doctrine, even Sue might have been tempted to be baptized.
“Miss, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to serve a violent person like you anymore. The high priest told me to live my own life. To pray and find it…”
“Right, my own life, that’s good. That’s what I’m living for too.”
Ten, hearing her agree, spoke about her philosophy of life with a happy face, a face Sue had never seen before. Sue just stood there, silent, unable to get angry.
“Miss, how pure do you think your soul is?”
“….”
Sue’s eyes widened at her sudden question. She couldn’t tell if Ten was being sarcastic or genuinely asking.
Ten, her arms restrained, smiled brightly and said confidently,
“If you take me away from here, I’ll bite my tongue and die, or I’ll resent you forever.”
“…Sigh.”
She had thought summer had begun a long time ago, but she felt a chill.
“Ten.”
Her voice, low and heavy, called out the name of the woman who had once been her maid. Her red eyes were sharp, but not cold.
“You know what? I regret what I’ve done too. Sometimes, I even regret breathing. But I can’t turn back time. You know that.”
“…Miss?”
Sue ignored her anxious voice.
“I allowed it, but you chose to go yourself. So… you should regret it too.”
***
Despite everything being out of her control, Sue diligently fulfilled her duties.
She visited the Red Snake classroom every morning to check on Enzhe, listened to Melaine’s endless talk about the Holy Demon Religion until her ears bled, spied on Halo, who was now a stranger to her, and chose designs for her debutante dress.
Sue, exhausted after a hectic week, collapsed onto her bed.
‘I’ve accumulated too much bad karma…’
She curled up like a shrimp and exhaled into the blanket.
The summer evaluation was coming up soon, and after that, summer break would begin. The semester was already ending.
The academy was abuzz with preparations for the debutante ball, the summer evaluation completely forgotten.
Even Sue had gone through three design books, each as thick as her arm, carefully choosing her debutante dress.
‘What about my partner?’
Sue blinked her dry eyes.
She needed a partner for the Imperial Ball. It wasn’t mandatory, but her reputation in society would suffer if she didn’t have one. Especially for a noble debutante.
Honestly, Sue’s reputation couldn’t get any worse, but Enzhe would definitely be angry if she attended the debutante ball without a partner.
This wasn’t child’s play anymore, it was her official entry into society. As Melaine had said, Sue was a Skia, bound to Enzhe by their alliance.
So if Sue made a mistake, Enzhe’s reputation would be affected as well. Sue’s disgraceful behavior, which had been overlooked because they were “children,” would now be directly linked to Enzhe.
If it was impossible to find a partner, they could bring a servant or an escort knight who was loyal to the family. So Sue had planned to bring an escort knight as her partner.
‘Noel… No.’
She didn’t want to ask Raines Noel to be her partner. Because she wanted him to be partnered with someone else.
Noel would definitely agree if she asked, but she hoped he would be happier.
Happier, happier.
Sue, feeling thirsty, reached for the pitcher on her nightstand. But it was empty. She opened the door without thinking.
“Ten, water…”
Her voice trailed off as she froze. Nine hurriedly approached her.
“Miss, what’s wrong?”
“…Nine, can you bring me some water?”
Sue closed the door and lay back down on the bed. A wave of melancholy washed over her, as if it had been waiting for this moment.
‘Miss, how pure do you think your soul is?’
Was she feeling Ten’s absence, or was she regretting her choice? She had told herself to let go, but perhaps her heart hadn’t.