Chapter 177: The Silver Dance
The Byron viscount family’s dinner party was held after six months. There had been a brief debate about whether they should even hold a dinner party after what had happened to Sue, but Eren’s insistence had brought the Byron family together again.
Naturally, the atmosphere at the dinner table was awkward. Peter was the most nervous, and Elizabeth was the one who tried the hardest to lighten the mood.
Eren drank heavily, encouraged by Elizabeth’s flattery. His drunken gaze fell on his daughter, whom he had been ignoring.
“Sue, how was it with Young Master Woo?”
“…How was what?”
“You lived together for a month, something must have happened!”
Sue froze. Her mind was already a mess, and now Eren was bringing up Acrea. Elizabeth, smiling warmly, intervened,
“Unfortunately, there was nothing like that between them, Brother. Right, Sue?”
“Ah… Yes.”
Sue answered, avoiding her gaze. She felt her heart sink as soon as she saw Elizabeth’s face.
Sue, clutching the handle of her fork, blurted out the question that had been on her mind,
“Come to think of it, Aunt, you were frail when you were young, right?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
Peter asked, confused.
“Sister was so healthy it was a problem. Right, Brother?”
“Liza was beautiful and healthy, she was very popular. Hahaha!”
Their answers confirmed Sue’s suspicions. Elizabeth’s words had been a lie from the beginning.
Sue, her trembling ceasing, looked up. Elizabeth was staring at her, a serene smile on her face. Sue felt a shiver run down her spine.
It was her.
Sue swallowed and said to her,
“…Aunt, I would like to offer you some tea later.”
It’s always the ones closest to you.
She was starting to see the bigger picture.
The “miracle of Byron,” a person worthy of that title in the Byron family, which specialized in curse magic.
Late that night, the drawing-room was brightly lit, illuminating Sue and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth, sipping her tea nonchalantly, and Sue, rubbing her tired face, their conversation slowly began.
“Aunt Liza, are you the snake curse caster?”
“Yes.”
“…You admitted it so readily that I don’t know what else to ask.”
“You have a lot to ask. Take your time.”
“…Why did you tell me you were frail? You were exposed so easily.”
“I was hoping you would find me.”
“Why?”
“Hmm, I was thinking about fulfilling my father’s last wish.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hehe, alright, then I’ll explain everything from the beginning.”
“…Please.”
“I was so frail when I was born that I was told I wouldn’t live long. Ah, my brother and Peter, I manipulated their memories.”
“….”
“But contrary to my frail body, I had immense magic power. And the intelligence to use it freely. I was recognized for my talent from a young age, and I was even called the miracle of the Byron family, which was on the verge of collapse. And I was my father’s last card, his last hope of entering the capital.”
“Father… Grandfather’s…”
“Yes, my father used my talent in the underworld to his heart’s content, all for the sake of entering the capital.”
“….”
“Honestly, I didn’t hate it. Because it’s the reason I’m still alive.”
“…Did you trade your lifespan?”
“Yes, my father knew I wouldn’t live long, so he took lifespans from his clients instead of money. He saved me, and at the same time, he consumed me. And I’m still using his methods.”
“The high priest of the Holy Demon Religion and Damon Keron too?”
“Yes, I remember them both. One was a common type you would find in the Wasteland. The other one… was a rarer type.”
“…Just in case… Did you make a deal with Lady Melaine Vava too?”
“Yes, Lady Melaine clung to my skirt and begged me to take her to the Holy Demon Religion chapel.”
“How much of her lifespan did Lady Melaine trade?! And why doesn’t she have a snake mark…?!”
“Well, how much did she trade? But Lady Melaine didn’t need a curse. She just asked me to take her to Dande and asked if I could heal her leg. The snake mark only appears when a curse is cast. It’s a way to make them aware that they’ve been cursed.”
“….”
“…Shall I continue? Damon Keron traded his entire lifespan, and the lifespans of his family, for a curse. And that curse was the type that consumed his remaining lifespan whenever he used his power. So he probably died from overusing it.”
“Then… whose lifespan did I trade for my curse?”
“Your father’s remaining 30 years.”
“….”
“I never left any traces of myself when I made deals, so I did the same to my family. It’s quite sad, isn’t it?”
“So that’s why Father and Uncle didn’t know that you were frail… Or that you were a curse caster.”
“Yes.”
“…What was Grandfather’s last wish?”
“My father asked me for one thing before he died… To save Byron.”
“What does that mean, ‘save Byron’?”
“Well, it could mean many things. But I wasn’t interested. I had already met Kailo at the time, and I didn’t have any attachment to the family.”
“Then why did you suddenly change your mind?”
“Because I saw you.”
“What?”
“Hehe, that’s all I’ll say for now.”
“Wait… Aunt Liza…!”
“Sue, one more thing. You can make another deal with me.”
“….”
“But I won’t tell you the price until you declare that you’re going to make a deal with me.”
“Wait, let me think about it…”
“Think about it. I’m quite interested in you.”
***
Could she achieve something by risking her life?
Sue thought about it.
Many people had traded their lifespans with her. And as many lifespans were traded, many wishes were granted.
One had traded their life for revenge.
One had traded their life for a human life.
One had traded their life to meet the person they admired.
One had traded their life to become a Skia.
Then what should she trade her life for?
The sun rose.
Sue knocked on Elizabeth’s door early in the morning. The door opened easily, as if she had been waiting. Elizabeth, her face a mirror image of Sue’s, smiled serenely.
Sue took a deep breath. Her eyes were bloodshot from staying up all night. She looked at the woman who had ruined her life and said clearly,
“Aunt Liza, I’ll make a deal with you.”
***
Reeves and Yuna, invited to Sue’s townhouse, found the situation strange. Sue felt the same way. Sue Byron, summoning Grand Duke Reeves and Marquis Yuna to her townhouse?
But there was a good reason why Sue had summoned them, and why they had accepted her summons.
“I’ve read your letter, Sue.”
Reeves placed the envelope with Sue’s signature on the table.
He had canceled all his appointments for the day after receiving the letter yesterday. Yuna had done the same. The letter she had sent was that significant.
“You say you know a way to expose the Lopetrefer family’s secrets, including Enzhe’s murder of Cedric. Sue, what are you thinking?”
Yuna, as a member of the same allied family, was the first to reprimand her. But she had also come to see Sue, hoping that there was a chance it was true.
“I believe we can form a mutually beneficial relationship.”
Sue recited the lines she had practiced all night, her voice flat. Even though she had decided to be reckless, it was still nerve-wracking to face these two alone.
“A mutually beneficial relationship? In what way?”
Reeves, already guessing what she was going to say, asked on purpose. Sue, despite the summer heat, took a sip of her hot tea.
“In the sense that we all want to see the downfall of the Lopetrefer family.”
She knew from Melaine that Yuna wanted to break off the alliance between the Lopetrefer and Byron families. And she also knew that Reeves wanted to counter the Lopetrefer family, and even hoped for their downfall.
“I know how to expose the Lopetrefer underground chamber to the world.”
“…! Is that true?!”
Yuna asked urgently. Sue nodded calmly.
Yes, she knew it very well. She just hadn’t tried it before.
“But I need your help.”
“What’s the method?”
“That’s…”
Sue hesitated for a moment, then explained part of the “method.” Reeves, who had been listening with an amused expression, as if he was humoring a child, started to listen intently as she described a concrete, realistic plan.
“Once the underground chamber is exposed, the Lopetrefer family will naturally fall.”
Yuna, who had been listening silently, said in a worried voice,
“…Sue, do you know what kind of aftermath will follow the downfall of the Lopetrefer family?”
“Of course.”
She was referring to the fact that the downfall of the Byron family would naturally follow the downfall of the Lopetrefer family.
The Vava family would also suffer, but they would survive in the capital, as they had a long history and tradition, and they hadn’t directly participated in the Lopetrefer family’s wrongdoings.
But the Byron family, who had acted like the Lopetrefer family’s lackeys, would definitely be punished more severely than the Lopetrefer family.
“That’s why I said it. We can form a mutually beneficial relationship.”
Reeves, finally understanding her words, smirked. Yuna also realized what she was thinking.
“…You don’t mean…”
Sue smiled brightly, as usual.
“Won’t you make a deal with me?”