Chapter 179: The Silver Dance
“….”
How did he know her birthday? Had he really come all this way to wish her a happy birthday?
“It’s a gift.”
Inside the small black leather box was a silver necklace.
“Shall we dance?”
He held out his hand, as if he was a child longing for affection. Everything about “Woo Acrea” was unfamiliar to Sue. When had he gotten to know her, when had he started liking her, why did he even like her?
She pushed those unanswerable questions aside and asked the one she wanted answered the most,
“Master Acrea, are you okay with me?”
Acrea answered without hesitation,
“It’s too late.”
To think that he had fallen for a girl who would be expelled from the capital in less than 10 years… It was almost as shameful as bringing disgrace upon the Acrea grand duke family.
But she, who was selfish and petty, was also kind and lovely. She was wicked, but gentle. She was weak, but strong. She was servile, but she never bowed her head.
Whether she was flattering him with obvious lies, or gazing at the distance with a wistful expression, or acting boldly and unexpectedly, or just smiling at him…
At some point, he had become so enamored with her that he couldn’t even take his eyes off her.
“….”
His hand was still extended towards her.
There was no music playing, but Sue finally took his hand.
His hand, as warm as the sun, intertwined with hers. They started to move, taking steps to the sound of the unheard music.
The puppet and the toy, oblivious to the passing time, enjoyed the last night of the ball.
***
Enzhe Lopetrefer wasn’t born with human emotions. To her, love was obsession, hatred was obsession, and sadness was obsession.
That was why she had been branded a “failure” since birth. Enzhe didn’t care. If she was a failure, then the other humans were trash, not even worthy of her toes.
So she loved herself, she loved her parents, who called her a failure, and she loved Shina, who didn’t abandon her even though he knew she was a failure.
But it was all an illusion.
A failure was just a failure, she couldn’t be loved by anyone, and she couldn’t love anyone.
Winter was approaching.
Enzhe sought out Sue Byron on the night of the first snowfall.
“Come with me, Sue.”
Sue Byron, the most useless person, was also the most reliable. The two snakes engraved on Sue’s body would never disobey Enzhe. So she could play with her and discard her whenever she wanted. That was what she was born for.
Sue changed her clothes and followed Enzhe. The carriage stopped in front of the Lopetrefer mansion and didn’t go any further.
“Get out.”
“…Lady Enzhe, what are you going to do?”
Enzhe glared at Sue, who had asked in an anxious voice.
“I told you, I’m going to destroy the Lopetrefer family.”
Sue didn’t say anything more and just followed Enzhe.
They entered the main building of the mansion. But strangely, there was no one there. No servants, no Grand Duke and Duchess Lopetrefer, not even a single ant crawling around.
‘This is scary.’
Sue gulped. But she desperately tried to suppress her fear.
They went deeper inside, and there was an altar in the main hall, as if for a ritual. The lack of light made it even creepier.
“…That’s…”
As Sue had expected, her cute little sister was sleeping soundly on the altar.
“Sue, wait there. I’m going to kill Michaela and then you.”
The true beginning of Enzhe Lopetrefer’s downfall wasn’t when she had broken up with Fritz.
It was when she had killed Michaela Lopetrefer.
Sue looked at the two-year-old girl, who looked exactly like Enzhe, with pity.
Enzhe picked up the dagger next to the altar. A cold sensation ran through her body.
A success?
Enzhe scoffed.
She wanted to ask what a “success” even was. Everyone had at least one flaw, and yet, they called this child, who couldn’t even control her own body, a success?
Was a success someone who succeeded at everything?
Then could you accept everything that was given to you with joy?
Then could you share the “joy” that other people felt?
Then could you be loved by the person you loved?
…She was annoyed.
She was annoyed by the fact that she couldn’t understand humans, whether they were perfect, broken, or in love.
Enzhe infused the dagger with magic power. The silver blade was about to strike the infant when…
“Ouch!”
Enzhe, struck from the side, collapsed to the floor. She had been caught off guard because of her small stature, despite her mastery of magic.
Sue, while Enzhe was regaining her senses, grabbed Michaela and ran out of the mansion. But she was too slow. Enzhe was catching up to her.
“…Crazy bitch.”
It was impossible to tell who was calling whom a bitch.
Enzhe shot a magic bullet at Sue.
“…Huh?”
But it didn’t hit her. A protective barrier, created by magic, shielded her.
‘She’s not supposed to be able to use magic that powerful.’
Enzhe, sensing something was wrong, activated the snake curse.
“…What?”
Her footsteps slowed to a stop, feeling something strange. The snake curse wasn’t working on Sue. What had happened? Who had touched her broken toy?
“…Haha, I see.”
Enzhe gripped the dagger and released a surge of magic power. She wrapped it around her body, not the dagger.
“Your curse has been broken.”
She plunged the dagger, reinforced by magic power, into Sue’s body.
***
“Ugh…!”
Sue, managing to put some distance between them, endured the pain in her shoulder and ran towards the designated meeting point.
Acrea and the Vava servants, who had been waiting inside Sue’s townhouse, had sprung into action the moment Enzhe had taken Sue away.
The Lopetrefer downfall operation had begun.
“Byron!”
Raines Noel, an Imperial Knight, was waiting for her in an empty lot not far from the Lopetrefer mansion. He caught Sue, who was stumbling towards him, and pulled out the magic-infused dagger from her shoulder.
“Ugh…”
Sue stopped him as he tried to heal her wound with a simple healing spell.
“Just take her and get out of the castle. There’s a white-haired man waiting for you. Give Michaela to him. Noel, please.”
“What about you…!”
“I’ll be caught anyway. I’ll just pretend to faint. It’s not like I haven’t done it before.”
She had tried to joke, but Noel’s expression was serious. Sue patted his shoulder, telling him to just go.
Noel finally stood up, holding Michaela.
“Don’t try to die, Byron.”
“Haha…”
Sue fainted before she could even reply.
***
First, go to Jean Emilia, who lives in Apricot Tea Forest. And talk to him. It’s a simple request that doesn’t require magic, so 0 days.
Second, if Enzhe doesn’t come for me by this winter, break the barrier and find the underground chamber, no matter how much of my life it costs. It’s a difficult task with a condition, so 8 years.
Last, don’t erase my memories. It’s a deal that violates the terms of the deal, so 6 months, including everything else.
Those were the preparations.
They needed immense magic power and a formula to break the barrier set up by the Lopetrefer family.
They needed a family to sway public opinion politically.
And they needed a bait to pinpoint the location of the hidden underground chamber.
Soran Halo was in charge of the magic power and the formula, the Acrea and Vava families were in charge of the politics, and Sue Byron was the bait to pinpoint the location of the underground chamber.
The reason why Sue Byron had to be the bait was simple.
Because she had been beaten the most by Enzhe.
Enzhe had assumed that she wouldn’t betray her because of the snake curse, and so she had taken Sue with her until the very end.
And because she had been beaten so much, she wanted to hit back, just once.
Maybe that was all there was to it. Or maybe it was the truth.
***
Sue opened her eyes, the stench of rotting flesh assaulting her senses.
“…ron! Byron!”
She heard her name being called, and she sat up, clutching her throbbing head. Her vision slowly cleared.
The first thing she saw was a long row of iron bars. And beyond them, blood and flesh. And beyond them, more iron bars.
Sue moved her body. Her limbs were free. Perhaps because of the confidence that she would never be able to escape this place.
Her shoulder, where she had been stabbed by the dagger, was numb, the blood caked and dried.
Sue was certain. This was the Lopetrefer underground chamber.
“Sue Byron Chiqmefriar!”