chapter 18
At the time when the party was gradually reaching its peak,
Celestine, watching the scene from afar, felt as if fire was raging inside her.
“Oh my. For someone who brings misfortune wherever she goes like a black cat, to be sitting in Lord Ian’s palm—how disgraceful.”
“Knowing no place for herself, attending a public-day banquet…”
“Yes, yes. I’m worried Lord Ian’s palm might be tainted.”
“Exactly. Lord Ian, the lover of all, must keep his precious hands clean.”
“Right, isn’t that so, Lady Celestine?”
The young ladies gathered around Celestine covered their mouths with elegant fans and giggled. Their gazes, filled with jealousy, envy, and contempt, were fixed on that “black cat.” Though their words were laced with disdain, beneath them lay a thin layer of jealousy.
Why is something like that even being envied by ladies like us? Why is it sitting in Ian Cardellion’s hand?
Wherever one went, the best position should belong to oneself.
I went through so much because of that thing.
Her stomach churned. Celestine swallowed her thoughts and put on a faint smile before speaking differently.
“Still, please don’t look at it too harshly. That child probably wasn’t born wanting to be like that.”
Her white hair, soft like silk threads, flowed gracefully, and her pale green eyes shone softly.
Her elegant yet splendid dress, shimmering faintly in blue, made her look almost like a saint.
“Oh my, Lady Celestine truly has such a kind heart.”
“Exactly. Her beauty is outstanding, and so is her heart.”
The ladies around her chimed in, their eyes sparkling. They looked like worker bees trying desperately to please their queen bee.
“If angels existed, wouldn’t they look like Lady Celestine? She’s so perfect with such altruistic virtues.”
“Right! If Lady Arithea were reincarnated, she’d be Lady Celestine!”
“Yes, yes.”
At that, Celestine smiled faintly.
“Lady Arithea? That’s too much praise.”
But contrary to her words, she showed no sign of thinking it was undeserved. Rather than embarrassment, there was clear delight.
Well, who would refuse being compared to a saint?
Celestine gave a graceful smile.
“You ladies are beautiful as well.”
“Especially that hairpin—it really enhances your charm.”
“Oh my. I picked it myself…! Thank you.”
The young lady in front blushed like a ripe apple and lowered her head.
“You’re so delicate as well. Maybe Lady Celestine really is Lady Arithea reincarnated.”
“I think so too. That silver hair and those faint light-green eyes…”
The ladies behind her murmured.
Celestine, pretending not to listen, deepened her smile.
Why does something like that steal attention from me, even for a moment?
But in the end, she would still be the protagonist of this world.
“By the way, Lady Celestine. Could you tell us an anecdote about Lord Knox…?”
One lady asked softly, her voice full of curiosity.
The other ladies who had been disparaging Ariel also turned toward her.
Their earlier contempt was gone; now their eyes held only pure curiosity. So naive they almost looked like baby birds waiting for their mother.
“Of course.”
Celestine replied with a benevolent smile.
“Our first meeting was…”
She continued speaking gently, putting on the mask of a kind noble lady, telling the story of her first meeting with Knox.
She looked like a saint in love.
Like an innocent girl filled with dreams and hope, fallen into a beautiful romance.
That pure, noble image gave no hint that she had ever been filled with dark emotions like jealousy or contempt.
*****
At the same time, in the distance,
the head of House Hiatt, once the ruling fox clan of the East, tapped the head of House Simond.
“Lord Simond, have you seen that black cat?”
He gestured toward “that” black cat, his gaze filled with doubt.
“Yes, I have.”
It was indeed her.
That thing—once in their estate, that bundle of misfortune they couldn’t even bear to look at.
House Simond and House Hiatt were closely aligned, forming a strong alliance as they shared the same interests.
“So the destruction of your estate was recorded as a simple accident, and that cat ended up in the tiger’s hands?”
Of course, most noble houses wouldn’t understand.
I thought it might be useful even as a test subject… but it couldn’t even survive that.
Simond clicked his tongue at the sight of the supposed “bundle of misfortune” thought to have been killed by Cardellion. He had deliberately left it behind and fled with the others to avoid dirtying his own hands, but things had become complicated.
If Celestine hadn’t informed them exactly when Ian Cardellion would wipe out the estate, they would already be dead.
Given Ian Cardellion’s nature of not even sparing a glance at his surroundings, they had expected him to wipe everything out like insects.
And yet Ian took it in.
All their surveillance to see whether it would escape or not had become useless.
We should have killed it when the experiment failed.
Not wanting to dirty his own hands had been the mistake. Now, while staying in the Cardellion estate, killing it would not be easy. If even the slightest trace of their actions reached Cardellion, it would not end with the extinction of their clan.
It could easily result in a bloodbath across the continent.
Their careless desire for convenience had only made things worse.
“Tch. It seems it managed to survive Cardellion after all.”
Lord Hiatt also clicked his tongue, looking displeased.
His eyes were fixed on the thing sitting in the Cardellion lord’s palm.
After staring for a moment, he looked away with clear dissatisfaction.
“I will go greet the heir.”
With that, he handed his wine to a servant and strode off.
*****
From a distance, a man with light brown hair quickly approached Ian.
Recognizing him, Ian clicked his tongue softly.
“I greet the new head of House Cardellion.”
“And I greet the head of House Hiatt.”
The Hiatt lord, who had earlier left with a displeased expression, now smiled as if he had never done so.
“Even though you’ve only just taken the position, you are already hosting a banquet. Truly worthy of House Cardellion. Impressive.”
An inexperienced boy like you hosting a party you’re not even qualified for. That’s Cardellion for you—or was it someone else who really organized it?
Though his words were polite, their meaning was anything but.
Ian concealed his irritation behind a smile.
“House Hiatt’s attendance only makes this gathering shine even more than before.”
More suited to attending than hosting a public-day banquet.
The position of head was far too great for House Hiatt. It was only natural for someone unfit to step down.
That was what Ian Cardellion was implying.
“Didn’t you once say House Hiatt should live as House Hiatt?”
Then live according to that—being cast out is your house’s way.
Power decides the head. Influence determines it.
And they lost their position simply because they were incompetent.
That was all.
Ian repeated Hiatt’s own past words back to him.
He wanted to avoid trouble while Ariel was present. After all, she had already once tried to escape dramatically by flying out of a basket just to drink.
The subtle tension between Ian and Lord Hiatt lingered for quite some time.
Why are my legs like this?
Ariel, who had been watching Ian and Hiatt for a while, suddenly noticed her legs trembling uncontrollably. Her short legs shook so violently they were noticeable.
She tried to stop them, but they wouldn’t.
That face… I don’t have it in my memory. What is it? Why is it like this?
It was instinctive fear etched deep into her mind.
She rummaged through her memories, searching for a similar voice.
“Did it go well this time?”
“We’ll have to see. Tch.”
“When are you planning to succeed? It doesn’t matter what happens to the child—just finish it quickly. If it drags on, we might get caught.”
“More than half successful…”
She remembered clearly.
Even their voices.
Yes. Those were the voices from that laboratory.
The ones she heard alongside needles.
The voices that foretold suffering worse than death.
Th… that person… why is he here…?
Once she realized who he was, she could no longer control her trembling legs.
Her heart pounded as if she had just run 500 meters, and her vision flickered.
It felt like everything had gone dark.
Calm down. He can’t hurt you right now.
Why not? What if he does? What if he drags you back there again? There are so many people here—taking you unnoticed wouldn’t be hard. The beastfolk wouldn’t even care if you disappeared. They might even be glad. And then what? Back to that suffering worse than death?
Countless anxious thoughts devoured her.
Of course, with Ian Cardellion holding her, it would be impossible to take her—but Ariel could no longer think rationally.
Her mind, swallowed by terror like a storm, went blank.
She couldn’t hear anything. She couldn’t see anything.
And soon, it felt as if she were standing alone in the eye of a storm.
There was nothing.
Only silence.
Not even the sound of presence.
A snowfield where even fallen snow did not stir.
She stood alone on a silent white field.
I have to get out.
She walked and kept walking.
Each step sank into the gray snow, making even progress difficult.
She struggled, but nothing changed.
The terrifying silence was slowly swallowing her whole.
Being alone was unbearable.
Ian… where is Ian…
She searched instinctively.
I won’t run away, so… where are you…
Tears threatened to fall one by one from her eyes.
She was afraid.
Afraid of being alone.
Afraid of returning to that past peaceful life only to be dragged back into those memories again.
Beep—
A ringing sound echoed in her ears as if something had struck her head.
And at that moment—
The white snowfield filled with horror shattered like glass.
