TVIOWHFW 21

Rosalia looked at Estelle and deliberately put on an even sadder expression.

“Can you let me out? This cell feels way too cold.”

Damian also chimed in.

“Yes. I don’t know about you, but your mother has a weak body. At least make sure she stays warm.”

There was only Rosalia and a maid here. They had entered without any restrictions, and it was clear that even the guards couldn’t treat Estelle roughly. It was obvious that Estelle had firmly captured the Duke of Blanchet’s attention. She wasn’t the kind of person who could acquire power through some kind of deal or cunning.

“Baby?”

Rosalia called out to Estelle.

“Look at mommy, sweetheart.”

If it had been before, Estelle would have immediately run over, apologizing with tears in her eyes. But her silent, watching gaze only made Rosalia feel more anxious.

“Betty.”

After a short pause, Estelle’s lips finally moved to speak. She looked at their disheveled appearances, then turned to the maid beside her and asked.

“What are they saying?”

It seemed as if they couldn’t see or hear their desperate acting at all. As if they were strangers.

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

The Duke of Libertan was deep in the underground prison’s innermost part. Its lavish appearance, unbefitting a prison, made it easy to find.

“Betty. What are they saying?”

“I’m not sure.”

“I can’t hear anything at all.”

Her reaction was more indifferent than I had expected, and I looked at her with a blank expression. A trace of contempt appeared in Betty’s eyes as she looked at the Duke and Duchess of Libertan.

“They’re people I wouldn’t want to speak with.”

Despite overhearing our conversation, Rosalia still looked at me with a deeply pitiful expression, clearly not understanding the situation.

“Sweetheart. My dear Estelle.”

“Yes?”

I asked calmly.

“Who are you calling ‘dear’?”

“Are you angry at mommy?”

Rosalia suddenly started to cry, tears streaming down her face.

“Estelle. Save us. They captured us and put us in this place. You’re the only one we have. I need your help now. There’s something I want you to do… but before that.”

Just as Damian was about to give a desperate command to me, I cut him off.

“Why? Why are you asking me for help?”

“Isn’t it… aren’t you here to save us?”

“Not at all.”

Their faces, the Duke and Duchess of Libertan, trembled in shock at my words.

“You, how…”

Well. Since she had always been a obedient daughter who listened well, it might be even more shocking. But I couldn’t care less whether they were shocked or not.

‘I need to inquire about the curse.’

Rosalia still had her mouth agape, in shock, and Damian stammered as if he had seen something absurd.

“Estelle. Snap out of it. You don’t recognize who we are, do you?”

“Sorry, but I only came here because I had some business. I have a question for you.”

Both the Duke and Duchess looked utterly stunned.

“You just called us ‘you’?”

“Why…?”

Their attitude was strange.

“What’s the reason…?”

They looked at me as if searching for some trace of emotion in my face.

“You’re the ones who cast a curse on me.”

“W-what curse?”

Rosalia met my gaze directly and answered, but I didn’t miss her trembling hands.

‘It wasn’t John after all.’

The curse the trees had spoken of was something the Duke of Libertan’s family had done.

‘They’ve been with me since childhood, so it must have been easy to cast it.’

Realizing that John was not the one who cast the curse made me feel much more at ease. Even if the curse remained unchanged.

‘But why on earth did they cast the curse?’

Since I didn’t really understand curses to begin with, it was hard to guess their reason.

‘If they have some desires… Yes, Estella?’

But Estella was already dead. And I was an adopted child after her death.

“That’s nonsense.”

Damian firmly shook his head.

“About curses… Even if you’re not my biological daughter, I wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Yes. Baby. I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

I silently crossed my arms and remained quiet. Even the Duke and Duchess of Libertan, who strongly denied it, gradually fell silent, sensing my silence.

“This is strange. Lately, I keep having strange memories come up.”

Taking advantage of their confusion, I subtly started to probe them. Recalling what I had read in magic books, any curse required a ritual. Such a ritual couldn’t be performed anywhere. In other words, they couldn’t have cast the curse in the Duke’s estate.

‘I also remember being dragged off to a strange place in my childhood.’

“What?!”

Rosalia was horrified by those words. Unable to hide her panic, she slowly lowered her voice.

“We don’t know anything.”

I expected they would desperately insist on their innocence. But instead, the Duke and Duchess of Libertan seemed more interested in something else.

“Why has your attitude suddenly changed? Why aren’t you smiling or calling us ‘parents’ anymore?”

“Because you’re the ones who love us most, right?”

It seemed like she genuinely meant it.

‘I thought she would explain about the curse.’

But thanks to that, the troublesome part was lessened.

“Sorry, but I really don’t care about you anymore. If you’re doing this to get out, I think you’ve mistaken me.”

I looked indifferently at the Duke and Duchess of Libertan, who held the iron bars.

“More than anything, I have my own family now. Not you.”

“You’ve got a family?”

Damian’s eyes flashed with an indescribable anger.

“Are you talking about that Blanchet Duke? That guy isn’t your family.”

I felt a strange vibration from the floor. A sensation that made my skin crawl.

‘It’s magic.’

A refined, slow footsteps approached. Soon, a deep male voice echoed through the cell.

“Madam. Are you alright?”

John had entered the cell. Our eyes met, and he gently closed his eyes with a smile.

“Did those trash talk anything strange to you?”

His tone was oddly cold, as if he was trying to provoke me. I awkwardly scratched my cheek and smiled brightly.

“I’m not sure what strange thing they said.”

Then I slowly moved my pupils. John, the Duke and Duchess of Libertan, and I—hardly anyone could gather all three of us again. It was a good opportunity.

“I’ve checked everything I needed to. Now, my family is only the Duke.”

“…Only you?”

“Do you dislike that?”

From my perspective, I was definitely drawing a line from the Duke and Duchess of Libertan. They didn’t seem likely to answer anything about the curse anymore.

‘But maybe John feels differently.’

John paused for a moment. Bam! Bam! Damian was pounding on the bars, loudly cursing. But no voice came out. Only the clanging of the iron bars echoed emptily. Rosalia, watching Damian’s miserable state from beside her, flinched as if surprised.

“But you touched my wife. I can’t just let that go.”

John’s smooth face directed an elegant, threatening gaze at them. In an instant, shadows crept up and grabbed Damian and Rosalia by the heads, shaking them violently.

“How do you want me to handle your wife?”

A strange light flickered in John’s crimson eyes. Perhaps this was a test—whether I would truly betray him or not.

‘Good.’

There was no better way to prove that I was not the target of revenge anymore.

“I’m fine. …I’ll do whatever my husband wishes.”

This time, I deliberately used the term “husband” instead of “Duke.” I cautiously slipped my arm around John’s. He looked at me gently and smiled.

“Whatever your wife wishes.”

John naturally escorted me outside. Without looking back, I left that place with him. There was no point in saying goodbye to those people anymore.

“Why?! You said you loved us!”

Rosalia, unable to hold back, shouted from behind.

“Why the sudden change of heart? You said you’d take Estella’s place! Why are you… looking at us with such eyes…?”

How ridiculous.

“-Estelle!”

That was the last thing I heard from them. Ah, the air inside the prison definitely wasn’t good. I probably wouldn’t come back here again.

~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~

Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉

Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

~~~Next Chapter~~~

Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.

See you then!!