Episode 41

 I rolled my eyes at the sight of Yuric, bashfully showing off his dagger skills.

Suddenly, I remembered Dietrich teaching me how to shake a rattle with a built-in knife that suddenly pops out from inside it.

‘I can’t believe these brothers are teaching me how to dispose of enemies silently.’

I shuddered and wanted to refuse but was forced to swallow my refusal when I saw Yuric’s eyes shining brightly with joy.

‘Should I find a book about morality and read it?’

I realized that no matter how sweet and friendly Yuric is, his character setup was still that of a promising young villain in name and in reality.

“Now, let’s go and see what you wanted to buy. What do you have in mind?”

“Wottery ticket.”

“. . . . . Lottery ticket?”

“Yesh. Wottery ticket.”

I took out a copper coin that I kept in the pocket of my one-piece dress and held it out to Yuric, who frowned slightly as if he couldn’t believe what I just said.

“What are you going to do with the lottery ticket?”

“A one shot of life!”

“Huh?”

“We only hab on life, Yuri. Let’s change it.”

“. . . . . Sometimes, you really make me doubt if you are a baby.”

‘I could say the same to you.’

I snorted at Yuric and held my arms up for him to hold me.

After picking me up, Yuric started looking around the square to look for where lottery tickets are being sold.

‘There should be a lottery ticket issued by the imperial family.’

The imperial family of Valiere, unable to interfere with the territorial dispute between Lagrange and Euclid, had a presence no better than a fly.

‘I’m glad that they have no presence.’

After all, the Bernoulli Empire had no control over the large estates of the Lagrange and Euclid. The money that could flow in was embezzled by corrupted Dukes so they make up for the insufficient finances by even issuing lottery tickets.

‘If I can buy a lottery, I’ll get one for Dietrich.’

Where can you commonly find a younger sibling looking out for him like this? Dietrich wasn’t here for me to brag so I scrunch my nose, frowning.

It seemed like Veronica thought that Dietrich was getting paid with money, but that was not the case.

The funds of the successor candidates were the kind of money that came from the lands the Grand Duke entrusted them with.

‘Because he’s very stingy despite being hailed as a great nobleman.’

I grumbled inwardly.

Naturally, Derek didn’t leave Dietrich any fields to harvest, mines to gather minerals, and a place that can be made into a tourist spot.

“Isn’t there usually a stand?”

Yuric muttered next to me when we couldn’t find a place selling the lottery tickets no matter how much we looked around the shopping district.

“Where do I go to buy a lottery ticket here?”

“Well, you’ll have to go to the gambling house situated in the Saint-Dena district.”

‘Saint-Dena?’

I’ve heard of that name somewhere.

The mister Yuric asked continued, while being suspicious of us because we were obviously children.

“But Saint-Dena district is a dangerous place for children to go.”

“Oh, well, thanks for letting us know.”

There was no place more dangerous than the Lagrange Castle even if you wander around Lagrange’s territory. Yuric must’ve thought the same as he just shrugged his shoulders rather than be frightened by what the mister said.

“I have no more business with you, so you may go.”

He showed an arrogant attitude by lifting his chin despite using a polite speech.

Feeling unpleasant, the mister frowned but soon left as if he noticed that Yuric was a young master of a noble family.

‘Well, this is a country that values the rank system.’

The Confucian culture[1] rooted within me winced, wanting to scold Yuric at the way he spoke to an adult.

‘If it were Dietrich, he wouldn’t even think of using polite speech.’

I have never even seen him using polite speech to anyone besides Derek Lagrange.

“All right then, let’s head to Saint-Dena district.”

Without hesitation, Yuric took a step towards Saint-Dena district despite being warned of the danger. In the meantime, the sun was setting little by little, the sunlight settling in the gaps of the alleys. I pointed to the orange-dyed wall while being carried by Yuric.

“Yuri.”

“Yes?”

“Sishter.”

“I’m your older brother. Not older sister, but brother.”

“I didn’t mean yu! Sishter is there.”

Yuric turned his head at the direction that I pointed. I wasn’t sure from afar but as expected, it was Veronica.

With a whip on one hand, she was strangling a man lying down in front of her.

‘. . . . . just what kind of day is it today?’

No matter how nice and amiable they appear to be, as if in cahoots, they reminded me once again of their true nature as villains.

‘How can a fifteen-year-old girl handle a whip so skillfully?’

Since there were no detailed descriptions of Veronica, I only knew now that her weapon was a whip.

“I-I was in the wrong. I’m sorry, Veronica, I’m sorry!”

“Yes, you’re wrong. Who said you weren’t to blame?”

Veronica stepped on the head of the crying man who appears to be ten years older than her.

“You know you’re at fault so I’m punishing you. It seems like your brain is not working well.”

The man struggled and screamed as Veronica kicked his cheeks with the heel of her shoe. She then raised the whip in her hand higher.

“Ahhhh!”

“It was you who told Derek Lagrange of that fact that I could use the shadows.”

“Ahhhh! Veronica! I’m your uncle!”

“I don’t think there isn’t anyone in the North who doesn’t know that the Lagrange family wants to monopolize all the demons. So there’s no way you wouldn’t have known that.”

Veronica smiled as if she was a painting while speaking coldly. I thought she was beautiful rather than scary. I was a little amazed even as she brushed her bloodstained shoes on the ground, looking like a perfect villain.

“What is she doing over there again?”

Yuric gave a little sigh as he watched Veronica. Turning his back to avoid her, I jumped lightly out of his arms.

“Be careful! You’ll get hurt.”

“I chan do et.” (I can do it.)

I darted towards Veronica before Yuric could lift me up again. Fortunately, Yuric didn’t catch me even though I was running with these short legs of mine.

“Sisther!”

Veronica, who was busy tormenting the man, didn’t hear me calling out to her. She grabbed the collar of the man who seemed to have lost his consciousness.

“My mom didn’t want to send me to Lagrange! My whole family is dead because of you!”

Regardless of how much she yelled, no answer came out from the man who already passed out.

“Was the money and the land you took in exchange for selling your sister’s life enough to satisfy you?”

I stared blankly at Veronica’s bright red aura slowly turning blue. The misty heat surrounding her was gradually tinged in blue, but she was still smiling as if she were a painting.

“Sishter . . . . .”

As Veronica’s sorrow subsided, her heart remained in turmoil. Jest then, her eyes widened, like she had just found me.

“Anissa?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah, n-nothing.”

Veronica hurriedly rolled the fallen man under her feet into the alley. She stammered, feeling greatly embarrassed, like a child caught doing bad things—although she was really doing a terrible thing.

“Don’t get me wrong. T-This is not what it looks li—“

“Yesh?”

I didn’t know why Veronica was making excuses as though she showed me something she shouldn’t have. I widened my eyes in inquiry, waiting for her next words but she bit her lips and turned her head away.

“Haa, yes, there’s no helping it now that you caught me.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m actually bad. I’m a bad kid.”

“. . . . . huh?”

‘Why are you suddenly confessing?’

Of course I knew from the start that Veronica was a villain. No, in fact, every child of Lagrange was a villain. I frowned at her, not understanding what she was trying to say.

“. . . . . don’t look at me like that. I’m not the kind of moon you think I am.”

“But Anissa didn’t shay that sishter looksh like the moon because she was nice though?”

“What?”

“Didn’t I shay it’sh becaushe you’re pwetty?”

“Ha—huh?”

A dumbfounded ‘heh’ sounded out from Veronica’s pretty lips.

‘A pretty girl is a pretty girl even if she’s wounded.’

I looked up at her beautiful face that looked like the moon in the fairy tale and grabbed her hand. Her eyes were going back and forth between my small hands and face.

“Are you not afraid of me?”

“Why would I be?”

“I just tortured that man.”

I glanced at the man’s feet sticking out from at the end of the alley. Judging from their conversation earlier, that man seems to be her uncle who sold her to Lagrange for the money.

‘He’s a bad guy that deserves to die.’

Veronica’s setting as a villain will remain unchanged, but that was not justification for the man’s action.

Because her mother, who was opposed to her adoption in Lagrange, was eventually killed.

“You ownly panished the bad guy.”

Veronica was too tall for me to pat her shoulders. So instead, I patted her thigh.

“Ish okay. Don’t be sawd. I’m not scawed of you at all.”

 

Note:

[1] Korea practices Confucianism, which emphasized social and family hierarchy.