Chapter 87: A Completely Broken Aishe

Aishe tormented herself by recalling every detail of what she had done to Eirene and what she had said during the trial. Testifying against her father, Count Phineas, for his punishment didn’t bother her at all. 

What did she care? 

It wasn’t something she had done. But she felt like a fool for not only clinging to Eirene but also crying and laughing at her every word. Moreover, she had reacted more hysterically than ever before, feeling pain at the slightest touch.

“Call a doctor! I’m dying of pain!”

News of Count Phineas’s deeds had spread throughout the country. No doctor would come, fearing their reputation would suffer by visiting such a notorious household. The Countess Phineas could do nothing before her screaming daughter. Honestly, she was growing tired of it all.

“I’m hungry. It’s dinner time, why hasn’t anyone come to inform us?”

The Countess rose weakly and went outside.

“Dinner isn’t yet…”

Ah, there was no one there. On the day Count Phineas received his death sentence, most of the mansion’s servants had left. They disliked working in a mansion full of rumors, and their frustration at being unable to step outside due to confidentiality requirements had finally boiled over. 

Had the family shown even a little warmth toward the servants, things might have been different, but they had merely worked them harder in exchange for higher wages for keeping secrets. 

The servants who had endured working at the Phineas mansion for money realized they would no longer be paid and left. Clive was behind this, but the Countess had no way of knowing that. Even the few remaining servants had finally departed, unable to bear Aishe’s constant screaming.

“What should I do about food?”

The Countess, who had never touched water except when bathing, had no idea how to cook. After the trial, she had urgently contacted her family, but their response was simply “figure it out yourself.”

“Father would have helped me…”

Now that her father had passed away and her title had gone to her brother, he prioritized his own well-being over his sister’s. Suddenly, the smell of bread wafted through the air. Kailro had brought bread wrapped in large paper.

“Kailro!”

At that moment, Kailro was the most welcome person in the world to the Countess.

“Is it before dinner?”

“Yes, a little.”

When a scream of “Aaaah!” echoed from the second floor, Kailro looked up toward Aishe’s room.

“She’s been alternating between quiet and screaming again. Maybe food will calm her down. I’ll bring Aishe down.”

The Countess went upstairs while Kailro entered the kitchen. Looking for something to eat with the bread, he found a few withered fruits.

“I should buy some milk tomorrow at least.”

There were still valuable items left in the house that they could use for a while. Kailro had no desire to search for cash or precious metals his father might have hidden somewhere. He didn’t want to touch wealth accumulated at the cost of others’ lives. 

Confiscation was scheduled to begin in two weeks. They needed to empty the mansion and leave by then, so he had spent all day looking for a place to live, but in vain. Most people refused to sell to the Phineas family, both because of money issues and their reputation. 

It seemed they would have difficulty living among others for some time.

Kailro roughly cut the bread and fruit and placed them on plates just as the Countess arrived with Aishe.

“This is dinner?” Aishe asked irritably.

“Yes.”

“How am I supposed to eat this?”

“Many people live eating like this.”

“I’m sick and need good food! You’re the eldest son of Count Phineas and you can’t even do this properly? No wonder Father hesitated to give you the title.”

Aishe’s verbal ab*se didn’t wound Kailro at all.

“I don’t have the energy to fight with you. Eat if you want, don’t if you don’t.”

At Kailro’s firmness, Aishe turned to leave, but the Countess caught her.

“Please try to eat something. You’re sick, so you need to eat something. I know this situation is terrible, but if we endure it, things will get better. So, Aishe…”

“Things will not get better, Mother.”

Kailro, who had already started eating, spoke up.

“You know that too, Mother. Things can never get better.”

“Kailro!”

Kailro put more bread in his mouth and continued eating silently. Though people’s stares and their living conditions were uncomfortable, his mind was more at peace than ever, making even the dry bread taste good. 

When Kailro stopped encouraging them, the mother and daughter, unable to decide what to do, sat down. They began eating in silence.

* * *

“Aishe wants to go to Eirene!”

Early in the morning, Aishe pleaded with the Countess Phineas, tears streaming down her face. 

The Countess examined her daughter, wondering what had happened. After writhing in pain until dawn and finally falling asleep, she had woken up saying she wanted to go to Eirene.

“I don’t want to stay here. Send me to Eirene.”

“Aishe, what’s wrong with you?”

She hadn’t been like this until dawn. The Countess grabbed Aishe’s shoulders, thinking her daughter, who had seemed completely fine, had lost her mind again.

“Aishe! Come to your senses!”

“It hurts!”

The Countess quickly removed her hands from Aishe’s shoulders, but blood had already seeped through her clothes.

“I want to see Eirene.”

Watching her daughter sobbing like a child, the Countess cried with her. Not only Aishe’s body but her mind had completely broken down.

* * *

Sebastian, with his trial five days away, was having a peaceful day as usual. The trial did not frighten him. Even if he received the maximum sentence, Sebastian had the Emperor. It was obvious the Emperor would pardon him, if only to meet the deceased former Empress. 

Sitting in the garden under the sunshine, he leisurely enjoyed his tea, savoring the spring air. He gestured toward a group of priests who had been talking in the shadows of a column.

“Everyone, come over here. Let’s share some tea.”

The priests had something to say to Sebastian but couldn’t bring themselves to speak, passing the responsibility to each other. They emerged awkwardly.

“The sunshine is lovely.”

The priests didn’t know how to react as they received tea personally poured by the Pope. Their mouths fell open at the sight of light pouring over Sebastian’s head and shoulders. He looked truly like a man of God, so sacred was his appearance.

“None of you need to worry,” Sebastian said as he poured tea, guessing what conversation they had been having behind the column.

“Right? You didn’t do those things, Your Holiness?”

The youngest priest asked. A priest beside him gave him a warning look, but Sebastian assured him it was fine and answered.

“Not all of it.”

Silence fell. If not all, did that mean he had done some of it? They couldn’t understand Sebastian’s answer precisely, but no one dared to ask further. So Sebastian looked around at the priests and explained himself.

“When living according to God’s calling, there is nothing I can do by my own will.”

The sound of tea being poured was the only sound heard. No one could even swallow, all eyes fixed on Sebastian’s lips.

“Everything happens according to God’s will. Soon, someone sent by God will come to meet us.”

Sebastian stopped pouring tea and looked up at the sky.

“Someone sent by God is coming to meet us?”

At someone’s question, Sebastian lowered his head and smiled.

“Long ago, when I was a Cardinal, I received a divine revelation. I have worked tirelessly to fulfill that revelation.”

“May I ask what revelation Your Holiness received?”

“I asked God what to do about this increasingly corrupt world, and He gave me an answer.”

“What answer…”

“God said He would send a saint to purify the world. So I searched for the saint God had sent.”

The priests were silent. No further questions came. They exchanged glances, each interpreting Sebastian’s words differently. Sebastian, completely unconcerned, gazed at the light brown tea in his cup. 

A small insect flew from somewhere and hovered over the cup. Sebastian, watching without shooing it away, smiled contentedly.

“To accomplish great things, small sacrifices are necessary.”

While he was briefly distracted, the insect that had been flying over the cup fell into the tea. With its wings wet and unable to fly, the insect could only wiggle its thin legs. Sebastian, who had been watching, picked up the cup and poured the tea onto the grass.

“Tea can always be poured again.”

He filled the empty cup with fresh tea.

* * *

Aishe’s condition had become more serious than before. Her mind had been coming and going every day, but now it changed moment by moment. With bandages all over her body, she would scream in pain one moment, then suddenly beg to be sent to Eirene. 

Then when her sanity returned, she would realize she had asked for Eirene and feel miserable.

“Why do I keep asking for that damned woman?”

The Countess Phineas wiped away her rising tears. Now even falling tears caused her pain, making her cry out in agony.

“Mother, why do I want to see Eirene?”

“It’s because you’re in pain. It’s not your true feelings, so don’t worry about it.”

“Could there be a soul remaining in this body?”

“What do you mean?”

“The soul of this body’s original owner. Could she be the one looking for Eirene? I would never want to see Eirene, whom I want to kill!”

Aishe’s eyes widened. Her pupils floated over the whites of her eyes, which looked particularly white due to her skin color. They rolled from side to side before stopping in the center, staring into space. She nodded and told the Countess she was right.

“That’s it. That’s what it was. Mother, there’s a soul remaining. I thought it had left, but that wasn’t the case.”

“That’s not true. If that soul remained, it wouldn’t have stayed quiet until now.”

“It was deliberately quiet. Waiting for me to weaken to take revenge! There’s a ghost in my body!”

Aishe shuddered, climbed onto the bed, and pulled the blanket over herself. But soon she threw the blanket off and grabbed the Countess’s hand.

“Mother, please call Siaran.”

“We don’t need Siaran anymore.”

“Please call him! I don’t want to switch bodies with Eirene. I want to ask him to drive the ghost out of my body. He’s a dark mage, so he can do it!”

“Alright. I’ll try to contact him, so go lie down. Try to get some sleep, dear.”

“You’ll really contact Siaran?”

“Yes, if you behave well.”

At the promise that Siaran would be contacted if she behaved, Aishe became docile. She climbed onto the bed as her mother instructed, lay down, and pulled up the covers.

“Close your eyes too.”

Aishe, who had been about to say something, squeezed her eyes shut. The Countess looked around Aishe’s bedroom. Blood Aishe had shed was everywhere. The bed sheets, the sofa, the carpet, all were covered in bloodstains. 

The Countess left the bedroom and went to her own room. She opened her dresser drawer, clutched some valuable jewelry in her hand, and sat quietly. After some time had passed, she rose from her seat with determination and went outside.