Chapter 4 – Part 3

“Absolutely not.”

Marsden’s eyes sparked. It wasn’t directed at her, but at the ‘culprit’ of that day.

“The bastard who tried to kill you… I’ll make sure he pays. Even if you try to stop me.”

The chilling murderous intent in Marsden’s voice made Glenn tense up, but Olivia gave him a slight nod to ease his nerves.

“Alright, I’ll ask you two things. First, were you the one who tried to kill me that day?”

“No, absolutely not, never.”

“Then are you deliberately withholding the identity of the culprit?”

“…Yes.”

‘Wow. This is quite a shock.’

Marsden quickly added, trying to explain when Olivia gave a bitter smile.

“Because you can’t kill him. That’s why… I can’t tell you.”

“Why can’t I kill him?”

“Because he has cursed himself. Anyone who drives a blade into that filthy body will also suffer.”

‘What?’

Olivia frowned, finding it hard to believe.

“How do you know this?”

Marsden lowered his gaze, missing the warmth of her touch as she pulled away the water bottle. His eyes, like those of the night, looked so lonely and empty.

“Because I tried to kill him and failed.”

“…What?”

Olivia was unsettled. This revelation was more disturbing than knowing Marsden was hiding so much.

“I tried to kill that trash after you got hurt, but I failed. My body wasn’t in the best condition either.”

Marsden’s lips twitched as if he were trying to smile but failing.

“Are you sure? It could have been something else.”

“You know, Buddy. There’s no one in this empire who has studied curses as obsessively as I have.”

Her chest felt tight, and she was also angry. The fact that he might be under another curse bothered her more than the possibility that he could be the culprit.

‘Real Olivia, let’s meet and I’ll hit you once.’

How much must she have loved him for her heart to react this way?

“I’m looking for a way. Once I find it, I’ll tell you immediately. Once I figure it out, I don’t care how you kill him.”

“That’s enough for now. But you… are you cursed?”

Olivia couldn’t hold back and asked. She wanted to resent and doubt him freely, but this man wouldn’t let her.

“Buddy, I’ve lived my whole life close to curses. A couple of curses are nothing.”

“Do you even hear yourself!”

“One thing you need to know, Buddy. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you, even if it means dying by your hand.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

Her rationality snapped. Olivia grabbed Marsden by the collar in an instant.

“You’re really a piece of work. Sure, I want to smash your head right now. You’re hypocritical and pretentious. Don’t mistake complicating things for being cool. Even if you’re not the murderer, nothing much changes. Do you think I’ll be grateful and bow down if you sacrifice yourself for me? Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Don’t worry. The person who hates me the most in this world is me.”

Marsden took her hands and lowered them. His crumpled collar spoke volumes.

“I’ll catch Kellic. With my help, it will be faster. See you later.”

He never said he wouldn’t appear before her again.

Watching Marsden turn his back and disappear, Olivia warned herself internally.

‘Go away now. Or I might actually kill you.’

* * *

Kellic, who had nothing in his head, was caught quickly. Olivia, who was excited about how to kill him, soon felt her mood plummet.

Not only was she displeased that Marsden’s side had caught him, but the fact that he had been caught by a child stealing a bomb in the first place suggested that getting caught was part of the plan.

Originally, she planned to interrogate him with several knights, but sensing something off, Olivia brought only Glenn. And sure enough,

“Didn’t you order me, Marchioness!? Don’t you remember? You told me before you went missing to steal the bomb and place it in Roskal!”

His brazen false testimony was ridiculous. Olivia chuckled.

“Oh, I ordered you to kill my people? Why? For whose benefit?”

“Why are you asking me that? I was just following orders.”

His shifty eyes were clearly lying. Olivia stretched her arms.

“The main force of Flatd’s personnel is backstabbing the head of the house; no wonder the family’s power is declining. I guess I’ll have to hang you first!”

Her cheerful voice, as if she were going on a picnic, made Kellic tremble.

“Y-you’re joking, right?”

“Nope, Glenn, what do you think? Did I really give such an order to this scum?”

“Absolutely not. I can vouch for that as your vassal.”

Glenn looked at her with eyes, asking, ‘Shall I cut his throat right now?’ How reassuring.

“That’s what he said, Kellic.”

“This can’t be! I’ve accompanied you through countless wars, Marchioness…!”

Olivia cut him off, her tone icy.

“Stop pretending, Kellic. We both know what you are. You betrayed me. Your lies won’t save you now.”

Kellic’s face turned pale as he realized his fate was sealed.

“You’ve been in fewer battles than you have fingers, yet here you are running your mouth.”

‘Why is our precious Kellic like this?’

Olivia turned her chair around and rested her elbows on the backrest.

“Oh! Or does our Kellic have fewer fingers than most people?”

“What? No!?”

“Strange. Normally, people have five fingers on each hand.”

Kellic’s face turned as pale as if he were about to foam at the mouth.

“Haa… Haa…”

“Think carefully, Kellic. If you tell the truth, you might just eat prison food. But if you falsely accuse me, I’ll cut off one finger for each lie you tell.”

This isn’t a joke.

Her calm demeanor instilled a fear greater than shouting.

Kellic’s teeth chattered. He knew the current Marchioness of Charbert was fully capable of such things. Hadn’t she already imprisoned Harry Palmer? He had heard that she was punishing anyone who crossed her.

“P-please spare me…”

“So tell the truth.”

She despised lies. She also hated those who knew the truth but kept silent, like someone else. It was utterly detestable.

“I’ll… I’ll tell you everything.”

Olivia smiled broadly. Dealing with insignificant pests was so easy, wasn’t it?

Kellic’s confession flowed out. As she suspected, the mastermind was exactly who she thought it would be.

***

Harry Palmer was experiencing the worst days of his life. The abandoned building, neglected by Roderick was filthy and repulsive. The fact that this place was Olivia Charbert’s prison made it even more dreadful.

Whether intentional or not, Olivia hadn’t bothered to clean the building, though she had installed sturdy bars. Even a lower noble’s underground prison wasn’t this filthy.

“Damn… This is insane…”

Locked in this small room, he felt his sanity slip away every second. Bugs crawled everywhere, and the bars and walls were so sturdy that no amount of force could budge them.

He needed to get out and kill Roderick and Olivia for putting him here, but he couldn’t escape. He had thought the trial was the worst she could do, but it was just the beginning.

“I will get out of here.”

He vowed to twist Olivia’s neck and feed her corpse to the beasts. She deserved to pay for this humiliation.

But why hadn’t his underlings come for him? Harry Palmer was growing extremely anxious. Since Olivia’s return, his life has been a wreck. His authority had been shattered, and he had been publicly humiliated.

Even without a title, his family was wealthy enough to buy a kingdom. He had never imagined rotting in a place like this. He was noble and precious, unlike the wretched Olivia.

And yet, here they were, with their roles reversed.

“This can’t be happening! Is anyone there?!”

He knew there was a guard at the end of the hall, but no matter how much he yelled, the guard didn’t seem to hear him. Harry resolved to do whatever it took, even if he had to bleed.

“Is our Harry angry?”

It was then that he heard that crazy woman’s voice.

“Olivia Charbert!”

“Hi, Harry.”

Olivia walked down the hall with a smile.

“But even calling a noble like you a lowborn scoundrel is too much. What do you do if you respect your master less than a beast?”

‘Unbelievable.’ Everything she said was unbelievable. Harry gripped the bars, his eyes bulging with rage. While he had been enduring dirty clothes, Olivia looked pristine in new attire.

“Let me out right now! I’ll spare your life if you do.”

“Who’s holding the reins here? Threatening me won’t work, Palmer. Don’t you understand your situation? Your sentence could increase.”

“…What?”

“You’re here because you illegally stalked me. We haven’t even started on your other crimes.”

Her mix of formal and informal speech was shocking, but her words were more so. Harry was stunned. Could it be true? Was his life really ruined because of her?

“This can’t be. My family has been loyal to the Charberts for decades. I raised you since you were a child…”

“Let’s get the facts straight.”

Olivia’s expression turned icy. Her footsteps echoed as she approached the bars.

“I raised myself. If I had grown up under your care, I wouldn’t have turned out this well. There’s no mistaking that.”