“Eve!”

When Greeta returned with her, Lea swept her daughter into her arms.

“Where on earth did you go!”

Without meaning to, her voice rose. What if Eve had collapsed somewhere? What if she had been injured? Lea’s heart nearly tore itself apart with fear.

Eve clung to her, voice trembling.

“I thought it was a princess’s castle…”

When she heard that small, wavering confession, Lea’s anger melted away, replaced by sorrow and relief.

“Even if you were curious, you should have told Mommy first.”

“But Mommy was sleeping…”

Eve pouted, as though she hadn’t wanted to wake her mother while she was fast asleep.

Lea gently pinched her daughter’s soft cheek.

“Still, Mommy worries so much. Next time, you must tell me before you go anywhere. Understood?”

Eve bobbed her tiny head—then her lips trembled, her throat worked, and the dam broke.

“Uwaaaah!”

Startled, Lea picked Eve up again, and she buried her face in her shoulder. Tears and snot soaked through her dress. She must have suppressed her fear while exploring this strange place, only to give in to it now that she felt safe.

“Sob… the bad man, hic… the villain scared me…!”

Eve poured out her pent-up fright against her mother’s neck.

“The bad man?”

“He’s outside… the scary man…!”

Lea turned to Greeta in confusion. But Greeta only lifted a shoulder in silence. Lea decided Eve must have run into one of the castle guards and been frightened.

“It’s all right, Eve. Mommy’s here. Everything’s fine, see?”

Lea rocked her gently, wiping away the tears from her damp cheeks.

“But Mommy…”

“Yes, Eve?”

“Daddy saved me.”

Her cries subsided, leaving behind a grave expression, as she whispered the words.

“…Uncle Egon?”

“Mhm. Daddy saved me from the bad man…!”

Eve furrowed her tiny brows in grave seriousness. Despite the worry she had caused, her little face, still damp with snot and tears, looked so solemn that Lea could barely contain her laughter.

Eclace must have been the one to rescue her from the guards.

“Yes, thank goodness.”

“Mhm. But, Mommy…”

“Yes?”

“Daddy’s a prince, isn’t he?”

“…What?”

“Daddy… was wearing a prince’s clothes.”

Eve recalled the sight of Egon when he came for her. He hadn’t been in the shabby shirts and trousers he usually wore when visiting their home. Instead, he had been dressed like a storybook prince—buttons shining, a grand collar, intricate embroidery at the cuffs. His hair had been neatly combed and tied back with a silken ribbon. For a moment, she had nearly failed to recognize him as her daddy at all.

“Then… this is Daddy’s palace?”

Her innocent question left Lea at a loss. She had never told Eve the truth of Egon. The child believed he was a sailor—always away on distant voyages, sometimes returning in weeks, sometimes after months.

But to reveal him now as a count…

“… Eve. Unfortunately, he isn’t a prince. He just came here to meet the lord of this castle. When visiting a lord, it is important to dress properly out of respect.”

The lie pierced her chest, but she had no choice.

“He’s not a prince…?”

Eve’s head drooped in disappointment.

“Even if he isn’t, he’s still wonderful to you, isn’t he?”

“…Mm.”

Eve gave a small nod. But her sulky expression nearly made Lea laugh aloud.

She patted her daughter’s back.

“By the way, Eve, how are you feeling? Are you still sick?”

“Nope! Eve’s not sick at all!”

Relief swept over Lea. She touched her daughter’s forehead—her fever had completely broken. The angry rash from the night before had faded as well.

“Thank goodness. Still, just to be sure, let’s have the apothecary check you one more time.”

At her words, Greeta immediately nodded as if she had been waiting for the suggestion.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

“She’s truly… fully recovered,”

The apothecary murmured, astonishment clear as he nodded. Overnight, the rash that had spread across Eve’s body had vanished without a trace, and the fever had broken.

“It’s all thanks to you, sir.”

Lea bowed, relief washing over her at the news of her daughter’s restored health.

But the apothecary only gave a sheepish laugh, as though disclaiming the credit.

“Strange indeed. Perhaps it’s because she’s young, but the recovery was… unusually swift.”

Normally, it would take days for the rash to fade on its own. Yet this child had purged the red widow spider’s venom in a single night — in truth, in only a matter of hours. It was unprecedented.

“So that means… no medicine for me?”

Eve beamed, delighted at the thought of escaping the bitter taste of her draughts.

“Better to finish it just for today, to be safe.”

“Ugh…”

Her bright little face darkened instantly.

The apothecary gently soothed her, then turned back towards Lea. But she looked troubled.

“Lady Lea?”

“I… It isn’t impossible, is it? For the poison to heal in just one day?”

Her voice trembled with cautious unease. The apothecary scratched at his cheek with a finger.

“The effects of medicine can vary greatly from person to person. Still… this kind of speed is nothing short of miraculous.”

At the word ‘miraculous‘, Lea flinched and her eyes darted at once to her daughter. Only she knew the shadow of dread stirring within her.

“Her condition has improved, but I recommend that she rests for the rest of the day.”

The apothecary added before giving a few final instructions. Then, with Greeta at his side, he took his leave.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

Alone with her daughter once more, Lea drew close to Eve’s bedside. The little girl gazed up at her mother with wide, curious eyes.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?”

Eve found the expression on her mother’s face unfamiliar. Feeling uneasy, Eve clung tightly to her mother’s arm.

Lea forced a smile as she looked down at her beloved daughter.

“Eve, shall we change into something else?”

“Hm? Clothes?”

“Yes, let’s put you in a prettier dress.”

“But I like this one!”

“Mommy has something even lovelier prepared.”

As Lea had expected Eve’s recovery to take more than a week, Eclace had made sure that several beautiful dresses were ready and waiting.

Lea pulled several of these dresses out of the drawer and laid them out for Eve to see. Egon’s gowns were the kind worn by noble children; they were so extravagant that they immediately made Eve’s eyes sparkle.

“I want the blue one—with butterflies!”

“The blue butterflies? All right, shall we dress you in this one then, my Eve?”

Lea smiled as she unfolded the blue dress her daughter had chosen. Subtle butterfly-like patterns glimmered across the fabric, and a long ribbon trailed from the back. She gently slipped off the white gown Eve had been wearing and carefully examined her small frame.

The rash that had spread across her body had truly vanished without a trace.

Even so, Lea’s gaze lingered, searching every inch of her daughter’s pale skin.

And then—

“…Ah.”

Her gaze fixed on Eve’s chest. Just above her heart, there was a faint, pale, crescent-shaped mark that was barely visible against her skin. It was so light that it could have been mistaken for a visible vein, yet it was undoubtedly there.

Her heart plunged into a bottomless abyss.

“No… no, it can’t be…”

She had thought herself fortunate—that Eve had not inherited the curse. She had dreamed of giving her daughter a simple, happy life.

But now—

“Mommy? Are you crying…?”

Tears spilled down her cheeks uncontrollably. Eve’s small brows knitted together as she looked up at her mother. Seeing her mother cry made her grow tearful, too.

“Mommy, don’t cry…”

Eve had never seen her mother cry before, and her voice trembled with fear. Had she done something wrong? Was Mommy angry with her for disobeying her?

Her tiny hands clasped tightly around Lea’s. The warmth of her touch spread through Lea’s chest like fire, and it hurt unbearably. She bit down on her lip, trying to stop herself from breaking down.

Eve only squeezed her hands tighter.

“Mommy, I’m sorry… It was my fault…”

With her voice breaking with guilt, Lea could no longer hold back. She lowered her head onto her daughter’s shoulder and began to cry.

The child had done nothing wrong, yet here she was, apologizing.

‘No, I should be the one to apologize. It was my sin. I am the one who burdened this pure, innocent child with something she should never have had to bear.’

“No, Eve, Mommy’s sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Lea held her daughter tightly, her heart breaking. She didn’t want to cry in front of her child, but the tears came anyway, uncontrollable and unstoppable.

Her daughter’s pure eyes pierced straight through her heart.

So this was the end, after all.

‘So this is my punishment again.’

A woman like me, unworthy of being a mother, had dared to crave too much.

Not wanting to appear weak in front of her child, she pulled Eve closer.

“Mommy…”

“It’s all right, Eve. No matter what happens, Mommy will protect you.”

Lea steeled her collapsing heart, forcing it upright. She could not crumble in front of her daughter.

She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and pressed a kiss onto the child’s forehead. She loved this child beyond all reason.

Yes. For Eve’s sake—for her child’s sake—she would endure anything.

Even if the Church branded her a heretic and persecuted her, she would protect her daughter.

Even if it meant being seen as the devil incarnate.