“Happy birthday, Grandma Lulu!”

Seemingly having expected this, Grandma Lulu showed no surprise and chuckled heartily while accepting the bouquet.

“Thank you, my child. How did you know white campanulas are this old woman’s favorite?”

“That’s basic knowledge.”

Everyone in Flora Village knew Grandma Lulu loved campanulas. They also all knew she particularly favored the white ones. Still, Lesia shrugged her shoulders proudly, pretending she had made a brilliant choice.

Grandma Lulu gazed at Lesia with tremendous affection before stepping aside.

“Come in. Chalson just left a cake for me.”

Lesia’s ears perked up at those words. Despite her excited expression, she hesitated to enter, prompting Grandma Lulu to add knowingly, “I’ll tell Juliana myself.”

Grandma Lulu, the oldest person in Flora Village, was essentially its most powerful figure. If Grandma Lulu defended Lesia, even the formidable Juliana would be powerless. Though this had been Lesia’s plan all along, she stepped inside with a pretense of surrender.

“I came because you’d be lonely on your birthday. It has absolutely nothing to do with cake.”

“Ho ho. Of course not.”

Hopping like a rabbit, Lesia immediately sat at the table. The old woman naturally placed a slice of cake on a plate and set it before Lesia.

The cake was barely deserving of the name, merely castella with a bit of whipped cream. But Lesia loved this cake most of all. The moment it entered her mouth, the soft texture enveloped her tongue, followed by a heavenly sweetness.

Having been born and raised in Flora Village, Lesia had only ever tasted breads and cookies made by villagers. Even those were all quite plain and focused on the natural flavors of ingredients, which didn’t quite suit young Lesia’s palate. Castella (cake) was the only thing that truly satisfied her.

Knowing this, villagers would deliberately invite Lesia over on their birthdays to share cake with her.

“Is it delicious?”

Grandma Lulu, sitting across from her and watching her eat, asked the question.

Coming to her senses, Lesia looked down at the cake, now half gone. Seeing this, she felt slightly guilty. It was a birthday cake after all, and Grandma Lulu hadn’t even had a taste while she had been devouring it.

After considering this, Lesia cut the remaining cake in half, stabbed it firmly with her fork, and held it out to Grandma Lulu.

“You should have some too, Grandma!”

The small hand offering the cake trembled slightly. For Lesia, sharing cake was equivalent to making a tremendous sacrifice.

Knowing this better than anyone, Grandma Lulu chuckled and shook her head.

“This old woman doesn’t care much for sweet things. You should finish it all so it doesn’t go to waste.”

By providing Lesia with a reason why she had to eat it, Grandma Lulu made it impossible to refuse. Though slightly disappointed, Lesia withdrew her fork “reluctantly.”

“I guess I have no choice. Mom says we get punished if we waste food.”

Mom says.

The rest of her words dissolved in her mouth along with the cake.

Happiness once again spread across Lesia’s face. Having taken a large bite, her already chubby cheeks puffed out even more. 

Unable to contain her delight, she waved her arms and legs excitedly. Her snow-white hair fluttered with the movement, and her blue eyes filled with pure joy.

Feeling the cool breeze through the slightly open window, Grandma Lulu’s face also wore a happy smile.

Even after cake time ended, Lesia didn’t leave. The cake was certainly a draw, but Lesia had another main purpose for visiting Grandma Lulu’s house.

When the old woman sat on the sofa by the window, Lesia naturally scurried over and sat snugly beside her.

Looking up at Grandma Lulu with sparkling eyes, she said, “Grandma, tell me that story.”

“Which story do you mean?”

When Grandma Lulu pretended not to know, Lesia urged with an anxious face, “You know, the story about the ‘Velius Grand Duke family’!”

“Ah.”

Only Lesia knew that Grandma Lulu had once been a close associate of the Grand Duke of Velius. Grandma Lulu occasionally shared her experiences with Lesia, who loved hearing these stories about the Velius Grand Duke family.

The tales Grandma Lulu told about the Velius Grand Duke family seemed like stories from another world. Nobles dancing in magnificent dresses. Food so abundant that merely smelling it could fill one’s stomach. 

Lighting so dazzling it made one’s eyes spin. All manner of schemes and power struggles happening behind that splendor. And at the center of it all, the Velius Grand Duke family.

The stories about the “Velius Grand Duke family,” the nobility among nobles whom even the Emperor dared not cross, held more magic for Lesia than candy.

“What story were we supposed to tell today?”

At Grandma Lulu’s question, Lesia answered energetically, “About the ‘curse’ of the Velius Grand Duke family!”

At those words, Grandma Lulu showed reluctance.

She muttered to herself, “I must be going senile.”

“Grandma?”

When Lesia tilted her head curiously at Grandma Lulu’s unusual behavior, the old woman quickly returned to her gentle expression and stroked Lesia’s hair.

Then, speaking soothingly, she said, “The story of the Velius Grand Duke family’s curse is frightening. You might not be able to sleep at night after hearing it.”

At this serious warning, Lesia gulped. Normally, she would have asked for a different story, but she shook her head resolutely.

“I want to hear it!”

At those words, Grandma Lulu’s eyes widened.

“Even though it’s scary?”

“I’m already 10 years old. I’m not scared of such things anymore!”

Lesia straightened her shoulders and puffed out her chest proudly.

Even so, in Grandma Lulu’s eyes, she would always be a baby. Knowing better than anyone that once Lesia set her mind on something, there was no changing it, Grandma Lulu shook her head in surrender.

Instead, she brought a blanket, wrapped it around Lesia’s shoulders, and held her close while saying, “Very well. I’ll tell you, and only you, about the curse passed down through the Velius Grand Duke family, considered the greatest noble house.”

Gulp.

As the story began with an eerie tone, Lesia swallowed hard.

And so, Grandma Lulu’s tale began.

* * *

“Hnngh, ahhh!”

In a dark room, in the middle of a large bed, a black-haired boy of about 10 years clutched his chest and groaned in pain.

“Ugh…”

Despite the room being dark with blackout curtains drawn, a darkness even deeper than the shadows emanated from the boy’s body.

This energy swirled around him like a cocoon. The more this black energy poured out, the more the boy writhed and struggled in agony.

How long did this period of suffering continue?

Only when thin rays of sunlight began to seep through the blackout curtains could the boy finally find release from the terrible pain.

As the boy lay unconscious, dripping with cold sweat, the firmly closed door opened and two people entered. One was a middle-aged woman with the same long black hair as the boy and red eyes, while the other was a young man with green hair wearing a white robe.

Despite seeing a child who had lost consciousness after writhing in pain, the eyes of both remained utterly dispassionate.

The man spoke first.

“He won’t last much longer at this rate. We must find his companion as soon as possible.”

At the man’s words, the woman gazed at the boy with cold eyes.

The man sighed and continued, “The curse began with the first Grand Duke of Velius, and even after centuries, we still haven’t found a cure… I’m deeply sorry.”

At that, the woman bit her lower lip and spat out words filled with contempt.

“The Velius family, said to bring even the Emperor to his knees, cannot overcome a mere curse and must suffer generation after generation. What a disgrace.”

“…”

This curse, placed upon the first Grand Duke of Velius for abandoning his lover, who was an incarnation of a deity, in pursuit of greater power, dictated that the heir to the Grand Duke family would inevitably fall in love, and unless they transferred the curse to that person, they would ultimately die.

Centuries had passed since the curse began, but it had manifested without fail every time. Every Grand Duke in history had fallen in love, and they continued the family line by killing that love.

This was true for the current Grand Duchess, Teresa Velius, and would be the same for her son Cesar, the future heir to the Velius family.

However, it seemed the deity had finally decided to end the Velius Grand Duke family line, for the curse had manifested more strongly in this generation. Usually, there was a grace period until adulthood, but Cesar appeared to be struggling to survive even until this coming winter.

The Velius legacy might end with Teresa’s generation.

Despite her son facing imminent death, not a single trace of sympathy showed in Teresa’s eyes.

This wasn’t unique to Teresa. After the manifestation of the Velius curse, the first thing the heirs of the Velius family learned was how to “abandon.” Abandon emotions, abandon precious things, and ultimately abandon the person they loved.

Only then could they escape the aftereffects of the curse.

“It’s impossible even to appoint a proxy,” Teresa muttered.

“Anyone who isn’t the rightful heir to Velius who dares to covet the position would meet a terrible end,” the man replied.

The family heads throughout history hadn’t simply accepted the curse passively. Each had sought ways to avoid it. However, no method to evade the curse had ever been found.

The man spoke with determination, “We must find a companion, someone for Master Cesar to love and transfer the curse to, within a month.”

“All previous companions were found among those close to the heir.”

After pondering briefly, Teresa spoke in a cold voice, “We will hold a grand banquet. Send official notices throughout the Grand Duke’s territory. Everyone must attend the banquet at the Grand Duke’s castle without exception. If even one person is missing, the entire village will face severe punishment.”