CHGD 23

Chapter 23

They said I slept for three days straight. Not a single meal, not even a sip of water—I slept soundly, as if I had truly become a corpse.

That was the first thing Loaz said to me as soon as I opened my eyes.

[I thought you might have been cursed. But then your vitality was intact, which was strange.]

“You could have woken me up.”

[You think I didn’t try? You wouldn’t even hear me.]

Whether the claim of sleeping long was true or not, just getting out of bed made my entire body creak. Strangely, though, I wasn’t hungry. It felt less like I had slept and more like the time in my body had briefly stopped.

[Haster was coming in and out constantly. He was really worried—wait, what are you doing?]

I dragged my stiff body and reached my hand under the bed. A small but sturdy travel bag came into view.

It was my trousseau that I had brought from my family home. The only valuable items were a jewelry box left by my grandmother and some self-defense items given by a childhood friend, but they were treasures I never wanted to part with, no matter where I went.

[Why are you getting that out?]

Ignoring Loaz’s question, I opened the bag. Then I brought over the clothes and cosmetics I had arrived in and stuffed them into the empty spaces.

[Don’t tell me you’re trying to run away?]

I hadn’t made up my mind yet. I was just preparing so I could leave anytime. If I revealed that, Loaz would get angry, so I silently continued packing.

Even knowing it was an impulsive act, my hands wouldn’t stop. I felt like I would feel a little more at ease once I had at least packed my things.

[Hey, you…]

Loaz’s voice, which had been calling me with an irritated tone, suddenly cut off.

Wondering why, I looked up and saw the bedroom door open. The one who had opened the door was the Count.

“Deliana? What are you doing right now?”

“……”

A bride packing her things into a bag she brought as her trousseau. Anyone could see the purpose was clear.

“Oh, well, that is…”

Feeling strangely guilty, I carefully hid the bundle.

Of course, he noticed the signs of an escape attempt like a ghost.

“Surely, you’re not planning to leave the castle, are you?”

Unable to answer, I just stammered, and the Count slowly approached.

“Deliana, I dislike people who don’t keep their promises. You remember our marriage contract, don’t you?”

Of course I remembered. I could recall the contents of the contract my parents had forced me to sign at any moment.

As expected of an imperial marriage contract from a religious empire, it was filled with stale words about spending a lifetime together without rejecting each other’s fates.

“I remember.”

“Then put that luggage back.”

His voice was soothing, as if coaxing me with a ‘be good,’ but the atmosphere was ominous.

A dark shadow began to cast around the Count. He didn’t seem to notice, but grotesque tentacles and dozens of eyes appearing behind the shadow were fixed on me. This was the first time he had been this angry since the breakfast incident.

‘If I even mention divorce, won’t I get eaten on the spot?’

My mother-in-law’s words came to mind—that divorce was impossible unless I killed him.

Seeing his crimson eyes gradually turning yellow, I awkwardly nodded.

“…Why would I leave this fine house? It’s a misunderstanding.”

“Right? I must have been mistaken. I’m sorry.”

Only then did the Count’s aura subside. He smiled brightly and returned to his human form.

It was still a remarkably handsome smile, uncharacteristic of a monster.

‘Does he even realize he’s trying to hide it?’

Come to think of it, monsters generally had a habit of not realizing when their appearances changed. Was there no such thing as a monster that could perfectly imitate a human?

Exhausted, I put away the remaining luggage and sat on the bed. The Count brought a nearby chair, sat close to the bed, and looked at me with a worried gaze.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine, aside from my legs being a bit heavy from sleeping so much.”

The abrupt shift in atmosphere had become familiar by now.

I relaxed and continued the conversation with the Count.

“Did the festival end well? Since I don’t remember…”

“Yes, don’t worry. It was wrapped up nicely.”

“That’s a relief. Ah, what about Ikavel?”

“He’s being punished for failing to protect you. It’s not a severe punishment, so he should be back by this afternoon.”

I felt a bit sorry for him receiving punishment, but it wasn’t bad to curb that brat’s stubbornness once in a while.

After finishing the pointless pleasantries, I waited for the Count to bring up the main topic.

“…Deliana, you met her, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did. The Count’s mother.”

He didn’t seem to like the word ‘mother.’ His expression hardened, and he lowered his eyes as if controlling his emotions.

“I’m sorry. I should have prevented her from approaching you… It was my negligence. Was there anything unusual in ‘that place’?”

‘It seems like he’s trying to gauge my reaction.’

It was obvious what he was worried about. He was concerned that I might have realized the truth of this castle because I had met her.

I could have revealed the secret here and questioned their true identities, but…

“I don’t really remember. I closed my eyes. And when I opened them, I was there… By any chance, is the Count’s mother a mage?”

I chose to lie rather than take unnecessary risks. Now that I knew the fate of this city rested on my shoulders, I didn’t want to rashly escalate the situation with my own mouth.

Besides, even if I uncovered their true identities, there was nothing I could really do.

“Ah, a mage… Yes. You could say she’s a similar being.”

The Count nodded, visibly relieved.

I didn’t know what mages in this world could do, but since I had never seen one myself, I felt comfortable adding to the lie.

“I see. That’s why she didn’t seem like an ordinary person…”

“Deliana. Do you not remember anything from before you lost consciousness, either?”

He was probably concerned about whether I had witnessed his mother dying. I shook my head in denial. I didn’t particularly want to remember it anyway.

Then, I spoke softly to the Count, who wore a relieved expression.

“Instead, I do remember some of the conversation. Your mother made a request of me.”

“A request?”

“Yes, she asked me to mediate the relationships among the castle’s family members. She said you don’t get along well.”

I could have said I heard nothing, but I wanted to tell the Count this much. Because I wanted to hear about the reality of the castle and the situation of the monsters living there.

If I could know their existence in advance, I could avoid dangerous landmines.

I still wasn’t sure whether I would stay in this castle or leave through a divorce, but even so, information was never enough.

“That is…”

He seemed flustered, as if he had heard something unexpected. After a moment of thought, he gave a surprising answer.

“That’s a decent proposal.”

I had expected him to say it wasn’t necessary, but instead, he readily agreed.

“It is something only Deliana can do. Although her request is a bit prickly…”

“W-wait a minute. There’s no way I could do something like that.”

“It’s just conversation, so it’s fine.”

“What do you mean ‘just conversation’…”

I almost blurted out, ‘How can you have a conversation when you’re all monsters?’ but managed to hold back.

The Count, who knew better than anyone how dangerous conversation with them could be, was acting completely contrary to his previous emphasis on my safety.

As I looked at him with suspicious eyes, the Count chose his words carefully.

“What I mean is… I intended to say that I can guarantee Deliana’s safety.”

He continued his explanation cautiously.

“As she said, the vassals in my castle are somewhat unstable and dangerous. They are essential for maintaining this castle, but they don’t necessarily remain loyal to our family.”

In other words, they were gathered out of necessity, not a perfect hierarchy. This was something I had also heard from Loaz—that other beings respected the Count’s authority but did not follow him.

“But they also have limitations. The limitation that they must obey family duties.”

‘Limitation?’

The word choice felt strange. Just as I was about to ask about it, Loaz’s voice echoed in my head.

[It’s not a limitation, it’s a restriction. All the beings in this castle are bound by contracts.]

‘Loaz?’

[I’m speaking carefully so I don’t get caught, so don’t react. …Anyway, all the beings have made some kind of contract with Haster. They promised not to resist public duties in order to stay in the castle. If there were no such rules, this castle would have become hell long ago, you know?]

‘You never told me that.’

[Since you’re not the one working, why would I bother?]

‘…That’s a fair point.’

Since my role in this castle was to be a lazy mistress, I had nothing to do with any duties. I had only met a handmaiden and an escort knight, so there was no way I could bring up official work.

[Since there are restrictions, it should be safe for you to deal with them as part of your duties.]

Loaz’s words made me reconsider. As long as my safety was guaranteed, it wouldn’t be bad to gather information on my own two feet.

Besides, even if it was unpleasant, there was also the mother’s reward to consider.

It was undeniable that granting her request was the best way to escape this castle.