The Villainess Who Accidentally Stole Their Hearts - Chapter 36

Chapter 18.2

The Delosif Grand Ducal family’s graves were housed in a massive sanctuary. Inside this sprawling structure lay the tomb of my mother, the former grand duchess.

Even as we walked through the long stone corridors, Mikarin’s voice never ceased.

“By the way, Lady Mikarin, are all those accessories you’re wearing made from magic stones?”

“As expected of Lord Sandif! You truly have a deep understanding of magic. Yes, they are!”

“They all seem to be quite precious magic stones.”

Mikarin blushed and cupped her cheeks.

“It’s kind of embarrassing, but I received them as a gift…”

“They’re far too expensive to be ordinary gifts. Are they from a lover, perhaps?”

When the vassal asked with a mischievous grin, Mikarin quickly waved both hands in denial.

“Of course not. The person who gave them to me just happens to be part of the Mage Tower’s Central Circle.”

“The Central Circle?!”

The vassals gasped in surprise.

The Central Circle was known to be made up of only the top elites of the Magic Tower, so elite that all the masters of the Magic Tower were said to come from there. One of the reasons Delosif had invested so much money into the Magic Tower was partly to build connections within the Central Circle.

The vassals’ eyes sparkled.

“Have you met the Tower Master by any chance?”

Mikarin let out a shy giggle, sneaking a glance at Zerno. Although she was addressing the vassals, it was clear she intended for him to hear every word.

“Of course not. He rarely even attends Central Circle meetings. You’d have to go to the Mage Tower in person to meet him, but…”

“That’s right. For nobles to visit there… it would attract too much attention from the power-wielders, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, exactly. Many power-wielders already despise magic, and on top of that, here we are sponsoring the Magic Tower…”

Essentially, if you were to show up openly, it would look like you were saying, ‘Forget the power-wielders, magic is the best! Magic is supreme~!’

‘But I went.’

Of course, the power-wielders would never follow me, someone who failed to awaken.

And the person they would follow had already been decided. It was none other than the ‘true, unprecedented Awakener’ who would appear in the near future.

‘The wizards were incredibly kind to me when I visited the Magic Tower.’

It must have been evident that I intended to prioritize magic without regard for the power wielders’ scrutiny.

Mikarin blushed sweetly and added,

“I was fortunate enough to meet a Central Circle member at a party, and he treated me very well.”

“I-Is that so?”

“Yes, so, um… If it would help Delosif, I was thinking maybe I could arrange a meeting with the Tower Master?”

“They say his personality is notoriously erratic… He’s such a lunatic that he never gave any sponsor even a minute of his time.”

“But since I’ll go through the Central Circle’s representative, wouldn’t that be different from other sponsors…?”

“Of course, of course. I’m sure you could get a whole five minutes with him.”

The vassals chuckled, and a few even let out booming laughs.

By that time, we had finally emerged from the shadowy corridor. Finally, what we had been searching for appeared. Among solemn statues, a glowing gravestone stood at the center. From atop the headstone, my mother’s soul gleamed brightly.

It felt as if… she was greeting us.

“Mother.”

Zerno stood in front of the spirit stone embedded in the gravestone, bowing his head. Then, everyone else followed his lead, placing a hand over their hearts.

The memorial had begun.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ୨ৎ ໒꒱ ‧₊ ୧‿︵

In the Empire, it was tradition to place flowers beneath the spirit stone to honor the dead.

Zerno laid down a white rose. It was the same flower Mother had embroidered on his handkerchief. Next came Akain, who placed an enormous bouquet of lilies with a thud.

“Mother didn’t really like lilies. She said they were dangerous for animals.”

When Zerno spoke expressionlessly, Akain frowned.

“But she used lily perfume. She said Father gave it to her, and she wore it in places without animals.”

Akain clicked his tongue and turned his head away.

“I remember Mother with the scent of lilies…”

The faint redness around his eyes betrayed him.

I stared at my mother’s spirit stone without saying a word.

‘How many years has it been since I last saw this?’

Even though it was called a spirit stone, what was sealed inside wasn’t really her soul.

It wasn’t her.

It was just the traces of life that had left the body and soul, remnants left after her body and spirit vanished.

‘I know that. I know, and yet…’

But the light radiating from it was so gentle, like the hands that once embraced me…

I couldn’t bring myself to step forward.

Then, Mikarin stepped forward, cutting in front of me.

“Aunt, I’m here in Sister’s place.”

It felt as though I had given up my turn to pay my respects.

She laid down the flowers she claimed to have grown herself and let out a soft, forced laugh.

“These are Iplea flowers I raised with care. Aunt, you used to meet me in the Iplea garden, remember? I can still see you smiling at me… and yet…”

Mikarin suddenly broke down in tears, unable to hold them back. She sobbed, struggling to finish her sentence.

“I miss you so much…”

I stood behind her, feeling out of place.

Like an outsider.

“Ah, sister. You should greet her too. Don’t be embarrassed. No matter what happened, Aunt will understand you.”

Mikarin rubbed her reddened eyes and stepped aside. At the same time, she was deliberately reminding the vassals of something they had been choosing to forget.

My failed awakening.

But today, I didn’t want to argue with her about it.

‘Because, in front of that spirit stone, even a bad person like me wants to be a good child.’

I slowly stepped closer to the spirit stone.

“Aren’t you going to say something?”

Akain spoke up as I stood there quietly, staring blankly at the spirit stone.

“Do you really have nothing to say?”

“….”

“What, you’re acting like you actually don’t?”

“…I don’t.”

What could I possibly say?

Mother, I actually regressed.
I failed to awaken and ended up marrying Cleas, only to find out he was cheating on me with Mikarin. After a nightmare of a marriage, I was imprisoned in a living hell.
I even became a chimera, fused with the prison walls.

‘How could I ever say such things?’

How could I? She was such a good person that it was hard to believe she had a daughter like me. Knowing the kind of person she was, she would have been heartbroken.

“Nikaearsha, you…”

Akain’s face stiffened.

The others reacted similarly. Some were even indignant, perhaps because, compared to Mikarin’s emotional outburst, I must have seemed cold and insincere.

“My lad, this is truly too much—!”

“Are you saying you don’t even have the will to greet your late mother?!”

Even though people shouted at me, all I did was quietly reach out toward the spirit stone. And the moment my fingertips brushed against it…

Rumble—!

The entire sanctuary began to shake violently.

“W-What’s going on?”

“An earthquake? Is it an earthquake?”

The vassals, members of allied families, and even Zerno and Akain looked around in confusion. The entire sanctuary was shaking violently as if struck by a calamity.

As everyone scrambled to understand what was happening—

“Huh? Aunt’s spirit stone…!”

—Mikarin pointed at the spirit stone. A blazing light burst from it, trembling violently as though it might shatter at any moment.

“Brother—!”

Akain shouted, looking toward Zerno, who stood closer to the spirit stone than I did.

Zerno raised his hand and created a magic circle. It seemed like he was trying to contain the light, but the moment his magic touched it, the stone appeared to shudder even more, threatening to shatter faster.

“Ah, no! Aunt… It’s Aunt’s spirit stone…!”

That’s when it happened.

“….!”

I threw myself toward the spirit stone.

There was no time to think. I just ran to it, wrapping my arms around it.

‘Mother… Mother…’

I was terrified that if I didn’t, she would shatter.

Bzzzzt—!

A massive burst of sparks shot out from the spirit stone. Agonizing pain tore through my entire body, like I was being electrocuted. Not only that, some of the sparks even gouged deep into my flesh.

“Nike…”

Zerno called out to me stiffly as if he were shaken.

“You idiot——!!”

Akain screamed in desperation.

The desperation in his voice sounded almost foolish, and I couldn’t help but laugh, even as my body was drenched in blood, battered by the raging sparks.

“It’s okay. Mom didn’t break…”

—as I spoke those words.