The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 23.2

That evening.

Back in my room with the companions of Room 13, the idiot debated fervently whether Eliza liked me or not.

It’s not me who has to cross the barrier of status anymore; it’s Eliza now.

They’re crazy.

It’s no different from insulting the master of mansion, Eliza’s.

Luckily, they’re only making noise when Anna isn’t around.

If anyone heard, they’d all face consecutive executions.

The pointless debate continued until late at night.

I sat blankly on the bed, muttering to myself.

‘I wish they would all just shut up.’

***

“Are you out of your mind?”

Narcissa asked.

Her eyes seemed ready to tear apart the cat doll in Eliza’s arms.

“You planned to disgrace the family, didn’t you? Doing such a thing in front of everyone…!”

“Well, yes.”

Eliza replied casually.

“I didn’t know the Duchess was trying to assassinate me. I couldn’t stop my rebellious heart when I was young.”

“………..”

“I knew you wanted to kill me, but I didn’t expect you to go that far….”

Narcissa just mumbled like a goldfish.

It was an unexpected reaction.

Eliza chuckled as if amused.

“Didn’t you already know when you stepped inside? It seems you’re not very good at pretending not to know when you’re hit where it hurts.”

“You…!”

As Narcissa raised her hand.

Eliza raised only her eyes.

Cold crimson eyes pierced Narcissa.

“How predictable. They say the first time is difficult, but once you’ve done it, it gets easier. Now you don’t hesitate to lay hands on my face.”

“……”

“But shouldn’t you be careful? Even though not everyone in this mansion is on your side.”

Eliza’s smiling eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.

Lia, Miguel.

The mansion’s senior servants, including them, were in the same space.

“If you attempted my assassination and only respond with emotional abuse, it’s so easy to misunderstand, isn’t it? Actions speak louder than words, and actions can be a true sign of intent.”

“That wasn’t me!”

“Is that so? I believed you, Duchess. But since there’s no evidence yet, we should try to find out who’s behind it, right?”

Narcissa’s throat tightened as she looked at Eliza’s cheerful smile.

A shiver ran down her spine.

Eliza, unbelievably wicked for a 13-year-old.

“I will uncover the truth no matter what. By any means necessary. So, you too, act right.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Narcissa left, her footsteps echoing.

Eliza’s smile faded as if washed away.

She was tired.

The banquet continued into the deep night.

Just like before, Eliza had struggled among the nobles.

Her hand, which had been caressing a doll, stiffened.

“Um, um.”

A doll.

She had never received one, nor had she ever wanted to.

It might be something her peers would like.

But it wasn’t her.

Too childish, and, um…

No, she used to like it a bit, a very long time ago…

Eliza shook her head, brushing away childish thoughts.

She reminded herself to be more mature than others.

But she didn’t let go of the doll in her hand.

“The steward in charge of today’s gift tally, what’s his name?”

“His name is Haz.”

“I don’t recall giving instructions to select gifts.”

“Yes.”

“He doesn’t know his fractions. Inform Miguel firmly to punish him and send him away.”

“I will do so.”

Eliza sighed lightly again while absentmindedly petting the doll.

As a bastard, she had no one truly loyal to her.

Even in trivial matters, unnecessary friction arose.

Thinking about future misdeeds, even with many allies, it wasn’t enough.

“Miss, it’s time to sleep soon.”

“Yeah.”

Eliza stood up from her seat.

She didn’t let go of the doll in her arms.

She didn’t particularly like it, nor did she dislike it, but it wasn’t too bad.

So, there was no need to let it go.

After Lia bathed her, put on her scratchy nightgown, dried and combed her hair, Eliza saw Lia turn off the lights when she saw Eliza lying down on the bed.

“Have a peaceful night. Eli… Miss.”

Eliza simply closed her eyes silently, still holding the doll.

Not long after, Eliza slowly got up.

“I can’t sleep.”

It happened occasionally.

She took the medicine prescribed by Doctor May.

A medicine taken when suffering from insomnia.

Even so, unable to sleep, Eliza eventually left the bedroom.

“Miss?”

The Knight guarding the door turned back.

“I can’t sleep. Bring Lia.”

“Yes, understood.”

Soon, Lia came out from the opposite room.

“Eliza, Miss?”

“To study.”

“Understood. Where will you go?”

“The magic laboratory.”

A magic laboratory located in a remote part of the mansion.

It was where Eliza practiced magic alone.

A dangerous place, so it was built far from the main mansion.

No one could enter the laboratory without permission.

It was easy to get hurt if involved in magical experiments.

“If you need anything, please pull the bell cord.”

“Yeah.”

Lia left for the waiting room, which was one room away.

Eliza opened the laboratory door.

Although it was a laboratory, it was spacious enough to be used as a home.

Many shelves filled with countless books.

And traces of the last study session remained on the large desk in the center of the laboratory.

Opened books, flasks and glass bottles used for experiments.

To handle fire more strongly, she experimented with liquids containing alcohol, oil, or sulfur compounds.

Eliza hung a lantern next to the entrance and entered.

She lit candles one by one with fire from her fingers and began studying.

The history of magic, manifestation systems.

She delved into and understood books on various theories.

She had been trying to manifest magic according to theories for a long time, but it wasn’t easy.

It was still too small to kill someone or protect herself.

Today she reads the history of fire magic’s succession.

Its origin is from the Bevel and Helios families…

And then suddenly.

“Lady Eliza.”

Someone entered without even knocking.

It was Marquis Sardis, one of her tutor.

And also the man she had requested to Narcissa to be replaced last time.

Every time his gaze met hers, Eliza felt uncomfortable, as if bugs were crawling over her body.

A tall, skinny man approached with a snake-like smile.

“Alone at this late hour. What are you up to?”

***

“Judas… where are you going….”

He woke up.

Maybe he ate too much earlier; his stomach didn’t feel right.

“Need to use the restroom…”

“It’s cold outside….”

Hearing Dylan mutter in the bed next to him, he wrapped himself in a nearby red blanket.

‘Why is the restroom outside in this guesthouse….’

February nights were certainly cold.

As he headed to the restroom, he saw Eliza in the distance.

She was wearing fluffy pajamas and holding the doll I had given her.

‘What’s she doing at this hour?’

She entered the building in front of him.

The maid, Lia, went to the adjacent building.

It didn’t seem like a formal occasion judging by their attire.

Did she come out alone to study?

‘It’s her birthday, yet she’s busy late into the night….’

Seeing Eliza reminded me of the scenery I saw during the day.

Eliza, separated from her family.

The fact that she’s an illegitimate child.

“Sigh….”

As I sighed, my breath turned into mist and dispersed.

It was suffocating. For some reason.

As I finished my business in the restroom and came out, someone was entering the building Eliza had gone into.

Tall and skinny.

His pale complexion was snake-like.

‘…Who is he?’

A face I don’t know.

Given the past timeline, there are quite a few unknown figures.

Late at night.

A small building lit alone in a separate place.

Eliza inside.

A man who came to see Eliza.

Everything in this mansion has been uncomfortable and awkward since I found out she’s illegitimate.

‘Who is worrying about whom…. Anyway, I…’

Similar yet subtly different young Eliza compared to the one I knew.

Born as an illegitimate child linked to evidence of abuse.

A past I didn’t know.

A past I’m unfamiliar with.

And one thing overlapping, a different past.

An authoritative senior in the same sports category. Director. Coach.

Women and men of my age or younger than me are called separately

It’s not only applied to the sport I was involved in but everything.

I did my best at the time.

But in the end, it doesn’t change anything……

“…Hey, seriously!”

I scratched my head.

I’m sick of using my head, and I remembered the old days that made me feel bad.

‘No, it won’t work. I won’t be able to sleep just by going back.’

Let’s just check. Anyway, nothing’s going to happen.

With [Sneaky Steps], I approached the building without going back.

***

“Oh!”

Marquis Sardis shouted sternly.

The small hand reaching out towards the rope was grabbed by him.

“Let go of me!”

Eliza struggled and conjured fire with her other hand.

But the flames quickly faded at Sardis’s gesture.

She couldn’t defeat him with magic.

Sardis was Eliza’s magic tutor, after all.

“You shouldn’t cause such a commotion.”

Sardis immediately seized both of Eliza’s wrists.

“It’ll only take a moment, just a moment….”

Eliza’s trembling eyes met Sardis’s gaze.

Those eyes that always made her uncomfortable.

The pupils, shrouded in thick desire, were pitch black.

It was frightening.

If swallowed, she would be erased.

Eliza sighed inwardly.

A resigned admiration.

Time passed slowly.

Consciousness drifted away from reality.

.

.

She looked back.

The path she had walked was a thorny one.

She walked on, stepping on thorns planted by others.

She walked silently, but not without shedding blood.

It wasn’t painless.

Even as the soles of her feet became tattered, she simply endured.

A straight path of thorns.

She crouched beside a lake made of blood.

She embraced her knees and cried.

She shouted with a trembling voice.

‘I’m scared. I’m scared.’

What are you trying to do?

Don’t do this to me.

Please, just leave me alone……

The emotions speaking the truth were her real self in reality.

Powerless, helpless, terrified, she stuttered.

Her weak self disgusted her.

That’s why she hid it beneath the blood.

But she didn’t erase it.

Even If I erase my weak self, will I forget the memories that remain in my heart?

It’s the only memory that retains its color.

.

.

Sardis’ draws his hand near.

“You are weak. Truly.”

There was no one to help.

Her life had always been like that.

No, there was one person.

Now, they are dead.

The Bebel family killed them.

The world killed them.

Since then, she had always been alone.

The moment she realized that, her heart ached.

She couldn’t breathe.

“Mom…”

If I have to erase it.

If I have to crush and burn even the last seed of remaining emotion.

If I have to kill myself to gain the strength to kill others.

‘I’ll kill.’

Terrifying, but willingly, me.

In her consciousness.

Sardis drew his sword.

He held the sword near the neck of Eliza, who was immersed in emotion and crying

Red eyes symbolizing the Bevel family.

Trapped inside, an orange light that rippled like waves.

The center of the pupil shone bright gold.

At a glance, the pupil, resembling yellow, was like the sun.

Tears flowing from the sun.

Tears pushed out by accumulated evil, longing, hatred, and sadness.

Her eyes were crying, but her lips were smiling peacefully.

Unknowingly, Sardis took a deep breath at the slow change.

“No way…!”

The moment Sardis was about to strangle weak Eliza’s neck,

Boom!

The door burst open violently.

Sardis and Eliza both turned their heads simultaneously.

A boy burst in through the door.

Judas, with his teeth clenched tightly, stared at Sardis with his defiant golden eyes.