Chapter 73
<76>
“That brat will be raised as a spy in our ducal house. Since she brought us something so interesting, we should make good use of her, shouldn’t we?”
“…Yes.”
At those words, a slight light returned to Ariena’s voice.
“Then, I shall take my leave.”
“Go on.”
With a deep bow, Ariena left the office with the baby in her arms.
“……?”
When I woke up from my dream, I found myself in a luxurious jewelry shop, the kind that catered to nobles.
On the desk, I saw a small sign that read ‘Litaisha’s Jewelry Shop.’
‘Is this… Is this a secret base for the Pose Duchy?’
I didn’t know much, but I knew of two places.
One was ‘Percus’s Bookstore’ in the North, which had been my mission site.
The other was ‘Litaisha’s Jewelry Shop,’ located in the heart of the Frozen Kingdom’s capital.
‘The problem is, why am I here?’
Presumably, the Duke of Pose had kidnapped me. However, there wasn’t even a common knight guarding me in the shop.
“…What’s going on? Did they just dump me here?”
That couldn’t be right.
Yet, there were no ropes binding my hands or feet.
Swish, swish.
I tried moving my hands vigorously and even stood up, but no one stopped me.
Even my disheveled hair was neat, as if someone had carefully brushed it.
It was as if someone had dressed me up to look like a wealthy young noblewoman who had come to the jewelry shop for fun.
‘Let’s look around for now.’
Just as I was surveying my surroundings—
—Can you hear me, Aisha?
Whir—
A strange noise rang out, and the Voice of the Duke of Pose echoed in my head.
‘W-what is this?’
Startled, I clutched my head.
—Don’t just stand there like an idiot; try to smile. You’ll be greeting your father soon.
Commanding me as if he were watching my every move, he chuckled. Then—
“Ha, haha.”
To my horror, the corners of my mouth curled up into a smile.
“……?”
Regardless of the smile, my eyes trembled like aspen leaves in my panic.
W-what is this?! This is wrong!
No matter how much the Duke of Pose possessed the Poison Ability, he didn’t have the power to control people by giving commands in their minds.
This… this had to be black magic…
‘Oh!’
King Arjen had used black magic on me.
I had completely forgotten about it because I was so out of it, but could that black magic actually be a spell to control me?
…Gasp. How do I get rid of this?
At this rate, I was nothing more than the Duke of Pose’s puppet. Someone could get hurt because of me.
And the most likely target was Calips.
‘It would be better if I just fainted and couldn’t move.’
“…Hiyah!”
With that thought, I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to slam my forehead against the desk.
—Uh-uh, that won’t do, Aisha. Snap out of it and stay standing.
At the sly command, my head snapped back up.
Ah, I can’t even do that.
It was just as I was falling into despair.
“Aisha!”
With a familiar voice, the door to the jewelry shop burst open.
Disheveled black hair, as if he had run here in a desperate rush. Labored breathing. And red eyes frantically searching for me.
It was Calips.
“…Dad?”
My heart felt like it stopped. Dad shouldn’t be here right now.
“Aisha. You…”
Contrary to my hopes, Dad pulled me into an embrace the moment he saw me.
“Were you kidnapped? Did something dangerous happen? Why did you disappear?”
Following his frantic questions, his warm palms touched my cheeks.
After checking my face and realizing I was more intact than he expected, his expression turned puzzled.
“…Nothing dangerous happened?”
I couldn’t even answer.
To think that my father’s embrace could feel this terrifying.
“Aisha?”
Calips asked again, but I kept my mouth shut so tightly that a pucker formed on my chin.
‘I must not speak. I don’t know what will happen if I open my mouth.’
“Aisha. If you’re okay… No. I won’t ask now. Let’s head back to a safe place first.”
Dad. Just go back alone.
Please, run away.
It was then.
—Tell him you snuck out because you wanted to look at jewelry. With a smile.
As the command fell into my mind like a death sentence—
“I, I wanted to look at…”
“What?”
“I snuck out because I wanted to look at jewelry.”
I tried my best to keep my jaw tight, but in the end, my lips, caught in the grip of black magic, quivered upward.
“…Jewelry? All of a sudden?”
Calips swallowed hard, looking bewildered.
He looked around and sighed as if he understood. It seemed he had only just realized this place was a jewelry shop.
“You didn’t seem to have much interest when we were at the Duke’s Castle. Were you interested in jewelry?”
—Yes.
Dad, please.
“Yes.”
Calips’s eyes narrowed at my reply. He sighed again.
“Aisha. Did you or did you not make a promise to your father?”
—I’m sorry. But since I’m already here, can’t we look around together?
“I’m sorry. But since I’m already here, can’t we look around together?”
Don’t look around. Just leave, Dad.
“…Sigh. Fine. Well, since we’re already here…. But once you’re back at the castle, you’re grounded for a month.”
—I wonder if you’ll ever be able to return to the castle? Hahaha! Ah, Aisha. This is just a monologue, so you don’t have to repeat it.
“…….”
The Duke of Pose’s sharp mockery felt like needles being driven into my body.
Calips took my hand and stood up.
He seemed a bit angry, but rather than scolding me further, he looked as though he felt responsible for not knowing what I liked until now.
“Where should we start? Is there no clerk here?”
—Oh. Let’s begin. Tell him to go to the second floor. Tell him you want to go into the VIP room.
I felt like I absolutely shouldn’t, but my mouth opened on its own.
“How about we go to the VIP room on the second floor?”
No. Dad, refuse.
“The VIP room? Sure, let’s go.”
Only then did I realize Calips’s weakness.
“In exchange, next time you find something you like, don’t sneak off. Make sure to tell me.”
He was too soft on his family.
“If I had known you liked jewelry sooner, I would have bought you a jewelry shop or even a mine.”
Too soft, far too soft.
—Aisha. It’ll look strange if you don’t answer. Hurry and say, ‘Thank you, Dad.’
“…Thank you, Dad.”
‘I’m sorry, Dad.’
As I muttered with my gaze lowered, Calips let out a short laugh as if he couldn’t help himself and gave my hair a rough tousle.
‘I’m sorry that someone like me is your daughter.’
The moment Calips turned the handle to the VIP room—
“Now that you know, please start listening to me…”
Thwack.
The heavy sound of something sharp piercing flesh echoed. My father’s large hand, which was holding mine, stiffened like stone.
“…….”
Blood trickled from the corner of the mouth of Calips, who had been stabbed straight in the stomach.
But the reason his eyes widened—
The reason his mouth slowly fell open, despite being well-acquainted with such wounds from subjugating monsters—
“Hello.”
It was because Ariena stood before him, having indifferently pulled out the dagger she had plunged into his gut, without even a smile.
“…….”
Calips looked like a man for whom time had stopped.
Clutching his stomach, even in that moment, he pushed me back to protect me. He took a few steps back.
With eyes full of disbelief, he stared at the wife he had lost so long ago.
“I really gave birth to a good daughter, didn’t I? To think she’d carry out her mission so magnificently.”
Then, Ariena spoke. Her voice was laced with blatant mockery.
“I suppose you really are a father. That child you adopted is our daughter. You recognized your own biological daughter well.”
At those words, Calips lowered his trembling gaze and looked down at me once.
I still couldn’t say a single word.
“To think both mother and daughter were spies. Your life really is tragic, Calips. It was only for the mission; there were no hard feelings.”
As if he couldn’t believe it. And as if he were in total confusion.
Thud.
“Cough, ugh. Ariena…”
Calips fell to his knees.
His expression wasn’t one of pain, but of pure bewilderment.
“…….”
However, Calips was quick to grasp the situation.
A daughter who was a former spy, who had disappeared out of nowhere only to say she came to see a jewelry shop; a wife who had appeared after five years only to suddenly stab him, revealing she was actually a spy.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he let out a bitter smile.
“…Why have you changed so much?”