Chapter 74
<77화>
Was the Duke of Pose satisfied now that Calyps had been stabbed? The voice echoing in my head vanished, and I regained control of my body.
“Daddy!”
I desperately threw myself toward him to stop the bleeding.
“Daddy, don’t move. It’ll hurt more if you move.”
Kneeling before him, I huddled into his embrace and hurriedly pressed my small hands against his blood-soaked abdomen.
But the hands of a five-year-old were simply too small.
I felt it every time—no matter how clever I was on the inside, I was utterly powerless before a truly strong adult.
“…Ugh, hic. Uwaaaaah.”
Hot tears streamed down my face. I was trying so hard to stop the bleeding. I was pressing down on the wound as hard as I could, just as I had been taught during training.
If only my hands were a little bigger, if only I were a little stronger, I might have been able to save him.
The wound, aimed precisely at his abdomen, wasn’t enough to kill him instantly, but at this rate, he would surely die from blood loss.
“…Aisha. Go outside.”
Even in this state, my foolish father was worried about me.
“Daddy! You’re bleeding!”
“Hurry. Daddy won’t die from something like this.”
It was then.
“How pathetic. Your own daughter is a spy for the House of Pose, and you still want to play daddy?”
Ariena, who had been wiping her bloodstained dagger, tossed her handkerchief to the floor.
“The one who lured you here, the one who suggested going to the VIP room on the second floor—it was all your daughter. And yet, you still want to play house?”
“…Don’t worry about it. She’s my daughter.”
“Calyps. Both your daughter and your former wife are spies.”
At those words.
“…We haven’t divorced yet.”
Calyps muttered, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
Ariena’s eyes widened slowly at the unexpected response.
“Former wife… Even if your actions were an act, to me, you were a lovely wife.”
He managed to lift his head, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
“Though you’re a damn nightmare of a wife right now.”
Even as he said that, Calyps didn’t hide his feelings for Ariena.
Though his gaze was a bit crooked as he fought to hold onto his fading consciousness, it was still filled with affection as he looked at his wife.
Ariena watched him with a look of utter disgust before finally pressing her lips into a thin line.
“…You’re going to die because you’re a fool.”
“I’d rather not die at my wife’s hands, though.”
“Then kill me.”
“I’ve never been the violent type.”
“…Damn it! Why are you so stupid!”
Finally overcome with emotion, Ariena hurled the dagger she was holding onto the floor.
—Dear me.
The Duke of Pose, who had been silent until then, let out a sigh.
Only then did I realize he had been watching the three of us on purpose without giving any orders.
The Duke clicked his tongue in disapproval.
—Tsk. I knew I should have disposed of her back then. She can’t hide her emotions when she speaks to her husband. Aisha. It’s your turn to step up.
No. I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you.
I desperately covered my ears with my blood-stained hands, but…
—Since your mother can’t get the job done, her daughter will have to step in, won’t she?
The murky, damp voice continued to buzz like an insect crawling through my brain, even with my ears covered.
—It’s an order, Aisha.
Please, please.
—Pick up the blade Ariena threw away, and your father…
—Protect Aisha.
It was then.
“……?”
Along with Kyle’s sudden voice, my head cleared as if I had just swallowed a drink of cold water.
The black magic had been broken.
There was no time to be bewildered. I had to do something while I had the chance.
I quickly pulled a poison needle from my pocket. Ariena looked at me with startled eyes.
But I was much faster.
Phut.
Struck in the neck by the needle, Ariena collapsed where she stood.
She wasn’t dead. Since the needles were for defense rather than assassination, she had simply fallen into a deep sleep.
—What? Why can’t I feel Aisha’s presence? Aisha. Can you hear me?
Damn it. The Duke of Pose’s voice was returning.
I was running out of time.
While continuing to apply pressure to Calyps’s stomach, I looked up at him.
“Daddy. There’s no time. You have to run, quickly!”
Calyps slowly lowered his gaze, his brow furrowing.
“…Your mother—no, never mind. Anyway, is the Duke of Pose nearby? What on earth is going on…”
“The Duke is close by, and I was being controlled by black magic. The effect is going to come back soon!”
“Black magic? Illegal magic? That man used illegal magic on you?”
“That’s not what’s important right now!”
He really is a stubborn man.
I let out a sharp cry as tears burst forth.
“I… I was created just to mock you!”
Calyps’s eyes widened slowly at my words.
I never wanted to say this. But I had to get him out of here somehow.
“The Duke of Pose kept me alive just so he could use me to destroy you! Please, wake up! I’m not worthy of being precious to you! I’m just a tool!”
—Aisha. Yes. You finally know your place.
I could feel the Duke of Pose smiling with satisfaction.
And then.
—Now, take the dagger and stab your father in the stomach. Just as your mother did.
At the vivid command, my hand gripped the dagger of its own accord.
And the moment the blade pierced Calyps’s abdomen.
I couldn’t bear to look at him and squeezed my eyes shut.
“…Urgh.”
A short cry of pain. This time, it seemed to truly hurt; his upper body slumped forward until his forehead touched the top of my head.
I began to wail like a baby, sobbing uncontrollably. And so, in that VIP room, Mom, Dad, and I all quietly closed our eyes.
“It’s okay, sweetheart.”
No.
“Daddy told you, didn’t he?”
Not everyone was asleep yet.
“…The fault lies with the adults.”
The child who had plunged the dagger into his stomach had collapsed, sobbing.
Calyps comforted the child even as he struggled for breath.
‘I promised I would protect her. I’ve shown her something no child should see.’
This wasn’t an experience a five-year-old should ever have to go through.
Aisha had always lived in fear of the Duke of Pose’s retaliation. Even knowing that, he had failed to truly save her.
Calyps exhaled a shaky breath and slowly opened his eyes. Now that he had reunited with his family, it was time to bring this to an end.
At that same time, on the third floor of Litaisha’s Jewelry Shop.
“Aisha. Aisha?”
The Duke of Pose, who had been leaning back arrogantly in his chair, sat up.
He could no longer feel Aisha’s response.
“…Did she collapse? Well, after attacking Calyps, she must be a psychological wreck.”
He had achieved his goal.
Even if Calyps didn’t die this very second, he would be found as a corpse in the jewelry shop’s VIP room by tomorrow.
The cause of death?
Amusingly, the reports would say his own daughter and wife had murdered him.
Aisha had lost consciousness immediately after stabbing Calyps. In his current state, Calyps wouldn’t be able to push her away.
Thus, Aisha would become the wicked daughter who stabbed her own father. It would be the same for Ariena.
“Haha… Hahahahahaha!”
The Duke of Pose leaned back and laughed like a madman.
‘Calyps, killed by the wife and daughter he trusted… What a stupid, hollow death!’
He was overjoyed that everything had gone exactly according to plan.
“Hahahaha!”
His laughter was tinged with madness. His bloodshot eyes bulged.
How many years had he waited to kill Calyps? It had been nine years since Ariena first intentionally approached him…
“It’s been nearly ten years! A very, very long time indeed!”
He suddenly felt like a glass of strong whiskey.
It was a habit of his whenever a long-term project finally came to a close.
Though this incident had cost him numerous spies and rare assets like Ariena and Aisha, he was satisfied because his goal—the death of Calyps—had been fulfilled.
“The situation is settled; perhaps it would be best to relocate, Your Grace.”
It was then.
Just as he was basking in his satisfaction, the knight standing like a shadow behind him spoke up.
“It could be awkward if anyone coming to the shop discovers Calyps, or even us.”
“Nonsense. There’s nothing to be awkward about. I’ve already instructed the staff to ensure no one enters. I even put a ‘Closed’ sign right on the front door.”
To ruin the mood at a time like this.
The Duke of Pose waved his hand dismissively and shook his head.
“Never mind that. Go down to the second floor and check the VIP room. If he isn’t dead yet, finish him off cleanly.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
With that, the knight departed.
“Phew. It won’t be long now until the Doctia Kingdom becomes an Empire.”
Instead of alcohol, the Duke of Pose gulped down some water and wiped his wet mouth with the back of his hand.
Soon after.
Click—
The sound of the doorknob turning reached his ears, and the door creaked slowly open.
“Back already? So, is Calyps completely dead—”
The Duke of Pose’s mouth snapped shut as he turned to see who it was.
“Ah. The knight.”
A man much larger than the knight who had just left stood there, cradling an unconscious child in his arms.
“If you mean the knight I just ran into, he’s quite dead.”
It was Calyps.