4 - The Time of the Blind Beast (15+ Revised Edition) Episode 4
Chapter 4
That man, Achenaus Valdemara…
"Please forgive me."
I saw him for the first time that day.
It was around the time a deep red sunset stained the sky. With the large glass window at his back, the man's silhouette, bathed in backlight, was a near-monochromatic shade of ash gray. I remember squinting my eyes shut because they stung.
I don't know anything beyond that. Because the moment I entered the room, I collapsed onto my knees.
"We, who have nothing and are uneducated, have committed a wrong we should not have."
The hastily propped-up suitcase toppled over. I had rushed here straight from my hometown, without even stopping by home. Even if I had stopped by, there was no one to greet me. My parents had been caught stealing from their employer and taken to an unknown location. Their wages as hired hands were not enough to cover my ever-increasing tuition fees.
It was an education beyond our means from the start. Yet, my parents insisted on it. They, who could not read or write, could only manage chores like cleaning, laundry, and cooking while attending to the master's needs. But those who learned something were placed in more comfortable, higher-paying positions. If one could read and write, they could read aloud books, sort mail, write letters on behalf of others, or, if lucky, be introduced to positions as governesses for young ladies from wealthy families. That's why I was enrolled in a boarding school far from home.
I enjoyed my studies. The more I learned, the more ambitious I became. However, if I had known this education would be collateral for my parents' crime, my thoughts would have been different.
Upon hearing news of my parents, I packed my belongings in haste. I rented a carriage and traveled day and night, returning to seek out the eldest son of the Valdemara family, my employer.
"Whether you save them or kill them, please take my life in exchange, and show my foolish parents a single act of mercy."
"Why should I? Why should I do that?"
His tone was so light that for a moment, I thought he was joking.
Only by listening further did I understand. That was simply his natural way of speaking. Come to think of it, there were rumors that the eldest son of the Valdemara family lacked the dignity of his younger brother, a war hero. I hadn't paid much attention to such stories when I believed I had no particular ties to the Valdemara family.
Still, Achenaus's question itself was not entirely wrong. The decision was entirely within Achenaus's authority. The thief's daughter could, instead of begging for forgiveness, be punished through guilt by association, depending on Achenaus's will.
I was tormented, knowing how shameless my plea was.
"Besides, if I redeem the lives of two people with just one, I'm at a disadvantage."
"I… I am young, and I attended school. I can do many useful things for you. I will do anything."
Even so, as a child, I could not bear to stand by and watch my parents die. Moreover, the money obtained through theft was entirely used to pay for my tuition. As someone who had benefited, I felt even more devastated. Thus, I had no choice but to kneel, bow my head, and implore him.
"Anything, just because you went to school? Your confidence is excessive, bordering on arrogance. What can you possibly do?"
"I will try. I will try my best. Whatever you wish."
"Hmm. Wouldn't I, the eldest son of Valdemara, have far more to offer than you, who are merely the daughter of a hired hand?"
"……."
In truth, his words were accurate, and I bit my lip hard. The education and refinement I acquired at school were sufficient to work as a governess for young ladies and gentlemen, but to Achenaus, who had received even more education, it was nothing special. What need would the eldest son of the Valdemara family have for the help of a woman who could at best be a governess…
It was a moment when my vision began to blur.
"Well, but if you insist on helping me…"
Creak. The man opened a drawer, took out a small bottle, and flicked it towards me. The transparent glass bottle bounced a couple of times on the floor before rolling to a stop at my knees.
For a moment, I didn't understand the meaning of the bottle. I stared blankly at my knees.
"He returns to Claris in a week."
A week? What did that mean?
As I counted the days, I gasped.
The realization struck me like lightning. In a week, the victory parade for the army my brother had founded was scheduled.
"Take this and try to use your skills. Then, perhaps, things might change."
Was it true that the eldest son of the Valdemara family was so poisoned with envy that his family would be inherited by his brother who had founded an army?
There were many families who, following the custom of primogeniture, had passed down their lineage to an incapable firstborn, only to face great crisis or vanish without a trace. Even in the history of the royal court, there were instances of defiance against heaven's will.
Subsequently, families began to entrust their successors to capable children, regardless of gender or age, or openly pit siblings against each other in competition.
If the eldest accepts the outcome and complies, it is peaceful, but if not, tragedy is conceived.
My stomach churned. I knew what was in the bottle Achenaus had thrown without asking. It was a command to kill someone else in exchange for saving my family. I was not a soldier who had participated in war; I had no experience harming anyone, be it human or animal. Is it not common human decency to feel pity even for a passing dog or cat?
It was an excessive demand. I absolutely could not do it. I immediately bowed my forehead to the floor and pleaded.
"How could I possibly do such a thing… If you order me to work without pay until I die, I will do it. I will even let my entire life be bound by debt."
"Didn't you say you would do anything just moments ago?"
Achenaus taunted me. I shook my head a couple of times before letting it drop.
"Then shall I tell you another way?"
"What…?"
"Open the lid, and drink what's inside, right here, right now. All of it."
I felt the color drain from my face by the second. I looked up at him, pale.
"If you wanted to live, you shouldn't have come looking for me. Then, perhaps, only your parents' heads would have been taken, and it would have ended there."
Achenaus made a gesture of slitting his throat. His tone and demeanor were utterly playful. But his light attitude did not mean his intentions were light. He was a man with the power to easily harm my parents without soiling his own hands.
"Don't you understand yet? Now that this conversation has taken place, you have no choice. It would be troublesome for me if you were to escape and run straight to that man."
Ah.
Only then did I realize. Achenaus's offer was not an offer.
It was a command from someone who held my weakness in his grasp.
"Choose."
Achenaus walked towards me, who remained frozen on the spot. He firmly grasped my arm so I couldn't run and personally placed the bottle in my hand. I tried to pull away in surprise, but it was no use.
"Will three people die, or will one person be killed? Don't overthink it. He doesn't know where I've imprisoned your parents anyway."
Surprisingly, Achenaus waited for my answer leisurely. Surprisingly… I thought, then shook my head. He already knew there was no choice in this matter. To him, I was nothing more than prey cornered. Prey trapped in a cage with no escape is bound to fall into the hunter's hands.
"...How can I trust that this promise will be kept?"
After a long while, I raised my gaze and asked. Achenaus was not a trustworthy person. What if this offer was just a jest? What if, after Ezekiel died, he intended to kill me and my parents to silence us…
"For starters, you will definitely live. Because after this is over, you won't come running to me immediately. Once the outcome is confirmed, I will have to let your parents go alive to silence you, and after that, wherever your family flees in the dead of night is none of my concern."
For the first time, I received a rather earnest answer. He showed no concern whatsoever about the aftermath.
I see. Regardless of whether he gained a reputation for harming his brother, Valdemara had only two children. The only remaining child would not be cast out of the family, so why worry about future problems?
"...What if I fail?"
"That's why I got you the medicine. So there are no loose ends."
"……."
"You asked me to atone for your parents' sins with your own life, right? In that case, I will take your sincerity into consideration."
I quietly clenched the hand holding the bottle. Achenaus smiled faintly at the meaningful gesture.
"Then, since we are accomplices, shall we introduce ourselves?"
I remained silent.
"I asked for your name."
However, the silence did not last long.
"……."
After being forced to reveal my name, Achenaus chuckled.
"The spelling is excessively elegant. It seems your parents really wanted to raise you with care. They gave you quite an extravagant name for your station. It might draw unwanted attention, so let's use a common, easy-to-pronounce name for now. Rose, how about Rose? It's common enough, and the initial letter roughly matches your real name."
Rose.
Rose…
I rolled the alias Achenaus had arbitrarily given me around in my mouth. It sounded similar but different. It felt unfamiliar. Yet, I kept repeating the name. I had to memorize it and make it as familiar as my real name, lest I flinch every time someone called me Rose.
"Ro…."
It was then that Achenaus grabbed Rose's cheek and lifted her face.
