Chapter 22

I ended up playing the role of the adopted daughter too well. When I introduced Tundra to Hixon, my heart felt a bit relieved.

Hixon is a good soil for the excellent seed, Namju, and I hope he grows into the strongest in the world.

Viola walked down the corridor with a light heart.

'Huh?'

From a distance, someone was walking towards her.

She was wearing a striking red suit.

'Tall, red suit, a face as white as if covered in flour, short hair that's almost never seen on men, and red lips.'

She knew exactly who it was.

'Seban Marcos!'

Seban Marcos.

One of the Duke's close aides.

It seemed he had noticed her as well.

He walked over briskly.

His movements were somewhat alluring.

"Ohoho! Who is this, the newly arrived Sixth Princess, Princess Viola?"

Seban Marcos also met Zeon's eyes.

"Zeon looks sexy as always."

"It's been a while."

Zeon gave a slight bow.

Meanwhile, Viola spoke up.

"Are you Seban Marcos?"

"Do you know me?"

Seban Marcos opened his eyes wide.

He twirled his short hair with his index finger.

"Has our Duke already introduced me?"

He placed his finger on his chin and pouted slightly.

"Hmm. I don't think so. The Duke isn't that meticulous."

"Why do you like him then?"

Seban Marcos's body twitched.

He admitted it straightforwardly.

"Because he's handsome."

Chapter 79

Seban Marcos, captivated by the Duke's appearance, sought refuge in the Winter Castle.

He then became one of the Duke's close aides.

The Duke also knew about Seban's feelings.

So he firmly rejected him.

"Seban Marcos, I don't like men."

"You don't like women either."

"I highly value your abilities. That's why I keep you by my side. Don't cross the line."

In the novel, the Duke sternly warns him.

If you do anything foolish, I'll cut off your head.

"Even dying for the Duke would be a kind of ecstasy, wouldn't it?"

This world is a fantasy world, and it's not one where gay people are welcomed.

They were usually discriminated against, and in severe cases, stoned to death.

Growing up as one of the Duke's close aides in such a world also meant he was exceptionally talented.

Viola said,

"One of Father's close aides, right?"

"Yes, for now."

"An assassin and puppeteer who sought refuge with Father because he was captivated by him. You're more handsome than I thought."

"Did you study about me?"

"Yeah."

Not exactly studying, but reading.

You often appeared in the story.

You were depicted as quite talented.

You were good at making masks from corpses, excelled in disguise and makeup, and were skilled with puppets.

Seban smiled.

"How do you see me, Sixth Princess?"

He twirled his hair and added,

"Everyone finds me disgusting."

"Right. Disgusting."

In the original story, Viola bluntly says she finds him disgusting.

Seban, who preferred blunt disgust over hidden sympathy, liked it when his abilities were acknowledged.

I decided to follow this flow.

The core was the same, but the details were different.

"That's a heart-wrenching thing to say."

One corner of Seban's mouth was upturned.

He didn't seem too upset.

"You're a broken pervert, after all."

"I hear that a lot."

Viola stared at Seban.

As a reader who was deeply into the work, she recited a better direction for exploration.

"Regardless of gender, it's despicable to flirt with a married man."

"…What?"

Seban's eyes widened.

"Come to think of it, you're right?"

"Whether you're a man or a woman, it doesn't matter to me. But my father is married."

"Just a political marriage."

"Still, he's married."

He had even made marriage vows with two wives.

"Marriage is a vow and a pledge, isn't it? Even without love."

"Hmm. That's true too."

"Approaching my father and courting him between those vows and pledges isn't normal."

Actually, Arin didn't like Seban Marcos.

To Arin, Seban was a nuisance who kept pestering her favorite character.

"Besides, I believe Father firmly rejected you."

Seban Marcos chuckled.

"Do you often get hit with a bone?"

"Sometimes."

"You're the type who's easy to hate."

"Didn't I ask what you think of me?"

"Didn't you think I saw you as a broken pervert?"

Viola smiled.

"If you were just a broken pervert, Father wouldn't have kept you alive."

"……"

"You know why you're still alive."

"What do you think, Princess?"

"Because you're useful."

In the story, Seban Marcos always strives to be the best.

He feared the day when the Duke would no longer need him.

So he worked tirelessly behind the scenes.

"If the moment comes when I'm no longer needed, the Duke will surely cast me aside without mercy."

So Seban lives his life with determination.

Striving to be the best.

That life of striving and effort was what Seban Marcos truly valued.

"I think you're useful."

"Thank you for saying that."

"It's just a fact."

"I didn't expect you to take it this way."

"And I hope you can be useful to me."

Seban bowed.

His face was hidden, but he was smiling.

'I think you're useful.'

This was more of an acknowledgment and respect than empty words of encouragement.

Arin, a true reader, understood this and shook Seban's heart.

Seban's ears echoed with Viola's words.

'I hope you can be useful to me.'

He wanted to ask.

'Princess, are you really seven years old?'

She seemed to have a penetrating insight into human nature.

Seban straightened up.

A laugh escaped him.

He recalled what Viola had just said.

'Approaching my father and courting him between those vows and pledges isn't normal.'

No one had ever spoken to Seban like this.

They just called him crazy, said he was broken, and criticized him. Behind his back, they gossiped.

"Those are really good words, Princess."

No one had ever pointed out the issue of courting a married man.

If he were a woman, he would probably have faced the world's condemnation.

For seducing a married man.

Logically, that would have been the case.

But Seban was always attacked and criticized for different reasons.

This seven-year-old princess had pinpointed it.

She said something that was extremely natural and obvious.

It made him very happy.

The princess frowned slightly.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"If it's okay with you."

Seban made a proposal.

"At the welcome banquet tomorrow, can I do your makeup?"

"You? Why?"

"You said you wanted me to be useful. I want to show you my skills. I'll make you shine more than anyone else."

For a moment, Viola could sense it.

'Scary.'

That gaze was not ordinary.

It was the mad artist's crazed look.

A different kind of ominous aura could be felt.

Seban's eyes formed a crescent.

He stretched out his arm as if drunk.

His pupils sparkled with obsessive madness.

"More arrogant and more brilliant beauty than anyone else."

"……"

It didn't feel good.

"Your fierce gaze will add an eerie aura, making you even more sinister."

'……Did I have a fierce gaze?'

She didn't remember having one.

It felt even worse.

"Your cold expression, a blend of arrogance and haughtiness, will be enhanced with the magic of color, giving you the ferocity of a predator."

"……"

Seban grinned.

"Like a deadly lily with venomous thorns."

"I'll make you shine as a ruler, more dignified than anyone else."

Hold on,

Isn't this too grandiose?

"Capturing the grandeur of a tsunami that swallows everything but remains calm."

Viola found it hard to understand what he meant.

But she knew one thing.

It was a line filled with the soul of a mad artist.

"Do you want that, Princess?"

She read the madness in Seban's eyes.

It was filled with madness.

She couldn't refuse.

If she refused, he would probably flip out, thinking, 'Why are you refusing me! I was told to do my best! To work hard! To be useful!'

'Scary!'

She desperately hid her true feelings.

She forced a smile.

"I'll look forward to it."

Her legs, hidden under the voluminous dress, trembled.

*****

Lying on the bed, Viola kicked the air several times.

'Ugh!'

This is not good. A master of transformation, a genius of disguise, a creator of beauty from nothing—just thinking about getting makeup done by Seban already made her feel uneasy.

It wasn't just makeup.

According to Seban, it would make her look more fierce, more greedy, and more sinister.

The makeup magic would surely create a strong aura of such a nature.

'It's over.'

No matter how you look at it, it's over.

She got up and stood in front of a full-length mirror.

'Incredibly beautiful, but...'

Beautiful.

Cute. Actually, all true.

But behind that beauty, there was an indescribable aura.

It was ominous and damp.

How to put it...

Like a budding serial killer.

'Like a beautiful but ominous woman in a horror movie.'

Beautiful, but whenever she appeared, a chilling BGM would play.

She tried to give her eyes more force.

She smiled. As Seban said, it looked arrogant and haughty.

She had a unique aura. She was naturally talented in this area.

So getting makeup done by Seban would only intensify this unique aura.

'Sigh. It'll be fine, right?'

At that moment, someone tapped her shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

Bichen hastily stepped back.

His movements were as quick as a weasel.

"Hehe. This is awkward."

Viola almost wanted to cry.

'Why do I have a knife in my hand...?'

She was holding a dagger.

The heirs of Bellator all carry weapons somewhere on their bodies.

Mostly in the form of daggers for easy carrying.

Viola was no exception. She carried a dagger on her thigh.

'Did I wield the knife?'

It happened in the blink of an eye.

While she was lost in thought in front of the mirror, the 'real Viola' had taken action.

"Hehe. A knife. A knife."

Bichen's eyes narrowed. He seemed delighted.