Chapter 47

Rabi trembled and opened her eyes wide.

Because Nella had acted just as she had imagined.

She felt the chains that bound her, taut and tight. "Come on, Rabi, scream. Scream in a way that’s shockingly entertaining, scream until you’re mad. And in the end, bow your head to me. I’m sorry, I was wrong. Come on, say it," Nella whispered softly to Rabi. Rabi’s small lips moved, opening and closing, and then she spat out the words.

"――――Of course, it’s a given, isn’t it?"

She was supposed to immediately go mad, scream, and beg for Nella’s forgiveness the moment she heard Nella’s words. "Why do I have to do such a thing?" Yet, Rabi slowly stood up, tapping her skirt. The sight of her looking down at Nella, who remained seated, was the complete opposite of what it used to be.

"Rabi...?"

"Hey, Nella. You must have known that I came to this courtyard many times, right?"

Cy had probably reported to Baldo to some extent. It wasn’t hard to imagine that Nella had heard about it. Or perhaps she had investigated Rabi’s movements herself?

"Do you think I did that for no reason?"

To build up her strength.

Of course, that was the official reason. But if that were the case, there was no need for this particular place. There was a limit to how much she could push herself with Cy every day. "You know I have water magic, right? Well, compared to you, it’s shockingly small." Her magic was pitifully weak, even to her own admission. Was there another noble with as little magic as Rabi? The only magic she could use was enough to fill a cup with water.

She didn’t know if it would work. But she couldn’t just sit there and do nothing.

Even though she had thought about running away so many times.

"I poured my magic into the pond’s water many times."

She looked at her own hands. Doing this seemed meaningless. Rabi thought she could only disappear from Nella’s sight. Yet, day after day, she continued to pour her magic into the pond’s water.

"I don’t understand."

Nella looked up at Rabi and muttered in a daze. Rabi didn’t understand either. She was afraid of Nella. She wanted to run away. She wanted to disappear. But deep down, she didn’t want to give up. Stubbornly, Rabi just kept moving forward.

"I don’t have a brain like yours, or magic, or anything. I really had nothing. Shockingly nothing. So, I had to grit my teeth and keep working hard."

Sadly, she had no talent. Rabi had only one thing: perseverance. So, she repeated it over and over. She poured her tiny bit of magic into the pond, day after day, until it was full. Again and again.

After starting to train with Cy, her physical strength improved, she studied, and she understood how to control her magic, which made everything more efficient. It wasn’t a waste at all.

"So, Nella. As long as I’m here, I will have more magic than you. That’s why I chose this place."

――――Nella’s magic doesn’t work on Rabi.

There’s no way, Nella shook her head. She couldn’t understand. After all, the Rabi she knew was always trembling, trying to hide her fear and putting on a brave front, a fragile girl. How could this be? Against this bony woman?

There’s no way I can lose. It’s obvious. It’s a given. Slaves remain slaves for life. She had bound Rabi’s body with magic, controlling her. Always, and forever. "Don’t say such nonsense," Nella desperately searched for a weakness, her eyes darting around.

"Poured magic into the pond? Even if you did, it would just become water with magic. It would be meaningless."

The magic would spread throughout the pond. But that was all. "That’s true. I was a bit worried about that too," Rabi sighed and placed her palm on her cheek.

"I inscribed a medium and threw it in. I was relieved when it worked."

"Huh?"

――――The concept of a magic medium exists.

The total amount of magic a person has changes very little throughout their life. That’s why those who can use magic, like Cy with his longsword and Matthew with his gloves, find something deeply connected to themselves to use as a medium, which helps efficiently circulate their magic.

"I had a hunch, but it turned out to be right. I used to have longer hair, remember?"

I kept it just in case, Rabi touched her hair, which only reached her shoulders. It fluttered softly, silver strands swaying. "It was hard to hide in my room. If Mari found it, she might have screamed and thrown it away."

None of that mattered. Nella truly felt that way.

Even after hearing this, Nella hadn’t even considered her defeat. There had to be a way out, and Rabi was supposed to be someone who would be trampled and survive. This “preconception” couldn’t just disappear.

Yet, why? A small tremor rose from the depths of her chest, growing larger. Her body shook uncontrollably.

――――I have to run.

She denied the voice she heard.

There’s no way. Why should she run from this bony, useless woman? She had been revered as a saint, needed and sought after. Nella was above Rabi, a superior being. So, this couldn’t be happening.

"Hey, Nella," Rabi whispered softly.

"You just had to say no. If you played dumb, everyone would believe you over me, right?"

What is this woman talking about?

"I wanted you to cast this magic on me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have kept screaming those meaningless words."

Back then, Rabi was screaming meaningless words. Nella hadn’t noticed, but she had deliberately not told them about the saint’s curse magic, waiting for her to act. This was what she wanted. Everything was in Rabi’s control.

"You really can’t stand not trampling on what you don’t need, can you?"

With that, Rabi reached for her clothes, unbuttoning them one by one. There was nothing underneath, as usual.

"Stop it."

A bad feeling crept over her.

"Stop it, stop it!!!"

Nella screamed desperately and lunged at Rabi. Cy, unable to bear it, grabbed her arm. Rabi had instructed him to stay as quiet as possible when facing Nella. For him, it was the limit.

Rabi gave Cy a quick glance and then showed her chest to the confused crowd, who couldn’t understand what was happening. Right over her heart, there was a dark, repulsive mark. A faint popping sound echoed.

Several people gasped. Something was wrong. It felt like a forgotten memory was being forcibly recalled, the fog in their minds slowly clearing. Matthew was the first to speak.

"The mark of servitude..."

They knew it. They should have known, but they couldn’t understand. It was a forbidden magic. Some knew about it, some didn’t. Some understood, some didn’t.

"This is a curse magic. A magic that can be used by those called saints. I was enslaved by her for ten years."

As she spoke, the mark on Rabi’s chest slowly disappeared. "Nella is a saint. But she is not someone who should be called a saint." "Stop it!!!!"

Nella thrashed around. Cy frowned, thinking she might attack Rabi, but she didn’t. "Let me go!" Cy slowly released her. Nella frantically scratched her head. Her beautiful, silky hair was gone. Murmurs and doubts about Nella’s existence filled the air. Fox’s work was just a part of it.

Nella turned around. The piercing gazes of the crowd made her shudder.

Everyone was looking at her with blank, white eyes.

"It’s a lie."

Several familiar faces were there. "Fer, it’s a lie. It’s all a lie. Rabi must have made it up. Right, you understand, don’t you?" Fer glared at Nella silently, disdain evident in his eyes. "My lady, my lord!" Rabi’s parents called out, ignoring Nella and calling Rabi’s name. "Baldo!!!" The boy simply turned away from Nella.

"It’s a lie, I’m telling you!!!"

No one believed her. No matter how loudly she screamed, her voice didn’t reach anyone. This was wrong. To Nella, the world seemed to have gone mad.

This world is wrong.

"……What did you really want?"

It was something Rabi had always wanted to ask. What did you want? Nella realized her thoughts were slowly drifting away. From birth, she had been dirty and unknown to her parents. Sold for money, she fought for scraps of food to survive. She was a thing, not a person. But one day, she was told she was a person, a special person, a saint.

And she was told to destroy the royal family.

Her magic chose people. It only had meaning for those with low magic. So, she went to the Heathfen family to learn about Baldo’s shadow day. She was told to seduce Rabi, his fiancée, first.

That day, Nella stood in front of the Heathfen family’s mansion, ragged and miserable. She had heard that the master and mistress of the Heathfen family were very kind. So, she planned to ask for their charity when the master passed by.

A well-dressed gentleman was there. She immediately recognized him. As she tried to cling to the young man’s leg as he got out of the carriage, Rabi was the first to run to Nella.

She thought Rabi was an angel.

With her shining silver hair, bright red eyes, and translucent skin, Rabi was a surprise. Her surroundings seemed to sparkle. "Are you okay?" Rabi took Nella’s bony, dirty hand without hesitation. She had a very cute face. "Are you hungry? It’s okay. Hey, Father?"

She called out to her father innocently. Rabi provided Nella with food and shelter. She even asked the duke to let Nella work for the Heathfen family.

"Hey, Nella. If you like, would you like to be my friend? I wanted a girl friend around my age."

When Nella nodded, Rabi smiled like a flower blooming. She grabbed Nella’s thin hand and smiled happily. Seeing Rabi, Nella felt very, very...

Hateful.

She thought such a person shouldn’t exist. Beautiful, rich, a noble, with no hardships, a fiancé, parents, and an adorable little brother. Rabi had everything Nella lacked. She hated her so much, a dark emotion swirled in her chest. She wanted to destroy her, take everything away, and make her suffer.

The royal family didn’t really matter. Nella just wanted to crush Rabi. She wanted to throw her into a sea of pain.

She hadn’t intended to cast magic on her. But before she knew it, Nella was looking down at Rabi. A dark mark appeared on Rabi’s chest. Rabi’s low magic was a stroke of luck for Nella. But it was also the beginning of Rabi’s story.

(Now, I’m above her.)

Rabi became Nella’s slave. Slaves must remain slaves for life.

――――Just like Nella.

But, it was supposed to be a given. The girl in front of her was staring at Nella intently. She was supposed to be a bony, miserable woman. But upon closer inspection, her cheeks were slightly fuller, and her complexion was better. Nella hadn’t noticed, didn’t want to notice. To her, Rabi was supposed to be a pitiful girl.

"You should remain my slave for life...!!!"

She screamed without understanding. The girl who had once asked if she could be friends was now looking at Nella with sad eyes. "You were liked by many people." Even if it was an act. Even if she had trampled on Rabi.

"You had your charm. Why couldn’t you see it?"

――――It doesn’t matter.

Yet, why? Tears overflowed. Screaming in madness, Nella collapsed, clutching her head. The remains of the one called a saint lay there, a pitiful sight. People would tell the story of how she ended up this way, and the name of Rabi Heathfen would also be remembered.

A slender, silver-haired, cute girl.