Chapter 44

Sevar flinched and stared at Diena with trembling eyes.

“There’s one thing I realized while living here. The people of House Kardian have a serious lack of communication.”

“…Communication?”

It started with Bianca believing that her entire family hated her.

Something that could have been resolved with just a few words had dragged on this long simply because they hadn’t talked to each other.

And Sevar, too, had only allowed misunderstandings to pile up because he kept avoiding them.

“Why were you always away from the family? Why did you spend years away from your children?”

“…”

“Lord Varkan thinks you’re not on the Duke of Rothwell’s side. There must be a reason you’ve gone along with his demands for so long. Isn’t there?”

Sevar’s lips tightened.

Then Diena answered in his place.

“Darkness Amplification.”

He visibly flinched.

“Lady Bianca was affected by that ability.”

“How do you know that…?”

“There was darkness planted in her heart.”

Seeing his reaction, Diena’s eyes sparkled.

“As I thought. Judging by your reaction, you already knew.”

“…”

“In that case, my uncle must have used that fact to threaten you. Am I right?”

As Sevar looked down at her, Varkan’s words resurfaced in his mind.

“She’s completely different from the Duke of Rothwell. If anything, she’s the one being threatened there.”

Diena clenched both fists and spoke.

“The fact that you can’t answer means I guessed correctly. I can help Lady Bianca.”

Sevar slowly rose from his seat and walked toward Diena.

Looking down at her, he growled in a low voice.

“Many people have approached me saying those exact words. They all claimed they could break House Kardian’s curse.”

“…”

“But not a single one of them succeeded. Every last one was thrown out of the family.”

Sevar stared at Diena coldly.

But Diena merely shrugged as if it didn’t matter.

“Weren’t those people demanding a huge reward despite being unable to do anything?”

“Are you saying you’re different?”

Diena nodded confidently.

“Yes. I’m different.”

“How?”

“Because I have the ability.”

“An ability?”

“The ability to heal Lady Bianca.”

The certainty in her words made Sevar unconsciously curl his fingers.

“No such ability exists.”

Diena took a breath and got straight to the point.

“If you don’t believe me, then at least let me say goodbye to Lady Bianca before I leave.”

He stared intently at the child’s face.

Those gentle eyes, like a rabbit’s, made him feel as though he might be persuaded without realizing it.

‘This won’t do.’

Sevar realized he couldn’t continue this conversation.

He was afraid that if he kept talking to Diena, he might reveal truths he never intended to disclose.

If that happened, he wouldn’t be able to maintain his pact with Baltazar.

And he would lose the only method that could guarantee Bianca’s survival.

“Head Butler, take this child and…”

Just as Sevar was about to issue another order to the Head Butler.

“I’ll show you.”

Diena suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand.

Confusion flashed across Sevar’s face at the unexpected contact.

“What are you doing?”

Sevar tried to shake her hand away immediately.

Then he froze.

Diena’s face, which had been healthy and rosy moments ago, rapidly turned pale.

Her shoulders trembled.

The color drained from her lips.

And at the same time.

Sevar sucked in a sharp breath.

The heavy, damp sensation that had weighed on him his entire life, as though chains of lead were hanging from his body, began disappearing like a lie.

“Ah.”

Had the air filling his lungs ever felt this light before?

The faint trembling that had clouded his vision stopped.

The weight of darkness that had always pressed down on him receded like an outgoing tide.

Experiencing such unfamiliar freedom for the first time, he blinked repeatedly.

“You… what in the world…”

Sevar’s gaze lowered.

“Do you believe me now?”

Though her face was pale, Diena stepped forward with confidence.

Sevar remained frozen in place, unable to say a word.

* * *

Bianca Kardian.

As a child, she had always been full of confidence.

Loving parents.

A brother who cared for her.

It would’ve been stranger if she lacked confidence.

People were always kind to her.

They approached her with smiles.

They reached out their hands first.

It felt as though she could still hear the voices of those people.

“Lady Bianca takes after Lord Sevar, so she’ll obviously become a Top-Tier Ability User.”

“What’s there to talk about? That’s only natural.”

But as time passed.

And she failed to awaken.

People completely turned their backs on her.

“How can the father and son both be Top-Tier Ability Users while she’s the only Non-Ability User?”

“You never know. Maybe the Duchess was unfaithful.”

The mutant of House Kardian.

The useless Non-Ability User, Bianca.

“Lady Bianca, you want to be friends with us?”

“For a Non-Ability User young lady, you’re certainly ambitious.”

“Does anyone smell something? The smell of a Non-Ability User!”

A young lady who was constantly looked down on by other nobles despite her status.

Even when people mocked and insulted her, Bianca couldn’t say anything.

Because she was a Non-Ability User.

It was unfair.

There were many times when she was heartbroken.

‘But none of that matters anymore.’

Bianca instinctively knew.

Her life had finally reached its end.

‘This time, I’m really going to die.’

The darkness seemed to whisper to her.

‘Just give up. No one will be happy even if you survive.’

It wasn’t as though she had never prepared herself.

She had been feeling better recently.

But her body had always been frail.

She had expected that this kind of ending would eventually come.

When that day arrived, she thought she would simply accept it.

But in truth…

‘I don’t want to die. I’m scared.’

There was no way she wouldn’t fear death.

She was still too young to accept the end of her life.

And the time she had been given was far too short.

‘I’m so… lonely.’

She was cold.

She was afraid.

She hated the feeling that she was all alone in the world.

The darkness was dragging her deeper into the mud.

Then she heard someone’s warm voice.

“It’s alright, Lady.”

Warm energy flowed through her fingertips.

Someone was holding her hand and pulling her out of the mire.

“I told you I’d stay with you.”

That gentle voice sounded unusually clear.

The negative voices that had whispered to her gradually faded away.

“You’re not alone, Lady. I’ll help you.”

And she felt the darkness inside her disappear.

At that moment, Bianca realized she had crossed back over the bridge of death.