Confused, the maid received a faint smile from Medea.
"It seems the handover wasn't done properly. It means not to give this child good food. Ask your predecessor if you don't know. Oh, right, your predecessor died. Yes, I saw her pitying this monster."
"..."
"So, will you throw away this twisted bread and bring new food? What will you do?"
"..."
The maid fell to the ground.
"Please spare me, miss."
"What nonsense. What will you do?"
"I won't bring it."
"And what will you say after the child wakes up?"
"Just command me, please."
"How foolish."
Medea sighed lowly.
"You're too incompetent. You must have become a maid to trouble me."
"Oh, should I say you came, worried about her, and left?"
"...Finally, you understand. Never get close to this child. The only person who can be close and kind to her is me. Understand?"
"Yes, yes!"
"If you don't understand, ask next time. I'll kindly explain. Just don't make mistakes; I hate that."
"Of course. I understand."
Finally, Medea left. The sound of the door locking followed.
I quietly opened my eyes.
This is your true nature.
For a long time, I couldn't get out of bed.
My first memory of life was Medea's face. I was five years old.
When I regained consciousness, I was lying in an excessively lavish room. A pretty, doll-like girl was looking down at me.
When I came to, half of my face was already disfigured, and I had no memory before I was five.
The first being that showed kindness to a newborn beast becomes its entire world. Unaware of that being's malice, I became its dog and lived my life as such.
I pressed my eyes with my hands. But no tears came, only a hollow groan.
Why did I only learn the truth now?
After committing countless misdeeds on behalf of Laheart.
That night, after confirming it was dark, I got up.
I sneaked into Medea's bedroom.
Her room was on the entire floor just below the highest level of the main mansion. The bedroom itself was in the innermost part, overlooking the vast Lea forest.
I was looking for something.
This unending dream now felt like a final act of kindness bestowed by the gods, compelling me to act.
My biological mother's dagger.
The only relic left by my mother, murdered by Duke Laheart.
They must have killed her just before bringing me to this mansion. Since then, the dagger had been in their possession.
I was certain that my mother's belonging wouldn't be hidden in the Duke's secret chamber in the capital mansion, but here, within the Laheart estate's main fortress.
Medea always kept things important or secretive close to her.
The forest at night, devoid of human presence, was filled with towering trees reaching for the sky. I climbed one and stepped onto the windowsill of Medea's floor.
Opening a locked window was a simple task for an assassin. Once inside the corridor, I sneaked into the inner chamber like a breeze, avoiding any shadows.
As I suspected, inside a triple-locked jewel box in a red agate drawer beside Medea's bed, lay the dagger.
In the dark room, only the moonlight entering through the window and I were present.
I stared blankly at the dagger, shimmering in the moonlight, identical to the one I saw just before dying.
The dagger, about three palms long, had a subtle greenish glow. The blue mineral forming its handle sparkled mysteriously like the Milky Way under the moonlight.
Something hot surged in my heart.
My mother's relic.
The saint of a ruined nation who bewitched the crown prince, leading him to abandon the empire and flee to the north. The prince and saint, who died together in a great fire, and their vanished daughter.
That was all I knew of the tale that led to the demise of the Delphast Empire's royal lineage. That saint was my mother.
'Medea, you poisoned my mother's dagger to kill me.'
Before stabbing me with Ruchella, she cut my cheek with this dagger. The poison must have entered my body then.
A white rage blurred my vision.
Suddenly, as I heard the door open, someone entered the inner chamber. I hastily put the jewel box back in its place and exited through the window, observing the room from the windowsill.
Entering were Medea and Duke Laheart.
"That insolent brat, asking for a victory celebration despite being a criminal's son."
The husky high-pitched voice belonged to Duke Laheart.
"Maybe he's not entirely foolish. Perhaps he wants recognition for the triumph I've orchestrated?"
That was Medea.
"Hmph, what triumph? It was all thanks to me that he and his army could achieve victory."
They were discussing Sion Belpast, the Northern Duke.
I instantly knew what they were talking about. In my lifetime, the barbarians just south of the empire's border caused immense trouble.
They crossed the border, plundered the southern produce, set fire to the vast granaries, and slaughtered the people.
Around this time, the empire faced famine. The barbarians crossed over, killing the already suffering people and stealing enormous amounts of stored grain.
However, Duke Laheart of the South blamed the North for failing to protect the empire, claiming the Northern Duke took substantial military funding, leaving the South defenseless. Yet, he just watched the South's suffering.
It sounded plausible, but it was nothing more than cowardly shirking of responsibility. Most of the taxes collected were actually used for the central and southern regions, not the North.
Moreover, Duke Laheart secretly amassed an army with a portion of the illegally diverted taxes. Even the emperor was unaware of this.
Still, Duke Laheart blamed the South's security issues on the North. And the foolish emperor believed him.
Halta Le Shak.