The Regret Novel Female Lead with Unbreakable Mentality Chapter 76

* * *

“P-Please! Spare me!”

 

Rahana had no idea what was happening. The moment Giselle pressed the switch, the world before her eyes erupted into a massive blaze.

 

“W-Why is our mansion…”

 

“W-We have to run. For now. And call a mage!”

 

Rahana shoved her limping mother aside and screamed. “Move!” But no matter how desperately she ran, she couldn’t escape the hallway.

 

W-What is this? An illusion?

 

Giselle, who had been smiling so brightly, had vanished without a trace. And then…

 

“Father?”

 

Marquis Sirentium, who had been inside the room accessible only to blood relatives, brainwashing Riwes, suddenly appeared in the hallway. Looking bewildered, he glanced around and asked, “What’s going on?”

 

“I don’t know either. Magic of this scale would be impossible unless it’s a dragon.”

 

“For now, we should focus on escaping.”

 

If Giselle had used illusion magic, the willow warbler that protected their family would have counteracted it. Strangely, the willow warbler was nowhere to be seen either. Panicked, they kept glancing around as they ran. Acrid smoke filled their noses, making them cough uncontrollably.

 

“Cough, cough!”

 

They couldn’t tell if this was reality or an illusion. Only then did the fear of death truly sink in.

 

Rahana’s eyes darted wildly as she looked around. “G-Get out of the way! Move!”

 

“Rahana!”

 

“I said move! I have to survive!”

 

Shoving her family aside and sending them sprawling to the floor, Rahana frantically pounded on the window. It was a survival instinct at its ugliest.

 

“I have to live!”

 

Staring blankly out the window, Rahana suddenly seemed to realize something and hurried to open it. But both inside and outside the mansion, everything was engulfed in flames. And beyond the window, they saw Elesa.

 

“My child. Elesa!” Seeing the daughter he’d longed to see even in his dreams, Marquis Sirentium burst into tears.

 

“Why did you do it?” But Elesa was cold. Her voice was so icy it chilled them to the bone.

 

“…What?”

 

“Why did you torment my son like that? I never wanted that! Why?!”

 

As Elesa drew closer, sobbing, Marquis Sirentium sank to the floor in shock.

 

“E-Elesa.”

 

“Because of my death, you tormented my son, despised him, brainwashed him… Did you think I’d want that?”

 

Rahana, her face desperate, pleaded with the dazed marquis. “Father, this is an illusion! Whatever Giselle did, that’s not really sister…!”

 

Rahana screamed at the top of her lungs. But the marquis and marchioness just stared at Elesa, mouths agape. Because that figure looked far too much like Elesa to be just an illusion.

 

While they hesitated, staring at each other, the flames surged, threatening to consume the entire mansion. It was the beginning of the agony of burning alive.

 

* * *

What kind of dreams are the Sirentium family having inside their illusion? I tossed aside the toy disguised as a bomb switch with a flick of my wrist. I know they’re suffering, burning alive in there, but beyond that, I can’t really tell what they’re seeing.

 

I glanced over at Coocoo, who was dancing gleefully on my invisible shoulder so no one else could see.

 

“Coo! (Playing with fire is fun! I’ll show them a nightmare beyond their wildest imagination, so you go ahead and start your own rampage!)”

 

Watching the Sirentium family writhing in agony on the floor, I let out a short laugh and moved on to the next step. I hope they get at least half of what Riwes went through.

 

But there was still one more hurdle left. It was Duke Kalinos, with his monocle perched on his nose.

 

“You just flipped the switch, and suddenly they all collapsed. The door did explode, though.”

 

“Ah.”

 

“What exactly happened? I think you owe me an explanation.”

 

I addressed my employer with utmost respect. “I cast an illusion spell on them using the switch artifact. I made sure they’re having a truly beautiful dream.”

 

In truth, the bomb switch artifact was a fake. I didn’t want anyone to know I could control phantasmal creatures, so I just grabbed any old artifact and pretended it was a switch… As long as they’re the only ones fooled, it’s fine, right? But unlike the foolish Sirentium family, Duke Kalinos was a bit sharper…

 

“…A beautiful dream, you say.”

 

“Yes. For now, let’s head inside.”

 

Duke Kalinos was definitely suspicious. But right now, there was something even more important to deal with. I had something else to do after trapping them in that torturous illusion.

 

“The door’s opening. Up until now, the pure white illusion bird that protected this mansion was guarding the entrance. It got blown away in the explosion, though.”

 

“The guardian’s presence is definitely gone.” His senses were as sharp as ever. He spoke, clearly sizing up the situation. “Riwes is probably in there. Let’s go in.”

 

I hurried into the room with him, taking quick steps. As we slowly approached, step by step… Riwes was… He was inside a small box, just big enough to fit his body. He couldn’t think, couldn’t even breathe properly. Hearing the sound of a little child sobbing, curled up in a wooden box, I froze, unable to even nod my head.

 

“…Uncle?”

 

When the duke opened the lid, Riwes, who’d been huddled in that cramped space like a rice chest, slowly lifted his tear-streaked face. And then he met my eyes. Riwes stared at me, his eyes wide with disbelief.

 

“P-Princess, you came to save me…!”

 

“Yes, I came to rescue you,” I answered firmly.

 

Just as Duke Kalinos was about to dismantle the lid, Riwes bowed his head again and muttered, “Riwes is a b-bad child, so Riwes has to t-think a lot inside the b-box!”

 

“What?”

 

“Grandpa said so. Bad kids have to be punished.”

 

Watching the child shiver uncontrollably, I let out a hollow sigh.

 

At that moment, Duke Kalinos asked in a low voice, “So, when you do something bad, you’re put in the box to think about what you did wrong. Is that it?”

 

“T-That’s right…”

 

“That’s absolutely not true. You’re not a bad child!”

 

As I spoke, Duke Kalinos gently dismantled the box. I hugged the child tightly as soon as he came out, making sure he wouldn’t be startled.

 

“You should never have to go through something like this. Riwes, you deserve nothing but love as you grow up. Okay?”

 

“…I’m not really syure.”

 

“I’ll teach you, step by step, from now on. All the good things, all the fun things—everything.”

 

Though his voice was uncertain, Riwes buried his head in my neck and hugged me tightly. “Mmm…”

 

Duke Kalinos scooped Riwes up in his arms and said, “Let’s go.”

 

“Before we leave, let’s gather all the evidence of their crimes.”

 

The study was lined with shelves, meticulously organized. Among them were records detailing Riwes’s development and clear evidence of abuse, all neatly compiled.

 

“Why didn’t they destroy the evidence?”

 

“They must’ve thought they’d need it someday.” His voice trembled with barely contained rage. “Let’s take it all.”

 

“Yep, let’s sweep up everything. I brought a spatial artifact for this.” I grinned as I pulled a palm-sized box from my pocket. This is the very box I snatched from Kima ages ago for an incentive.

 

I now had the Sirentium family’s ledgers, all the evil deeds they’d committed up to now—everything. In short, I had every last one of their dirty secrets in my hands.

 

“Well then, shall we get going?”

 

I stepped outside and looked at the Sirentium family, still collapsed in the hallway, foaming at the mouth. The agony they suffered in that illusion would haunt the Sirentium bloodline for a long, long time.

 

For Riwes, every day must have been a nightmare. A vision of their mansion burning is almost too merciful. When those illusions finally ended, they’d probably rot in prison for child abuse.

 

“And with the evidence we collected today, we’ll make sure they end up in a real cell.”

 

I glanced at Rahana Sirentium, eyes rolled back and frothing at the mouth, with utter disgust before turning away. It was a clean end to a filthy situation.

 

“Well, our honeymoon’s over. Shall we go?”

 

“Not a bad idea.”

 

I moved to close the now-ordinary door and follow him out. But just then, with a creak, the doorknob fell off and rolled across the floor.

 

Wait, that’s not a doorknob. That’s a stone?