When My Enemies Began to Regret

Author: alyalia

However, when Carl heard this, he shook his head and immediately objected. “That’s not it, Lady Fanora.”

“Huh?”

“It’s all the way around. Lady Fanora is rejecting it.”

When Fanora heard those words, she felt the foreign body of the ring buried in her body. Now, she couldn’t even remember where she buried it.

“But if anyone were in my situation, it would be like this…”

Would Carl lose the power of Ganimede if he knew this world was just a novel written by someone? Thinking like that, Fanora became even more cautious about revealing the secret. She felt in order to protect his ability, she shouldn’t carefully reveal the magic she had experienced.

“…Enough. Let’s stop talking about this. It seems like the dangerous situation is over now.”

“Yes.”

“Has Andras’s side caught the culprits by now?”

Carl nodded confidently at Fanora’s words. “Their mastermind will probably be revealed soon.”

“If you find anything, please let me know.”

The noisy kidnapping case seemed to be over with this. Not that she had to leave, Fanora belatedly returned the seal of Andras’s family to him. She lost his coat in the turmoil earlier, so she promised to buy him a new one next time.

But Carl listened to her intently and spoke carefully with a look on his face that had something to say. “Lady Fanora, are you going to go home alone like this? Shall I take you there?”

“That’s okay. You’re hurt a lot too.”

“I’m fine…”

“You hugged me and rolled down the slope instead. How could you say you’re okay?”

Carl couldn’t even utter a few words at Fanora’s sharp words, and in the end, he had to keep his mouth shut.

“Don’t throw your body so easily for someone, Carl.”

Carl felt so unjust that he couldn’t say anything. He didn’t throw it easily, and she’s no longer just someone to him.

“…Then, please take a ride in my family carriage. I’ll bring the coachman right away.”

“What… family carriage?”

Carl swallowed his thoughts again. He didn’t want to hastily change his current situation with Fanora. If I say something unnecessary and the atmosphere becomes awkward…

He couldn’t believe that he, a person who dug into enemy lines with only a spear, would be afraid of something like this.

I just want tomorrow to be like today.

He belatedly noticed that his heart was beating fast. And it was never because of poison or fighting.

* * *

It was at the Count Mansion in the capital. The faint sound of birds, blue dawn, and cold air. By the time the symbols of winter dawn flow from the window, the noble in pajamas lying on the bed let out a painful groan.

“Ugh, uuuurgh…”

How many hours have passed since Carl’s kidnapping took place? Fanora, who had been sleeping, woke up in a cold sweat, feeling pain that felt like her thighs were being ground into sandpaper. Her leg hurt so much that her eyes started fluttering open.

She unknowingly removed the fabric of her pajamas to examine the area where she felt pain. And the strange sight that unfolded before her eyes took her breath away.

“Gasp!”

Perhaps she was punished for harming people through using the power of the benevolent Mother Goddess? There was a wound on her thigh the size of her fingernail. Although the affected area was small, it wasn’t just a simple wound. She put her hand over the painful area, and her skin came out crumbly, like desert sand.

“Uurgh…”

She alternately looked at the exposed dermis and at her own hands. The situation felt like a nightmare because she woke up from her sleep, but this pain proved that it wasn’t a dream.

Is this the price of using Io? Did I spend too much yesterday?

It was more than four hours later that the pain subsided. Soon after, she read the letter to herself in the morning, covered in a cold sweat. It was Carl Andras who sent the letter.

According to the news he received, the Andras family safely captured the culprits after closing the central forest and has now begun measures to find out who is behind them.

With the Andras family’s torture skills, results will come quickly.

Fanora read the letter from Carl. He said as the victim in this case, he had a lot to testify about here and there, so he would be busy for the time being. For that reason, he felt sorry that he couldn’t visit her this week.

“Is there anything else to be sorry about? Really.”

Fanora sighed with laughter as she saw his letter with a polite apology.

The letter’s last sentence said, ‘If you need anything, send me a letter to the mansion, and I’ll go right away.’ Although she was grateful for his consideration, Fanora didn’t think there would be any urgent need to call him, so she burned the letter in the furnace.

Anyway, Carl won’t come today.

She suddenly thought of it at this moment. What am I going to do all day if Carl doesn’t come? She felt at a loss when he stopped visiting.

How much had I been relying on him? However, thanks to the time he spent with Carl, Fanora was somewhat improved.

I have to wait until my birthday to give him Europa.

Thanks to Carl, Fanora remembered how to live her daily life. So first, she ate a hearty breakfast and headed to the library to spend the morning.

I really like the hill that Carl introduced me to yesterday. I’ll take the book with me this time, even if it’s just me.

There was no longer a need to struggle in society to look good to Vasago. Then what would a young noble of her age do if they didn’t go out to parties?

Now she had a lot of time, so she could choose books leisurely from the library.

40. About People Being Possessed

While Fanora was in the library, today was the day that Hanar and Purson’s banishment to the annex was lifted.

“How long are we going to stay in the annex! I’m the heir of this family. But you’re putting the heir in a corner like this?”

“Y-Young Master, but…”

“Enough. What more do I have to do to make myself better!”

Count Celsius was originally supposed to release them after a month. Still, because Purson foamed his mouth and protested the punishment he had given was severe, he was eventually released earlier than scheduled.

“It’s a relief though. Your father still treated us kindly.”

“Anyway, because we were suddenly kicked out of the main building, the preparations for my birthday banquet were also ruined!”

“Purson…”

“How dare she drink poison to trouble us?”

Purson was very dissatisfied. For him to be punished for bullying Fanora to the point where she would drink poison herself. He didn’t even hit her properly because he feared someone would report it and that her vulgarity would spread.

“Why would you search her room, no… If you hadn’t called everyone to the dining room and made a big deal out of it…”

Purson went into his room, clearly showing that he was wronged. It was a scene of nature she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“…”

Hanar only calmly closed his eyes while his son was angry. However, even though she looked calm, it didn’t mean she wasn’t angry. She was also angry at the one-sided punishment.

“Sigh…”

However, Hanar maintained his noble attitude. She took a deep breath of small tremors, tried to calm her anger, and headed for the library. There was a book she needed to refer to prepare for the banquet, but since she couldn’t even bring the original book while she was in the annex, she could only do it now.

“…!”

“…?”

But, as soon as she arrived at the library, she could see…

Hanar? At the sound of the door opening, Fanora stopped her hand going through the book and looked at the door. Fanora, who arrived first, and Hanar, who came in behind, encountered each other.

It feels like it’s been a long time since I saw her.

The black-haired woman standing in front of the bookcase looked at Hanar and thought. Why does it feel like it’s been so long? Now that I think about it, I remember my father saying I wouldn’t have to see their faces.

Was the punishment period this short?

Fanora stared at Hanar, who came in for a while, then turned her head and read the book again. She ignored her without much thought, but Hanar saw her action and choked up.

“They said your recovery would be slow, but just by looking at your face, I could tell you’re fine.”

“What?”

“There’s no way you’re already healed from such deadly poison.”

Healed?

Fanora didn’t want to give such a natural answer to her words. So she nodded small and turned to the book again.

Hanar was thrilled to see her action.

In fact, Hanar didn’t view Fanora’s poisoning favorably. She suspected that, with that one incident, the count changed his mind and isolated his wife and son in the annex. Perhaps Fanora had been preparing for self-harm all along to gain Bael’s sympathy.

But now she ignored her with a completely fine face. Hanar couldn’t stand her arrogant attitude and quickly closed the distance between them. She then snatched the book out of Fanora’s hand, intending to tear it to shreds.

“What are you doing?”

When Fanora asked in bewilderment, Hanar answered straight away. There was anger in her voice.

“All the books here are our family’s property, so why do you keep coveting them?”

“!”

“Now that your engagement with Aloken has broken, are you trying to settle down in Celsius?”

Fanora was bound to be surprised by what she said. Not because the Countess was explicitly angry but because she had heard the same thing in the past.

“So what?” She said, blinking her black eyes. She herself already knew what the next move Hanar would do.

“If a slob like me touches the books, they will get bad, so from now on, you’re going to lock the library with a key?”

“?!”

“Or are you going to poison me because you’re worried I’ll inherit at least one book here?”

Hanar frowned but did not readily refute her daughter’s words. Then Fanora’s eyes sank.

“But what should I do about this? I was poisoned not long ago.”

It wasn’t until recently that she finally forgot about it.

At this moment, various scenes appeared in her mind. The door to the library locked with the key in Hanar’s hand, the shaky vision that came after eating meals…

“I guess I’m not the kind of person who will die from poison, Mother.”

She opened her eyes bitterly as she recounted the past when Hanar almost killed her.

“…Right. Looking at the fact that you survived after drinking deadly poison.” Hanar instinctively took a step back when her daughter’s eyes changed, but did not stop mocking her.

So, how would you want me to die after drinking deadly poison?

“…”

If it had been like right after she regressed, she would have wanted to twist her neck right away. But Fanora, who had come to feel distant about this world, was no longer very angry. Thinking so calmly now made her curious.

“Why on earth?”

“What do you mean…?”

It was something she didn’t ask in her past life, but she could say it now.

Fanora approached Hanar with innocent eyes as if she was genuinely wondering. And she said a few words. “Why do you hate me?”

“!”

“I’ve been a good daughter all along. Ever since I was little, I wanted to look good for you. No matter how much you scolded me and pushed me away, I didn’t rebel once. At that time.”

Hanar’s eyes shook as she listened quietly to see if she had not expected to ask so directly.

Fanora did not stop talking even though her opponent was agitated. “But why do you hate me so much that you want to kill me? I—”

“Fanora, what are you saying now?”

“I have never done anything wrong to you.”

When her daughter said she hadn’t committed any sin, Hanar made a strange expression and closed her mouth.

In the end, Fanora’s curiosity hasn’t yet been resolved.