As Ceres read through the document, her expression slowly hardened. She recognized it immediately. It was the record of every private loan the original owner of this body had accumulated over the years.
“Why do you have this?”
“Because I bought them all.”
“...What?”
Before Kainel could elaborate, Del stepped forward.
“As of today, every debt owed by House Drow has been transferred to the Grand Duke of Persia.”
“...Why?”
Ceres looked at Kainel like he had lost his mind. How was she supposed to make sense of this? Why would he pay off her debts?
“Who knows. Why do you think?”
As he watched her blank expression, a smile curled at the corners of his lips.
“What do you want?”
“Pay me back.”
“......”
Her irritation flared instantly.
Ceres dragged her hand roughly down her face. Has this man gone insane? What the hell was he pulling now?
“What? Could it be that you’re broke?”
The second the words left his mouth, Ceres grabbed him by the collar. It happened in a single clean motion.
“......”
“......”
A sharp chill settled over the hall as the two stared each other down. The people watching nearby swallowed nervously, looking like they expected a fight to break out at any second.
Kainel, however, remained completely calm. If anything, the smile on his lips only grew deeper.
“M-Miss Ceres, what do you think you’re doing...?!”
Del’s expression stiffened. He moved to intervene, but Kainel lifted his hand to stop him. Then he tilted his chin slightly, almost as if telling her to keep going.
At that point, Ceres stopped bothering with formalities.
“What exactly are you after?”
If this had only been a matter of the creditor changing, she could’ve brushed it aside. But this was Kainel Persia.
Just as Kainel knew Grace Ellesia well, Ceres also knew him better than most. He’s not the type to do anything that doesn’t benefit him.
Kainel was a noble to the core. Someone who would always put his family’s interests first.
A wind that felt like a gentle breeze to one person could easily become a devastating storm to another.
The friendship between Grace and Kainel had ended the moment one of them died. Ceres never forgot that the man sitting before her now was neither her friend nor anything close to it.
They were strangers.
“What’s your scheme? Why drag a minor baron family like the Drows into the Grand Duchy of Persia? Are you preparing for war? Do you need expendable shields?”
“How vicious.”
“If I’m lucky, maybe my siblings and I will only end up as puppets before getting dragged down together. Honestly, I’m already being polite.”
“Maybe I was just trying to help.”
“You?”
Even Del, who had looked appalled by her behavior moments ago, unconsciously nodded to himself.
That really didn’t sound like Kainel.
Regardless of the tense atmosphere around them, or the fact that a mere baron’s daughter was speaking casually to him, Kainel remained unbothered.
“I’m not planning to torment you or use you as a shield. Just pay back what you owe me.”
“You really expect me to believe that? I’m not in the mood for jokes.”
“I’m not joking.”
“......”
...Geez, stop smiling. Why do you keep smiling when it doesn’t suit you?
“If you can’t repay me with money, then repay me with your body.”
“...What?”
“Work for me.”
“What are you talking about...?”
“Please read through this and sign it. I promise the conditions are not unfavorable for you, Miss Ceres.”
Sensing the right moment to step in, Del handed another document to Ceres. Her gaze immediately landed on the bold words written across the front.
<Employment Contract>
“...An employment contract?”
“I told you already,” Kainel said. “Repay me with your body.”
.
.
.
Side Story: Ceres Drow
“Ceres, what are you going to do? This isn’t the time to hesitate.”
“Th-That’s...”
“You’re not thinking of stopping Julia’s treatment, are you?”
I couldn’t breathe. The more pressure Auntie put on me, the more my mind seemed to go blank.
“Big sis, stop letting Auntie push you around!”
“I’m sorry... I’m such a pathetic sister...”
“That’s not what I meant!”
Antonian’s frustration was only natural, but that only made me feel more miserable. I hated how helpless I was when I couldn’t do anything to my siblings.
“Ceres...”
Whenever I remembered little Julia leaving for the Recuperation House, my chest tightened even more. I was supposed to take care of her. I was supposed to protect my siblings in place of our late parents.
“Ceres!”
“Sister!”
I can’t breathe. The debt notices kept piling up day after day. I couldn’t imagine a way out anymore.
What have I done? Does this family even need someone like me? Is there anything I can actually do?
“There is... one thing.”
One thing I could do without anyone stopping me. The only way to free myself from all of this.
And so, I gave in to the impulse.
***
“......”
Where am I?
It was dark. A vast black space with nothing in it surrounded me.
Was this what death felt like? Did taking my own life really send me straight to hell?
...I thought it would feel freeing. I thought that if I escaped everything, I would finally be able to breathe again.
So, why did breathing still feel this painful?
I couldn’t even cry. I had no right to think about the people I left behind, yet their faces kept appearing in my mind over and over again.
Would they grieve for me because I was their sister? I knew it was ridiculous to think that way after running away on my own, but...
[Hello.]
“—!”
At that moment, someone approached me.
A man who looked to be in his mid-twenties stood before me in white robes that drew the eye immediately.
A mage?
The crest embroidered onto his robe marked him as a mage from the Magic Tower.
“Who are you?”
[My name is Artia. I’m the one who brought you here.]
“Are you... God?”
A soft laugh escaped the man.
[I’m nothing that grand. I’m merely a fragment of a soul.]
“A fragment... of a soul?”
[Part of my soul was left behind within the spell I cast.]
...I didn’t understand a word he was saying. Still, if he was the reason I ended up here, then...
[Do you want to live again?]
“...What?”
[I asked if you want to live again.]
“......”
I stared blankly at the man.
Did I want to live again? My siblings’ faces flashed through my mind for an instant, but...
I shook my head hard. I didn’t want to go back there. I didn’t want to return to that life. I knew the choice I made was wrong, but even so, I didn’t regret it.
[Then, would you mind letting someone else use your body?]
“What...?”
Someone else using my body? What did that mean?
[The life you gave up. Would it be alright for someone else to live it instead?]
...My life?
“Is that... possible?”
[It is. That’s why I’m here. I happen to be a pretty amazing mage.]
...Magic.
“My siblings...”
I knew this was ridiculous. I was the one who abandoned them, so pretending to worry about them now was laughable.
But would the person living in my body truly take care of Antonian and Julia? What if they ended up hurting them instead...
[Her personality is a little difficult, but she’s soft when it comes to children.]
At my question, the man looked strangely nostalgic before smiling.
“Then... that’s enough.”
As long as my siblings would be cared for, nothing else mattered. However, there was one thing bothering me.
“My family’s situation is... bad. Won’t she resent me?”
[Oh, absolutely. A lot, actually. You’re going to get cursed out.]
“W-What?”
The man snickered briefly before speaking again, his tone turning firm.
[But don’t worry. She can handle any situation.]
Who could that person possibly be? What kind of person inspired that much trust from someone else?
[She will be here soon.]
“Here?”
[Yeah. But... are you good at crying?]
“What?”
A playful smile spread across the man’s face.
[When she gets here, cry. No matter what, make yourself look as pitiful as possible.]
Cry? Why?
I mean... I guess I do cry pretty easily...
[She is softer than she looks. So make sure you cry.]
“Hic... ngh... sob...”
So I cried. I dragged up every sad memory I could think of and cried my heart out.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?”
...This person?
As if drawn by the sound of my crying, the woman appeared before me. Just like the man had said.
“Please... help me... please help me.”
Come to think of it, I had never said words like that before in my life. I had been exhausted enough to want to die, but I could never bring myself to reach out to anyone.
Because I always believed no one would hold onto my hand.
“Please...”
For the first time, I reached out desperately toward someone.
“.....”
The woman stared at me silently for a long while before slowly taking my hand.
Light burst around us.
Thank you. Truly.
And...
I’m sorry.
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