Chapter 47
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Violet's First Words - Episode 47
"It seems my nephew's words ring true, my other nephew."
Cyril spoke.
Olive was examining the salve that had fallen to the floor.
"This is abominable."
Violet had never seen Olive display such revulsion before.
"What is that, Olive?"
"When applied, it ravages human skin for three to four years, leaving it grotesquely disfigured and hideous. It's a method used by religions that venerate the evil god to control prisoners. Once you reduce a person's face to that of livestock, they lose all will to escape."
"You were going to use something that horrific on a child?"
Unable to contain himself, Cyril seized Marigold by the collar.
"Uncle, violence is not the answer!"
"Are you about to lecture me?"
"No, I'm about to strike her."
Before Marigold could protest, Violet slapped her across the face.
"Ugh!"
"Well done. Now let's dispel the curse and finish this."
"Yes, Uncle."
Violet answered.
Marigold glared at Violet with a venomous gaze, desperately trying to say something.
"Marigold, your expression suggests you want to call me mad. But wouldn't it be strange if I weren't? You're my half-sister, after all."
Violet regarded Marigold with cold clarity.
"Curse marks are typically inscribed on corresponding parts of the body."
Cyril spoke.
"Then we must first expose the curse marks inscribed on both bodies."
Olive sealed the salve jar firmly and hurled it to the floor.
Then, without mercy, he tore open the front of Marigold's garment.
"...!"
All Marigold could do was swallow hard.
"What about my body?"
"The curse mark on your body will disappear on its own once we remove the one on Marigold's. This is the primary curse mark—the one on you is merely subsidiary, you might say."
Cyril moved his hands slowly without directly touching Marigold's body.
Then the curse mark rose to the surface of her abdomen.
"Tools."
Cyril spoke. At his word, Olive produced a small pouch from his pocket and handed it to him.
Cyril withdrew what resembled a sharp pair of tweezers from within.
The handle was adorned with intricate embroidery.
"Sob, sob!"
Tears streamed down Marigold's cheeks.
The curse rune hovering above Marigold's body resembled mine, but its color was darker, almost ashen.
Cyril grasped the lines forming the curse rune with tweezers.
With each movement of the tweezers, the curse rune's shape wavered and transformed. He moved with extraordinary precision.
"The one on my abdomen, and the one now on Marigold's abdomen... What exactly are these runes?"
"Runes are runes in their truest sense. They're created using magical power. When multiple runes gather and exert their effect on a specific space, they become a barrier."
Cyril spoke matter-of-factly.
The curse rune was densely packed with intricate patterns—countless lines arranged within a circular form.
When he extracted several of those lines, the shape of the rune appearing on Marigold's abdomen changed.
'The color of the rune changed. How fascinating, how beautiful...'
If I had to describe it, Cyril's work resembled that of an artist.
An artist performing surgery on an oil painting. What he was correcting was a world of lines and patterns.
'Magnificent. Mesmerizing.'
I lingered for a moment, absorbed in watching his work.
In that time, the rune became faint. My brow furrowed.
'Just now, I thought I saw something like letters there...'
"It's completely finished now."
Cyril spoke.
It had taken merely five minutes.
Marigold wept silently. No one offered her sympathy at the sight.
That was when it happened.
I felt a warm energy suddenly envelop me.
'What is this sensation?'
Unconsciously, I summoned my mana circle.
In an instant, the mana circle expanded.
Unlike before, I felt a profound fullness from the immense magical power.
'It's grown to two layers at once?'
The first tier was white, the second a brilliant blue. Each was beautiful in its own right.
"I've been draining this much magical power from Marigold all this time?"
"Despite that, Marigold's natural talent is so pathetic that she couldn't even materialize a single spirit, even while draining such formidable power. Remarkable, really."
Cyril clicked his tongue.
"Why was she a spirit summoner, then...?"
I spoke as if to myself, dazed.
"Because spirits were the only thing manageable for her. Everything else requires complex processes to utilize magical power."
Olive answered.
That was when it happened.
"The crying woman..."
'The crying woman' was the nickname I had privately given to the spirit Sylphir.
Sylphir's body was engulfed in a cerulean whirlwind, expanding gradually.
Soon, a beautiful feminine form took shape.
"How beautiful...."
I murmured softly.
Of course, though she appeared feminine, her facial features remained indistinct and ethereal.
Her body flowed like water, appearing as though draped in a transparent gown.
Yet the endless cascade of azure light rendered her utterly beautiful.
I felt Sylphir's breeze tickling my cheek.
Sylphir was smiling now.
Sylphir enveloped my body.
Warmth, connection, and a pleasant refreshing sensation embraced me.
I, Violet Everdin, was both a prodigy and a spirit summoner.
'I... truly possessed such extraordinary talent.'
I was right, and they were wrong.
I was not insignificant. I possessed infinite potential beyond anyone else.
"My niece is quite remarkable. Is this what they call genius? This is the first true spirit summoner I've seen in years."
Cyril clicked his tongue.
"There was a reason Sylphir was crying all this time. Spirits rarely descend to the mortal realm, seeking only those spirit summoners whose mana appeals to them. Sylphir was drawn to my mana and wanted to come to me, but was brought here by Marigold instead, which made her sad. My mana was flowing toward Marigold."
I caressed Sylphir as I spoke.
Strangely, I could sense it.
As though I had met someone who had been intimately connected to me since long ago.
"Sylphir is mine. Give her back. I'm the special one, so give her back...."
Marigold muttered like a ghost.
It seemed Olive's paralysis had worn off.
"Move. You can at least lift your head now."
Marigold barely lifted her head at those words, then glared at me fiercely.
'Now is the moment.'
The moment to speak to Marigold.
The moment to create an unforgettable memory for her.
"Cyril Uncle, I'd like to speak with Marigold alone."
"If Marigold talks back, hit her."
Cyril spoke curtly. Then he quietly left the room. Olive followed behind him.
I pulled Sylphir along and approached Marigold.
"Sylphir, do you dislike her?"
Sylphir slowly grasped Marigold's throat and lifted her up.
Marigold's entire body was bound as though in chains, her eyes wide open as she was forced to meet my gaze.
"Marigold, is the kind of special you think of just money and honor? The truth is, I am the true eldest daughter and legitimate heir of this household, a descendant of a Distinguished Noble Family, and a spirit summoner. So...."
....
"The one who is endlessly special is not you, but me, Marigold."
Sylphir did not cover Marigold's mouth.
At that, Marigold's eyes blazed with fury as she spoke.
"Someone like you will never accomplish anything in your entire life. Do you think Mother and Father would simply stand by and allow it?"
"Someone like me?"
Violet whispered something to Sylphir.
Sylphir slowly dragged Marigold down and forced her to her knees.
"Not someone like you—my sister. But it hardly matters. Everything you've desperately yearned for your entire life means absolutely nothing to me."
Violet regarded her with pity, speaking with measured calm.
"So spend your whole life coveting what belongs to others. I will never pity your pathetic, desperate existence. My affection for you has already withered away completely."
"You, you!"
"Be quiet and listen. First, you will not become the Winter Queen tonight. I've learned that only a young lady with a pure and virtuous heart can claim that title. A woman who covets another's husband hardly meets those requirements."
"That's not true, I—"
"I'm not finished. Let us sever all ties. You are no longer my family, nor my sister."
“....”
"You are a stranger to me. Someone I would pass without a shred of sympathy, even if you lay dying in the street. Garbage discarded on the pavement, a rat in the sewers—less than that."
Violet spoke each word with deliberate precision.
"So whatever misfortune befalls you from now on, I will not interfere in the slightest. Do you understand?"
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org