Chapter 57
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Violet's First Words - Episode 57
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That afternoon, I seized the moment when the journalists camped outside the house had dispersed, and quietly ventured out once more with Olive.
The destination was a place I hadn't visited in ages—my childhood home.
The Everdin Family Estate.
The main gate stood open, and the garden looked desolate. I walked slowly inside.
The moment I crossed the threshold, a wailing sound pierced the air—so loud it made my head throb.
Soon, a woman with vacant eyes descended the staircase, and our gazes met.
It was Paula, her usual neat appearance nowhere to be found, reduced to a disheveled wreck.
"It seems Marigold is crying. Where is Father?"
I spoke with deliberate composure.
Paula's response dripped with hatred.
"Because of you, Father's company is being dragged through the mud. He only just returned to the Capital, and now he's running around desperately trying to salvage the business by meeting with clients! And you have the audacity to show your face here!"
"So he's not by the side of his beloved Marigold, then."
"That's right, you understand perfectly. Marigold's condition, her shattered mind—it's all your fault! Do you understand?"
"It's not my fault. It's your scheming, Mother. Have you forgotten? Who prepared that ointment?"
"So what? Are you going to have me arrested? In the end, Marigold was the one who suffered. Do you have proof?"
I simply laughed.
These people were truly foolish.
To think I once feared them. Why had I ever been so afraid?
"So you committed a crime and didn't flee. Or perhaps you couldn't flee because of Marigold? Is that why she's in this state?"
Paula flinched.
"Why hasn't the Crown Prince come for me? He told me to go to the Provincial Temple—is he out of his mind? He'll come for me! Oh, Edgar! I love you! Please take me away!"
At that moment, a hollow voice echoed from above.
I tilted my head, gauging the location. The door to Marigold's room on the second floor was clearly open.
Marigold appeared to have completely lost her mind.
"Seeing Marigold's condition, I won't bother asking how she's been."
"Get out, you wretched thing!"
"I'm leaving today anyway. I only came to collect my belongings."
"...Today...?"
In that instant, Paula's pupils trembled.
"Most of the lawsuits will be dismissed, but the one regarding my Biological Mother's inheritance will be accepted. That's what my lawyer told me. And fortunately, the judge seems quite favorable toward me as well."
"Oh, so that's it. You've come begging for money after all. Fine, will you disappear if we pay you? Please, just leave us alone!"
"You're the ones who never left me alone."
I found it absurd how Paula played the victim.
"I've demanded that this house be divided. My lawyer is competent, so I'll likely win."
"You... you're trying to steal our house? He's out on business now, but once he returns, he'll punish you one way or another. So stop spouting such nonsense and get out!"
I regarded her calmly.
This moment.
This was the moment I needed to speak my final words to Paula.
"You won't be able to. Even if you do, it doesn't matter."
"...I've already suffered enough. How would someone like you, who's never known love in this world, understand a mother's love for her daughter?"
"Exactly. You brutally abused and raised someone else's daughter, yet your love for your own daughter is so poignant. Why did someone with such feelings do what you did?"
Paula stared at me with wide eyes.
"So in the end, you harbored resentment all this time and took revenge on us, didn't you?"
"No. I haven't lived so foolishly as to seek revenge against my Stepmother."
Now I understood.
My true enemies were not my family.
The hatred they planted in me, the painful memories.
The low self-worth that prevented me from believing in myself.
Those were the things I needed to eliminate and take revenge against.
"It's all the price of what my Stepmother did. She's being avenged by her own karma."
"...I'll say it once more—the victim is Marigold. And what, you made Marigold a Spirit Master?"
Paula stared at me shamelessly and raised her voice.
"How will you prove that? Report it to the Security Knights all you want. Are you going to tell them that I cast some mysterious curse and stole your power to make your Younger Sister a Spirit Master? Those people don't investigate such things. Even if they did, they lack the ability to find evidence."
"Ah, so that's why you were so brazen."
Wouldn't anyone, no matter how gentle, become a notorious villainess when dealing with people like this?
I suspected that my future self in the vision had become that way not because of the curse itself, but from the mental exhaustion caused by these people.
"Don't worry. The ointment my Stepmother gave to Marigold—when I had its composition analyzed, just possessing it is a serious crime. And the curse magic directed at Marigold and me."
"..."
"Such matters are the specialty of the Heresy Inquisitors. Do you know? The enforcement agency from Kaizeria. They've just begun operations in the Capital, and they can uncover curse magic performed decades ago."
"What? The Heresy Inquisitors? That can't be..."
Paula's eyes widened.
Paula collapsed to the floor.
"So I'll bid you farewell, Stepmother."
"..."
"I hope you continue to live like this. Keep being so vile. May you suffer many illnesses and hardships, and live a long life."
At last, I had spoken my final words to Paula.
A familiar sense of relief washed over me.
"Miss, the Heresy Inquisitors have arrived."
I nodded.
"Wait, no! Marigold needs me! I'm the victim here—that damned creature framed us! That disgusting bastard!"
I watched two groups of people pass before me.
One group was armed Security Knights, the other was priests in red-trimmed ceremonial armor.
"Heresy Inquisitors, is it? It's been quite some time."
Heresy Inquisitors were, as the name suggested, investigators who pursued those who cast curses and other malevolent sorcery meant to harm people.
They were all composed of individuals at the Sword Expert level or higher, making them an extraordinarily formidable organization.
They were a rare sight in the Empire.
They swiftly bound Paula's body and gagged her mouth.
I watched Paula being dragged away with complete indifference.
"In the name of Ash Ravens, Grand Duke and Commander of the Heresy Inquisitors, I hereby place this woman under arrest. We shall conduct a thorough investigation and uncover all the facts, so please have no concerns."
The Heresy Inquisitor at the forefront spoke. The Security Knights merely observed them as if standing guard.
I nodded to them.
As they left the room, the house fell silent once more.
Marigold seemed to have sensed something amiss, for she no longer appeared to be weeping.
"There was a time when merely seeing them would make me tremble, yet to encounter them like this is quite remarkable."
Olive spoke in a flat tone.
'That's right—Olive came from the Fanatic Sect.'
I didn't know what to say to him.
"I had no idea Ash was the Commander of the Heresy Inquisitors."
"The Heresy Inquisitors wield considerable power in Kaizeria. If the Grand Duke of Ravens is near the center of authority, it would make sense."
"No matter when I learn the truth about Ash, it always surprises me."
"Will you not see Marigold's condition before departing?"
"No, I have no desire to see her any longer. I've already said what needed to be said, so I have no lingering attachments."
"Then if you would show me to your room, I shall gather your belongings and bring them out."
Olive said.
"The Attic. I grew up in the highest room."
I answered.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org