The Unbearable Truth
The room was dark, the moonlight faint.
Darkness cast a thick veil over Orsini’s face. Yet the green glow of his eyes staring down at her remained unmistakably sharp.
“You do know you’re going to be burned at the stake tomorrow, right?”
“Ah, so that’s why you came.”
He had finally opened his mouth. Canna shrugged.
“Well. Whether I end up tied to a tree or not remains to be seen.”
“How carefree. Do you actually think someone will protect you?”
Pfft. Canna couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Protect her? Who in the world would protect her?
“Even if someone does protect me, I know for certain it won’t be you.”
“Are you waiting for that so-called older brother of yours?”
“……”
This son of a bitch.
Canna wiped every trace of amusement from her face. The moment genuine emotion flickered across her expression, Orsini smiled in satisfaction.
“Are you trying to go back to that house you and that bastard long for so badly?”
Canna clenched her fists. Every single word he spoke ignited a blazing fire in her chest.
“Stop it, Orsini.”
There were things that should never be touched.
For Canna, that was Juhwa’s world.
“So that’s why you’re so relaxed? Because you think someone will come to take you away?”
“Shut your mouth.”
“Let’s hear who this magnificent savior brother of yours is. Surely it can’t be Duke Sylvien Valentino.”
She couldn’t respond the way she usually did. She couldn’t laugh off his sneering words.
It wasn’t a subject she could laugh off.
She had been living while deliberately trying not to think about them—the things she had loved in that world.
She never wanted to forget that world, yet at the same time, she didn’t want to remember it either.
Because she couldn’t afford to grow weak.
Because this was not the time to be weak.
She knew that the moment she opened the box of those precious, heartbreaking memories, only transparent loneliness would come flooding in.
And yet this bastard Orsini was casually smashing through that desperate effort.
“Stop talking.”
“Why? Are you going to start crying like an idiot again?”
For some reason, her reaction seemed to anger him even more. She couldn’t understand it at all.
“Yeah, it was quite entertaining watching you throw a tantrum, sobbing and wailing about wanting to go home. The way you cried like an abandoned mutt, calling for your mother—it was hilarious.”
Her face burned hot. Her head throbbed.
The more Canna’s face twisted, the hotter her eyes grew, the deeper and crueler Orsini’s smile became, as if he were savoring sadistic pleasure.
“If you go back to that house, will your mother even be there? The woman who gave you that black hair?”
He bent down deeply, bringing his eyes level with Canna’s, who stood far shorter than him. His green eyes flickered with malice. And then he said it.
“You won’t be able to go home.”
Words steeped in vicious poison.
“You may have entered Addis on your own two feet, but you won’t be leaving the same way.”
You won’t be able to go home. You won’t be able to go home.
I can’t go home.
I can’t.
You won’t be able to go home.
Never.
Perhaps… for all eternity.
That cruel truth sliced straight through her body. The shattering pain made Canna’s lips tremble.
The expression on Orsini’s face as he watched her looked furious, yet at the same time, strangely delighted.
Canna slapped him across the cheek.
Slap!
But Orsini’s face didn’t even budge. It was as if he had been struck by nothing more than a speck of dust carried on the wind. Instead, he laughed as though he found it incredibly amusing.
“I see. Now I understand.”
He slowly straightened his back. He savored the way Canna glared at him as if she wanted to devour him alive.
Hatred. Rage. Loathing. He realized those were her true feelings.
Nothing but those.
“Addis is still hell for you.”
Among the people Canna had desperately cried out for, none of the names he knew were there. Neither Kallen nor Sylvien.
“In truth, that bastard Kallen must be sickening too. Isn’t that right, filth?”
Filth.
Damn it. The moment that word left his mouth, his tongue ached. It felt like it was rotting from the tip, but because he refused to acknowledge the pain, Orsini only sneered more viciously.
“You smile so prettily while toying with Kallen.”
Rather than admit it, he would rather cut out his own tongue.
“I’ve caught you.”
Tap. He pushed at the frown creasing Canna’s forehead with his finger.
“Let’s get along well from now on. In our house.”
Then the corner of his mouth lifted.
“That is, if you aren’t burned at the stake tomorrow.”
Canna closed her eyes. She took a slow, deep breath.
Then she opened them again. She smiled brightly, radiantly. Just as prettily as she had when she toyed with Kallen.
“Orsini, are you perhaps… jealous?”
In that instant, the finger touching her forehead went rigid.
Canna swiftly grabbed that finger and squeezed it tightly.
“Are you anxious that your lovely older sister might leave you for someone else? Are you angry?”
Orsini burst into harsh laughter.
“Crazy bitch.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to say to you, you insane bastard.”
Canna violently shook off his hand.
“You spouted nonsense first, so I simply responded in kind. How was it? Fun?”
“……”
“It wasn’t fun for me at all.”
She wiped the smile clean off her face. In a voice dripping with boredom, she muttered,
“You really are a pathetic child.”
“……”
“Get lost.”
“Fucking bastard.”
After chasing Orsini away, Canna briefly debated whether she should cry while she had the chance.
She had acted calm, but it hurt. It hurt terribly. Orsini had dug straight into her wounds, crushed them, and ground them down.
It hurt so much that she wondered if she should just cry it out, if a good, cleansing sob might make her feel better.
Damn it, I’m so angry I can’t even cry!
The tears that had almost welled up in her eyes dried in an instant.
As expected, burying herself under the blanket and sniffling simply wasn’t her style. Cursing the person who had ruined her mood felt far more satisfying.
Orsini, you son of a bitch.
I won’t let you get away with this. You devilish bastard.
I’m going to kill you.
Without fail. Someday. Definitely.
I will kill you, Orsini.
But now was not the time to be consumed by hatred.
Canna looked down at her own heart from a great height. And she gave herself an order.
Right now, resolving the matter concerning Rachel took priority.
That comes first. Don’t let cheap emotions distract you and ruin everything.
She wouldn’t let Orsini ruin her mood either.
That’s right. I’m going to sleep soundly tonight. I refuse to have nightmares because of that bastard.
Orsini can’t ruin anything of mine.
Not my plans. Not my mood. Not my night.
With that thought, she took a deep breath, and the turbulent emotions gradually subsided. Then she called for sleep.
Fortunately, she was able to sleep deeply, just as she had hoped.
At last, the day of the Purification Ceremony arrived.
It was a clear day—the first in a long time without rain clouds. A perfect day for a burning at the stake, Rachel thought.
“Waaaaah!”
“It’s the Saintess! The Saintess is here!”
“Please purify the demon!”
“Catch the Black Apostle for us, Saintess!”
“Please protect our village!”
On that bright, sunlit day, the square was packed with villagers shouting in a frenzy. Their desperate longing fiercely ignited Rachel’s sense of duty.
Yes. Their peace rests in my hands.
The lives and peaceful daily lives of these villagers depended entirely on her.
“Are all of you the ones who suffered from the madness?”
Dozens of people stood in orderly fashion on the platform.
Not a single one looked afraid. They stood proudly because they knew they were not Black Apostles.
Most of them are probably sincere, but at least one is acting.
Rachel’s gaze shifted to the side.
Beside the platform stood a massive tent. Beneath it were the lord, Sir Jerome, the knights, the servants, and Canna.
Normally she should have been standing on the platform with the others, but they had made a special arrangement considering her status as a noble.
However, no matter how noble she might be, she could not fool Rachel’s eyes. The moment their gazes met, an ominous heat flared in her chest.
At that moment, Canna smiled sweetly. Then she stepped out from under the tent of her own accord.
…What is she doing?
Rachel stared fixedly at her movements.
Canna was walking up onto the platform on her own. The appearance of the beautiful woman drew every eye in the crowd.
Canna looked down at the gathered people and spoke.
“Those of you who know me will already be aware—I am the physician sent by His Majesty the Emperor.”
Rachel frowned. Yet for some reason, the majority of the villagers looking up at Canna wore extremely friendly expressions.
It was an incomprehensible reaction.
The island villagers were notoriously hostile toward outsiders, especially nobles from the empire…
Then why are they looking at her like that?
It was because Canna had handed out free food to the villagers for several days, but Rachel had no way of knowing that.
Canna continued calmly.
“While staying here, I thoroughly investigated the village’s madness and reached one conclusion. You may find it shocking, but…”
Rachel was thrown into panic. Was this woman really about to repeat the ridiculous things she had said to her before…!
She wanted to rush forward and cover her mouth, but the people were already completely focused on her. Even her father, the lord!
“Before that, let me ask one question. Has anyone suffered from the madness recently?”
Canna asked, leisurely scanning the villagers.
“At the very least, there has been no one in the past few days.”