“When you don’t know what to do, do what you can. Of course, it would be better to think about what to do in the future rather than regret the past.”

Daran’s obvious words opened Livia’s closed eyes.

What she could do… what she wanted to do. At the thought, Livia’s crouching body jumped up as she glanced at her own bare palm.

“…Daran.”

“Yes, the Princess.”

“Go to the library.”

“…Yes?”

She thought Livia was getting her energy back, but suddenly, it seemed that her master wanted to go to the library. Daran slowly raised her body up with a puzzled face.

“Go and borrow all the books I am talking about.”

“…Yes? A book? Not a doctor?”

“Yes, books are my painkiller now.”

“Yes?”

“If there are any books about the devil or contracts with the devil, borrow them.”

At that, she just tilted her head at Livia’s command. A devil, all of a sudden. Even though she didn’t understand what this meant, Daran, who saw Livia’s expression brighten, unlike before, turned to the library without saying anything.

‘There must be something only I can do…’

Livia clenched her fists tightly at the thought. Hopefully, the ancient magic, now lost, could definitely help.

* * *

“Madam, I brought your meal…”

“Take it.”

“But…”

Sylvia bit her lower lip, looking down at the meal the maid had brought. Then, with an emaciated face, she turned the meal in her hand. The sound of dishes breaking came, and the carpet became dirty in an instant.

Still, even that was hard to see in the dark bedroom where no light came in.

“Ma, Madam.”

After that, Daniel stopped looking for her.

No, not only was he not looking for her, but he never entered the villa at all. From then on, Sylvia locked herself in her bedroom. There wasn’t even a single light, and she lived each day in darkness without distinction between day and night.

“Take it back.”

Sylvia’s condition was deteriorating rapidly. Her once radiant cheeks had hollowed, and her once graceful figure had become gaunt, with only protruding bones visible. She had reached a perilous state where even a simple cough made her question if this would be the end for her.

Still, no one really cared about her.

“Then I will take it.”

The maid, hastily collecting the shattered dishes and cleaning up the spilled food, hurriedly exited the bedroom. The entire staff seemed unwilling to attend to her needs.

Lying lifeless in her bedroom, Sylvia sensed a glimmer of brightness and turned her head towards it. A radiant beam of light filtered through the gap in the open bedroom door as if the departing maid had forgotten to close it behind her.

‘I hate the light.’

She trembled with fear, dreading the possibility that the bright light might reveal her reflection somewhere in the room. Deep down, she knew that her once-beautiful image had been marred and ruined.

Sylvia couldn’t bear the thought of seeing herself in such a state. The sight of her own unattractive appearance might drive her to despair, making her wish for death.

And so, she despised the light, for it had the potential to expose her to that painful truth.

‘The door… I have to close it.’

Despite the sharp pain that shot through her foot, she remained expressionless, her frown deepening. She slowly rose from the bed, placing her bare foot on the floor, unaware of the piece of glass that still lay there.

The shard embedded itself into her delicate skin, causing a tingling sensation that only added to her numbed state. She continued to walk, her bare feet rustling over the scattered glass fragments, leaving a trail of blood stains on the once pristine carpet.

The sight of her own blood seemed inconsequential to her as if she were disconnected from her own suffering, lost in a sea of emptiness.

As Sylvia was about to close the door, she heard the chatter of the maids passing down the hallway.

“…So, are they two getting married?”

“The rumors are like that. There are rumors that holding a party this time is also to announce the marriage.”

“By the way, if Lady Vellista and Duke Ferial get married, what about Princess Livia? Wasn’t she going to marry Duke Ferial?”

“I don’t know that either. By the way, I heard that Her Highness often visits Duke Ferial’s mansion and enjoys tea time with Lady Vellista. Could it be that it ended well?”

She widened her surprised eyes.

If her ears aren’t wrong, then Vellista… It was about Azela. What was she doing with marriage? With Duke Ferial?

Sylvia’s hands trembled.

She lost her child, Daniel, and everything… but Azela was getting married?

At the thought, her empty eyes began to be stained with a vengeance. Gripping the shard of glass tightly in her hand, Sylvia then pushed open the door she had been about to close.

“Anyway, I envy Lady Vellista. Duke Ferial is good-looking, rich, and perfect. There was a rumor that at the party last time, he looked at Miss Vellista very lovingly.”

“He used to be someone who didn’t like parties. To throw a party for Lady Vellista…”

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“What did you just say?”

The maids stopped walking, hearing the ghastly voice coming from behind them.

With their mouths shut and looking behind them with shaky eyes, she noticed that there was Sylvia, who was listening to all this conversation, following close behind them. Her emaciated face was grotesque enough to be mistaken for a ghost, and a maid almost screamed.

“Is that about Azela?”

“Ma, Madam.”

“…Is Azela throwing a party? Announcing her marriage?”

“That, that, that…”

“Tell me properly.”

Sylvia placed the sharp shard of glass in her hand to the nape of the maid’s neck. Her hand had already been cut by the shard of glass and was bleeding profusely.

“If you don’t speak up, I’ll cut your throat.”

“Hiick! There, there is a rumor that Lady Vellista is getting married to Duke Ferial. Well, but it’s just a ru, a rumor…”

“You make me look like this and get married? Hahaha!”

Sylvia’s laughter echoed through the hallway, its eerie sound sending shivers down the spines of those who heard it.

Without a hint of hesitation, she lunged forward. The maid, caught off guard by her sudden aggression, could only gasp in shock before the sharp edge of the glass found its mark, slicing across the tender skin at the nape of her neck.

“Kyaaak!”

Blood flowed from the maid’s neck, and in an instant, she collapsed to the floor in her hallway.

The splashing blood drenched Sylvia’s face.

Even so, her expression was nonchalant.

Sylvia, who wiped her face with the back of her hand, turned her head to the rest of the maids. Seeing their colleague slain to the floor, the maid dropped her laundry from her hands onto the floor and put her hands together to beg.

“Spare, spare me. Madam.”

“…There’s something you need to do.”

“Yes, yes, whatever, I will do anything.”

“Get an invitation to the party that Azela is holding.”

At Sylvia’s command, the maid trembled as her face turned white. To find an invitation to a party for nobles… it occurred to her that it might be easier to die.

“Can’t you hear me?”

“Bu-but, the… the invitation, you have to be invited…”

“Then, get it somehow.”

The maid looked at the bloody glass in Sylvia’s hand with a terrified face. Even if she died, no one would object. Even if her family objected, it was obvious that Todd would cover it up, saying that it happened in the family.

The maid bit her lower lip hard.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Don’t tell Daniel about this, alright?”

“Yes, yes.”

After receiving the maid’s answer, Sylvia gripped the glass shard with great force. Her hand was cut deep and bleeding, but she didn’t care.

‘…She’s trying to be happy alone without me? I can’t let that happen.’

Sylvia smirked with a blood-stained face. On the day of the party, she wanted to see Azela’s bloody face lying at her feet.

* * *

“Sh*t.”

Why did it become like this?

Chises, who had been walking in place for a while in front of Livia’s palace, not willing to step in, kicked the wall and spat out swear words. Recalling Livia’s words not to enter her palace without a prior appointment and the magic she had used, he could not go inside willingly.

“…Crown Prince?”

Turning around in front of the palace hundreds of times and thinking about going back, he heard a familiar voice in his ears.

When he turned around with joy, he saw Daran holding an armful of books.

“…What is it all about?”

“Ah, it’s Her Highness’s errand. What are you doing here?”

“I was just passing by.”