IHDOE Ch 7

[Satina] "Yes, I have been well. So why did you call for me? Mother is not someone who would care how I am living."

She replied with an indifferent tone.

[Duchess] "What a hurtful thing to say. What parent would not wonder about her daughter's well-being?"

[Satina] "Is that so? You offered not a single word of congratulations on my birthday, so I assumed you forgot about me."

At her words, the corners of the Duchess' eyes trembled faintly.

[Duchess] "Satina, that is……"

Satina turned toward Rebecca.

[Satina] "Did you summon me to enjoy casual chat with Mother after so long? If so, I have nothing more to say, so may I leave?"

[Rebecca] "Actually, I have something I want you to do."

Only then did the massive iron cage beside Rebecca come into view.

Uncovering the cloth draped over the iron cage revealed a giant snake. A red horn protruded from the forehead of the black snake, and a broken arrow was embedded in its body.

[Rebecca] "Dispose of this magical beast. Sister is a saintess candidate, so you can do it, right?"

Satina spoke while observing the snake starting to move inside the iron cage.

[Satina] "A Red-Horned Snake. It is no common beast, yet you managed to find one."

That proves how desperately she wanted to torment me.

Capturing magical beasts and ordering her to dispose of them was a method Rebecca frequently used to mock her.

Rooted in the underworld, magical beasts possessed weakness against divine holy power.

For a true saintess candidate, dealing with one or two such beasts posed no issue, but incapable of using holy power, she was nothing more than an ordinary girl.

Rebecca knew Satina's true capability well. Thus, under various excuses, she summoned Satina and forced her to attempt using holy power.

Sometimes she called Satina to dispose of magical beasts like now; other times asking her to heal a minor scratch on a hand, or requested Satina to sing her to sleep, claiming sleeplessness.

All were easy, simple tasks—if only Satina could use holy power. She had to sing for hours on end just to heal a minor scratch on Rebecca's hand.

[Rebecca] "I said I will let you go once you heal me! Sister, surely you aren't withholding holy power on purpose because you dislike healing my wound?"

Though Satina's overworked throat tasted of blood and endless coughing racked her body from lack of a single drop of water, Rebecca never permitted her to stop singing.

[Rebecca] "Sister is useless. Failing to heal a simple scratch like this."

She looked down at the exhausted, collapsed Satina and spoke.

[Rebecca] "Honestly, you aren't even a saintess candidate, are you? Did you deceive Father just because you wanted to join our house?"

Averting her eyes from the gaze filled with contempt and ridicule, Satina lowered her head. A useless parasite of House Bersabet. That was her standing in this ducal mansion.

Rebecca approached Satina, who was lost in thought.

[Rebecca] "Why stand there frozen, Sister? For a saintess candidate, dealing with a beast is simple."

At her direction, a maid shoved Satina toward the iron cage.

Injured, the snake acted far more sensitive than usual. As she drew near, the snake slammed its tail—thicker than her waist—violently against the iron bars. Each strike produced a loud clatter, shaking the cage unsteadily.

[Rebecca] "The beast seems furious. If you don't use holy power quickly, it might grow dangerous."

The maid pushed Satina even closer toward the iron cage. Less than a single meter remained between her and the snake.

[Rebecca] "Or should I shove that hand of yours inside the cage? Would that spark some motivation?"

Not a single song had left Satina's lips for years since her damaged throat ruined her singing voice after the accident.

Can I actually sing?

To Rebecca, Satina's downcast eyes and contemplative silence felt like blatant disrespect.

[Rebecca] "You babbled well earlier, so did you suddenly turn mute? Sing right now!"

Normally, Satina would fall to her knees around this point, begging for forgiveness.

Yet today differed.

Satina looked directly into Rebecca's eyes, remaining calm even as proximity to the beast closed.

[Rebecca] "Aha. So this is your game? Will you stay still even if I do this?"

She snatched Satina's hand, attempting to shove it inside the cage containing the snake.

Suddenly, Satina looked back at her mother. The Duchess merely sipped tea elegantly, quietly watching Rebecca's actions without intervention.

Satina harbored no expectation of her mother stopping Rebecca anyway. To her mother, Rebecca held far more value than the biological child.

Had she not been a saintess candidate—if Duke Bersabet had refused to take her in—her mother would have abandoned young Satina without hesitation.

Memories of a childhood quarrel with Rebecca suddenly surfaced.

From their very first meeting, Rebecca tormented her incessantly. She yanked her hair, clawed her cheeks with fingernails, or tore all her clothes to shreds.

When pushed past endurance, Satina spoke up in anger, causing Rebecca to burst into tears.

Rushing over at the sound of Rebecca's cries, her mother slapped Satina across the cheek without asking questions.

[Satina] "Why, why do you only scold me, Mother! Rebecca pulled my hair first!"

[Duchess] "Rebecca is your younger sister. Why can't you understand a younger sibling playing a small prank?"

[Satina] "You are my mother, so why do you only side with Rebecca!"

[Duchess] "Satina, I am……"

Satina would never forget the words her mother uttered back then.

[Duchess] "I want to be Rebecca's mother rather than yours."

To a mother remarried to the Duke, a child born from another man represented nothing but an obstacle.

Even on the verge of Satina being bitten by a snake, her mother sat quietly, merely watching the two girls.

In that moment, she felt something snap deep within.

I can't die like this.

As she channeled holy power, a cool energy circulated inside her body. Floating musical notes before her eyes awaited her call. The monotone mechanical sound—familiar after only a few days—echoed.

[Liv] "Please sing."

[Liv] "Don't worry."

[Liv] "You will succeed."

Rebecca shoved Satina's hand inside the iron cage. Just as the high-strung snake opened its maw wide to bite her hand—her song began.

[Liv] "Skill 'Communication with Other Beings' activated."

[Liv] "Enables effective communication with non-human entities."

[Liv] "Skill 'Song of Healing' activated."

[Liv] "Utilizes holy power to soothe the body and mind of entities within a 1m radius."

[Liv] "Proximity to the player yields higher effectiveness."

[Liv] "Usage count reduced by 1."

[Liv] "Remaining uses today: 0"

The song flowing from her lips was a lullaby. Contained within the low, gentle melody was a mother's wish. Late at night, a mother wished before her child:

May this child dream sweet dreams.

May this child remain healthy and happy.

Though the child had yet to grasp speech, the love and affection embedded in every single word touched its heart.

At her singing, the snake about to bite her hand paused.

[Snake] "Strange."

The words issuing from the snake startled Satina. What should have been mere hissing from a beast made complete sense to her.

Is this the skill's effect?

[Snake] "Listening to a human song soothes my mind."

The snake moved sluggishly.

In that moment, Satina opened the iron cage door containing the snake without realizing it.

Entranced by Satina's singing, everyone nearby failed to stop her actions.

The snake, which should have gone wild attacking people, rested its snout against Satina's hand like a tamed pup.

Cold, smooth scales pressed against her skin. Without pausing her song, she stroked the snake's body. Then she pulled out the broken arrow embedded in the snake's flesh.

Blood welled as the wound gaped open, but new flesh quickly knit together under the melody flowing from her.

Rubbing its head against her feet, the snake nuzzled her affectionately.

[Snake] "You are intriguing. Though human, you carry none of the scent of the deity who rejects us."

Snapping the red horn on its forehead with its tail, the snake offered it to Satina.

[Snake] "The Red-Horned Snake never forgets a favor. With my mark, our kind will not harm you. We shall meet again if opportunity allows."

The snake vanished into the bushes. Yet everyone present stood frozen like stone statues, unable to move.

Was Lady Satina's singing always this beautiful?

The maid looked at Satina standing in the garden. As Rebecca's servant, she had heard Satina sing tens of times. Until now, her singing was terrible—possessing a pretty voice, yet unstable and screeching like an instrument about to snap a string.

Yet the song she sang now differed completely. Her voice was clear as a glass marble, yet dreamlike and ethereal.

Above all, the moment the maid heard Satina's singing, memories of her late mother surfaced. For her young self who feared monsters beneath the bed, her mother sang lullabies until she drifted off to sleep.

It has been so long since I saw her face……

Could a single song evoke such piercing longing?

It felt as if a soft blanket draped over her, listening to a mother's lullaby while gentle hands stroked her forehead. Indescribable warmth and comforting safety shielded her against any storm.

Moving now felt as though it would shatter the spell, rendering the maid immobile. Shared by everyone present, no one moved even after Satina's song ended.

As the song concluded, Satina looked down at her trembling hands.

I sang.

How many years had passed since a song left her throat? An unbelievable moment.

[Liv] "A flawless performance draws public admiration."

[Liv] "Player's Fame increased by 10."

[Liv] "That was a beautiful song. Liv considers it an honor to hear it."

[Liv] "Liv will never forget this moment."

Liv sure knows how to pay lip service.

Smiling inwardly, Satina looked at the frozen crowd with cool eyes and asked.

[Satina] "Since the beast is gone, I may leave now, yes?"

The moment that cold voice sounded, the cozy atmosphere shattered, pulling everyone back to reality.

Unwilling to admit falling under Satina's song even for a moment, Rebecca yelled loudly.

[Rebecca] "Where do you think you're going! My business isn't finished yet!"

[Satina] "Didn't you summon me to defeat the beast?"

[Rebecca] "That is……!"

No other business could exist.

What on earth is going on?

Rebecca saw the nearby maids captivated by Satina's singing.

It's all because of that face!

Ever since their first meeting, she despised Satina for being prettier than her.

In an instant, a surge of irritation prompted her to swing a hand toward Satina's cheek. Or at least she would have, had someone not grabbed her arm to stop her.

[Man] "What on earth do you think you are doing?"

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