IHDOE Ch 73

For the past few days, Sharlan had not been in his right mind. He could neither eat nor sleep properly. Whatever he did, thoughts of Satina confined in the punishment room consumed him.

Though she had agreed when he told her not to concern herself with him, why couldn't he turn his back on her when she was the one suffering punishment?

Four days later, her punishment ended.

Sharlan went straight to her room.

Satina, looking visibly gaunt after the past few days, was eating thin porridge with a maid's assistance when she started in surprise at the sight of him.

With a glance, she dismissed the maid, leaving only the two of them in the room.

Sharlan nervously examined her complexion.

When he was first punished, he had heard auditory hallucinations amidst severe starvation. It felt as though his sanity shattered completely and reassembled anew. That room engraved terror toward his father, stripping away even the thought of defiance.

If she had changed like that too, if she never cast affectionate gazes upon him again...

A suffocating dread and pressure weighed on him as he awaited her words. No matter how closely he scrutinized her face, he couldn't tell what she was thinking.

[Sharlan] "Sister..."

Unable to endure the pressure, he called her in a trembling voice. Only then did she look at him and smile.

[Satina] "Why that look on your face? I was the one punished, yet you look as if you suffered it."

Only then did the dread weighing on his shoulders lift, replaced by relief.

[Satina] "Come here. Let me look at your face up close."

Despite her request, he stood frozen in place. Unable to conceal his confused gaze, he asked.

[Sharlan] "Why... why did you do such a thing? Why volunteer to take the punishment in my place...?"

He had wanted to ask throughout her confinement. She couldn't have been ignorant of the punishment room, so why did she do it?

To his haltingly squeezed-out question, Satina answered with unreserved lightheartedness.

[Satina] "Because you were frightened."

[Sharlan] "..."

[Satina] "You were terrified of going to that room."

[Sharlan] "Ha. So you went in my stead? Well, well..."

What a grand sacrifice.

He wanted to sneer with sarcasm, but his lips refused to move.

Until now, he had believed all of her actions were smooth-talk designed to extract something from him. Yet she had risked her own well-being to take the punishment for him.

For the first time, it occurred to him that every word she had spoken might be genuine.

I want to be family with you, Sharlan.

Family.

Could unrequited devotion and affection—things that existed only in fairytales—truly exist?

Was it actually possible to sacrifice something for someone without expecting anything in return?

He approached her as if spellbound. She caressed his cheek.

[Satina] "Your face looks worn. Still, I'm glad he didn't strike you again."

[Sharlan] "Because you took the punishment in my place..."

[Sharlan] "Are you alright?"

[Satina] "I'm fine."

[Sharlan] "..."

[Satina] "I'm really fine. As long as you're all right, that's all that matters."

Gazing at her brightly smiling face, he felt as if he had tumbled into a tender hell.

A suffocating sensation choked him as though hands wrapped around his throat, yet he chose merely to lean his cheek against her palm in silence.

---

Satina looked down at Sharlan with a dry gaze.

Enduring punishment in the punishment room had not been particularly difficult. She had been too preoccupied dwelling on the bad ending she experienced at the end.

Though a bad ending had unlocked previously, back then she had clearly recognized this place as a "game". Because she considered herself and the "Satina" who suffered the bad ending to be distinct individuals, she could act with such composure even after experiencing that gruesome ending.

This time, however, was different. Sensations far more vivid than usual felt not like a game, but as though she were recalling events she had experienced firsthand.

Nonsense. This is inside a game.

Pondering alone and interrogating the system yielded no different answers. Perhaps her nerves had grown frayed from recent events.

Though confused, her path remained set.

Satina looked at the system window floating beside Sharlan. The number 50 for affection caught her eye sharply.

With this, Sharlan is done too.

Now, it was time to send the Duke far away to bring up breaking the engagement with the Crown Prince.

[Satina] "Sharlan, I have a favor to ask. It's about Father... Will you hear me out?"

A pair of eyes peered through the crack in the door, covertly watching the two.

It was Katan.

Staring intently at them for a long while, he soon vanished into the shadows.

---

Today's meeting place with Hedzel was the underground aqueduct.

He sat across from Satina.

[Hedzel] "My, it's been a while. I heard you were locked up somewhere serving a punishment, but fortunately, you don't look too terrible."

[Lara] "My goodness, Boss! What on earth are you saying?! 'Don't look too terrible'?! In the short time we haven't met, her already delicate frame has shrunk to a handful!"

She scolded Hedzel while placing refreshments before Satina. A mountain of almond-embedded cookies and candies piled up before her.

Hedzel grumbled, eyeing the mound of snacks with displeasure.

[Hedzel] "Hey, what are those snacks? When I asked if there was anything to eat, you said there was nothing, so where did those come from?"

[Lara] "There's nothing for you, Boss."

[Hedzel] "Then what's that?"

[Lara] "These were saved specifically for when Lady Satina arrived. Buy your own food. It's not like you lack money."

[Hedzel] "Hey, she's richer than I am!"

He pointed accusingly at Satina.

[Lara] "My goodness, referring to Lady Satina as 'she'!"

Satina chuckled while listening to their exchange.

[Satina] "Still, it seems nothing major happened while I was away."

[Hedzel] "Nothing major? I suffered to death!"

Shuddering as if the memory repulsed him, he complained.

[Hedzel] "Your stepbrother is ridiculously tenacious. Far more stubborn than your father, and much more adept at employing people. Thanks to that, we suffered endlessly. Lately, he's been obsessively digging into our funding sources."

[Satina] "He must be trying to unearth the mastermind to apply pressure."

[Hedzel] "We mainly laundered gems whose origins are hard to trace, but at this rate, he might figure out we're using the ancient empire's treasury. What do you want to do?"

She answered composedly.

[Satina] "Why hide it? Let him know."

[Hedzel] "What? Really? After hiding it so fiercely?"

[Satina] "It doesn't matter anymore."

She recalled his affection score having reached 50.

The Duke met his fatal accident around autumn. Coaxing Sharlan properly might accelerate the timeline, but setting up the board and seizing the opportunity from scratch would take considerable time.

Barely two months remained until the Summer Foundation Festival. Time was running short for Satina. Thus, she needed to set the stage so Sharlan could act immediately. Making him believe it was an ideal opportunity to dispose of the Duke.

[Satina] "And leak a piece of information to him so he can dispose of Father."

[Hedzel] "Information? Like what?"

[Satina] "That the ancient empire's treasure vault lies in the east."

Sharlan would handle the rest on his own. Clever as he was, he wouldn't miss the chance once the board was set.

Now then, shall I wait leisurely?

---

[Sharlan] "The ancient empire... Is this certain?"

He asked his aide with an incredulous expression.

[Aide] "Yes, I verified it multiple times. There is no mistake. After persistently winning over an employee from that merchant guild, they brought this."

The aide held out a small coin.

[Sharlan] "This is... a coin from the ancient empire. I recall seeing it in books."

[Aide] "Upon discreetly verifying with a scholar who specializes in the field, I received confirmation that it is undoubtedly authentic."

The aide spoke in a tone filled with conviction.

[Aide] "Furthermore, if Lettina Guild discovered the ancient empire's heritage, it explains how a mere emerging guild possesses such vast capital."

[Sharlan] "If true, it makes sense why we failed to locate any other funding source despite our thorough investigation."

[Aide] "Exactly. Upon questioning the employee, they revealed the guild master suddenly amassed wealth after returning from the east. I have dispatched investigators to the east, so with any luck, we might pinpoint the approximate location soon!"

Excitement tinged the usually calm aide's voice at the possibility that the ancient empire, previously thought to be mere legend, might be reality.

Yet Sharlan held the gleaming coin up to the light with a composed expression.

[Sharlan] "The ancient empire..."

Even while gazing upon such dazzling gold, his mind remained consumed entirely by Satina.

I'm scared of Father.

He recalled her voice as she clutched his hem while trembling.

I'm scared of him, Sharlan.

He understood her feelings better than anyone. After suffering his first punishment, he too had been paralyzed by fear, unable to even entertain thoughts of defying his father.

Disposing of the Duke within the estate presented far too many obstacles. Evading the eyes of guarding knights to assassinate someone without leaving evidence was virtually impossible.

But what if it's the east?

Fewer eyes watched, and pretext to fabricate an incident abounded. Luring the Duke to the east would pose little difficulty.

Sharlan knew his father well. Greedy and suspicious, a slight provocation would drive him recklessly toward the east.

Yet if it fails... It might be wiser to take more time and quietly target the next opportunity.

Thoughts multiplied. Inbuilt terror forced him to hesitate before defying his father.

[Sharlan] "For now... keep this quiet. Take care that Father remains entirely unaware."

Outside the door, Katan eavesdropped on the conversation between Sharlan and his aide.

Moving covertly through the shadows, he headed toward Satina's room.

Extending his hand, a dark shadow slithered beneath the bed where she lay fast asleep.

Once he confirmed her peaceful expression was contorted, he slipped out of her room once more.

---

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