KFBRV Ch 57
- Feb 2
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 4
[Odette] "Vi... Viktor."
He stared at the woman before him, her sudden coughing of blood a sight so foreign it felt surreal.
Why her? Why is she... like this?
Her mouth and hands were stained crimson. Her face, usually so composed, had turned ghostly pale in an instant. Her eyes were those of a lost child, wide with a terror that no one could mistake.
Is it even possible for her to look like that?
He struggled to process the scene. To him, Odette had always been an insufferably elegant creature. Despite being younger than him, she always carried a gaze that seemed bored, as if she had already lived several lifetimes more than he had.
Yet, that same woman was now staring at him as if he were her only lifeline, her expression raw with fear.
What... what am I supposed to do?
While he stood frozen, she collapsed. She hit the floor like a marionette with its strings abruptly cut.
Only then did he realize he had been paralyzed by shock. He rushed forward and gathered the fallen woman into his arms, his movements awkward and fumbling—unlike his usual, combat-honed grace.
[Viktor] "Odette? Honey, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
Blood continued to seep from the corners of her mouth.
A physician. I need a physician.
He lifted her. She felt significantly lighter than he had expected, a realization that made him look down at her in alarm. In that movement, her skirt hiked up slightly, revealing her calves. His breath hitched.
[Viktor] "Hey... what happened to your legs?"
Horrific burn scars covered her skin.
In that single moment, a series of realizations clicked into place for him: a noblewoman wandering alone without a maid, the fact of her adoption, and the scars that had clearly never received proper treatment. Most of all, he remembered her weary murmur from earlier.
[Odette] "What must I do to be hated a little less?"
Her voice had been heavy with a deep-seated self-deprecation. Her smile had looked so lonely and precarious that it seemed as though crying would have been a healthier alternative.
His instincts had never failed him, and they were screaming now: this mansion was not safe for her. Leaving her here would be madness.
Ignoring the main gate of the Count's estate, he sprinted toward the Imperial Palace. There were royal physicians there, and as an S-class Transcendent, he held the authority to enter the palace freely—though this was the first time he had ever actually used that privilege.
Upon arrival, the news from the royal physician was even more staggering.
[Physician] "It’s malnutrition and extreme stress. Her stomach is severely damaged, and there are wounds all over her body. And... Colonel, if I may ask, is this lady being abused?"
[Viktor] "Just tell me what's going on. Use words I can understand."
Even in his agitation, Viktor did not forget to use his strength to tear a piece of his khaki uniform, covering Odette’s face. He couldn't risk the physician recognizing her identity as the daughter of the Albrecht family.
[Physician] "There are numerous bruises and injuries in places not easily seen. They are calculated wounds, positioned intentionally to avoid leaving visible scars. I... well, excuse me for asking, but... this wasn't your doing, was it, Colonel?"
The physician showed immense courage in questioning a Transcendent, which only underscored how dire Odette’s physical condition truly was.
His face hardened into a terrifying mask of cold fury.
Odette opened her eyes within the familiar dream of the heart wasps. This time, she found herself near a tree—the massive, ancient thing she had once thought was dead.
This dream again?
Exasperated, she pushed herself up into a sitting position.
However, the landscape was different from what she'd expected. The heart-shaped wasps had nearly vanished, leaving the area looking like a barren desert.
The wasps clinging to the tree are mostly gone too.
She reached out and caught one of the few remaining, sickly heart wasps crawling on the bark. In that instant, the memory of her coughing up blood flashed through her mind as if she were watching it from a third-person perspective.
She understood instinctively: the reason she had vomited blood was to purge these pests from her system.
Suddenly, a shattered, pale pink status window appeared before her eyes.
[Re-attempting to activate status window...]
[ERROR]
[Activation Failed!]
[Reason for Failure: Unidentified Pest]
The status window flickered violently, its sharp pink light stinging her eyes before it snapped shut and disappeared.
[Odette] "What was that? A status window?"
Blinking in confusion, she checked the necklace around her neck.
[Odette] "Did this necklace just activate within a dream?"
How many hidden functions did this thing actually have?
And that status window... the color was different.
The usual status window from the necklace was white. But the one she just saw was a soft rose-pink—identical to the infinite-function status window granted to the protagonist in the game The Only Savior.
[Odette] "What is going on...?"
Her contemplation was cut short. The world around her plunged into pitch black as the floor beneath her gave way.
This time, she awoke in a different dream. It was a scene from her past life: the depths of the Imperial prison. It was the same dream she had re-experienced two days ago due to the mental strength debuff.
She furrowed her brow.
Is this another debuff? I didn't even check the Loathing levels today.
However, she quickly realized this wasn't a debuff.
As she turned around, she saw her past self as if she were a separate person. She was merely a ghost observing her own history.
It’s just a normal dream.
She felt a surge of irritation. Why did she have to review this miserable situation so often?
Experiencing it once in her past life and again through a debuff was bad enough—now she had to watch it from a new angle?
Wait... what is that stench? My head is splitting.
A thick, artificial scent of roses filled the air, so cloying it made her stomach churn.
This... this smell is coming from me.
Then came the sound of approaching footsteps. She knew who it was; this was the day she had first met Charlotte.
As expected, a young girl appeared through the crack of the opening door. A pleasant, natural fragrance of roses drifted into the cell.
Pale pink hair. Light blue eyes. Lips that formed a heart when she smiled, and cute front teeth reminiscent of a rabbit. She was as harmless and lovely as cotton candy.
And such a soft scent.
The oppressive stench of Odette’s own roses faded, drowned out by the refreshing fragrance of Charlotte’s roses, like the scent of flowers after a spring rain.
Soon, Johan, wearing his blindfold, and Zion appeared, flanking Charlotte as if to protect her. They acted as if the woman locked behind bars could somehow attack her.
Johan, his eyes covered, interrogated her.
[Johan] "You wretched woman. Did you cut out your own tongue just to avoid giving a statement?"
The moment she heard his voice, vertigo washed over her. The stench and the fragrance vanished instantly. Her ghostly form was sucked into her past self. Just as it had during the debuff, she became the Odette of the past.
[Odette] "..."
Wait, what was I thinking just now?
She stared blankly into Johan’s eyes. Ah, that’s right.
I was wondering why the royal guards suddenly stormed the mansion, why Father did such a terrifying thing to my tongue, and why the guards dragged me to this prison.
She hadn't understood why any of it was happening. So why was the Prince accusing her of cutting out her own tongue?
I didn't do that...
But she didn't shake her head. She couldn't. Eye contact and even the slightest movements were only permitted when her father allowed them. She had never received "acting lessons" from him for a situation where she was locked in a cage.
If it wasn't a scenario her father had rehearsed with her, there was only one thing she could do: maintain the expression of a noble, porcelain doll.
If I shake my head without permission, I might be abandoned again.
She hated the thought of being discarded. If she just listened to her father, surely her family would come to save her.
He had said so, hadn't he? If she was a good girl, he would come back for her.
[Ulrich] "You pathetic thing. It’s just a tongue, isn't it? Is it that hard to endure a moment of pain? I am doing this all for you! It’s to keep you alive! Do you not trust your own father? How can you call yourself my daughter if you don't?"
Don't be anxious. I just can't see the big picture Father has drawn. It's probably nothing serious; I'm just getting worked up over nothing.
[Johan] "Albrecht... do you feel any remorse toward me?"
[Odette] "..."
[Johan] "If you think you've done wrong, nod. If you do, I will at least try to ensure you avoid the gallows."
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