KFBRV Ch 83
- Feb 20
- 5 min read
[Karl] "Actually, no one has ever scolded me. I have never been forgiven, either."
[Odette] "......"
It was bizarre. This boy, who usually wore a mask of stone, now displayed the most human expression she had ever seen. His genuine smile—something absent from her previous life, this life, and even the original game—unfolded before her.
she
[Odette] "......I hope your next wish has nothing to do with the Fenrir. I hope it is a wish for yourself."
[Karl] "Master?"
[Odette] "You are more precious to me than dead Fenrir."
She tapped his shoulder lightly, an encouraging gesture.
He looked puzzled for a heartbeat, then nodded and slipped out of the hut. He would likely meet with Goetz.
She shed her blanket and extinguished the fireplace, sinking into her thoughts.
Karl viewed her as the sole Purifier, the only key to his vengeance against the Empire. Now that she understood his truth, manipulating him became effortless.
She could work him to the bone without worrying about his Loathing.
Karl's plans undoubtedly included seducing her and eradicating the Count's household. To ensure the Empire's fall, both the Purifier and the berserk suppressants had to vanish.
He remained ignorant that she was a fake Purifier—the wrong choice for his mission.
The plan was to finish my revenge before Charlotte's arrival. This situation only benefits me.
Yet...... Odette pitied him.
The system's phrase "almost entirely incapable of feeling emotion" haunted her. "Almost" meant a sliver of feeling remained.
Was it not too cruel for parents to condemn their newborn child so utterly?
She recalled their first meeting in the containment zone. Karl had sprinted there, drowning in despair at the thought of the children dying. A few days ago, he had shown a visceral fear of falling asleep. Did those agonies require no emotion?
And even if he lacked feelings entirely.
How could a father demand his living son stake his life for the dead?
The man who issued the command was long dead, yet Karl remained shackled to those words. A weapon for the Fenrir. A wish for the Fenrir. Everything for the Fenrir.
Where was his own life in all this?
He mirrored her. Karl followed his father's "Command" from beyond the grave, just as she had obeyed her father's orders in her past life, even after he discarded her.
Perhaps that "Command" had robbed the boy of every chance at a normal life.
Was he a slave to the command long before he became her slave?
Was he wasting his precious life on the whims of people who never loved him, just as she once did?
Guilt pricked her conscience, sparked by this sudden sense of kinship. Her parting words to him had been a byproduct of that guilt.
It is hypocritical to feel guilt while intending to use him for my revenge.
Such sentiments hindered vengeance. She shook off the pity. She had no intention of stopping. She would use Karl as her chess piece without hesitation.
By the time she stepped out of the hut, not a trace of bitterness remained.
[Doly] "The Madam ordered me before she left for the ball. She told me to hide a piece of her jewelry in Mrs. Becker's room and then...... act as if I had discovered the theft at the right moment."
After relentless interrogation, the head maid hung her head and confessed.
[Sasha] "No! No! She is lying! How dare you speak such falsehoods in this presence?"
[Doly] "Madam, please stop...... People heard us that day. The coachman and Paula will surely remember that conversation."
Doly, the head maid, had always been loyal to the Countess. But that loyalty grew from coin—the massive tips Sasha showered upon her. It was never the kind of loyalty that would lead her to share the downfall of a woman about to lose all her power.
Furthermore, she realized the trap had already snapped shut. Denying the obvious in the face of such evidence would only drag her down into the mire. Betraying her mistress was the only logical choice.
[Doly] "Madam, I beg you, admit your mistake and plead with the Count."
[Sasha] "Doly, you did this on your own! I never ordered it. She acted alone!"
No one believed her. Everyone knew the head maid was her most trusted confidante, second only to Paula.
With Doly confessing, the truth stood naked before them.
[Ulrich] "The Countess refuses to admit it, so I have no choice. Calling Paula as a witness would be pointless; she would only take her mother's side. Fetch the coachman who was with them immediately!"
At the mention of another witness, her story shifted abruptly.
[Sasha] "Fine! Put the diamond earrings aside for a moment—Mrs. Becker is certainly a criminal! Someone sent me an anonymous letter accusing her of theft! As the mistress of this house, I merely performed my duty after receiving that tip!"
[Ulrich] "And where is this letter?"
[Sasha] "It...... it has suddenly vanished. I swear it!"
Though these words were the only truth she had spoken, snickers erupted among the servants. The irony was palpable; the only truthful thing the Countess said sounded the most absurd.
[Sasha] "I really received a letter, but the ink just disappeared! It's real! I swear it!"
She thudded her fist against her chest in frustration. The servants' muffled laughter only grew louder.
[Ulrich] "Ah, I see. Was the letter written with magic?"
His voice dripped with mockery.
[Sasha] "I tell you, it vanished that very day! The writing was there the moment I read it to the servants!"
The maids and valets no longer bothered to hide their amusement. Giggles filled the room.
[Ulrich] "Silence! Who dares laugh?"
Just then, a servant entered.
[Jacob] "Master, the letter the Madam mentioned was still in her room!"
He held up a stiff postcard. The paper was high-quality and startlingly white, unlike the yellowish tint of common stationery.
Such pure white cards were rare, usually reserved for the Imperial Palace. The navy and red vertical stripes along the border were so distinctive that every servant present remembered seeing them.
[Jacob] "This is the paper the Madam showed everyone, claiming it was an anonymous tip. I remember it well. However, nothing is written on it."
[Sasha] "No! The words vanished! It's real! I'm telling the truth!"
[Jacob] "It seems unlikely there would be two pieces of such unique, high-quality paper. Besides, there are no magical traces on it. Above all, if the writing had vanished, why did the Madam wait until yesterday to mention it?"
Because if I said the letter vanished, everyone would think I framed her! I had to act like the card still held proof to justify locking her up!
Sasha couldn't say those words without incriminating herself. Since she remained silent, the observers reached a singular conclusion.
[Jacob] "The Madam likely read from a blank sheet of paper. She wanted to frame Mrs. Becker as a thief."
[Ulrich] "It certainly appears that way. Well done, Jacob."
[Sasha] "Why does no one believe me? This is unfair! It's the truth!"
She glared at the servant with venomous resentment. Ulrich asked in a flat tone.
[Ulrich] "Sasha, do you actually believe that letter was real?"
[Sasha] "It's not a matter of belief—"
She opened her mouth to scream "It's real!" again, but the sight of the Count's face silenced her. His eyes were cold, like a snake's. He clearly had an ulterior motive.
In the sudden silence, she realized how quiet the room had become. The servants watched her, their eyes filled with the judgment reserved for a madwoman.
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