KFBRV Pt 2 Ch 6
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Wasn't this the basic rule of nobility? A master must govern subordinates with proper rewards for good deeds and proper punishments for wrongdoings.
Karl tapped the bent railing he still gripped. Tap, tap.
When a slave errs, the master dispenses punishment. What follows when the master commits a wrong?
Footsteps ascended the stairs outside the room. Following his awakening, Karl possessed heightened hearing.
A voice accompanied the footsteps. Count Albrecht had arrived at the villa after receiving Odette's telegram.
[Ulrich] "This chaos will kill me. Just as she becomes useful, she commits suicide. Damn it."
Confident no one would eavesdrop from this distance, he grumbled blatantly while climbing the stairs.
Displeasure flooded Karl's crimson eyes upon catching the Count's words.
Creak.
The door swung open right as his mood soured completely.
[Ulrich] "What? Why are you...... here?"
Karl directed his focus to the Count's hand rather than his face. Specifically, to the severed thread bracelet resting in his grasp.
Odette's official death declaration had immediately disabled the magical bracelet.
As an artifact binding a "contract," it lost its efficacy the moment a paper death occurred.
[Odette] "I am sorry for breaking my promise."
[Odette] Goodbye. Take care, everyone.
What should I do, Master?
Judging by that final farewell, she wanted to sever their master-slave relationship. She had unilaterally undone the Imprint bound to his blood.
Therefore, he owed no duty of obedience to her. Furthermore, his awakening as a Transcendent guaranteed the Empire would emancipate him.
Imperial law dictated this. A Transcendent possessed too much value to remain a slave.
However....... What if I desire to live as a slave?
What if emancipation and Imperial law mean absolutely nothing to me?
Before that, I need to fix Master's bad habit.
He clamped his hand down on the lower section of the balcony railing he had been tapping.
A sharp crack erupted from the warped metal. The railing sheared off instantly and plummeted into the sea. No trace of the railing remained on the balcony.
The Count's face turned a ghastly white upon witnessing Karl pulverize the railing with his bare hands. He wore a dumbfounded expression, confronting a long-standing nightmare.
Punishing someone for following orders instead of rewarding them. One should not treat a slave or a dog in such a manner.
He plastered a bright smile on his lips to soothe the Count. He stood up.
[Karl] "Count."
If his master lived, her ultimate destination remained obvious.
My master is a relentless person. She will never abandon her revenge.
He directed a polite expression at the terrified target.
[Karl] "My master's sudden death bewilders me as well. Count, whom must I follow now?"
He met the Count's guarded stare.
Securing the target's trust is the best move.
Instead of chasing his master's shadow, Karl intended to hold the Count firmly in his grasp. This strategy guaranteed she would walk straight back into his hands.
We can discuss Master's punishment when that time comes.
Odette would inevitably return. Upon her return, she would never leave again.
Karl smiled with the satisfaction of a gorged predator, predicting the future.
Side Story 4. Karin's POV
Lady Albrecht had died. Meaning...... Odette was dead.
At the Meursault villa, she pulled a pistol's trigger against her own head and threw herself off a cliff.
Karin's mind flatlined as the maid relayed this series of reports. A thick fog saturated her brain, rendering her thoughts cloudy and murky.
[Karin] "That is impossible...... Why would she......"
She squeezed the words out but failed to continue. A wave of dizziness crashed over her.
The sky spun, and absolute darkness swallowed her vision. The floor collapsed beneath her feet.
She flailed reflexively, grasping the nearest object.
As her vision cleared, the tearful, pitying face of her maid filled her sight.
She realized she had frantically clutched the maid's skirt.
[Maid] "Sob. My Lady."
A bizarre reality confronted her. The drawing room behind the maid remained entirely unchanged. The sky outside the window stayed clear.
Odette was dead. Karin's world had been overturned and shattered.
How could the rest of the world persist in such serene normalcy?
Karin tightened her grip on the maid's skirt. Yet no amount of struggling prevented her descent into an endless abyss.
Her memories fractured after that point.
Since Odette's death, Karin confined herself to a pitch-black room with drawn curtains.
One day, she screamed for the clock to be removed. The ticking of the second hand threatened to tear her eardrums, proving utterly unbearable.
On other days, a bizarre, frigid composure possessed her.
So this is the emotion called 'grief' described in books.
She observed her own feelings like a detached stranger, letting out hollow giggles.
At other times, an unbearable, explosive rage surged within her.
Why did I fail to stop her? What should I have done to save her?
She loathed her own pathetic nature. No, she despised the entire world.
How can you all laugh and chatter in a world where Odette is dead? How does everything keep spinning so flawlessly?
After venting her fury, she collapsed to the floor like a drained corpse. The prospect of her remaining lifespan stretched out into an agonizing eternity.
An untold number of days bled away in this cycle.
On a day battered by torrential winter rain, a haggard Karin stepped into the garden.
The servants' worried stares had become an intolerable burden, prompting this impulsive excursion.
She called it a walk, but she merely roamed. She brought no attendant and informed absolutely no one.
A noble lady haunting a dormant garden with a single black umbrella constituted no proper stroll.
[Unknown] "Lady Karin."
A voice as low and warm as a flute whispered her name from beyond the back gate.
The owner of that voice no longer exists in this world. Am I hallucinating now?
Convinced the voice was a mere phantom, Karin still turned her head toward the sound.
Why is a person standing there?
An unidentified figure in a hood stood before the cold iron gate tangled with thorn vines. The stranger stood dangerously close, barely avoiding the thorns.
The voice echoed once more.
[Odette] "Lady Karin. Have you been well?"
[Karin] "No, it can't be......."
[Odette] "I came to let you know that I am alive."
[Karin] "Lady Odette?"
[Odette] "That is correct."
[Karin] "Heavens, dear God!"
Karin screamed, then gasped and clamped both hands over her mouth.
She lacked a full grasp of the situation, but she instinctively knew they must avoid discovery.
The pulled-down hood and the secretive wait by the back gate proved the necessity of stealth.
Screaming without thinking? I almost caused trouble for Lady Odette like an idiot!
Karin scanned the surroundings rapidly. Fortunately, the area remained deserted.
Only after thoroughly verifying their isolation did she sprint toward the iron gate where Odette stood.
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