TSMMT Ch 11

The Boy's First Meeting

The brand on his back throbbed with agony. The exact moment the searing iron burned his flesh, the boy knew his already harsh fate would become even worse.

The mark felt like a final full stop to his existence. Guiscard craved his own death. He prayed for the god of death to take him away.

His life had always been this way. No salvation or mercy ever existed for him.

A warm hand, a comforting sense of safety—things a child deserved—never came his way. Someone once gave him a frantic sort of attention, but executioners had already cut off her head.

I want this cursed life to end.

At fourteen years old, Guiscard meant every word of that thought.

[Dianna] "Treat him."

A young girl's soft voice broke the heavy silence. An argument followed, but her words remained clear.

[Dianna] "Do you really think you have the right to do that?"

Though youthful, the voice carried an icy chill.

Guiscard opened his eyes out of curiosity toward the owner of that angry voice. The figure before him was incredibly small.

A small girl.

He remembered her. This was the girl from that cursed household who stared at him when he first arrived at the mansion. Wearing fine clothes, the girl stared at him with clear eyes. Looking into those eyes triggered a sudden surge of fury inside him.

She is just like the others, looking down on me and pitying me.

She wants to pity me with her shallow morals.

Many people around him acted that way. But it was always temporary. They only reached out to ease their own guilty minds. Furthermore, she was the lady of the very family that reduced him to this wretched state.

A sudden urge to kill erupted. Did facing someone weaker than himself finally ignite his sense of humiliation? He didn't know.

He glared at the girl with the eyes of a wild beast. The girl watched his glare blankly, then curled the corners of her mouth into a calm smile.

[Dianna] "Hey, you can't kill me."

The girl recognized his murderous intent instantly. She had an innocent appearance, yet lacked real innocence. She pointed her finger at his collar, and the cursed restraint choked him painfully.

A first meeting that left behind a tangle of twisted emotions and deep questions. The pale blue moonlight streamed through the window to illuminate the space between them, making the girl's curly blonde hair sparkle. For some reason, her moonlit eyes held none of that disgusting pity.

Yet, tears streamed down the girl's face.

Who is the one supposed to cry here?

That fleeting thought vanished as Guiscard closed his eyes, and the weeping girl's voice reached him.

[Dianna] "I'm sorry."

Strangely, her words carried more warmth than anything he had ever heard before.

---

[Mirva] "My Lady, what is the meaning of this?"

[Dianna] "Hmm? What do you mean?"

Dianna widened her eyes.

Mirva marched into the room and confronted her. Clearly, someone had reported the news the moment she returned to the estate. Her gaze fixed on Guiscard, who lay asleep after receiving treatment for his wounds.

[Mirva] "To bring that slave here, into this very room!"

[Dianna] "I brought him here out of pity, Mirva. Is there a problem?"

[Mirva] "This is the mansion! I am the one in charge here!"

[Dianna] "But I am in charge of my own room. Didn't we hire people to handle the mess, even if it gets dirty?"

Mirva scowled at her words. She stared at Dianna with an expression reserved for a massive nuisance.

[Mirva] "An unmarried woman must never allow a strange man into her bedroom!"

[Dianna] "Then I will give him the room next door."

[Mirva] "My Lady!"

In truth, her point made sense this time. Rumors involving a noblewoman and a male slave always turned filthy. But Dianna was only twelve years old. Even imagining such things reeked of vulgarity. Furthermore, for a mere maid to speak of such matters proved that Mirva had overstepped her boundaries entirely.

Yet, expelling this woman was not an option just yet. After all, Mirva enjoyed the Duke's powerful protection. Until Dianna took charge of the entire household, Mirva ruled exactly like the mistress of the estate.

[Dianna] "But Mirva, what does it mean to allow a strange man inside?"

She asked, making her eyes shine with forced innocence. Mirva smiled, seeing Dianna question her so innocently.

[Mirva] "It means letting a vulgar, uneducated man of low birth into your space, of course."

[Dianna] "Didn't you say a slave is not a person?"

[Mirva] "True, but he is still a male."

[Dianna] "I see. So a male is forbidden."

She nodded. A smile spread across Mirva's face at her obedient response.

Then, Dianna offered a bright smile and spoke.

[Dianna] "So what you worry about, Mirva, is the sexual coupling between a man and a woman."

[Mirva] "What?! What on earth are you saying?!"

Dianna debated her options briefly, then decided to speak plainly.

[Dianna] "Are you worried about us stripping off our clothes and tangling our bodies? Are you worried that a pure body will become ruined?"

[Mirva] "M-My Lady, where did you learn such words?!"

[Dianna] "I am only twelve. How could I possibly share a bed with that boy? Do you think I would do such a thing? For you to imagine that about me……."

The cold tone of the young noble lady—who should have acted innocently or thrown a petty tantrum—distorted Mirva's face.

Ever since the death of Duchess Brienne, Mirva had reigned as the minor master of the estate. Manipulation of children was child's play to her. In fact, it always had been.

Yet, over the last few days, Dianna had suddenly begun to defy her. She looked down at her with a chilling expression the woman had never witnessed before.

Mirva knit her brows, staring at this sudden challenger to her authority.

If Dianna lashed out with insults, Mirva would simply report the girl's selfishness to the Duke. The result would remain the same even if Dianna screamed threats about telling her father. Mirva intended to show this twelve-year-old brat the consequences of defiance. Yet, Dianna remained entirely unreadable.

[Dianna] "Your words wound me."

She pouted and wrapped her arms around Mirva.

[Dianna] "I am not such a vulgar person. Mother always told me to become a proper lady."

[Mirva] "……."

[Dianna] "He is just a pitiful boy. I will ask Father to give him to me as my twelfth birthday present. He is basically mine already."

Mirva’s expression softened as Dianna turned submissive. She dismissed the look she had just seen as an illusion; no matter how calm Dianna acted on the outside, she remained a young, immature girl.

[Mirva] "Very well. I trust you, My Lady."

[Dianna] "Then, can you call a proper doctor for him?"

[Mirva] "Our young lady possesses far too soft a heart for her own good."

[Dianna] "You are the best, Mirva."

Mirva smiled and stroked Dianna's hair, completely blind to the icy coldness freezing the girl's face.

She left Mirva alone solely because she remembered the woman’s utterly wretched end in her past life.

---

Dianna sat in her chair, unable to sleep. A lingering fear gripped her that waking up would find her back in the Lodbrog royal castle, living as a walking corpse.

She had returned to the past. Guiscard Lodbrog, sleeping soundly nearby, served as the undeniable proof.

Unable to bring herself to touch him, she stared at the monster who had dragged her life into the abyss.

I hate you. I hate you for murdering my family, and I hate you for destroying my house.

You had your reasons. You had no other choice. But why did you force a child on me, of all people? To the one who lost her child because of you.

Your tastes are entirely bizarre. Did you hate me that much?

Dianna merely stared down at the sleeping Guiscard. His youthful face brought home the reality of her regression. This was no heaven. It was simply a repeating past. The divine prophecy declared that while fate remained unalterable, it would change.

Wasting away in despair without fighting made death a better option. Since she had gained a new lease on life, she would force a change.

Staring at the wound-covered Guiscard, she made a decision.

First, I must protect him from suffering further abuse.

Slavery existed in this kingdom. Commoners naturally looked down on and abused slaves, who occupied an even lower social standing.

Although the estate rarely kept slaves, Guiscard had become the sole slave here, placing him at the absolute bottom of the mansion's hierarchy. A target everyone could mistreat at whim, his body never lacked bruises.

In my past youth, I considered this abuse inevitable and merely treated his wounds. But this time, I must prevent the abuse from happening in the first place.

Dianna concentrated deeply. Her options remained limited. Gaining her father's recognition and bringing every servant under her complete control must come first.

Then, I will ask Father to free him.

To achieve that, keeping the boy safe was paramount. She couldn't prevent every single injury, but she had to stop him from harboring hatred toward her and this estate.

Therefore, I will protect this child.

She mocked her own thoughts as she stared at the boy who was once a pitiful slave, once the husband who shared her bed, a hateful deceiver, and the monster who dragged her into hell.

I hate him so intensely, yet here I am trying to protect him. How ridiculous.

Yet, absolute certainty filled her that this resolution was correct. Destroying the root cause of his vengeance before the chain of revenge could begin offered the best path. She could succeed.

Just then, Guiscard stirred. After a few deep breaths, his body shuddered as he woke. His clear purple eyes came into view as his eyelids parted.

Dianna braced herself for those purple eyes to shift into those of a wild beast. He might glare at her with pure hatred or even strike out.

Murderous intent flooded his gaze to that extent. Remaining in her chair, Dianna spoke softly.

[Dianna] "Hello."

His eyes wavered for a split second at the completely unexpected greeting. He sat up.

[Dianna] "You slept for an entire day. It's night again."

[Guiscard] "……."

[Dianna] "Did the servants keep you from sleeping before?"

He stared up at her in absolute silence. Dianna paid his silence no mind. Instead, she extended a set of prepared clothes toward him.

[Dianna] "Change into these."

They were clean clothes. He stared intently at the garments before speaking.

[Guiscard] "Why are you giving me these?"

Those marked the first words he ever addressed to her. Though his voice sounded raspy like scraping metal, the words came through clearly. Perhaps due to his lack of formal training as a slave, his manner lacked any hint of respect.

Defying the course of their first life, the situation had officially changed. Unaware of the magical shift in reality, Dianna replied.

[Dianna] "Because I pity you."

Pity remained the only emotion capable of explaining her actions. In truth, she genuinely pitied him, even if a deeper strategy underlay her behavior.

Will receiving my pity make you tremble with humiliation?

Surprisingly, the boy accepted the garments and pulled them on. His thoughts remained entirely hidden.

---

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