TSMMT Ch 57

The Wish

Dianna had possessed several opportunities to obtain the magical key that unlocked the restraint collar. She also had the chance to free Guiscard with the help of her maternal grandfather.

But at some point, she realized that bypassing the law wasn't the best solution. She decided to try a third option: proudly freeing Guiscard from his slave status.

If she unlocked the collar, he would become a runaway slave, hunted at every turn. She remembered the atmosphere of the Brienne house back then. The Duke had flown into a rare fury, sending out search parties and issuing a warrant for the boy's arrest.

Guiscard would have suffered immensely while running for his life, and his hatred toward the Brienne family would have grown just as intense.

Therefore, Dianna wanted to free him through a safe method. He wouldn't have to flee. He could find his own path in life.

In doing so, she would break the cycle of revenge. Perhaps this was the correct path. Rather than killing Guiscard or letting him escape, granting freedom to her slave—was that not the true answer?

As soon as this realization struck, Dianna pondered how to achieve his freedom. The authority to grant freedom belonged either to the owner or to the King, the master of all subjects.

Would her father grant Guiscard freedom? It would certainly be difficult. Over the past two years, Dianna realized that her all-powerful father was far from an ideal human being. Too many strange details surrounded the way her father brought Guiscard home. For some reason, she knew her father would never release him, no matter the circumstances.

That left only one option: the King must restore Guiscard's status. Remembering that condition brought the perfect event to mind. For this reason, Dianna had arranged for Guiscard to learn the sword. Training under Barot, the boy even mastered aura and grew at a terrifying pace.

And now, that moment arrived. She offered a radiant smile and spoke.

[Dianna] "Please restore the status of Guiscard, who performed a great service for Your Majesty."

She had labored toward this exact day. She had to act wiser than any adult to keep Guiscard under her control, and she secured a master capable of teaching him the sword. To ensure he would appear as a savior to the King, she constantly managed his nutrition. She had him train alongside Sylph to prepare for battles against monsters, enabling him to wield his blade faster than anyone else.

Stepping outside at the exact moment to rescue the King was an exceptionally delicate task. Yet her plan succeeded flawlessly before everyone. Therefore, Dianna believed that today's triumph would release her from everything. From her foul fate, from her cruel destiny, from a future where she would live out a hellish existence as his bride, from sorrowful loss, and from Guiscard himself.

Perhaps I am finally free as well.

The King stared at Guiscard.

The King stared at Guiscard.

In the past, Dianna would have feared the King's anger. Her father had always claimed the boy was a criminal punished by the royal court. However, during her time as Ionia's lady-in-waiting, she gathered information. In truth, since she was eleven, not a single criminal of Guiscard's age had ever become a slave. He was a slave her father brought home, not a slave of the royal palace.

She knew her father might find this matter offensive. However, a premonition told her that unless the King authorized it, her father would never let Guiscard go.

[King] "Your heart is remarkably pure! You are indeed the daughter of Duke Brienne! Wonderful."

The King broke into loud laughter. He readily granted her request. The monarch lost absolutely nothing in doing so. Freeing a slave carried no political complications, making it far better than bestowing a title upon a commoner.

[King] "Guiscard, slave of the House of Brienne in Panborough! I release you from your bonds. You are now a proper citizen of Panborough, and no restrictions shall bind you again!"

His words sounded exceptionally casual for an act that completely altered a person's life. Nevertheless, it felt as though sunlight finally pierced through Dianna's life.

---

[Duke] "Ann, what on earth have you done!"

[Dianna] "Exactly what it looks like."

On their way back, Dianna offered a bright smile as the Duke shouted. Since she had received divine favor, she decided to use God as her excuse without restraint.

[Dianna] "I always wanted to grant him freedom eventually."

[Duke] "……You!"

[Dianna] "I offered prayers regarding that matter, and God granted me a blessing. His freedom might be exactly what God desired."

The Duke's face flushed red. He prepared to unleash his anger, but Dianna lowered her gaze and spoke softly.

[Dianna] "Father, did I commit a grave error? I……"

[Duke] "No, it is nothing."

He let out a long sigh. As she slowly looked up, a smile crossed his face.

[Duke] "Displaying your kind nature before so many people is more than enough."

It was strange; her father gave up on Guiscard far quicker than she expected.

[Duke] "Furthermore, you rescued His Majesty before it was too late. That alone is a remarkable achievement. Your father is always grateful for your existence."

He stroked Dianna's hair. Fortunately, he accepted it immediately.

[Duke] "So, do you intend to train Guiscard as a knight of our house?"

[Dianna] "No."

[Duke] "Why on earth not?"

[Dianna] "Father, I am older now and understand the reality. Guiscard must be sent away."

[Duke] "……."

[Dianna] "You told me yourself, Father. You said I would become the queen of this nation."

She offered a bright smile. Instantly, the corners of his mouth curved upward to a grotesque height. The exaggerated smile splitting his face looked unnatural.

---

Under a clear winter sky, countless stars shone brightly. Dianna sat on a bench, stargazing. Shortly after, Guiscard appeared. As he prepared to speak, she reached into her cloak.

[Dianna] "I was waiting for you! Here, take this."

Guiscard stared at the pouch she extended. Since returning from the royal palace, her face looked brighter than any expression he had ever seen on her.

[Guiscard] "What is this?"

[Dianna] "Small gemstones. They are perfect for converting into cash."

[Guiscard] "Why give me this?"

[Dianna] "It is the payment for all your hard work until now."

[Guiscard] "I am asking why you are giving this to me!"

He shouted. Dianna opened her eyes wide.

[Dianna] "You are no longer a slave, are you?"

[Guiscard] "……."

[Dianna] "Take it with you and use it to build your own life."

Her voice was gentle. Yet Guiscard didn't match the bright expression she expected. Confusion and rage over an incomprehensible situation filled the young man.

He stared at her face, catching his breath for a long moment before speaking.

[Guiscard] "From the very beginning…… did you intend to do this?"

[Dianna] "What?"

[Guiscard] "I am asking if you intended to treat me this way from the very start."

She nodded.

[Dianna] "Yes. From the moment I first saw you, I pondered how to secure your freedom from slavery."

Ah, how desperately I wanted to say this.

She could finally speak with a complete sense of relief.

[Dianna] "If you ran away, you would become a fugitive, forced to spend your life in hiding. You needed an official release. That is why I planned this entire event."

[Guiscard] "……."

[Dianna] "But I couldn't tell you. If I did……"

Because you would harbor empty expectations. Because it might fail.

She prepared to voice those thoughts, but he cut her off.

[Guiscard] "Because if you told me, I would refuse to cooperate?"

His voice sounded sinister. Before Dianna could collect her thoughts, he brought his face close to hers.

[Dianna] "Guiscard."

Her expression shifted completely. Guiscard placed both hands against the backrest of the bench where she sat. Trapped within his space as if enclosed in an embrace, Dianna looked up at the man towering over her.

[Dianna] "Guiscard. Take your hands off me."

[Guiscard] "You claimed I am a free man now, My Lady. Why is this forbidden?"

He whispered sweetly. Dianna stared up at him. A hazardous aura radiated from him. Ignoring the shifting atmosphere, she spoke flatly.

[Dianna] "It wasn't a fear of your non-cooperation, but a worry that I would feed you empty expectations. I feared you would plunge into deeper despair if I failed."

[Guiscard] "No. You knew perfectly well that I would refuse to cooperate."

[Dianna] "Guiscard."

Guiscard stared down at Dianna. His violet eyes possessed an intense, hypnotic depth.

Look at this. He never considered himself a slave.

For that exact reason, the insolent man dared to cross these boundaries the moment his slave bonds dissolved.

[Guiscard] "My Lady. …… What was I to you?"

His tone was calm, yet it resonated with sheer desperation.

Why is this man acting like this?

Even as the thought crossed her mind, Dianna found herself growing remarkably composed.

[Dianna] "Take your hands away."

At her command, Guiscard pulled back unconsciously. The proximity dissolved, and he let out a mocking laugh, as if finding his own behavior ridiculous. He clenched his fists tightly, glaring at Dianna as he spoke.

[Guiscard] "For me, I believed that staying by your side forever—even as a slave—was all that mattered."

Her mind went completely blank. What an utter fool he was.

Dianna stared into the dark abyss swirling within his eyes. Inside those eyes, which she believed had long since run dry, a turbulent storm raged. His face resembled someone who had just witnessed the most horrific spectacle in the world.

[Guiscard] "Ah, I see. I finally understand now. To you, I was merely a burden."

[Dianna] "……."

[Guiscard] "A task to be cleared. A karmic debt! That was all I ever was!"

He stood there, his fury unchecked.

What had gone wrong? Dianna had granted him freedom from slavery. That was all. A man who was meant to be freed at sixteen gained his freedom a whole year early. So why on earth was he displaying such profound rage? It made no sense to her. None at all.

[Guiscard] "I will stay by your side. I don't care if I am no longer a slave. By your side, even if you marry, and even if you give birth to another man's brat, I will stay by your side!"

A heavy, suffocating obsession seeped from his words—a repetition of his previous declaration. Yet if he refused to leave, this was no true liberation.

Dianna finally realized the truth: the young man had lost his mind, grown far too accustomed to the bonds of slavery.

She addressed the man who had just unleashed a torrent of raw emotion.

[Dianna] "No. I refuse."

With absolute coldness and finality, she cast him away.

---

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