Some died suddenly due to a chronic disease, others were poisoned, others were caught in a fierce battle and died, and others…
All of them faced strange deaths at some point. The rumors spread in secret that some vipers must have been behind the relatives being slaughtered. At least, that’s what I can remember.
PR/N: ‘Vipers’is a reference to the brothers because of their last name.
“What are you two talking about?”
“Our Sasha here was afraid we’d leave her behind.”
“Really? I thought you’d like that, I’m surprised.”
…At this point, it makes me seriously wonder what Lettis has been thinking of me.
Anyway, these guys really end up being those sociopathic demons? Really? No matter how hard I think about it, I can’t believe it.
“There’s a strange sound.”
Estelle, who was just staring at the floor with her mouth wide open as if she didn’t like this place, grabbed my wrist and whispered.
Although she usually acts childish, it isn’t the case this time. That sound suddenly pierced our ears.
No, that’s not it. More than hearing it, I saw it. The mirror on the wall suddenly moved with a heavy sound. As if there was something like a device outside, it turned slowly like a revolving door through a stone wall. And,
“Uncle Jerome?”
Appearing mysteriously out of the blue like some bizarre movie production, Viscount Ipolit, the youngest uncle of the siblings, showed up from nowhere. He was their favorite uncle. We used to play with him and spend a lot of time together since our childhood.
“Oh, uncle, I was so nervous!”
“We were starting to get some weird ideas. But where exactly are we?”
“Uncle Jerome, I’m hungry. I want to get out of here.”
I just stood back quietly as the nervous guys threw words at him.
No matter how much the late Duke and Duchess cared for my mother and me, we were just humble servants in the eyes of others. I am well aware of that too, even before the memories of my past life came back.
However, now…
I just stood still and gazed at the young viscount. In reality, something seemed a little off.
Even though he is exuding his kind charm as always, his friendly smile is hazy, and his pupils look darker, like fish’s eyes.
He just stands without saying a word while his nephews and niece are ranting around. He looks like someone who is in an awkward and difficult position.
Even if we didn’t show it, all children, including me, were trying to cope with the sudden deaths and barely managing it.
But why is he looking at his nephews and niece with such a strange expression? Perhaps he is thinking about the dead. It could be the case.
“Uncle?”
Additionally, Lettis coughed as if he was witnessing some disturbing uneasiness. The atmosphere, which was relieved for a brief moment, is rapidly turning stiff and awkward again.
After a thoughtless and long silence, Jerome finally opened his mouth. It wasn’t the usual soft, playful voice, but a rigid voice that came out like it has sand stuck on it.
“Children… First of all, let’s all sit down.”
Lettis sits on a nearby chair while Venya and Estelle sit on the edge of the bed. As for me, I just stood next to Estelle.
Even though everyone obediently sat down, Jerome closed his mouth again and just stared at our puzzled faces. I wonder if he thought about his brother and sister-in-law when he saw the siblings’ faces.
“Are you sick, uncle?”
“…Oh, no, no, I’m fine, Letty. You were very surprised, right? You woke up and found yourselves in a different room.”
“I was a little bit surprised. But either way, this is my house, right?”
“A secret room is fundamental for every noble family.”
Everyone laughed at his joke as if he had returned to his usual self a little bit. But not me.
Aside from everything else, it is because the expression he used was strangely annoying. We were transferred to a different room, so that means we’re going to keep using this room…
“Kids, I’m afraid we’ll have to change our plans for the time being.”
“What?”
“…The decision to go to Pzeya. Well, you know very well what’s going on in the Capital. We’ve all concluded that even going to the port of Valencia is a high risk.”
Countless nobles, including the Duke and Duchess of Serpente; even the Empress, who never had the time to roam the streets, all of them were infected with the disease and died.
Not only the commoners -the first ones affected by the disease- and the nobles, a lot died at this point. It was a terrible plague. Literally, God’s punishment itself, as the newspapers clamored about. It is not certain when and how one person will be infected.
…But this has nothing to do with God’s punishment. This is all just but a writer’s setting. This unidentified plague is quite similar to that of the Black Death. At any rate, it would have died down as suddenly as it appeared, two months later. But of course, the impact of the shock and horror will last for a long time.
Frankly speaking, it’s a plausible conclusion, but…
“Even in this mansion… there were people who were infected, so we know that it wouldn’t be safe anymore. We quickly moved you to the safest place, since young children like you are more vulnerable. It’s the only place that hasn’t been visited in a long time.”
He used a light and cheerful tone, unbelievably similar to how it used to be. Such a bright tone seemed to conceal something ominous behind.
I made eye contact with Venya. Apparently, we both had the same thought.
“Then… What is it? Are we staying here from now on?”
Confused by Venya’s sudden question, Lettis raised his head with a startled gaze. Estelle, too, looked frightened, and Jerome smiled and hastily moved his head. To be exact, he nodded assent.
“For the time being. It will be a short time. There’s nothing we can do about it, because you can’t be exposed to that risk so… It’s very safe here, you can rest assured you’ll be fine. I don’t like this either, but if you hang in there until the situation gets better, you’ll be able to go to Pzeya as soon as you can.”
All of us looked at each other. We love to explore new and interesting places, but staying here is a different story.
Staying in such a small space would be fine for me, but it would be a nightmare for the noble siblings.
“I don’t like it here….”
Estelle immediately turned to me and started crying. It is understandable. What kind of twist of events is this? Lettis and Venya too, both look astonished.
“How many days do we have to stay?”
The answer to Lettis’ dreary question came out rather quickly.
“It may be for a week or so, but not more than that. It is best for you to go abroad as soon as possible.”
“Uhm then… What about our meals and stuff? Do we have to do everything here too?”
“Of course. The butler will bring you everything you need, so don’t worry. We moved clothes in advance for you all, check it later. Estelle has Sasha, so it’s okay. But for the time being, you two will have to learn how to take care of yourselves.”
The two boys literally became dumbfounded while Jerome, who threw a joke, burst into laughter. In other circumstances, I would also be laughing at such a spectacular idea, but I couldn’t afford that now.
“Darn it. It’s so dark and stuffy in here, can’t we go out for just a minute?”
“You can’t. If that was the case, I wouldn’t have brought you here in the first place. It’s a disease that can be transmitted through the air.”
A week at most. It’s a short period of time by my standards, although I don’t know what it’s like for the kids. It will just be a week, and then we could be on a ship together heading to a foreign Kingdom.
…But then, why do I have this uncomfortable feeling?
It wasn’t something I couldn’t understand. In fact, it was fortunate that it was only a week as a temporary measure… Yet why do I feel this chilly sensation going down my spine?
The Viscount, who was smiling somewhat awkwardly, suddenly turned to me. Could he have sensed my suspicions? His jade-green eyes glistened with a sudden odd glow and stared at my eyes.
It was just an instant.
“Sasha, as you might have heard, you’re also going to Pzeya. Estelle needs you. Ehem, as much as you have done so far, please keep taking care of my niece.”
* * * * *
Let’s see, what was the plot of the book?
In the Cherkesha empire, which boasts a brilliant civilization of more than 1,700 years, there were only two families who had the title of Duke: the Parkes family, who are the meritorious founding subjects of the empire, and the Serpente family, who are firmly rooted in finances. Serpente’s history is quite short compared to the time-honored founding and meritorious Parkes, but they own the most important and powerful bank in the entire empire, the Python Bank.
The heroine was the daughter of Duke Parkes, Adriana D’amor Parkes. She was an only child who lost her mother at an early age and was raised fondly by her father. But she suffered greatly due to her stepmother and stepsister, who appeared out of the blue and harassed her. To make matters worse, her father died from the plague.
However, rumors were going around that Duke Parkes’ death was due to being poisoned by his second wife rather than the plague.
Anyway, for a while after the outbreak of the great plague, the empire was in such chaos that bandits and gangs were everywhere. Adriana greatly contributed to the stability of the public by donating a considerable amount of money to the poor. That brought her close to the Crown Prince.
He was no other than the male lead. Of course, the two of them ended up together and lived happily for a long time, but there was a bit of noise in the middle.
For example, the second prince, known as a promiscuous man, was after his brother’s lover. Also, Adriana’s step-brother, who was greatly fond of her, intervened in their relationship as much as possible. In addition, the Duke of Serpente, who had been ruling the imperial underworld for seven years after returning from Pzeya, fell in love with Adriana.
I meant Lettis. That’s how Sasha’s -my- downfall, who used to do all kinds of evil by controlling the Serpente brothers, started. All three of us faced a disastrous catastrophe at the end of the book.
The justification for how a nanny’s daughter, a mere commoner, could wield the two noble brothers so much, in addition to the close relationship from an early age, was outstanding beauty.
…the book states it, I’m not flattering myself.
There was a description that even the princes, who hated my character, acknowledged my beauty.
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