Chapter 12
An hour ago, Duchess Isabella found something strange.
Today, Vixen felt much more energetic than usual. It was strange, and she felt glad.
Duchess Isabella sat on the chair.
“Vixen, you’re brave.”
“Yes.”
Shortly after the whipping was over, Vixen sat on with his knees.
“Finally, did you eat to your heart’s content?”
Duchess Isabella looked at her palm. Blood had formed. It was stinging and bitter, but it was tolerable.
Vixen finally seemed a little more mature.
Isabella laughed with satisfaction. “Vixen, you are the child that should act like a lion.”
‘In the distant future, you have to eat me. That way, you can be reborn as the true ruler of Verratoux.’
“I have to be more severe than I am now.”
“Okay. Can I get up then?”
“Sure.”
As Vixen rose from his seat, Duchess Isabella smiled benevolently and said.
“You can wear clothes.”
“Clothes?”
“Yes, that’s it for today’s discipline.”
Vixen thought for a moment. “Hmm.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
Vixen looked at the clock on the wall.
The clock is a product of magic tricks. It is a precision clock that does not allow an error of even one-tenth of a second.
He didn’t care about the fact that it was a work of a sorcerer, who is called the masterpiece of the present era. Vixen only observed the movement of the second hand.
“Mother should go to bed now.”
It’s already one a.m.
He started getting punished at ten p.m., so she had been whipping him for about three hours.
Duchess Isabella felt strange again. Vixen has never done this before.
‘Vixen is right and wanted to be with me.’
Vixen loved his strange mother, Duchess Isabella, even if he gets hit by a whip.
He still wants to be together with her even more, but she supposed things changed.
Duchess Isabella noticed something.
“Are you waiting for someone?”
“Yes.”
Vixen laughed. Duchess Isabella’s eyebrows wrinkled. This was because she saw Vixen’s expression turning bright.
“Who’s my son waiting for? I don’t think it’s your brother or sister.”
She didn’t think he would be. Then, there is only one person left.
The youngest daughter, who is particularly interested in Vixen these days. It looks like it is Viola, the adopted daughter that the duke brought from the slums.
‘Viola?’
Duchess Isabella smiled faintly.
“You’re waiting for your youngest sister, aren’t you?”
“Well.”
Vixen thought for a moment. ‘Can I be honest with my mother? Nothing would happen if I don’t, but it felt strange if I did.’
Although thinking about it, there is no reason to lie at all. Vixen, who had been agonizing for a while, replied.
“That’s right. It’s Viola.”
“Why?”
“It’s fun to play with her.”
Isabella roughly listened to what Xenon saw and posted.
‘There is also instinctive desire and ambition for the absolute.’
‘She has the madness that Verratoux must have.’
‘We also have reason to control that madness.’
Along with her mana’s quality, he also said that her talent for killing is beyond imagination.
‘I’m sure she’s a great kid.’
The Duke admitted it and brought her here, so she must be a brilliant kid.
“There’s a rumor that she’s a great kid. So, what should we do with her, my son?”
“I have to kill her.”
“That’s right.”
Duchess Isabella approached Vixen. She hugged Vixen, who was covered with wounds, and swept away Vixen’s golden hair.
“What are we going to do to our competitors?”
Vixen smiled brightly. “I’m going to tear them down!”
“That’s right.”
Vixen is in the arms of Duchess Isabella. He looked up.
“Mother.”
“Yes?”
“It’s nice to hug you.”
Hehehe. The Smiling Vixen lost his balance.
“Still, you shouldn’t let your guard down, son.” Duchess Isabella took two steps away from Vixen.
Vixen fell flat to the ground. His pupils drooped down.
“If I were your competitor, you’d be dead. The scariest enemy is the one you gave your heart to. You can’t give your heart to anyone.”
Duchess Isabella reached out her hand.
The butler of Vixen, who was waiting behind Vixen, held out a white cloth. Duchess Isabella wiped her nails with the white cloth. The white fabric was dyed black from poison.
“It’s discipline.”
Duchess Isabella looked down at the fallen Vixen.
“Don’t let your guard down. Always hold a poison in your heart.”
“…Yes, mother. I’m sorry.”
“My heart aches so much whenever you do something wrong.”
Vixen then lost his consciousness. Duchess Isabella roughly rubbed her eyes with a poisoned cloth. Her eyes reddened, and tears of blood began to flow down.
Her eyes were very sore.
This was a punishment for herself.
Punishment for failing to raise Vixen to be strong enough.
She stared blankly at Vixen, who had lost his consciousness.
“This mother is a person who has the duty and responsibility to raise you strong.”
If she wants to raise her son to be stronger, she needs to do more every day.
She thought it was a mother’s great love.
***
“Since I am from a poor family and he is from heaven, you’re noble enough to say, ‘Don’t hang out with my noble son’.”
Xenon almost burst into laughter without realizing it.
‘As expected, of my Princess.’
He didn’t expect her to respond like that.
Xenon couldn’t believe that Viola would say such rude things to the face of Duchess Isabella, who was frowning.
Duchess Isabella laughed out loud. “Did I sound like that?”
“Yes.”
“I’m glad you thought of me like that, though it wasn’t accurate.”
Duchess Isabella continued casually.
“I didn’t mean to look good to you. I meant to give you a white flower.”
White chrysanthemum flowers.
It was the flower that Tundra placed in front of his father’s grave.
A white flower that means death. In other words, it was a warning of death.
“Did you understand? I don’t think I could fall asleep with flowers in a place where lowly people live.”
“I’m not vulgar. I’m just a poor person.”
“Isn’t that what it is?”
“It’s different. You can be poor but precious. Same as you can be rich, but also vulgar.”
“Anyway, it’s good. Do poor people fall asleep with flowers?”
“Poor people also pay tribute to death.”
Just like Tundra did.
“You’re extraordinary for your nature.”
“I understand your thoughts in reminding yourself to the dead people. The Duchess must have thought that a flower is only for luxury reasons.”
“…”
“We may be poor, but at least we don’t do that to our children.”
Arin is a little angry.
She wanted to have a family. Everyone else has a mom and dad. She wanted it, too.
It was tough and lonely because there are not many people who do not have that. Family meant a lot to her. It was more valuable than precious jewels, which she could not have even if she wanted to.
Isabella laughed out loud.
“The way a mother loves her son, I don’t think it’s a right for others to argue.”
“Is he just an object?”
Viola approached Vixen, who was too small to handle the bitter wounds.
“We have become siblings, Mother.”
“I hope you don’t cross the line, my daughter.”
“I think you crossed the line.”
Viola squatted down. Before she knew it, Vixen came to his senses.
Her voice could be vaguely heard.
“In winter, every child under ten deserves protection. If my mother, one of the winter hostesses, breaks the absolute law, I don’t know what the lower ones would think.”
“Disciplining him is fine.”
“We’ll see if it’s really okay.”
Viola glanced back. “Xenon. Magic Registration Tool. You have it, right?”
“Yes, I have it, Princess.”
“Shoot it.”
At that moment, Duchess Isabella’s body moved. She went past Viola and grabbed Xenon’s neck.
Viola screamed internally at that moment. ‘W-why is she so fast?’
It was like she melted her shadow and moved. Although I knew it through text, it was terrible to see it with both eyes. The real power of this family was Duchess Isabella.
Gulp.
I swallowed my saliva.
This is crazy. If I do something wrong, I think Xenon’s throat will get really damaged.
Isabella’s fingernails dug into Xenon’s neck. “Stop right there, butler Xenon.”
A few drops of blood flowed from Xenon’s neck.
But Xenon only smiled.
“I’m sorry, but… I only take orders from the princess.”
He took out a magic camera tool with his right hand, which looked similar to a modern camera.
Viola smiled leisurely.
“You know very well this is wrong. But still, you are so desperate to stop me.”
Xenon asked. “Shall we take a picture? Though…I think my neck is going to be pierced. It’s bleeding right now.”
“No, thanks. I can’t lose my butler.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Xenon put the filming tool in the corner.
When Duchess Isabella released Xenon’s neck, he took out the cloth from his front pocket and wiped his neck. He wiped off his sweaty forehead naturally.
“Phew, I almost died.”
Isabella said. “Our youngest daughter has a cute side. At the welcome dinner, you will be worth seeing.”
Viola held the end of the skirt and lowered her back.
“Thank you for your early welcome, Mother.”
Actually, I didn’t even think about filming in the first place.
It was just a decoy.
There was something else I was aiming for.
“However, what should I do? Vixen knew it was wrong.”
Vixen’s body was wriggling.
In other words, he has come to his senses. Even if he can’t raise his body, he must have heard everything.
“Right, brother?”
I heard a groan.
I guess I touched where it hurts.
“Don’t move. I’ll put some ointment on you.”
As if he understood my words, Vixen’s body shook.