Episode 22

The words came easily, without a hitch.

“I want to take revenge with my own hands. If I can.”

Lycian’s expression turned serious as he added quietly,

“I can help you.”

I knew he’d say that…. A faint laugh slipped out of me.

“You don’t have to. If it’s not by my own strength, it doesn’t mean anything.”

It wasn’t as if I was burning with an unbearable thirst for revenge. At least, I wasn’t. I didn’t know about Muriel.

As long as those wretched people never tangled themselves in the rest of my life again—

That was the best path I could think of.

But Raul… one way or another, I would have to face him again. That ill-fated tie between us hadn’t been fully severed.

“You know, I like living the way I do now. Eating dinner when the sun sets, going to bed, waking up with the sunrise to tend the flowerbeds, planting crops in the garden. Wandering through the forest now and then, picking mushrooms I can eat….”

“…….”

“Coming to the village like this, looking around the market, eating something delicious, making small talk with people.”

Life was meant to be peaceful in its monotony. It was only when something disrupted that peace that happiness felt threatened.

“I think, if you want some grand revenge, you have to become… kind of a great person first.”

“…….”

“Look at Tierney and Winterberg—they’re both ducal houses. What power do I have? To tear those families apart, I’d have to be the emperor or something.”

No matter the era, the road to greatness was always winding and treacherous.

Instead of exhausting myself trying to claw my way toward revenge, maybe it would be easier to sit back and wait for my enemies’ corpses to float down the river.

“Besides, you know what they say—you reap what you sow.”

“…That’s true.”

“So I’ll live the opposite way of the people who hurt me. I’ll do more good things. Help others. Live happily for a long, long time… Maybe that’s the best revenge of all.”

“…….”

I flopped back onto the bed. Lycian turned his head to look at me.

It felt like the conversation had reached its natural end. I had nothing more to say.

When I closed my eyes, darkness settled in. Lycian’s subdued voice rippled through it, soft as a wave.

“Thank you for telling me, Muriel.”

“…Yeah. I just thought you should know, too. I’m going to sleep now. You should sleep too.”

“Yes. Good night.”

I turned over with a fake yawn. Even if I cracked my eyes open a sliver, all I could see was the wall.

A moment later, the hinges gave a faint creak. It sounded like Lycian had opened the bathroom door and gone inside.

I had been holding my breath without realizing it. Slowly, I opened my eyes.

When he was brushing my hair earlier, I’d been so sleepy I could barely keep my eyes open… but now, for some reason, I wasn’t tired at all.

‘Did talking wake me up….’

I let out a long sigh and pushed myself up to sit.

“…….”

An unwelcome quest had popped up. And of course, it had to be now—when I was sharing a room with Lycian.

‘Read the room, system.’

I tried to close the window, not wanting to accept it right now, but no matter what I did, the status screen refused to disappear.

‘Seriously, this is pissing me off.’

I cursed it out in my head, but the system remained silent. It seemed determined not to leave my sight until I accepted the ‘Memory Synchronization’ quest.

‘Why now?! It could’ve waited!’

On the verge of losing it, I raked my fingers through my hair and glanced toward the bathroom.

I could faintly hear water running. Lycian must have been washing up.

‘…It’ll take at least twenty minutes.’

He’d only just gone in. If I had to view Muriel’s memories tonight, this was my only chance.

“Damn it….”

I muttered under my breath and brought my finger to the [▶Accept] button.

What kind of memory was it going to use to torment me this time….

The familiar interface appeared, the percentage climbing rapidly.

Soon, with a bright, cheerful chime, a new pop-up surfaced.

As always, my vision was swallowed by black.

And then my consciousness snapped off.

---

“Hey! You vermin!”

Whack!

In the blink of an eye, a heavy stone flew in and smacked against my forehead before dropping to the ground.

I had been strolling through the garden when the sudden assault hit me out of nowhere. Stunned, I looked up at them.

Eddie—the stablehand Tess’s son—and his gang.

“Where do you think you’re strutting around with your head held high? Just because the Duke adopted you, you think you’re a real noble now?”

“Yeah, yeah!”

“My dad said you’re just a fake! Something the Duke will toss aside when he’s done with you!”

“…….”

My reputation had never been good to begin with. I was born between a menial maid and a wandering mercenary.

My father’s whereabouts were unknown. My mother had died a few years ago. My only sister had been adopted far away.

With nowhere to go, I had clung to life in the Tierney ducal house, doing errands and cleaning—anything to survive.

Then, one day, I caught the Duke’s eye.

‘What is your name?’

‘Mu, Muriel….’

The Duke’s gaze moved over me slowly, as though assessing the value of a product.

A few days later, he took me in as his adopted daughter.

But becoming the Duke’s daughter did not pave a road of flowers before me.

I was given fine clothes. I was taught letters and etiquette. But within the ducal house, I was not treated as a person.

Literally—I was a tool.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself just because you’re a maid’s daughter! You’ll be disowned before long!”

“Or sold off as some old noble’s second wife.”

At the sly remark tossed out by one of them, they all snickered.

Among them, a pretty girl with dull blond hair picked up another stone and hurled it at me.

This time, I managed to dodge.

Annoyed that she’d missed, she stamped her foot and shouted,

“So what if the Duke let you study a little? You think that makes you someone important? You think you’ll marry into a good family? Dream on!”

“That’s right, you vermin!”

A flurry of stones came flying. I barely dodged a few, but three struck me squarely.

With no other choice, I turned and ran. Jeers burst out behind me.

“Look at her! Running like a rat!”

“And she calls herself a Duke’s daughter….”

I raced up to my room in the ducal castle, locked the door tight, and threw myself onto the bed, pulling the blanket over my head.

Curled tightly beneath it, my body trembled.

“Sniff….”

The sob I had been forcing down finally slipped free.

“Hic… hngh, hngh….”

Tears fell in heavy drops like rain as I cried miserably. With no one to comfort me, the sorrow felt even deeper.

I was alone… and the knowledge that no one would look after me was unbearably sad.

Everyone else had family. Friends. So why was there no one by my side?

There wasn’t even a single person who would stand up for me. Not one who would tell them to stop.

‘…I wish someone would protect me.’

Help me when I’m struggling. Stay with me. Comfort me.

But it was all nothing more than empty hope.

---

“Haah—!”

I sucked in a sharp breath and shot upright.

Like whenever my heart was anxious or distressed, it pounded violently against my ribs.

I reached up to wipe the tears trailing down my temples—

Warmth touched my skin. A careful hand brushed the wetness from the corners of my eyes and gently cupped my cheek.

“Muriel.”

His voice called me urgently, thick with worry.

“Muriel… Are you alright? Did you have a nightmare?”

His brows were drawn together, Lycian staring at me with an anguished expression.

I looked back at him in silence, my mind slowly clearing.

It didn’t take long to steady myself—but for some reason, forcing a smile and saying I was fine felt impossibly hard.

“I….”

The single syllable slipped out before I knew it. I wasn’t even sure what I meant to say. My lips parted, and almost unconsciously, I whispered—

“…Hold me.”

It was only after a few seconds of silence that I realized how strange that must have sounded.