Chapter 40
“I-I came to do laundry. The laundry area inside the castle… I couldn’t use it.”
“Why not?”
“That’s…”
Arzeletta hesitated. For some reason, she was afraid to say that people harassed her.
As her chin began to drop again, Ragnar’s boot lifted it back up.
Seeing the hesitation clearly written on Arzeletta’s face, he spoke in a tone that suggested he already knew the answer without needing to hear it.
“It seems the people of the domain do not permit your presence.”
“……”
“The people’s affection for Del Rose must be strong.”
Ragnar nodded and removed his foot from Arzeletta’s chin.
The woman collapsed weakly at even that small movement of his foot. Her trembling light green eyes, as if she had seen a ghost, displeased Ragnar, and he narrowed his eyes.
An unwelcome presence encountered in a completely unexpected place agitated Ragnar’s sharp instincts.
The reason Ragnar had come all the way here in person was because of the recent execution carried out by Exion at this location.
It was hard to believe that Exion, who had not the slightest interest in his duties as a member of the peacekeeping order—moreover, someone who openly scorned Theogrim—had summarily executed someone on the grounds of stealing a holy relic.
Normally, a criminal would be punished within the castle. No matter how heinous the crime, it was customary to at least follow proper procedure.
Even in cases of summary execution, there would always be someone to witness the scene.
But this time, it was solely Exion’s claim. That, along with Theogrim’s holy relic soaked in the blood of the deceased.
The return of the relic, and Exion’s uncharacteristically loyal behavior—everything about it unsettled Ragnar.
He looked closely at the woman lying prostrate at his feet.
Did she come here often?
It was a place most territory citizens avoided, believing it still bore the curse of the fairies.
“Did you perhaps come here last week as well?”
At the sudden question, Arzeletta nodded her head.
“On that day, did you meet Exion?”
Arzeletta drew in a breath.
It was right here, in this very spot, that Exion had killed the man who had threatened her with force and climbed on top of her. And then he had covered the corpse with Theogrim’s holy relic.
After that, he had delved into the heart of the lord’s castle together with her.
“……”
Nothing—absolutely nothing from that day could be discovered by Ragnar.
Arzeletta shook her head.
Ragnar’s violet eyes gleamed like a sharpened blade—chilling and deadly.
“Seven days ago, Exion executed a criminal here.”
“I—I don’t know.”
“If you were here, there’s no way you didn’t see it.”
“I…”
“Speak, woman.”
Schring.
“……!”
The heavy, pristine sound of metal was cold.
That sound alone sent a chill racing down Arzeletta’s spine. At the same time, a blade pressed up beneath her chin.
“Speak truthfully, to the best of your knowledge. I will not forgive even the slightest lie. The moment your lowly tongue tries a deceitful trick, it will be the first to be severed.”
“……”
“Did you meet Exion here on that day?”
Arzeletta shook her head and racked her brain desperately.
She could not bring herself to speak of what had happened that day.
But she was afraid. This man—he was said to be the closest being to a god upon the earth. Said to be sent by the god Himself. What if he discovered the lie and cast some terrifying curse upon her?
But then…
Was there a curse worse than living as a fairy?
“……”
The sudden thought that brushed her mind left Arzeletta momentarily dazed.
Arzeletta… She herself was a being closer to a curse than anything else.
…If that was so—
“I…”
Having reached that point, Arzeletta lifted her trembling fingertips.
With her neatly arranged fingers, she brushed her tousled hair back behind her ear and slowly raised her head.
Her pale green eyes, trembling with fear, caught the light like the surface of a clear lake—glowing pale and mysterious.
A long shadow stretched beneath Arzeletta’s delicate lashes.
Her refined eyes, her clean nose line, and her plump red lips were as fragrant as flower petals. Her soft earlobes were tinged at the edges with a pink hue.
Through her slightly parted lips, her moist teeth and tongue were faintly visible. Her white, slender neck extended into a delicately sculpted neckline, as if carved on purpose.
And as the gaze traced downward along that line, what came into view was a voluptuous valley peeking through her loosely fastened front.
A soft curve formed by her gathered chest, pooling midday sunlight and shadows within.
At this moment, Arzeletta was mustering courage she had never revealed before, doing something she had never once considered doing.
She was displaying her own body—one that had always been desired by others—deliberately before someone’s eyes.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.