Tamed Monster - Chapter 116

Sylvia wasn’t the only one Rossa had to be wary of now. Sadly and regretfully, even her beloved son had become someone she considered an enemy.

“There’s no way anyone but a demon’s servant could speak such words. And a demon wouldn’t go so far as to disguise itself as my son and impersonate him.”

Yet, she still clung to a sliver of hope. She had no doubt her son had been infected by a monster, but she couldn’t bring herself to believe the monster had actually killed her son and was simply posing as him.

Accepting that her son was dead was impossible for her, so she desperately pushed away her dread.

Right now, Sylvia was left alone in a bedroom deep in the hallways—making this the perfect opportunity to deal with her.

Of course, Kuinan had already seen right through Rossa’s intentions. The only reason she’d been able to get even this close was because he had deliberately allowed her to. But as soon as she stepped any further inside, something latched onto her ankle.

“Ow—!”

A long, black, snake-like creature sank its fangs into her bone. Rossa screamed and instinctively kicked her leg, finally shaking it loose. When she looked down to see what had bitten her, Kuinan’s small clone had already melted into the floor without a trace.

That tiny, odd little beast, made from just a few strands of Kuinan’s hair, had fulfilled its mission and perished. From afar, Kuinan smiled slyly. Meanwhile, Rossa was left seething, instantly recognizing this as the work of a demon. She trembled with fury, her jaw clenched tight.

“Such cunning, wicked things. So determined to keep me from interfering, no matter what? Do they really think I’ll just let demons take over my house without a fight?”

But this place, strictly speaking, wasn’t really her home anymore. Rossa had only been given the estate and title because she’d borne the late Emperor a son. The moment her son received his ducal title, the estate became his alone.

Now, after being driven out of the palace by the new Emperor, Myers, Rossa found herself with nowhere else to go. If her son Lancart ever decided to cast her out, she’d have no home left. She knew this in her mind, yet she always acted on her emotions, never considering the consequences.

Should she ‘purify’ her son first, or her son’s woman?

She told herself ‘purify’ because, even if she despised her daughter-in-law, she could never bring herself to actually harm her son. She’d picked up enough hints to realize Lancart had become demonized, but still wanted to try and save him by any means short of killing him.

Now that she’d gotten close to their territory, she realized it for certain: either Lancart or Sylvia—or maybe both—already knew exactly what she was plotting.

In that case, she would face them head-on. No more sneaking into their bedroom like a rat. The best way was to confront them both and drive out the evil from their bodies with sheer force.

Having reached this conclusion, Rossa quietly retreated. She never realized that Kuinan hadn’t left his clone outside the bedroom to keep intruders out—but rather, to keep the person inside from escaping.

If Rossa had actually succeeded in sneaking in, Sylvia might even have welcomed her. After all, Sylvia didn’t know Rossa wanted her dead—she just thought Rossa hated her, so any sign of ‘her own kind’ coming near would have felt like a rescue.

But in the end, Rossa failed to get inside.

“This won’t work. …I can’t do this alone. I’ll need an ally.”

Now adrift since the previous Emperor’s death, Rossa had nothing left in the world but her son. He was the only one she had left to love or lean on—her entire life centered on this estate. She believed, at least in her mind, that she would even sacrifice her own life for her son’s sake.

So, as Rossa bit her lip and carefully hobbled back down the stairs, deep in the hall on the other side, Sylvia—her arms and legs still bound—stared longingly at the doorway, hoping that, by some miracle, someone would eventually find and rescue her.