The Incubus Archduke Dreams of a Pet Human - Chapter 4

Theticia’s fondness for nature, born from her inability to get along with people, was something Farsha constantly belittled, calling it vulgar

“Thank you very much, Mother.”

The forced words of gratitude made Farsha wave her fan in satisfaction.

“Yes, be grateful. I took you in, raised you, and even found you such an excellent match, all because of the blood you share with my husband. Now I can face my dead husband without shame.”

“You are absolutely right.”

“Your cleverness will be praised across the North, Mother.”

The twins flattered her like parrots, and Farsha laughed with delight. Theticia bit the inside of her cheek and shot a sideways glare at the twins. Thinking this would be the last time, resentment welled up within her at being sold off for their sake.

But all she could see were two heads bobbing and shifting like lumps of dough. Those faces, said to resemble their father, Basel, once called the most beautiful man in the Empire, appeared only as monsters to Theticia.

“You, you’re looking at me with those ugly eyes again! ”

Noticing Theticia’s gaze, Farsha shot up from her seat and yanked her by the hair.

“Where do you think you’re looking with such insolent eyes? I went through the trouble of finding you a good match ahead of your younger brothers!”

Whenever Theticia showed the slightest hint of defiance, her thick, curly hair became an easy handle for Farsha to grab and shake. Her pale-colored hair, the kind only seen in contaminated lands, was an eyesore for Farsha.

“Aagh!”

“You wretched thing, not even knowing your place!”

Farsha flung Theticia aside like she’d touched something filthy. As Farsha panted in rage, the twins flanked her on either side like guards.

“Mother, please calm down. She’ll be leaving the house soon anyway.”

“There’s no need to waste your strength on her.”]

Feigning sympathy for their mother, the twins gently patted her shoulders as they sweetly insulted their sister.

Theticia, who had been thrown to the floor, staggered to her feet. She was grateful for having been raised, but she didn’t want to stay another moment in this disgusting house.

“Theticia Pelloni! Until the engagement ceremony, you’re not to take a single step out of this house!”

Leaving Farsha’s shrill voice behind, Theticia exited the room.

As soon as she stepped into the corridor, she could feel the gazes of the servants scattered around the mansion turning to her. Though she never met their eyes, she could tell by the turned heads and dissatisfied murmurs.

“Is there something you need?”

The butler, having approached without a sound, asked in a practiced tone.

The question was phrased as a courtesy, but Theticia knew what he meant.

‘He’s telling me not to loiter and to go back to my room.’

The servants of this house did not see Theticia as part of the Viscount’s family. To them, she was the viscount’s illegitimate daughter, a girl whose presence alone was unpleasant.

“No, I was just passing by.”

Avoiding their stinging gazes, Theticia hurried back to her room.

At the end of the corridor, up a steep set of stairs, was the attic where Theticia stayed. The ceiling was a little low, but for small-framed Theticia, it was roomy enough.

As she sat on the edge of the bed, a sigh escaped her lips.

“Hoo…”

At the same time, there was a click from outside. The sound of the lock being fastened. Still, this was the only place in the entire mansion where she could breathe freely.

On the wrinkled linen, a silk beetle was crawling. She didn’t know when it had gotten in. When she reached out her hand, the beetle naturally climbed onto her finger.

Theticia turned the beetle this way and that on her finger.

“How did you get in here? This isn’t where you belong.”

Rising to her feet, she walked over to the wall. She opened the large window used for ventilation, and sunlight poured into the attic. As the fresh wind from the forest blew in, Theticia took a deep breath.

“Go on.”

As if understanding, the silk beetle spread its wing-casings and flew off toward the forest. Her gaze followed its flight until it stopped at the pale blue pillar of light rising beyond the little woods of the viscounty.

It was the light from the Mana Collector installed at the Imperial Palace.

The Mana Collector, activated decades ago, had saved the Empire from the brink of destruction under the demon realm’s invasion. Under the barrier cast by the collector, the Empire was rebuilt, and magic drove the demon legions back to the northern front.

It wasn’t just the tide of war that the collector had changed. The magical artifacts made from the mana it gathered had seeped into every corner of imperial life. That held true even for Theticia, who knew nothing of magic.

With a faint smile, Theticia pulled out a box from beneath her worn-out bed.

The flight shoes inside gleamed under the sunlight.

Beneath them lay a thick, well-thumbed botanical encyclopedia and a pile of postcards of native flora and fauna from around the world.

Theticia fondly caressed the flight shoes.

“This might be for the best. I’m finally going to live the life I want.”
It was time to leave this house. In Kraven, she would find the myriad plants and creatures that would tell her the cause of her illness.

If she could find a cure for this chronic illness, if she could finally face someone properly…

Only then would Theticia’s ordinary life begin.