Chapter 12

Ivnes turned her gaze away from Edwin and looked back at her mother.

Inside the rectangular, transparent coffin of ice, her mother rested like a mermaid — hands folded like a flower atop her chest, eyes closed.

If not for those bright red lips, contrasting against her pale skin, Ivnes might have forgotten her mother was no longer truly alive.

Her straight hair froze in place, but towards the ends, the locks curled in waves, suspended perfectly within the ice. Without stepping close to confirm it was ice, it looked as if she were floating in the air.

Ivnes also noticed the chains wrapped around the ice coffin. The dense magical aura told her it was likely her father’s handiwork as well.

“You seem quite shocked.”

Edwin spoke again, as if trying to draw her attention back. He still wore that leisurely smile.

At some point, he had changed into proper clothes — when had that happened?

“When did you change? Didn’t you come right after me?”

“There’s a tool that changes clothes for me.”

“How convenient.”

Ivnes replied dully, but couldn’t tear her eyes from her mother.

“Ha…”

Even though she had never once felt loved by her mother — she didn’t resent her, nor did she particularly miss her.

Still, she hadn’t expected her mother to be displayed like this, so miserably, in her father’s basement.

It felt like the ice encasing her mother was seeping into Ivnes’s own chest, freezing her from the inside.

Get a grip. This is a place that could swallow you whole at any moment.

Ivnes told herself that and tried to look away, but even as she lowered her gaze, the image wouldn’t fade.

‘Iv, you look so much like your mother.’

Her father’s voice echoed in her mind, a phrase she’d heard so many times it was burned into her memory.

If she became useless and was left in this mansion, she’d likely meet the same end.

Even if she married into House Renold, that wouldn’t be the end.

The duke wanted her to marry into Marquis Renold’s house because he needed the magic stones from their mines — essential for making puppets.

And if those mines stopped producing stones, he’d force a divorce.

And after that?

While she was still young, she’d be sold off again in another arranged marriage for profit.

When she grew older?

‘Your mother’s still young.’

‘But she’ll age soon. Wrinkles will mar those lovely eyes of hers. I can’t tolerate that.’

When that time came, could she avoid the same fate as her mother?

“Young lady.”

Edwin continued watching Ivnes, waiting for her to look at him.

Finally, Ivnes glanced at him with sharp eyes.

“Is this what you want?”

Edwin gauged her condition through that question — he didn’t even need to use his powers to tell.

“That must be your mother.”

“Yes.”

Ivnes stared at him.

“She’s not dead. If you’re truly a mental-type Awakened, try listening to what she’s saying.”

At her words, Edwin smiled with interest and placed his hand on the transparent coffin.

Then, a high-pitched woman’s voice echoed.

‘Come here! It’s mine! I told you to bring it to me now!’

“Hahaha.”

Edwin, listening to that voice, instinctively turned to look at Ivnes.

“She’s worried about you. You’re often unwell, after all.”

Ivnes didn’t believe him.

She wanted to escape this accursed House Rosmond.

There was a time she wanted to become a duchess, conquer everything that terrified her, and make it so that nothing could ever threaten her again.

But what she hoped for never came to pass.

Ivnes valued her life more than pride. She had learned that all too well after seeing those who hadn’t even been allowed to die, turned into puppets.

“And as for earlier — your mother doesn’t interest me. After all, she belonged to the master.”

Ivnes stared at him, trying to see if he meant it.

Maybe, just maybe, like the original story, Edwin would become the duke and set her free.

“But thinking that you might end up like that… now, that’s something I find very intriguing.”

She let out a hollow laugh at his words.

“Is that so? Because I’ve always thought it’d be nice if you ended up like that.”

“Then will you visit me every day?”

“No. What for? That’s boring. I’d leave you frozen in the basement, forgotten until you rot. Forever.”

With that, Ivnes turned her back on him.

She couldn’t give him what he wanted. To survive longer, she had to act in ways he didn’t expect.

She would escape this hellish estate in one piece.

Retracing her steps, she returned to Abelon’s — now Edwin’s — room.

What she saw was—

“Iv… nes.”

Abelon, now a puppet, looked at her with a stiff, unnatural expression.

“This is… Ed…win’s room.”

“Ha.”

Seeing Abelon like that left her feeling hollow.

“You’re pitiful, brother.”

At her words, Abelon’s neck twisted unnaturally. Then, from the corners of his eyes, red tears streamed down.

“R…uined… You… must… escape…”

‘Can’t you do anything right? How can someone be so stupid?’

Abelon, who had always mocked her — and now, hearing those words from his mouth, Ivnes was shaken.

‘You’re useless. I’m far more fit to be the duke than you are.’

Ivnes stared blankly at the blood-like tears dripping down his jaw, then clenched her fists tightly.

At that moment—

“This one’s prone to breaking.”

Snap!

Edwin seized Abelon’s neck and tore it off.

“Looks like I’ll have to send it in for repairs again.”

Ivnes froze in place.

Edwin, smiling, held Abelon’s now lifeless head — his eyes blinking erratically, no longer human — and warned her:

“You wouldn’t dream of running away, would you, young lady?”

Understanding the warning, she replied,

“I won’t run. I’m going to take House Rosmond for myself.”

“Oh? So you’ve given up on marrying Marquis Renold?”

“I have no obligation to explain everything to you.”

A lie.

She no longer held any attachment to House Rosmond.

Her only concern now was her own life.

“And I’ll make sure you’re beneath my feet, Edwin.”

It was a lie told only to survive — nothing more.

“Then do your best not to lose. I was starting to lose interest, you know.”

Edwin smiled brightly, almost entranced by her words — pure, like a child who had finally heard exactly what he wanted.

* * *

“Can you undo the magic that freezes people?”

Ivnes hadn’t found the stabilizers, but she still needed to bring Sethna his meal, so she had come down to the annex basement.

Despite using a lot of magic without having taken stabilizers for a while, he seemed to be holding up fairly well.

“That depends on who did the freezing.”

Ivnes stared at the restraints she had undone for him. Other than the one still around his neck, he was now free — giving him a much wider range of movement.

“Why would someone freeze a person?”

She set the food she’d brought on his bed. It was a shabby room, but at least there was a bed.

With a soft clatter, Sethna sat on the edge of the bed like he’d done it a thousand times before, eyes on Ivnes.

He looked freshly washed, his skin still damp.

“Normally, people don’t call it ‘freezing’ someone.”

Because freezing was usually associated with death. Realizing what he meant, Ivnes asked again,

“Then what about ice that keeps someone alive?”

“You mean freezing a person while they’re still alive?”

“Yes.”

At her question, Sethna’s expression grew complicated. Then, glancing at the potato salad she brought, he sighed.

“I don’t know for sure. But I think I understand why someone would do it.”

“What’s the reason?”

Ivnes handed him a fork and knife, focusing intently on his answer. A spoon would have sufficed, but Sethna took only the fork and said,

“You freeze them alive right before their breath gives out. Like animals in hibernation.”

“…What?”

“If you freeze them suddenly, then thaw them later, they can survive.”

He said it as he recalled a fish he’d frozen and revived before.

“Then why freeze them at all?”

“Maybe they’re sick and there’s no cure right now, so they put them into hibernation. If not that, then I have no idea.”

Ivnes reached to hand him a spoon, but Sethna, eyes still dazed, murmured,

“Feed me. My wrist hurts.”

Noticing the faint marks left on his wrists from the restraints, Ivnes nodded.

She scooped up some potato salad and offered it to him. Still with that absent look in his eyes, Sethna asked,

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

He always felt a little better when Ivnes focused on him. Whenever she was near, the murky magic pooling around his heart seemed to calm, even just a little.

“What if there is?”

“Then I’ll help you. But you have to promise — you must get me out of here. No matter what.”

Ivnes nodded, realizing he had interlaced his fingers with hers at some point.

Then, on impulse, she asked,

“Can you… freeze people?”

Of course, the one she wanted to freeze was Edwin.