Chapter 7

“Yes.”

When I affirmed, Edwin seemed to like my question. The hint of confusion vanished from his face, replaced by a smile.

“The side effect of my ability is auditory hallucinations.”

Auditory hallucinations? I was completely thrown off—I had no idea what he meant. Did it mean he drank himself into a stupor? Or that he was addicted to sex?

“I… see.”

This time, I was the one caught off guard. He gave me a once-over, then turned and left the room.

As soon as he was gone, my heart started pounding. In that moment of flustered confusion, I’d felt his magic. I was gripped by shame—what if he had read the thoughts that flashed through my mind?

“Why say something so ambiguous?”

Sighing in embarrassment, I covered my face with my palm.

* * *

“What do you think he meant by auditory hallucinations being a side effect?”

I’d come down to bring dinner to Sethna. As he ate the sweet potato salad I handed him, he looked down at me with surprise.

“Are you trying to fish out my side effect?”

“Is that yours, Your Highness?”

“No.”

He denied it flatly, though he still took the salad I offered with a strange expression.

“Then what is your side effect?”

It was an innocent question, but his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“You really think I’d tell you?”

“If you do, I’ll tell you whose side effect it is.”

He seemed to mull it over for a moment, eyes darting. When our eyes met, he spoke in a dazed tone.

“If it’s Marquis Renold’s side effect, I can tell you. And his weakness, too.”

“What’s the price?”

“Touch… my head.”

As he said that, it felt like he didn’t quite understand what he was asking for.

“Alright.”

Maybe it was from the head injury… or perhaps it was the pain of magic surging through him, worsened by the lack of stabilizers.

One curious thing was that when I gently patted his head as if genuinely concerned, his expression gradually eased.

“Take your hand off me now.”

“Yes, sir.”

As expected, once he came to, he found it unpleasant.

“Your Highness, there’s quite a bit of blood on you. Let me clean it up while I’m here.”

“Get lost.”

“Leaving it as-is isn’t good for you.”

He seemed conflicted at my words. His glacier-blue eyes shimmered with each glance, even in the darkness of this basement—they seemed almost radiant.

“Lady Ivnes, are you really unawakened? I sense magic from you.”

“I wonder about that too. I have magic, so why haven’t I awakened?”

I was curious about that myself. Usually, a high amount of magic meant a powerful ability. In my case, I had exceptionally high measurable magic, yet no awakening.

No matter how much magic one had, without an ability, it was useless. Like a sword with only a handle and no blade—it couldn’t serve its purpose.

That’s all it was—useless.

“Don’t lie. Tell me the truth.”

“The truth is, maybe I survived this long because I haven’t awakened yet.”

That was the truth. If I had awakened, I would’ve died the day Edwin returned. Like my brothers and sisters who died and became Father’s puppets, it was obvious.

“Ah, Your Highness. Do you remember who brought you here? Edwin.”

“Black hair, red eyes.”

“Yes, that’s him. Do you remember what his ability is?”

Sethna seemed to think hard. Seeing that, I continued offering him food slowly. Though he grimaced as if annoyed, he still ate the sweet potato salad.

Finally, after chewing one spoonful, he seemed to recall something.

“I don’t know.”

“How come?”

“When I came to, I’d already been cut with a sword. It was strange. He’s definitely a mental-type, but I’ve never seen someone like that who was so skilled with a blade.”

“Seriously?”

“I thought he had body enhancement at first.”

Sethna’s answer deflated me—it felt like I got nothing useful.

“Any guesses?”

“None. I couldn’t even tell when he was using his power. And those red eyes didn’t help.”

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh, realizing Sethna was thinking the same as I had.

“Tell me the marquis’s weakness and side effect, then.”

He frowned again, so I quickly handed him more salad. That’s when I realized something.

“Why is there something in this?”

“You probably put it in.”

“It wasn’t me.”

It must have been the cook who snuck something in. On closer look…

“Oh my. This is a stimulant.”

“…”

“If you’d eaten this, you would’ve had a rough day.”

I scooped out the tablet with a knife and handed the food back.

“Not eating it. Take it away.”

“I’m watching closely. I even removed the pill.”

“What if there’s something in the drink?”

“You’ve already had quite a bit. Stopping now won’t make a difference.”

He scowled deeply and sighed.

“Why don’t you eat some too?”

I took the spoon, scooped a generous portion from the bowl, and ate it. He looked suspicious, so I just ate it without hesitation.

It actually tasted fine, so I didn’t mind.

“What’s with that look?”

Seeing me eat so casually seemed to irritate him even more.

“Leave.”

“I’ll come back later. I’ll clean the blood off your head and get the key to free you.”

“Free my neck too.”

“That might be difficult.”

Even if I got a key, they wouldn’t give me the one for the collar suppressing his powers. At most, I’d get the one for the restraints on his arms and legs.

“Bring a stabilizer next time too.”

“I’ll try.”

With that, I took the plates and utensils and left the room. He looked at me with a strange expression—but unlike before, he wasn’t glaring.

* * *

“Did my father order you to search my room again?”

“He did, but this time, I’ve waited. You were quite displeased last time, after all.”

Edwin spoke as if he were doing me a favor, looking at me with that same smug gaze. Then, with a relaxed smile tugging at his lips, his voice followed.

“Where did you go?”

When I entered the room, Edwin was sitting on the sofa, waiting for me.

“Somewhere.”

“Where, exactly?”

“Just… somewhere.”

I couldn’t keep being on the defensive. Besides, I needed to confirm once and for all if Edwin really had telepathy.

There was a limit to how long I could keep dissecting his face, trying not to think anything suspicious around him.

And if I wanted to escape this hellish duke’s mansion, I had to know his ability.

If things turned bad, I’d have no choice but to use both Edwin and Sethna.

“Why are you angry?”

“You entered a room that doesn’t belong to you without permission.”

“My apologies. But I thought you’d be grateful. If I’d followed the duke’s orders immediately like last time, your room would be in ruins again.”

He laughed as he approached, eyes curving like crescent moons. Even now, frustratingly, his good looks didn’t lose their shine.

“Don’t be upset, Lady Ivnes. I was thoughtless. I just wanted to see you as soon as possible and acted rudely.”

“It’s fine.”

His beaming smile gave me a strange feeling.

“I also have a message for you.”

He brushed aside a strand of hair tickling my ear with his finger.

“And something I need to check.”

“If it’s about work, I’ll have it all sent through your aide. Even the confirmation.”

“No, it’s something your aide wouldn’t know.”

Edwin said this, staring directly at me.

“Your ability isn’t telepathy, is it?”

If his ability was truly telepathy, he wouldn’t need to ask me anything. He’d already know it all.

Then, suddenly, I noticed his smiling face draw closer.

For a moment, I went blank.

When our eyes met again, Edwin grinned widely.

“You went to see Sethna Nocturne Delmaris, didn’t you? I didn’t expect you two to have gotten so close.”

“…What?”

“You even fed him.”

I was so taken aback that I instinctively stepped back. He, of course, stepped forward in turn.

“You haven’t met Marquis Renold yet, have you? That’s why you answered so easily.”

“…Edwin.”

“Marquis Renold is over sixty. He’s got more than five mistresses. And his son, the young marquis, is older than you.”

Something felt off. Was he actually reading my mind?

I stared into his eyes and thought deliberately:

‘You’ll end up dying by my father’s hand. Do you think it’ll be hard for him to throw out a mutt that’s already been abandoned once?’

But he didn’t react. Either he wasn’t taking the bait, or he couldn’t hear it. He just looked at me with a blank expression.

“Lady Ivnes, it’s better if you don’t lie to me.”

“Edwin.”

“I told you—I came to take everything from you. So stop lying to me. It’s unpleasant.”

He grabbed my shoulders.

“I’m… disappointed.”

He whispered by my ear, then pulled away.

“I’ll be back later. Let’s have some tiramisu—your favorite.”

With that, he left the room.