The Young Supporter of Darkness

Preparations for the ball went smoothly.

Although the period of the red moon has passed, Wessler strengthened the security by wiping out the rest of the demons in preparation for an unexpected situation.

The aide, Skitt, took on miscellaneous tasks along with road maintenance.

The road distance was taxing.

All the employees of the castle were working hard to maintain the castle, as all the guests were scheduled to stay for as long as a day or a few days.

Bree also seemed busy preparing banquet food and drinks for the guests.

Zegman, who had always been sluggish, was also busy with the butler this time.

And Daphne.

‘There’s nothing to do.’

She was bored.

‘I’m supposed to be the busiest person because I’m working to hold a ball.’

Nevertheless, there was nothing to do but write a letter to the young lady of Marquis Elmyre.

No, there wasn’t exactly anything that could be done.

This was due to the fact that the ‘forced rest period’ has not yet been resolved.

‘I’ve had enough rest now.’

In the eyes of the adults, the stigma of ‘a child who collapsed on the way to eat late-night snacks’ still seemed to have not been lifted.

Just leaving the room, seeing the three or four knights and servants following her, it was like that.

With a little exaggeration, worried eyes poured out from all sides with every step she took.

It was like watching a baby take its first steps.

‘Leon wouldn’t have been able to go if I said it wasn’t a promise.’

So, since she’s lived life hard twice in a row, she thought it’d be nice to have this much time.

Really, she tried to lie still on the bed as they wished.

‘I’m bored.’

Her body was itching.

Those who have eaten meat are said to eat well.

Only those who have rested know how to rest.

So Daphne went on an escape.

‘No one’s here?’

Daphne poked her head out through the crack in the door and blinked.

No one happened to be in the long hallway.

“Mariel.”

“Yes, if anyone looks for you, I’ll tell them that you’re sleeping because you’re tired after eating snacks.”

You’re so good at pretending now.

Mariel nodded right away when she called her name.

“But where are you going? I think you’ll be caught wherever you go and come back.”

In fact, this wasn’t the first time she had escaped.

In the past few days, Daphne has made several escapes.

And each time, she would come back dangling from Zegman’s side.

“This time, a place that even Mister Zegman doesn’t know!”

She was so young that she couldn’t even remember anymore.

She clung to the hallway wall like a detective on a fat TV.

When servants or knights were seen far away in the hallway, she secretly hid in a nearby room.

It was a great help to Daphne to keep the usual locked rooms open for guests to use.

The place she arrived so carefully to was Kael’s office.

“Milady?”

It was Skitt, the aide, who first noticed Daphne as she opened the door slightly and poked her head out.

“Mister Zegman or Sir Wessler aren’t here, are they?”

“Yes, both of them stopped by earlier and left.”

As expected.

It’s good to know the daily routine of the two people who catch the escaped Daphne the best.

‘They probably won’t come for a while since they came and went once.’

Daphne went inside. Skitt asked, adjusting his round glasses.

“But is it okay for you to come all the way here? I heard you should lie down.”

Skitt’s eyes were shaking with the concern of ‘Should I say it or not?’

Because if she gets caught later, only Skitt will be killed by Zegman.

“Mr. Skitt.”

Daphne looked into Skitt’s eyes and smiled.

“I can increase Mr. Skitt’s work tenfold right now.”

There is still much to be done to reinforce. If you just recite it, Skitt’s work will increase tenfold right away, or twentyfold.

The threat worked brilliantly.

“Are you here to see His Grace? He is in the inner room.”

Skitt, who had suddenly become extremely polite, pointed to the inner door. He added a word to Daphne as she entered the room.

“I do not know.”

“Of course, of course.”

Click.

Entering the room, she saw Kael lying on the long sofa.

In the inner room attached to the office, there was not only a sofa but also a bed for sleeping.

In addition to Kael’s, there was also a bed on one side that seemed exclusively for Skitt.

‘How much work do you have, why is there such a space in your office?’

Tut-tut. Daphne approached Kael carefully, clicking her tongue.

“Your Grace.”

After bending down, she rested her chin on the low table and called out to Kael cautiously.

Silver eyes were revealed through the long eyelashes.

“Miss Daphne.”

His tone of voice sounded slightly drowsy.

“Shouldn’t you rest in your room?”

“If I stayed in the room longer, I would have jumped out of the window because I felt stuffy.”

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re saying scary things.”

In response, Kael put the cookie on the table into Daphne’s mouth.

Are you telling me not to say, or I still need to gain more weight. Or both?

‘From now on, whenever I eat late-night snacks, I will take two knights and two servants.’

How long will this fragile image last?

Unexpectedly, Daphne’s eyes suddenly widened as she munched on the delicious cookie in her mouth.

“I’m in trouble, Your Grace.”

“What’s the matter?”

Kael’s body shot up. Daphne blinked and said.

“I can’t dance.”

Kael’s body, which had sprung up, slid down.

For some reason, Kael, who sat on the floor with Daphne, blinked.

“You can’t dance?”

Daphne smiled and nodded.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t dance at all since she learned it in her previous life.

However, all the dance songs that Daphne knows have not yet been composed.

‘In short, I can’t dance with the music right now.’

What’s the point of knowing all the latest dances?

It’s so up-to-date that it doesn’t even exist yet.

The classical songs that she knew were not suitable for her to dance now.

“That’s surprising.”

“What?”

“There’s something Miss Daphne can’t do.”

Kael said while making eye contact.

“I thought there would be nothing you can’t do because you’re good at everything.”

“There are many things I can’t do.”

Didn’t she look for Kael because she couldn’t even cut Alan’s throat by herself?

Kael laughed when he understood Daphne’s words.

“We’ve both found each other well.”

Shall we go?

Kael held out his hand, and Daphne took it.

Kael gave Skitt a honey-like two hour break and brought Daphne to a room.

It was quite spacious, perhaps because it was used as a drawing room.

The white cloth covering the furniture indicated that this place had not been used for a long time.

‘I heard that this is the place that Miss Ritena used to use.’

Daphne remembered what the butler had said when he was guiding her around the castle.

And that the door has always been closed since Ritena died.

But why did Kael bring her here?

“My father and mother liked to dance.”

As if the question had been written on Daphne’s face, Kael said as he rolled up the white cloth.

What came out from under the white cloth was a magic tool that played music.

“There are no popular tunes right now, but there are important ones.”

Balls weren’t always filled with popular tunes. There was also music that was consistently loved for a long time.

“Practice a couple of songs with it, and this ball won’t be a problem.”

Daphne nodded at Kael’s words.

‘If it’s necessary, I can just dance the first song and skip the rest.’

Honestly, what would you do if the person who invited you only danced day and night?

And Daphne had a separate purpose for holding the ball. There was no need to dance.

“What about this piece?”

The tune Daphne chose was bright, cheerful, and somehow charming.

‘And this song, the dance was easy, right?’

Kael nodded as he listened to the song.

“It’s a song that suits Miss Daphne.”

When he put his hand on the mana stone installed in the magic tool, the song was played.

‘Is the posture like this?’

Daphne clumsily followed Kael and held her posture.

“Slowly, move your left foot first.”

Daphne moved, following Kael’s lead.

The foot movement was a little confusing, so she stepped on Kael’s foot a few times and panicked.

“I think I’m used to it now!”

Daphne said with her eyes shining.

She deliberately chose an easy song, and Daphne wasn’t bad at dancing at all.

Even so, she still stepped on Kael’s foot a couple of times every time they danced.

Compared to the fact that she stepped on it more than ten times at first, it was a great improvement.

‘Well, I learned the dance in just a few hours.’

Seeing Daphne proud of herself, Kael chuckled lowly.

“It would be perfect if I wore leather boots to the ball.”

He meant that he would wear sturdy shoes so that he wouldn’t have any problems even if he was stepped on by Daphne.

Daphne’s eyes narrowed.

No way, could it be that this is the revenge of coming back from the Acmel region?

“Is it revenge for the handkerchief?”

Kael laughed merrily.

“By the way, you dance really well. Your Grace.”

Actually, she didn’t expect much. The Bertrand Grand Duchy hasn’t opened its gates for a long time.

But just now, Kael’s lead was flawless and perfect.

“My mother liked this song.”

On a day when the sunlight and moonlight came in beautifully, Zegman and Ritena danced in this room with a smile.

Kael added.

“I used to join in and dance with them. It was a mess when the three of us danced to a song that should have been performed by two people.”

“I see.”

Daphne nodded as she looked at Kael.

What really is the curse, and why did it twist Kael like that?

And why did Kael come to hate the emperor so much?

“Your Grace.”

Daphne, who lightly turned to the music and held Kael’s hand again, chirped.

“Why does Your Grace hate the emperor and the imperial family so much?”

It was a question from the South.

How, why, did Kael become so twisted.

Because of the curse, because both parents died, and because the emperor hated the grand dukedom for generations.

There were plenty of understandable reasons, but there was definitely something more.

“…I.”

Kael remained silent for a moment and then began to speak.

“I still remember the day I killed my mother.”

Kael’s gaze was staring into the distance.

He remembered the day when happiness was broken. He couldn’t forget the day his father, who was always relaxed, cried.

“At that time, I was definitely abnormal.”

It was an intense thirst that he had never felt before.

Medicine, water, or blood. The pain and thirst that didn’t seem to be filled with anything.

“…Ka, el…”

It ended with the death of his mother.

“A few days before that incident, the emperor visited the Castle of Shadows in utmost secrecy.”

Kael’s silver eyes, which she thought were looking far away, were looking at Daphne.

“I am.”

They were frightening eyes.

“I am sure that the imperial family is hiding secrets about my mother’s death, and about the curse.”

As soon as Kael finished speaking, the music ended.

The surroundings became quiet, as if the music had never been turned on.