Chapter 212 - Rec the Cursed Bde

  The Norfolks ended up staying for di our pce. I learhey were our neighbors, living only a few minutes away — close enough that they’d walked here. My mother stayed chatting with Cra, and I think it was good for her to have a friend outside her usual circle.

  Cyl chose to eat in the room, and I respected her choice, letting her have her space.

  After dinner, I went up to my room and found my phoenix friend asleep on the bed. Before lying down, I decided to check myself in the mirror for any ges.

  I stared at my refle, looking for anything new.

  “I think my skin tone has finally settled. It’s simir to Professor Adrihna's now. As for my face, it seems mostly the same as always, just with the natural ges that e with growing up.”

  I touched my hair, which had grown longer.

  "Some silver strands have appeared… the dye is starting to wear off. It's been nearly two months since I started regurly dyeing my hair, never letting the magical tint fully fade. I wonder what my natural color looks like now? Are there more silver streaks?"

  Since I began to develop features of a high elf, especially after my eyes awakened, I’ve been cheg my appearance frequently. Beyond the hair and skin ges, I’ve noticed my resilience has improved, and even my appetite seems to have shifted. I suspect I could go longer without food or water than an average person, though I haven’t fully tested that yet.

  Unlike me, a full high elf grows up acc to their race’s s. They’re aced to eating every five days, while huma at least three meals a day. Although I carry some elveage, I was raised at a human pace. High elves, oher hand, ofte out of courtesy, as food doesn’t mean as much to them.

  I had to learn a lot of this by asking Professor Adrihna, as books and resources rarely expin the lifestyle of high elves. After all, they live secluded in the elf kingdom, rarely venturing out, making it difficult to get reliable information about them. Even on elves, who live in the elven kingdom, have limited tact with high elves, who keep to themselves in an exclusive society. In the human kingdom, some even believe high elves are nothing more than myth.

  Seeing a high elf is said to be as rare as spotting a moon panther. And here in this room, there’s a high half-elf and a moon panther cub… well, a phoenix pretending to be a moon panther cub.

  Knock, knock.

  Someone knocked on my door.

  “e in,” I said, my eyes still on the mirror.

  Martha entered and closed the door behind her.

  “Did something happen?” I asked.

  She fiddled with her ste bracelet, and a sword appeared in her hand.

  “I’m returning your on, young master.”

  “Oh, I thought you were still going to use it. Has the assassin been killed?”

  Martha shook her head.

  “A group of maids is traveling as we speak, delivering him to your aunt. They left a few days ago.”

  “Isn’t that risky? They don’t have a way to tain his mana.”

  I took the sword from her hand, feeling the familiar weight of the Cursed Bde.

  “We drugged him. They monitor him stantly. Your captor has had every bone in his body broken and is down to one eye. He barely stand, and he ’t even… relieve himself properly, so now he has to do it in his clothes.”

  That was… more information than I expected.

  “What’s going to happen to him?” I asked, curious, though part of me wasn’t sure I wahe answer.

  “Your aunt will still torture him as revenge for what he did, and then ellian will devour him alive.”

  Alright, I definitely shouldn’t have asked.

  “How he eveortured more when he’s already in such a pitiful state?”

  “Your aunt is… creative. She’ll probably grind his flesh down until his arms and legs are just stumps.”

  I really shouldn’t have asked.

  Quinn:

  I've been watg the Evenhart mansion for days, every detail of the property’s activity. Strangely, there are no visible guards; only the maids moving tirelessly through the grounds, almost as if perf surveilnce. Every m, Nathan Evenhart's mother appears in the garden to water the pnts, always apanied by a few maids. The housekeeper, the head maid and caretaker of the household, never allows her to go out alone, following her every step closely.

  These pnts… they’re magical. Does his mother possess the pnt element? How is that possible? I wondered, intrigued.

  The maternal side of Nathan Evenhart’s family has always been shrouded in mystery, kept out of official records, likely because his mother was a oner without any title or public role. Due to this, very little is doted about her background or activities—just fragments of rumors and stories we’ve mao gather. We do know that she worked as a garde the castle, a humble enough role to evade any attention from spies or iigators. Because of her apparent insignifice, we initially overlooked her. After all, what threat could someoh such a modest in pose? But now, I realized, I o be more cautious.

  During this period of surveilnce, my objective was to identify any ges in routine, any sign that might indicate a vulnerability. But the routine remained unged. I saw a few maids leave in a carriage several days ago, but I had to pull back to avoid suspi. I have no idea where they went, but the cautious way they left made me alert. Out of precaution, I observed from a greater distance.

  If they’re taking Ricardo, all the better for me. I’m no longer ied in helping him; all I want is revenge. Going after him now would only draw attention from the family. If these maids are indeed esc someohey could very well be disguised military persohe more powerful members away from the mansion, the greater my advantage.

  Yesterday, I saw Nathan Evenhart return from the academy in a carriage, looking like any ordinary young man, with no sign that would make him appear as any kind of threat. If it weren’t for the message I received from my sister, I might have dismissed the idea of him being dangerous. However, there was one moment when I noticed something different. Nathan seemed to sense my presence, if only for a brief instant. That look, the way he reacted… maybe he isn’t as harmless as he appears.

  The urge to kill him filled every part of me, an intense, untrolble desire. I wao end him right there. But killing him immediately would be too easy, too much of a relief. He o suffer; he o uand loss, to feel the despair of watg those he loves torn from him, one by one.

  Once I’m doh what I have to do here, I’ll go after Nikous Wolves. He had one job: to tell me everything about this boy. And he failed miserably. If I had known Nathan was dangerous, I would never have left my sister to face him alone; I would have stayed and fought by her side.

  Instead, as I sat in my hiding spot, merely waiting… she was killed.

  I pce my hand over my chest, taking a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions that threatens to e me. Days have passed since I buried her, but the pain of loss is still unbearable, a vast emptiness gnawing at my soul. My sister, the only person I truly had by my side, is gone… and it’s my fault. While she fought for her life, desperate, I was hiding, far away, letting her die.

  The image of her charred body invades my mind, a vision that haunts me, as if her suffering is eternally etched into my memory.

  Did you suffer? I wohe pain mixing with regret.

  “I’m sorry… this is my fault. I should have been there for you.”

  The weight of guilt morphs into anger. I ch my fists, feeling fury pour through my veins, fueling a hatred that grows like poison.

  Nikous Wolves, you will pay for this! You’re , and I swear, there will be no mercy.

  From my hiding spot, I watch the Evenhart estate in the distance. I’ve studied every detail, every step of those who reside there. I kly who matters to Nathan Evenhart, the ones he loves. The fox-eared girl, the young duchess… and his mother.

  They will be . I will make him feel the same despair, the same loss. I will kill those three women.