Two black boots wandered around the room.

One of them not only had boots but was tied to a chair all over, making it clear who the owner of the boots was.

Bacter Ertman.
After hearing from Elodie about Louis’s condition, Bacter was wandering around the room, murmuring to himself for some reason.

“This is really going too far. You said you could endure it, but it seems like you’ve thrown in every possible obstacle… If it’s going to fulfill your wish, it might go more smoothly.”

He dedicated his heart, yet she was unusually demanding.

Bacter frowned, muttering incomprehensible words to himself.

And Elodie, tied to the chair, was trembling, watching all of this.

‘What is he saying? What’s that?’

He barged in as if he could cut my throat at any moment, yet, in reality, he mutters incomprehensible words without saying anything I can understand.

Thanks to that, Elodie was on the verge of exploding because, despite the desperate desire to live under these circumstances, she spilled everything she knew.

When I approached Louis Clovis, oh, as soon as I mentioned the name Odette, his expression changed…

And when he heard that I was your person, he told me to disappear. I tried a few more times, sniffling, thinking that if I said what Bacter wanted, he might spare me.

But Bacter, after hearing all of that, continued muttering to himself without uttering a single word about sparing her.

‘Is he trying to save me? Or is he muttering like that to kill me?’

Perhaps among Bacter’s muttering, there might be a clue to saving my life.

She desperately tried to decipher his words, but no matter how hard she thought, those words were simply uninterpretable.

No, it wasn’t just that they couldn’t be interpreted; they made her look as if she were not in her right mind.

How could someone be in their right mind when they were captivated by a single obsession, with nothing visible around them?

As she looked at Bacter’s sinister green eyes, Elodie had an intuition.

‘This man is insane.’

She realized only now how foolish it was to try to interpret the muttering words.

The reason why the meticulous Bacter was now muttering to himself without any hesitation was simple.

He didn’t even consider the presence of another person in front of him.

After all, she would soon die, and then the secret would be buried forever.

To Bacter, Elodie had already become a nonexistent person.

The moment she felt it, tears fell uncontrollably due to the fear.

And Elodie’s mind reflexively sought someone to blame.

‘I shouldn’t have believed that person! That damn bastard deceived me!’

Of course, Elodie didn’t plan to settle for just this.

Although she always wanted to seize the opportunity to capture the Fourth Princess and the maids and beat them to a bloody pulp, she never dared to attempt it.

As long as it wasn’t that damn bastard!
“Don’t you want revenge? I can help.”

A young man with wavy blue hair and a sharp appearance.

Second Prince Blake Rodel Celestine.

Elodie was surprised that there could be someone who exuded such a decadent yet simultaneously dangerous atmosphere.

Blake undoubtedly had a charming appearance, but anyone who exchanged a few words with him would instinctively feel that this man possessed both the soft feathers of a white dove and the black tongue of a snake.

However, as usual, dangerous things tended to be captivating, and the drinks recommended by that black tongue seemed excessively sweet.

“Kidnap one of the Fourth Princess’s maids and keep her somewhere. Since that girl cherishes the maid terribly. I’ll take care of the rest. After the process is over, the maid can do whatever she wants. It’s a good deal for both of us; you get revenge, and I get what I want, isn’t it?”

But Elodie was a woman who could think clearly even in such situations.

“W-Well, I don’t see any reason to take such a risk. I don’t feel the need to go that far.”

“Don’t you want to escape from Ertman? It seems like you don’t have a good relationship with that guy.”

“…!”

“Don’t worry about the aftermath. I’ll take care of your safety and make sure you get away from that guy.”

His words seemed sweeter than any temptation.

Especially since Elodie found her newly given social life dissatisfying.

‘If I can escape from Duke Ertman’s threat, I can live a splendid life.’

Elodie thought that the reason she had to endure such a pathetic existence was all because of Odette and Bacter.

The newly attached Sharpelons provided by Bacter were like iron cuffs, and the dresses that could be obtained within the reduced budget were unmatched in their shabbiness.

Naturally, she couldn’t wear jewelry as lavishly as before.

Everything was disappointing, and the longing for the upper-class life she missed became stronger.

When she closed her eyes, the dresses that were originally hers and the luxurious life she used to have flashed before her.

Bacter’s plan was hitting the mark.

Elodie was ensnared by futile delusions and greed.