Alone in the room, Sonia kept her head buried in the sofa armrest. She couldn’t face reality—a reality that no mortal man could fight. It was terrifying.
She had lost her parents at the same time. Then her brothers. Her grandfather. Everyone. Tears of frustration sprung forth at the thought that this curse had taken her whole family.
It also became evident why King Patrice had chosen Chris for her husband. He couldn’t afford to let the Clare family die off. On a strictly political outlook, if Sonia died, the King would have to supervise how the massive assets she left behind were divided among the nobility dispersed throughout the kingdom. Although there were past cases of reallocating the land and wealth due to the end of a family line, disputes of varying size inevitably broke out.
Wealth equivalent to the national budget... Oh, how enticing that must look. If a noble could snatch it all for himself, he could obtain an entire country. Usurping the Crown wasn’t an empty pipe dream. It could pull the kingdom—perhaps the neighboring kingdoms as well—into outright war.
Even if I spent the rest of my life in the abbey, there would still be war after I died...
But the paranormal phenomena had resumed due to her leaving the abbey. These unearthly spectacles endangered the life of her fiancé.
That’s right! Sir Chris is being targeted because of the children we’d have if we married... Jealousy was never a factor.
Chris knew better, but he claimed a “spirit was jealous.” He was the kingdom’s highest ranking knight, blessed with protective magic from God.
“...But what good has that done? It hasn’t kept him from harm at all!” Sonia wailed.
Severin had noticed the curse had turned on Chris.
That’s why he was willing to touch me later, even though he wouldn’t when we were first reunited.
If Chris broke the curse while it was focused on him, Severin could take Sonia and the Clare fortune for himself without getting hurt.
Then he could live in the lap of luxury with Catherine...
“Heh heh... Keh hah hah! Aha ha ah!” Sonia burst out laughing, filled with the urge to laugh even though it wasn’t the least bit funny.
The nerve, claiming he’d never proposed before! Severin was perfectly willing to whisper false words of love for his high living. And rather than stop him, his lover was outright pleased with his debauchery.
Money. Everyone was after this burdensome fortune. The King only wanted to prevent her assets from sending Pharrell into turmoil. Severin merely wanted it so he could live in extravagance with his lover. Chris...
...What does Chris want from me? The question surfaced, but already overcome with exhaustion, her mind refused to think about it. I bet it has to do with a reward presented by his beloved Crown Princess. If not that, it’s because the “King ordered” him to.
I’m all alone. No one in the world loved Sonia for who she was or truly worried about her.
Sonia trembled in loneliness. Suddenly, feeling horribly cold, she wrapped her arms around her shoulders and huddled in on herself. If only she’d never left the Royal Abbey!
The happiest days of her life were when she would daydream with Pamela over what their doting future husbands would be like.
“Pame...la...! Pamela...!” Sonia yelled her best friend’s name while crying.
As Pamela’s name left her mouth, she noticed a hand softly rubbing her back. She swerved her head around, not bothering to dry her face soaked with tears. Behind her she faced Pamela, looking at her with brows arched in concern.
“What happened? I noticed King Patrice, Prince Severin...and that knight...all looked serious as they left the room. I know it was stepping out of bounds, but I had the maid outside let me in. But I’m glad I did. It looks like I made the right choice,” Pamela said.
“Pamela!”
Cradled like a small child, Sonia wrapped her own arms around Pamela. Comforted by her warmth, Sonia burst into tears once more.
“You’re the only one, Pamela! Only you! You’re the only person who sees me for who I am! Everyone else is just worried about my wealth or how to obtain it!” Sonia cried.
“Sonia... You’re right. Nobody has your best interest in mind. Nobody but me. I’m the only one who cares about you.”
“Pamela...”
Noticing Pamela wasn’t her usual self, Sonia lifted her head up. Pamela’s face was very close. The two had pressed their foreheads or cheeks against each other countless times back at the abbey, so there were numerous occasions Sonia had seen her face up close. But it was different tonight. Sonia could sense something was wrong from the expression on her face.
The black eyes looking at her were oddly seductive. Her mouth twisted cryptically into a forced smile.
“Sonia, I’m just like you... My uncle decided to marry me off to a much older man because of his debts,” Pamela confessed.
“That’s horrible...!”
“He introduced us, but the man is despicable! I could practically feel his hands all over me as he looked me up and down. Then the creep laughed, ‘I’m sure she’ll produce plenty of fine heirs!’ I felt so violated!”
“In that case, I’ll lend him the money! I can’t let you marry someone you don’t approve of...!” Sonia offered.
Although she appreciated the sentiment, Pamela refused Sonia’s offer. “If you do, my uncle will try to take advantage of you... He could use that to smooth talk his way into your life. He’d think nothing of it... I don’t want him to ruin our friendship...”
“Pamela...”
The two hung their heads.
“I’m being taken hostage to ensure he repays his debt. You’re paying for your ancestor’s mistake... We’re pretty similar, aren’t we...?” Pamela self-deprecatingly sneered at their unbearable plight. “Nothing good has happened since leaving the abbey. It’s been the same for you, hasn’t it?”
“...There was one thing,” Sonia answered. She was about to say that it was how she got to see Pamela again, but before she could...
“Don’t lie!” Pamela shouted, suddenly enraged. Sonia was so surprised that she snapped her mouth shut.
“You haven’t had anything good happen, have you? No, not a single damn thing! There’s no way! You don’t want to keep living like this, do you? Well?!” Pamela demanded. The glint in her eyes was frightening as she grabbed and shook Sonia by the shoulders.
“P-Pamela...?”
This wasn’t the same Pamela she knew back at the abbey. She wasn’t the same mild-mannered person who brought a sense of calmness to those around her.
Despite the dark pool of emotions in her black eyes, they sparkled eerily as she glared at Sonia. Was it her uncle’s fault she changed? Or was it because she left the abbey?
“Sonia... I’d like to ask for a favor. May I?” Pamela asked, narrowing her eyes as she formed a smile. It made her seem slightly less creepy, but something still seemed off. Much like Sonia, she must’ve been growing emotionally unbalanced after suffering constant mental fatigue.
Poor Pamela... She’s just like me.
“...Sure. You name it,” Sonia promised, squeezing Pamela’s hand.
“Thank you...Sonia. I love you,” Pamela replied. She smiled as she squeezed Sonia’s hand in return. The two smiled at each other, holding hands for a while.
“This is torture. It’s sheer torture. I’ve found a great way out of this... But I couldn’t bear to do it alone.”
“Goodness... There is such a thing? Tell me! If you don’t want to do it alone, I’ll join you,” Sonia replied.
My only value lies with the Clare fortune, anyway. I might as well stick with Pamela the whole way through. If she wants, I wouldn’t mind if the two of us ran off to some other country.
“Really? I’m happy to hear that, Sonia!” Pamela said, her smile deepening. She held Sonia’s hands clasped tightly, ever so tightly, in her own.
“Won’t you die with me...? Sonia...?”
The horribly deep voice that came from Pamela’s mouth as if crawling from the darkness was that of a man’s...