When Bernadetta cut off the connection to her familiar, a sharp pain stabbed through her heart. She raised herself from her bed with a groan, the pain so intense that she thought she might faint. She put her hands to her delicate chest and took deep breaths. Though she slowly felt a little more at ease, the fatigue was overwhelming and nearly unbearable. She lay back down and waited until she felt better.
It never used to be like this. Though she expended magical energy to use her skills, she had never been brought to the point of her body refusing her own instructions. Such a thing would’ve once seemed preposterous.
Johann was the cause of her suffering. With his attack, he had maimed her very soul. Fortunately, the actual wound was not especially deep, and Malebolge had helped heal it, but it left a deep scar that would never disappear. As a consequence, when the girl used her skills for long periods of time, she experienced severe pain.
Most common among her symptoms were sheer agony that pulsed through her entire body and loss of consciousness. If she used her skills for even longer, she ran the risk of organ malfunction and perhaps even death. At present, she could use her skills for about an hour at most.
The girl had told Malebolge none of this. In fact, she had lied and said she was fully healed. If the beast knew of her actual state, there was every chance she would be killed—discarded as no longer useful. Though she and Malebolge were in a partnership of sorts, she still did not trust the beast in the slightest. Malebolge was a true monster, and the girl had more than a few suspicions of her own.
Be that as it may, Malebolge’s help was essential, and the girl could not cut off their connection just yet. Still, at some point they would inevitably try to kill one another—this much was fact. She had to make plans for disposing of Malebolge. She was all too aware of just how fearsome the beast was as an enemy and how difficult she would be to kill. The girl had decided to do whatever it took because she had to kill Malebolge completely and utterly.
“I can’t do it alone,” she whispered in her empty room. “I will need help.”
Although she had a general gameplan, she needed a partner to enact it. This was especially true now, given the state of her body. She was running out of time, and if she could not make moves with the time she had left, all her efforts until now would be for naught.
She slumped back into the softness of her canopy bed and let thoughts swirl as she listened to the rain tapping at the window. As it grew stronger, she raised herself up, frustrated by the constant noise, and then she heard it: the neighing of horses. A carriage had stopped in front of the house, where a person emerged from it.
“He’s home…”
The girl listened as the front door opened and the servants went to greet the master of the house. She could not go to sleep yet, not now. The girl put a blanket over her pajamas, stepped into the slippers sitting neatly at the foot of her bed, and left her room. From there, she went down the stairs and to the front door, where a middle-aged man was passing his soaking-wet coat to one of the attendants. He turned to her with a smile.
“Why, hello there, Bernadetta.”
“Welcome home, Father.”
Her father, Ralph Golding, had made it home. “It’s raining cats and dogs out there,” he said. “I am so very glad I made it home early.”
“As am I. If the roads flooded, you might have been in an accident.”
He nodded and gestured to the dining room. “Dinner is ready, I hear. Shall we?”
“Yes. It’s been a long time since we last ate together.”
“I apologize,” said Ralph. “I’ve been so caught up in work.”
Bernadetta giggled. “No need to apologize. I’m quite patient, and I’m sure you prepared a wonderful present to make up for it.”
Ralph chuckled in response. It was kind, pleasant laughter. “You drive a hard bargain. I should expect nothing less of my own daughter. Your mother is also very proud of you from her place in heaven.”
Bernadetta’s mother had died of illness when she was still a child. Though she had many relatives, Ralph was her only remaining direct relative.
“Actually, I do have a present for you.”
“Is that so? From here you appear empty-handed, Father.”
Her face lit up with curiosity. Ralph’s smile was one of hidden meaning.
“It’s not here with me,” he said. “But I’m sure you will love it.”
Soon after, Bernadetta sat down to dine with her father, and the servants brought out their meals. It had been some time since they ate alone together, and conversation was easy.
“Are you feeling better, Bernadetta?”
“Yes,” she replied, nodding. “Much better. The doctor said I’m on the mend.”
The damage from Johann had been so great that Bernadetta had been bedridden for some time. She had suffered for days, but now she’d finally been able to leave her bed. The fundamental damage to her soul would never heal, but Ralph knew nothing of this. Nor was he privy to what his daughter got up to behind his back.
“I was so worried when you fell ill, but you do seem to be doing a lot better,” he said with a relieved smile. He took a sip of wine. “That reminds me: it’s your birthday next month.”
“Yes. I turn twenty.”
“Twenty already. Time certainly flies! The little princess I could pick up in one arm has blossomed into a delightful and beautiful young lady.” There was a note of awe in his voice. “Then again, I’m seeing some changes too—more white hair every day.”
Ralph straightened up in his seat before going on.
“Darling, there’s something important I’d like to talk to you about. You’ve been of marriageable age for five years now. Would you consider an engagement?”
Bernadetta looked at her father, not quite understanding what he meant. Ralph had always been overprotective, and he rarely even let a man within arm’s length of her. At social gatherings, business associates naturally approached Ralph about potential marriage discussions, but he refused them all.
According to her father, he was intent on finding her a suitable partner himself. Being that he had also turned down proposals from influential noble families, Bernadetta had always assumed that this was an excuse—something a father said because he did not want to let go of his only daughter. At least, until now.
Here he was, sitting before her and asking her seriously if she would consider an engagement. This could only mean one thing: he really had found someone he deemed suitable for her hand.
“This is all very sudden,” she told him. “Are you telling me your present is a potential partner?”
“Exactly that. And I am certain that you will be overjoyed when you hear his name.”
Ralph was overflowing with confidence. The man in question had to be someone especially big—famous, rich, influential, or all of the above. Ralph never would have been so excited otherwise. Bernadetta felt a flicker of annoyance in her heart. She already knew that this would make it more difficult to eventually turn the offer down.
Ralph was a kind father, but his one-track mind had propelled him up the ladder of the financial world at a young age. He had an iron will. When he decided to do something, he saw it through no matter what. Even if Bernadetta were to attempt to reject his offer, he would not back down unless she had a reason he could accept.
Therefore, it was mostly pointless for Bernadetta to resist and much less trouble if she simply accepted it. She could meet with her new partner to explain that they were a bad match, and Ralph would simply have to acquiesce. She felt a little guilty for stringing her father along, but it was clear to her that it was the best way.
“He must be quite the gentleman for you to speak of him with such zeal,” said Bernadetta. “In that case, I will accept.”
“Fantastic! I’m delighted that we can move things along so quickly!”
“But just who is this man you’ve found for me?”
Bernadetta sipped her wine. Her throat was parched, perhaps due to her exhaustion. Or maybe it was the guilt she felt for deceiving her father.
Ralph had no idea who Bernadetta really was. His face lit up with a great big smile. “It is none other than Noel Stollen, clan master of Wild Tempest and newest member of the regalia.”
The moment she heard Noel’s name, Bernadetta spat out her wine in a fine mist. She choked on it and launched into a coughing fit.
“My dear! Are you quite all right?!” Ralph asked worriedly.
Bernadetta nodded, still coughing. “Y-yes, Father…”
“I understand. This must be too much for you to bear in your recovery. Perhaps we should talk about it another day.”
“No, I’m fine! Please, do go on!”
She raised her voice and urged her father to continue. The snake as a potential marriage partner? What in the world was happening? It was all so sudden, and Bernadetta simply could not wrap her head around it. One thing was clear: if she left matters in her father’s hands, they would quickly proceed beyond her reach. She needed to understand the situation so she could decide how to respond.
“Well, if you insist,” said Ralph, his brow still furrowed. “There are many reasons why I selected Noel Stollen as your partner. In short, he is indispensable to the future of the Velnant Empire. Why, just after the announcement that the Valiant was coming, he held a symposium and showed everyone his unique brilliance. He made it clear that he did not intend to lose even to the empire’s biggest clans. I’m sure you’re aware of what happened next.”
“He exposed corruption in the justice department and proved Hugo Coppélia’s innocence.”
“That he did. He didn’t just force the influential to act, he also overturned a ruling of the state. And at his age! This is not something most can even hope to aim for, let alone achieve. One has to assume that he was preparing for that moment for a long, long time. He has made use of the Valiant encroachment to create great opportunities and see them through. He is calculating, he takes initiative, and most of all, he knows an opportunity when he sees one.”