I Ended My Engagement With The Woman Who Despised Me

✦  Chapter 13 — Come To Think Of It  ✦

「Translator — Creator」

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In the city, those who failed to create value were referred to as ‘vermin.’

This term encompassed the homeless, the vagrants, and even those whose bodies were broken or unfit.

He was born among such vermin — a worthless insect himself born among them.

Unable to accomplish anything of merit, he survived only by clinging to the goodwill and kindness of others... a bug that could vanish at any moment without notice.

Just as no one notices when an ant is crushed underfoot, his existence was so meaningless that when he was abducted by the Dark Mage and imprisoned in a vast cavity, not a single soul noticed his disappearance.

"If you survive this experiment, I shall let you live."

The cavity, vast and oppressive like a giant jar, became a stage for the dark mage’ twisted experiments; he would first give false hope to those trapped within its stone walls, only to wring agony from their bodies and minds.

The reason remained unknown.

He simply continued to extract pain from the many prisoners without offering any explanation.

Thus, this place was akin to a Gu poison — a vessel containing all manner of vermin deemed unfit to exist in the world.

Yet paradoxically, it was also the only place where these vermin could prove their worth.

𓇗

Siren had somehow managed to survive in such a place.

Though it was questionable whether enduring for so long in such a hell could truly be called fortune.

…But still, she had survived.

The reason remained unclear.

Yet from the occasional murmurs of the dark mages referring to her as a ‘perfect vessel,’ she could only guess that she had, by sheer luck, met some condition they had set.

— We’re short on sacrificial bodies… If we need more, we’ll have to act directly, but that might draw the attention of the House Carsaril. What a headache.

— Then perhaps we should manipulate things to make House Carsaril cooperate with dark magic...

Amidst such conversations and the endless groans of pain from countless others, Siren endured her own suffering day after day. Around that time, a voice echoing through the vast cavern caught her attention — a desperate cry from someone calling out for their family.

Under normal circumstances, she might have ignored such a cry.

Perhaps it was because she had been lying so long on the floor devoid of warmth,

But suddenly, she found herself wondering what a normal family was like, and the thought wouldn't leave her mind.

'Families are supposed to hold each other, I’ve heard. And they support one another.'

Recalling stories about family she had heard while begging on the streets, she began to imagine an ideal family.

A somewhat patriarchal but dependable father who would be the first to rush to help when problems arose.

A gentle mother who would always soothe her worries.

A mischievous older brother who, despite his teasing, would always have her back.

Just as she was quietly smiling, dreaming of this ideal family she could never have, one of the Dark Mage approached her and spoke.

It was time to begin the experiments again.

And so, she consumed the despair of countless others.

Though 'consumed' wasn't quite the right word — 'forcibly injected into her mind' would be more accurate.

But since each time it happened, nausea rose within her as if she'd been force-fed, it felt similar to eating.

Thus, for a long time, she endured by clinging to the image of a family she could never have, all while devouring the negativity forced upon her.

There was no profound reason for this.

Once the pain of consuming despair subsided, there was nothing else to do, and it was the only way to momentarily escape her suffering.

So as she crafted this ideal family, adding details one by one until it felt complete,

She began to feel a loneliness she had never known before, along with a chilling, biting cold that seeped into her very soul.

And so she became trapped in a solitude reminiscent of Gu poison, imprisoned in despair.

The next day, and the day after, and the day after that...

She had no idea what had happened or how much time had passed. All she knew was that she had been forced to endure the despair of countless deaths, injected into her like some vile elixir.

But then, from somewhere far away, she felt a warmth.

She couldn’t explain why, but as he approached, the warmth seemed to radiate in every direction, enveloping her body in a comforting heat.

It had been so long since she had felt anything like it that she froze, staring at him as he drew closer.

The man who had come to her stood silently for a moment, gazing at her, before slowly extending his hand and speaking.

"Want to come with me?"

She didn’t know why, but an overwhelming intuition told her she couldn’t let this moment slip away.

Like grasping a lifeline, she desperately clasped his hand with both of hers, and he effortlessly lifted her while saying,

“Are you a cat or a person?”

".........?"

She didn’t understand his words, but as he dangled her lightly and let out a sigh, he soon cradled her in his arms.

And just like that, he pulled her out of the icy, suffocating loneliness that had trapped her for so long.

𓇗

I awkwardly smiled while looking at Siren in my arms.

The original plan was to uncover the mastermind behind Lilia's assassination, but instead of finding the culprit, though, I'd ended up picking up a strange girl.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with her, but considering she was destined to become an Archmage in the future, it seemed best to bring her along for now. As I carried her, Loraine, who had been watching the whole scene, gave me a bewildered look and spoke up.

“…Young master, are you really going to carry her like that?”

Honestly, I wanted to put her down and tell her to follow on her own, but she clung to me so tightly, as if determined not to let go, that it felt awkward to try and peel her off.

So, I gave up and continued walking with her in my arms.

'Either way, it might be beneficial to build a relationship with Siren, the future Archmage.'

Deciding to leave things as they were to build goodwill, I arrived at the mansion.

As I entered, I noticed the gazes of countless maids fixed on me. I sighed and approached the nearest maid, making a request.

"Can you clean her up, feed her, and let her rest in a guest room?”

"Ah, yes, Young Master."

The maid, seemingly terrified just by the act of speaking to me, kept her eyes glued to the floor and trembled slightly. Wanting to spare her further discomfort, I quickly decided to step aside and turned to Loraine.

"Can you help me get her off?”

"Yes."

She effortlessly lifted Siren, who flailed in protest, and carried her away, dragging her along to the maid. I rubbed my shoulders, sighed, and headed to the garden inside the estate to take a short break.

‘At least it’s clear that black magic is involved in Lilia’s assassination attempt…’

It was puzzling that there seemed to be no significant connection between the assassination and the sewers we'd discovered.

Just as I was wondering if I'd missed something, a particular question crossed my mind.

‘Come to think of it, that dark mage acted awfully familiar with Damian.’

Not only did he act like they were close, but even when I blatantly ignored him, he kept rambling on as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It was highly likely that they knew each other, so digging deeper into that relationship might not be a bad idea.

I’d need to investigate further, but it was possible that the Dark Mages had infiltrated the city more deeply than I had thought.

But for now, I decided to report this incident to the family head.

𓇗

All I knew about Dominic Carsaril, the head of House Carsaril, was

That he was a Swordmaster capable of cutting anything with mere thought, and that he was the head of House Carsaril wielding immense political influence.

Not knowing exactly what kind of person he was, or more importantly, what thoughts he held regarding Damian,

I decided to gauge the situation and adjust my attitude accordingly as I knocked on the family head's office door.

“Come in.”

A composed, dignified voice carried from the other side.

As I carefully opened the door and entered, I saw the family head working at an antique desk that seemed to have been crafted by a master artisan over many years.

He was busy with paperwork, but as I greeted him, he glanced up and spoke curtly.

"What brings you here?"

Part of me wanted to tell him outright about the assassination attempt on Lilia,

But since that would likely raise questions about the 'source of information', rather than stating it directly,

It would be better to lay out breadcrumbs based on what I'd just discovered.

So, calming myself as much as possible, I briefly explained what had transpired.

I described the traces of human experimentation and the evidence of countless sacrifices I had found.

I added that these experiments had likely been going on for much longer than anyone had realized. As I finished, I looked at the family head, who seemed surprised by the information I had brought.

After a moment of silence, he nodded and spoke.

"I'll send investigators and knights to verify this immediately."

"Yes."

I had been tense, thinking he might dismiss it as an unsubstantiated or trivial report due to lack of evidence,

But to my relief, he took it seriously and agreed to look into it. Just as I was about to express my gratitude, he added something unexpected.

“You’ve done well. This is a significant contribution.”

Unexpected praise reached my ears.

While pondering how surprising it was to receive such easy praise from someone who typically appeared so authoritative,

The family head, seemingly uncomfortable with having given the compliment, suddenly fell silent and looked down at his reports.

"............"

Feeling a little flustered, I forced an awkward smile and thought it might be time to take my leave. But before I could, the family head looked up again, as if remembering something, and spoke in his usual calm tone.

"Ah, I forgot to mention. The negotiations with House Wintraven have concluded, and the date for the marriage annulment has been set. It will take place in Central City ten days from now."

END of CHAPTER

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