I stood there with a dazed look, staring at Aillette, and then suddenly came to my senses. Aillette was sitting on the bed, swinging her legs back and forth and whispered,
"Right. You said you wouldn't be cursed, right? It must be nice to be a fairy."
Bad curse?
‘So, when you called out to “fairy” in front of the mansion, you were calling me.’
"Did your mother tell you that you were cursed?"
"Yes, so I came to meet the fairy without telling my mother and stepfather."
Aillette let go of my hand and clasped her hands together as if praying to a god.
"Sister, can you remove my curse since you're a fairy?"
Her innocent eyes left me speechless.
"By curse, do you mean... poison?"
"...Yes."
Aillette nodded hesitantly and replied.
"My father keeps selling my poison, or rather, my blood to others for money, and I really hate it."
What? What did I just hear? My heart sank to the bottom. However, I couldn't show my reaction in front of Aillette, so I quickly composed myself. Aillette, unaware of my change, continued talking.
"My father says I have to keep bleeding... so I keep getting hurt... and it hurts every time."
Did I hear that right?
"Sister, you're a fairy, right? Can you remove my curse?"
"Aillette."
Aillette looked at me with her deep eyes.
"Does your stepfather hit you?"
Her clear and innocent voice.
"Yes."
She answered as if from hell.
"But it's not just hitting... he says it's necessary to sell my poison. Our family is poor, so he says we have no choice. My poison is practically the same as blood, and it can't be detected..."
My head buzzed with the absurdity of her words. I gently grabbed Aillette's shoulders.
"Aillette, how long has this been going on?"
I tried to smile so as not to shock the child, but it was difficult. My lips trembled, and Aillette tilted her head.
"For a long time...?"
Then, how long exactly? Does the La Pierreon family know nothing about this? My breathing became rough. Just as I clenched my fists, there was a knock on the bedroom door.
"Come in."
It was the butler. The butler looked at Aillette and me, whose faces were hardened with anger, and then back again. I patted Aillette's shoulder and got up from the bed, approaching the butler.
"What is it?"
The butler whispered quietly so Aillette couldn't hear.
"His Highness the Duke, Master Selphius, Lord Finneas, and Lady Cersia, and finally Lady Gloria, have arrived and are waiting in the parlor."
Already? And...
"Cersia is here?"
"Yes, they received a letter from His Highness the Duke two days ago, informing them that you had collapsed, and they set out immediately."
I nodded lightly.
"I'll be there soon. Please ask them to wait a moment."
"Yes, I understand."
The butler bowed and left the bedroom. I approached Aillette, who was sitting with a puzzled look. Before taking her to reveal everything, it would be better to have a conversation to ensure she wouldn't be frightened.
"Aillette."
"Yes, sister."
"Everyone is gathered in the parlor for you."
"Everyone?"
"Yes. Terdeo and Selphius, and Lord Finneas and Cersia, and Lady Gloria are here."
"Really? For me?"
"Yes. And."
I stroked her hair, trying to sound as calm as possible.
"To solve the problems you're facing."
"Problems? Did I... do something wrong?"
Aillette clutched the doll in her hand tightly.
"No."
"Then...?"
"Aillette."
Her face turned pale, perhaps fearing I would send her away again. I patted her shoulder.
"I don't plan to send you back to your parents."
At the word "parents," her small, delicate shoulders trembled like a leaf.
"You deserve to be loved. And I will never let you go."
"..."
"Your parents' actions are wrong. I have no intention of sending you back there."
Aillette's shoulders shook. Her red eyes filled with tears.
"I want to talk about this with everyone. What do you think, Aillette?"
"I... I..."
Aillette took a deep breath.
"I... was told I shouldn't have been born."
Perhaps this was the first time she had confided in someone since she was born.
"Because of me, my father died. My mother... my mother cried a lot."
Aillette lowered her head, and tears fell incessantly to the floor.
"They said if I just endure, my stepfather and brother won't die."
"You didn't do anything."
Aillette closed her lips.
"You couldn't have killed your father, Aillette. You must have been sad when he left you."
Aillette wiped her eyes with her small hands.
"You didn't do it, Aillette."
"...Sister."
Aillette reached out with her small hand and clutched my finger. Lifting her head, tears streamed down her red, clear eyes.
"I miss my father, sister."
Aillette, who had been biting her trembling lips, burst into loud sobs. Her cries echoed through the bedroom.
"I didn't kill my father... it hurts so much when my stepfather hits me, and it hurts so much when he cuts me with a knife."
Aillette pointed to her arm and cried. It seemed the tears she had been holding back burst forth at the words that she didn't kill her father.
"So, sister... can you make me not hurt anymore? Since you're a fairy... hiccup."
I hugged Aillette, who was sobbing, tightly. She clung to me, hugging my back tightly.
"Aillette, I promise you."
I looked at the bedroom door with cold eyes.
"I won't let you be hurt anymore. I will protect you."
"Sniff."
"Is it okay if I tell everyone about the things you've been through?"
Aillette, wiping her endless tears, nodded. I hugged the beautiful child tightly and stood up. I walked out of the bedroom and headed to the parlor where everyone was gathered. I could feel Aillette's small hands gripping my neck tightly. The long corridor felt unusually short. As I approached the parlor, the sound of lively conversation filled the air.
"Shasha!"
As I entered, Cersia, who was unaware of everything, approached me with a bright smile.
"Aillette woke up... Shasha, why are you like this? What happened?"
"I have something to tell everyone."
Cersia, who had been smiling brightly, immediately stiffened upon seeing my expression. I didn't need to look in a mirror to know what my face looked like.
‘I must look like I want to kill someone.’
This was the second time since my regression that I had such a strong desire to kill someone. If Aillette's parents had been in front of me, I would have punched them in the face without hesitation.
"Princess."
The noisy atmosphere quieted down at Cersia's words. Terdeo, seeing my distorted face with anger, stood up and approached me.
"Aillette? Aillette. Why are you crying like this? What's wrong? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Finneas, seeing Aillette's tear-streaked face in my arms, seemed shocked.
"Stop."
A voice filled with experience and authority echoed through the parlor. She was an elderly woman with white hair, leaning on a cane with the La Pierreon family crest.
"Since the Princess has something to say, we should all listen."
This was the infamous Gloria. Her overwhelming presence made me bow in greeting. I then sat down on the sofa. Everyone, with looks of surprise and concern, sat down and looked at Aillette and me.
"This is what Aillette has been through."
I began to tell Aillette's story. ...When I finished, the parlor was filled with shock and horror. No one dared to speak.
"So."
Cersia was the first to speak. Her face had turned cold as she asked.
"Since our poison can't be detected, they kept making Aillette bleed and sold it at a high price?"
Cersia laughed bitterly, a terrifying sight that made Aillette shrink in fear. Finneas comforted Aillette and nudged Cersia with his elbow.
"Aillette, can you show us your arm where you keep getting hurt?"
"...Yes."
Seeing the scars on Aillette's arm, Finneas frowned and carefully applied a healing ointment.
"So, that's why you told us not to contact her parents when we first found Aillette?"
"Yes. Her condition was so unusual. I wasn't sure at the time."
"I never thought someone would bring a La Pierreon child here and do such things."
The armrest of the chair Terdeo was sitting in broke with a loud crack. Everyone fell silent, lost in thought. They were probably thinking about what they could do for Aillette. Just then, there was a knock on the parlor door.
"Excuse me, but there's a visitor I must inform you about."
A visitor I must be informed about?
"Aillette's birth mother, Lady Melin, has come to look for her."
Clang. Aillette, who had been looking at the teacup in amazement, dropped it to the floor. The teacup shattered on the marble floor.
"Sis... sister..."
Aillette, more afraid of her mother than the broken glass, ran to me and hid in my arms. Blood dripped from her foot where the glass had cut her. Finneas, alarmed, quickly picked up Aillette and placed her on the sofa. He opened his medical bag, removed the glass, applied ointment, and wrapped her foot with a bandage.
‘Who dares... to come looking for someone?’
My teeth ground together. Seeing my expression, Selphius pressed the butler.
"How did they find us without being informed?"
"They received a letter from His Highness the Duke about his marriage... and they guessed this was where she would be."
"Alone? Or two people?"
I asked with a sneer.
"Lady Melin and a man. They both came."
So, that man must be her stepfather. I laughed bitterly. Since Aillette is here, I can't lie and say she isn't. I don't want to hide this any longer. I patted Aillette's back, who was looking at me with a worried expression, and muttered to the butler.