The most certain method is none other than the blood of Laphreon. Of course, I don't know if it will work on the witch who cast the curse, but Dodelea sneered as if reading my thoughts.
"Do you think that blood will work on me?"
Dodelea, who laughed fiercely, stretched out her hand again and this time grabbed my wrist. At the same time, Terdeo firmly gripped Dodelea's hand that was holding my wrist.
"How dare you, witch."
"What?"
"Take your hands off my wife, witch."
After learning that Dodelea was a witch, Terdeo changed the way he addressed her. Dodelea laughed with a look of disbelief upon hearing the new title.
"Don't call it a title as if it's part of my name! My name is—"
"…."
"My name is! ……"
"What."
"My… name is…!"
Dodelea, who had been shouting into the void, stopped speaking. She didn't continue even after a long wait.
'…What is it?'
With a puzzled look, I tilted my head, and Terdeo, who had been gripping Dodelea's wrist so tightly it might break, snickered.
"It seems she can't even remember her own name."
"…!"
Dodelea's face turned red and then pale as she couldn't find a rebuttal. He forcibly removed her hand from my wrist. Dodelea, whose hand was pushed away, looked at her pale hand and laughed bitterly.
"If you keep acting like this, Prince Laphreon, you won't hear the answer you're looking for."
"…."
"The curse. You came here because you want to know how to break it, didn't you? You should be groveling at my feet, yet you're acting like this…."
Before Dodelea could finish her sentence, Terdeo reached out and grabbed the teacup in front of me and his own. He drank the hot tea in one gulp without giving her a chance to speak.
"Theo!"
Not a single drop remained. Terdeo threw the two teacups behind him and wiped his lips. Fortunately, the thick carpet prevented the cups from breaking.
"Is that enough now?"
"…Prince Laphreon, you are truly… just as you were back then. You were always so reckless, whether for that woman or for this one."
"I don't care who you were close to a thousand years ago or what you did. But that person from a thousand years ago is not me. Let me make it clear, don't equate that person with me."
For a moment, a bitter expression flashed across Dodelea's face. She then drank the tea in her cup in one go and put it down.
'Got it.'
I blinked and asked my question.
"Where is the real Princess Dodelea?"
"What a strange question."
Dodelea answered, pushing her long hair back.
"Of course, she's dead."
The princess, who was probably weak from a congenital illness and known for her kindness, was likely the 'real' Princess Dodelea.
"Poor princess. She was born weak and couldn't enjoy life properly before dying."
"Parasitized in her body?"
"There's a reason why witches are called immortal. We live by parasitizing our souls in other bodies. The flesh may decay, but—"
The flesh decays. This was a very different kind of immortality from what the believers had hoped for. Or, was it even immortality?
"I didn't plan to parasitize in such a restricted body, but I had no choice since I was sealed and wandering. …Damn, why am I even answering these questions?"
Dodelea seemed unaware, but the tea actually contained a truth serum.
'The drug must be working well.'
Seeing Dodelea spill out information even when not asked, I smiled faintly. It was part of Terdeo's plan. Since we couldn't fully trust Dodelea's words, he suggested giving her a truth serum to verify the truth. It was a good idea. We had put the truth serum in the tea and brought her here in the carriage. Although Dodelea wouldn't drink it willingly, we could force her to, which would be enough. Fortunately, Dodelea, provoked by us, drank the entire cup of tea, making the plan a success.
'The only thing different from the plan is that Terdeo also drank the truth serum.'
I glanced at Terdeo beside me. He must have a lot to say and many questions to ask, but he was holding back, deliberately speaking less. Now that the truth serum's effect was confirmed, it was time to get to the reason we came here.
"You know what we're going to ask. …Tell us how to break the curse on the Laphreon family."
How long had I traveled back in time just to ask this question? How many lives had been sacrificed, and how many people had cried, just to ask this question? Dodelea's face contorted. The brief moment her red lips opened felt like an eternity. I clasped my hands together, praying that everyone could finally be happy.
"There's no way such a thing exists… Ouch."
Blood dripped from Dodelea's lips, a symptom of the truth serum when she lied. That means this was a lie, which implies…
'There is a way to break the curse.'
My heart raced. The images of Selphius spitting out blood, Ailet in pain, Cersia suffering, and Phineas' indifferent expression flashed through my mind. And finally, Terdeo, who had always lived in darkness. If this curse is broken, everyone can live a normal life. Sweat soaked my palms. I gripped the hem of my dress and asked again.
"How do you break the curse?"
"The way to break the curse…"
Dodelea's face contorted again as she stopped speaking. Sensing something was wrong, she abruptly stood up. I quickly rose to block her path, preventing her from escaping the parlor and the question.
"Where are you going…!"
I hastily grabbed Dodelea's shoulder and turned her around. Her eyes, filled with anger, made my hair stand on end. Her hand overlapped mine on her shoulder. She began to mutter inaudibly, as if casting a spell. I tried to shake her off, but her cold hand was as hard as stone and wouldn't budge. It happened in an instant. Terdeo, who had been sitting and waiting, was also startled and rushed over. He pushed Dodelea away and wrapped his arms around me protectively.
"I could kill you right here, witch."
"Could you? If you did, you wouldn't hear the answer to your question. …But tell me, woman. From the beginning, why didn't my curse work on you?"
…Huh? Me? Dodelea looked at me with a suspicious frown.
"At first, I thought it was because my power was weak, but no. Your body just doesn't respond to my curse. How is that possible? The only spells I can cast on you are those that don't affect your life."
You mean my body doesn't respond to your curse?
'How would I know?'
I was bewildered but acted quickly.
"If my body doesn't respond to your curse, that's a good thing."
I firmly grabbed Dodelea's arm and pulled her. Although her soul was that of a witch, her body was that of Princess Dodelea, who had never walked in the sunlight. Her frail body followed as I led her.
"Tell me how to break the curse. I won't let you go until you do. You're weaker than me. If my body doesn't respond to your curse, you have nothing to fear."
"Why should I answer? Move aside… Ouch."
"It would be wise to answer if you don't want to die. If you keep lying, the truth serum will kill you."
A trail of red blood ran down Dodelea's jawline and dripped onto the carpet.
"Damn, of all bodies, this one."
"Speak quickly."
Dodelea glared at me fiercely but, realizing she had no other choice, reluctantly answered.
"How to break the curse? It's simple. The curse will naturally disappear when the witch who cast it, that is, I, die."
"What?"
It sounded like a play on words.
'You can't be telling me to kill you to break the curse, right?'
That's impossible. But Dodelea's face showed no signs of pain, and she wasn't spitting out blood. She had clearly stated that witches are called immortal for a reason, and there was no reaction to the idea of killing a witch.
'Witches are not immortal.'
They are called immortal for a reason, but they are not truly immortal.
"Since I only drank tea here, the truth serum must have been in the tea, right?"
As I was lost in thought, Dodelea shook off my hand and turned to Terdeo.
"Thinking about it, Prince Laphreon, you must have also drunk the tea with the truth serum, just like me?"
"…."
"Then, let me ask you one thing."
Dodelea's expression was incredibly serious and earnest.
"Why did you choose her? Before marrying her, you had the option of choosing me."
As soon as she finished her question, Terdeo slowly opened his mouth.
"At first, because she was the only person my curse didn't work on… Ouch."
Before Terdeo could reveal more, including our contract, I rushed over and covered his mouth with my hand.
"The only person your curse doesn't work on? Ha!"
But Dodelea, having heard what she wanted, ignored my action. She walked up to Terdeo and slapped my hand away. Dodelea gently touched Terdeo's cheek.
"The only person my curse doesn't work on is me. Since I cast the curse, it naturally doesn't affect me. There can't be anyone else…"
The thought of Dodelea touching my husband made my vision blur with anger. Without realizing it, my hand moved, and I coldly pushed her hand away, speaking firmly.
"Don't touch him."
Dodelea's hand turned red. She looked at me with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"…You can't be serious."
"What?"
"Can it be that the curse I cast on the Laphreon family doesn't work on you?"
I laughed brightly, as if mocking her.
"Yes. That's exactly it."
"…!"
"What can you do if the curse doesn't work on me?"
I looked down at her with a disdainful gaze, reminding her that she could never curse me.