No one spoke easily. I slowly looked around at the faces of my family. Even those who had frowned at the unpleasantness of today's gathering now had tears welling up in their eyes. Gloria asked in a trembling voice, representing everyone.
"…Is it really true? Theo."
Gloria's face had turned so pale that all the blood had drained from it.
"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake, like before?"
Choked up, Gloria stopped speaking and touched the corner of her eye. Her thin arm was trembling like a leaf. I answered her question in Theo's place.
"I met the witch who cursed the Laphelon family."
"…!"
"That witch confirmed it, and she said there's a way to lift the curse."
Gloria let out a small gasp at the confident answer. A man sitting opposite stood up abruptly.
"Who is that witch, Your Highness? Bring her here immediately! I want to see her face!"
The man clenched his fists and vented his anger. His eyes were bloodshot. While I didn't know exactly what everyone here was feeling, I could guess. I answered calmly, trying to soothe them.
"The Fourth Princess, Princess Dodorea."
"…!"
When I revealed the witch's identity, murmurs began to spread. The man who had stood up with clenched fists sank back into his chair with a bitter laugh. It seemed the sense of helplessness hit him hard, knowing that the witch who had tormented him was someone from the royal family, beyond his reach.
"Why, why a princess…."
"A princess has everything, right? Why would she curse us… sniff."
"Are you sure? You're not just making it up?"
"I never liked the emperor! He was like a demon, always trying to conquer, and now a witch!"
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After calming the noisy room, Theo spoke heavily.
"I will tell you about the conversations I had with the witch."
Theo began recounting everything we had discussed, from my visit to the temple to Dodorea's words and the method to lift the curse. He told them everything, except for the part where the witch said she would lift the curse immediately if I were offered as a sacrifice. I also didn't mention it.
The meeting ended there. Today's gathering was primarily for sharing information and preparing in case Dodorea tried to use the family members. Despite the pessimism, the family left with a glimmer of hope that the curse could be lifted. Before leaving, they thanked me.
"Thank you so much, Your Highness."
"Thanks to you, we found a clue to lift the curse."
"Thessy sent out letters… it turns out you were the key to lifting our curse."
They thanked me for revealing Dodorea's identity at her temple and for bravely confronting her. One noblewoman even held my hands tightly, tears streaming down her face. After everyone left, only Theo, Gloria, Serxia, Phineas, Aillette, and Selphius remained in the meeting room. Serxia, who had been silent throughout the meeting, ruffled her hair and sneered.
"Even the investigation Uncle Phineas dedicated his life to… in the end, we've been playing into that witch's hands all along."
"Thessy…"
"Why."
Serxia murmured with a voice filled with frustration. She slammed her fist on the table as if to break it.
"Why! What's the reason!"
Tears streamed down her face.
"If the witch loved the first Duke, why did she curse us! Because of that curse! Because of that witch, I…! My husband and child!"
Serxia couldn't finish her sentence and tightly pressed her trembling lips together. Tears flowed down her cheeks and dropped to the floor. I looked around to see if anyone else from the family was still there. The meeting room was empty, and the door was tightly closed.
"Thessy."
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I reached out and wiped away the tears from Serxia's pained face.
"There's one thing I didn't tell you. There is a way to lift the curse immediately, without finding a way to kill Dodorea."
"Fereshati!"
Theo grabbed my shoulder tightly. But I continued, ignoring him.
"She said if I were offered as a sacrifice, she would lift the curse immediately. She said it under the influence of a truth serum, so it must be true."
Selphius, who had been listening from a distance, stepped between Serxia and me, standing protectively in front of me with his arms outstretched.
"No! Not our mother! Serxia! Not our mother!"
Selphius's desperate voice echoed, and Aillette, who had also jumped out of Phineas's arms, grabbed my fingers and shouted.
"Not you, sister!"
I looked at the tall figures of Selphius and Aillette for a while. If the curse couldn't be lifted, or if it took too long to find a way to kill Dodorea, these children might die before they grew up.
"Aillette, when you first met me, you said I was a fairy who could lift the curse. Maybe I've become a fairy who can really lift the curse."
"You're not a fairy! You're a person!"
Aillette shook her head vigorously. At the same time, Serxia reached out to me. Selphius tried to block her hand but failed. Serxia grabbed my hand tightly.
"Shasha."
Her face was pale.
"Did you think I would offer Shasha as a sacrifice?"
"Thessy."
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"Why would you think that… Do you doubt me? I would offer Shasha as a sacrifice if it meant saving everyone…"
Serxia bowed her head in pain. Tears continued to fall to the floor.
"That's impossible, Thessy."
I comforted Selphius and Aillette, who were still protecting me, and then approached Serxia. I gently hugged her.
"Thessy, Phineas, Selphius, Theo, Aillette, and Gloria. You are all very important family to me. That's why I wanted to give you the choice. I understand if you decide to offer me as a sacrifice. I know how desperate you are."
"…Shasha."
"I'm being selfish. I could have told the others earlier, but I didn't want to. Even though it's the fastest way to lift the curse… I didn't want to offer myself for people I don't even know."
I pulled Serxia away from my embrace and wiped her tears.
"Everyone here says I'm their hope and that I've helped them, but it's the other way around. When no one believed in me, you all gave me faith."
When I was betrayed and killed by people I thought were my family and returned, these people treated me like family and were kind to me. They taught me to believe again.
"You saved me."
These people protected me and made me smile in a life where I might have died again.
"How could I let my family die? It's natural to want to save them, even if it means risking my future."
As soon as I finished speaking, my family quickly added their thoughts.
"You don't need to risk your future for us, Miss Fereshati."
"Right, right! Sister! Your future is yours!"
"I clearly said I can't lose you, Fereshati."
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"Right! I can't just let my mother die!"
"His Highness considers us family, and we consider you family. We can't be happy if we sacrifice a family member."
One word led to five more. Strangely, it made me feel good. My heart felt warm.
"Shasha. You shouldn't have such thoughts."
Serxia, whose tears had stopped, grabbed my arm worriedly.
"Are you sure everyone is okay? We don't know how long it will take to find a way to kill Dodorea, or what might happen in the meantime."
In my previous life, before I returned, my stepmother, Reina, and Siph offered me as a sacrifice and killed me. But this life is different.
"It seems the answer is already clear."
In this life, the family I trusted.
"Unanimous, Fereshati. We have no intention of offering you as a sacrifice to lift the curse. Don't ever mention such a thing again."
They saved me.
"Our happiness includes you, Miss Fereshati. We need you to be happy."
In this life, my family wants my happiness. My heart, which had a small hole, was filled with warmth. I rubbed my tingling nose and smiled playfully.
"Thank you for saving me. I actually wanted to live."
This time, Serxia reached out and hugged me. In her warm embrace, the cold I had been holding back seemed to melt away.
"Let's find a way together."
...
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It was a rare gathering of the entire family, and today was a joyful occasion, so we ate and drank to our heart's content. When I woke up from a drunken sleep, it was already late at night. Blinking, I looked around and saw Serxia lying on the table, Gloria leaning against the wall, and Aillette and Selphius sleeping on the sofa.
"Your Highness, are you awake?"
Phineas was covering the sleeping children and adults with blankets. I took the blanket he offered and rubbed my eyes.
"…Where's Theo?"
My speech was slurred from the lingering effects of the alcohol.
"Theo woke up a little while ago and went for a night walk in the garden to sober up. He just left, so you should be able to find him if you follow."
"No, no… I don't need to follow…"
Phineas smiled and handed me another blanket.
"Theo didn't take a blanket. He went out in thin clothes, so would you give it to him? I'm going