ushernet Chapter 23
Chapter 23
A boy... no, a girl?
Every strand of hair, every feature on their face was so eerily delicate that it seemed almost unnatural—like a master artisan had carved them from the finest porcelain.
But instead of being simply beautiful, their appearance was unsettling.
Perhaps it was because their eyes were completely devoid of light.
Even though they were the same shade as the rose petals beside them, the first thing that came to mind was not flowers, but spilled blood.
Those eyes...
That particular hollow gaze, the drowsy eyelids, the redness around them, as if they had been crying.
...They look familiar.
Somewhere, she had seen eyes like that before.
A deeply nostalgic feeling stirred in her chest.
Just as that vague sense of déjà vu sent a chill down her spine, another detail caught her eye—
Black hair!
Elodie’s gaze sharpened.
The snake she had seen in the garden had also been black.
At that moment, Squirrel gasped in recognition.
“Master Karon!”
Master?
Oh, so he’s a noble.
Elodie’s face fell in disappointment.
Now that she thought about it, Edmund had black hair too.
So... was this just a coincidence?
Nobles are always male, aren’t they?
She was already bad at telling genders apart, and this child’s appearance was so ambiguous that she had nearly mistaken them for a girl.
Of course, it wouldn’t be...
Elodie shook her head, trying to clear away the lingering ghost of familiarity.
But then—
“M-Master Karon, what are you doing here...?”
For some reason, Squirrel—who was usually calm—was stammering.
Elodie didn’t even have time to process her reaction.
Before she knew it, Squirrel had scooped her up and pulled her tightly against her chest, stepping back several paces to put distance between them and the noble child.
It was a protective gesture—one meant to shield her from danger.
Huh?
Could it be... the second grandson?
The infamous scoundrel?
If that were the case, it made perfect sense for Squirrel to be this wary.
But then—
“You should return to the palace immediately.”
Her words made it clear—this was the third grandson.
Then why is she acting like he’s a ticking time bomb?
Did he have some sort of horrible, contagious disease?
Was it something that could spread just by being near him?
But if that were the case, he wouldn’t be allowed outside the palace at all.
If he were quarantined due to a deadly illness, there was no way they would let him roam freely.
They would have locked the doors and assigned guards to keep watch.
Even if he was the grandson of the duke, there wouldn’t have been any exceptions.
No lord in their right mind would risk spreading a plague just for the sake of their own bloodline.
Well... some reckless nobles might.
But Eisen wasn’t one of them.
Besides, this isn’t just fear of infection.
“These are medicinal herbs.”
“......”
“There’s a snake here. It’s dangerous. If you get bitten, chew these or crush them and put them on the wound.”
It could be venomous, after all.
Of course, the venom would need to be extracted first, but he should at least know basic first aid, right?
“Take them.”
“......”
Karon’s fingers twitched slightly.
Then, slowly, he reached out and took the bouquet.
For a moment, he just stared at the soft purple petals of the lobelia flowers.
They suited him.
Elodie, seeing how well the delicate blossoms matched the eerie boy, grinned in satisfaction.
“Lady Elodie! Come back at once!”
“Bye! See you later!”
As Squirrel hurriedly scooped her up, Elodie waved both arms enthusiastically before disappearing.
“......”
Karon silently watched her go.
Then, lowering his gaze, he brought his free hand to his mouth.
Using his teeth, he tugged off his glove—revealing a deathly pale hand, almost translucent.
It didn’t even look alive.
He reached out and touched one of the lobelia petals.
And in an instant—
The fresh, vibrant flower withered to black.
The energy drained from it so rapidly that it crumpled into dust.
He watched as the remains scattered to the ground, completely unrecognizable.
That’s the last Ratson...?
A jewel of the continent?
A miracle of the gods?
A savior?
...How laughable.
But there was no point in being disappointed.
He had never expected anything in the first place.
***
In the end, Elodie was dragged off, scrubbed clean, and dressed in fresh clothes.
Feeling slightly drained, she waddled through the hallway.
Then—
From a distance, she locked eyes with a group of people in black uniforms.
They had been speaking in hushed, serious tones.
But the moment they saw her—
They scattered at an alarming speed.
...What was that?
It reminded her of something.
Like cockroaches scrambling for cover when the lights come on.
Puzzled, she narrowed her eyes.
And then—
The one man who had been standing at the front locked eyes with her.
“......!”
He froze.
He must have just missed his chance to escape, because now he was completely stuck, unsure of what to do.