Chapter 5 – The d.u.c.h.ess’s Trauma
I will never forget it; that national day 5 years ago.
It was a buffet party, only attended by the upper n.o.bles of the castle.
I, the d.u.c.h.ess Olivia Koorfid, will never forget that day when this fear was planted in me by that girl, Liliana Ractos – I cannot forget it.
At that time, that girl was already known as the [Arachne d.u.c.h.ess] and was widely feared.
However, I was not afraid of her. I was envious, and jealous.
At her age – already past 30 years – she still had a youthful face without any wrinkles, and a body full of liveliness, from which came a bewitching aura.
I was jealous of that beauty; that beauty which even I could not imagine deteriorating even as she got older.
That’s why, I had planned to hara.s.s her that time.
I had planned to humiliate her at that big gathering of n.o.bles. However, I could never have imagine what would have happened instead………..
Liliana was standing by herself on the balcony.
The big spider that was always beside her was not present in the a.s.sembly hall. However, that was a matter of course. No matter how I thought about it, it would be strange to bring a big spider to this kind of gathering.
Well, even if she had brought the spider with her, I would not have been afraid.
Although it seemed like others would have been afraid, I was not scared.
In fact, I would not have been scared of that woman; although she was a d.u.c.h.ess now, she had only been a count’s daughter before.
I, who had been born into a duke’s household (ED: *COUGH*) was of higher birth than her.
What should I have been afraid of?
[My, Arachne d.u.c.h.ess. So, you are wearing that black dress like usual?……Come to think of it, I heard that black western cloth is pretty convenient to conceal your body figure. Do you not have confidence in your body, perhaps?] – (TL : in a very elegant manner)
As much as possible, I covered up my animosity of her and only showed a clean, serious face. Perhaps a little of my annoyance had shone through, but as I thought, she was not affected by something this trivial.
[Eh? Is it because I am tasting my cooking too much? I think I have become a little fatter……..]
Even though she says she got a little fatter, I’m sure she did not even once think so.
However, this attacking hand, no, mouth, will not falter.
[My ~. Even though you are a d.u.c.h.ess, you are also able to cook? That is surprisingly plebeian like, eh?]
Well then. How will you respond?
[Ye~s . Grid-sama and Mary-chan also happily eat the food that I make, you know ~]
Liliana answered me while floating a smile on her face.
The name that that mouth mentioned, the name of the devil-like person; I faltered a bit after hearing the name Grid Ractos.
But … Mary-chan…….?
[ …. If I’m not wrong, the name of your daughter is Erza, isn’t it? And your son should be called Jake, right? Then, if I may ask, who is Mary-chan?]
[Ah, Mary-chan is the [Crimson Eye]…… It’s the name of that big spider who is my friend ~]
…… That big spider was eating Liliana’s cuisine? That monster?
I ended up imagining such a scene. It was better that I didn’t.
I recalled one of the dark rumours about her.
『Anyone who displeases her, will become the prey of her big spider.』
[ … kshyaa ~ ] (ED: SFX)
[Oh?]
A voice that didn’t belong to a human could be heard from outside the balcony.
Liliana turned and looked at the one who made that sound. I subconsciously followed her and looked over.
Five red glinting eyeb.a.l.l.s stared right back at me. (ED: Don’t spiders have 8 eyes?)
[Hii ……… !?]
I reflexively shrieked a little.
Thinking back, when I saw the spider, it would have been normal to scream.
No, the one that was scary was not that big spider.
It was that woman, Liliana Ractos, when she said that she made the food for that spider.
Everybody who displeased her, would become food for her spider.
In other words, that woman, with humans…..?!
[Oh my~ … Mary-chan . Did you get hungry? …. I guess it can’t be helped ~]
[Come to think of it, Olivia-san. Your dress, it has a lovely red color eh. It looks delicious, like a tomato.]
(This woman, wants to make me into food for the spider …. ! )
And so, I lost consciousness.
When I opened my eyes, I was back in the Koorfid house.
It seemed that my attendant had carried me back to the house when I fainted.
When I felt that I was alive, the fear constantly flowed in me.
For a while, the trembling of my body could not stop.
Never again do I want to have something to do with the woman, Liliana Ractos.
It seemed that she overlooked it this time, but next time, I would become food for the spider for sure.
—- Her cuisine.
At present, I’ve already recovered a bit, but whenever I meet that woman, my body can’t stop trembling.
She always says it when she sees me, and she always has that big spider on her hand.
[As I thought, it really does look deliciously red.]