Hakushaku to Yousei

Chapter 26

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P. 163
Waiting for the low tide at night, Raven departed for town.
The sea was violent as usual, and there were waves that endlessly washed up onto the path like they would take out one’s feet. It was even more dangerous in the darkness of night to cross the thin path, but apparently a member of the‘Scarlet Moon’ had come all the way to the town with valuable information. Raven didn’t hesitate in saying that he would go.
“I will return tomorrow morning. Lord Edgar, please be careful.”
“If they wanted to torture me in pain, then the enemies would use a slow and gradual method, so I’ll be fine.”
He said that and saw Raven off, but of course, there were still things that they needed to be cautious about even now.
More than anything, if Lydia wasn’t possessed by Teresa constantly, then there was a chance that the enemy would have noticed them.
“Oi, Earl, Lydia isn’t waking up at all. What is going on,” said Nico who appeared in the room.
“Now is the time for Teresa. If the cause of this was because of Teresa’s fear, then she should be waking up pretty soon.”

P. 164
“What do you mean Teresa’s fear?”
“It seems like when she remembers the time she died, that directly links to depleteLydia’s energy and nerves.”
Like he was undecided, Nico crossed his arms as he stood on his hind feet.
“Hey, now, you have to do something about that. It’s awful to let Lydia have to go through the same experience of that kind of fear.”
That was absolutely true.
But, wait a minute, thought Edgar. If Teresa had remembered about when she had died, then the trigger for that was last night’s incident. No, it wasn’t the incident itself, but what happened after it. He wondered what it was that she found and what she felt.
He came to the thought that maybe she could have been killed by Ulysses. And if he played her up to become the ghost of Teresa, then she must have felt Ulysses’presence sometime during the incident yesterday.
“Nico, there might be a possibility that the person who killed Teresa is the mastermind behind all of this. If she could remember something, then we would be able to make the first move.”
Edgar stood up and tried to head out of the room.
Hold on, said Nico as he stood in front him, blocking his path.
“You aren’t planning on having her remember, are you? Even if Teresa was possessing her, Lydiacould be awake as well, you know.”

P. 165
He might be putting Lydia through the pain of being killed.
“But, at this rate, Lydia will be put in danger. There is no guarantee that I can protect her through it.”
He picked up Nico who was trying to stop him and threw him aside.
“Whoa, hey, stop it! You really aren’t thinking about Lydia! Everything won’t be all right if you just are able to protect her life!”
He had every intention of thinking about Lydia’s sake. And yet, Nico, and even Lydia, would say to him that ‘you don’t try to understand my feelings.’
Was that so? Isn’t protecting one’s life the most prioritizing thing? If you can’t protect your life, then you can’t say anything about what one is feeling.
Making his mind, Edgar headed to Teresa’s room.

My body hurts. I can’t breathe.
In complete blackness, the more and more she tried to struggle, muddy water came gus.h.i.+ng into her nose and mouth.
Help me. But she couldn’t make any sound.

P. 166
She just spitted out the rest of the air that remained in her lungs. In place of that, she swallowed a heavy amount of mud water and her body sunk down even further.
She was filled with the water that spilled into her, and just at the moment she felt her body was going to explode, Lydia sprung up in her bed.
“Miss, are you all right? Miss Teresa.”
Suzy came rus.h.i.+ng over to her, and stroked Lydia’s back as she coughed.
She still wasn’t able to get out of the nightmare, and the one who whispered “Help me…….” wasn’t Lydia, but Teresa.
It looked like it was night already, and although Lydia did wake up, she was in a condition where she could only remain still.
“You must have had a bad dream. But, if you have woken up, then that’s better. Ever since you felt sick during the day, you remained asleep, so the Lord Viscount was also worried.”
When Teresa finally lifted her head, her eyes saw that there was Edgar.
“I was so worried, Teresa.”
“Lord Viscount…….”
I’m so happy, she said and opened her arms out any worries.
Oh, my goodness, and I’m still in my nightwear! Thought Lydia as she became nervous from being softly embraced by his arms.

P. 167
“I wonder what happened to me. I was just so restless, I couldn’t stand it. And I was so terrified for some unknown reason, and I couldn’t stop trembling…. Oh, please stay by my side.”
Oh, lord, what are you doing.
“It’s all right, I’m here.”
You don’t have to be.
“I knew that it was improper to remain in a woman’s room at such a late hour, but I was so worried that I pleaded with Suzy. And the incident from last night hasn’t been solved either.”
Suzy, who was standing a few steps back, nodded in agreement, which showed that she had come to completely trust Edgar. That probably could have been because she found out that he was lovers with Lydia and that she completely believed that Edgar was a faithful gentleman.
But that isn’t true! Was what Lydia wanted to object right now, but she couldn’t do that.
“Uh, so, I will be excusing myself, but if there is anything you need, please call for me.”
What, you’re leaving me alone with him?
Lydia panicked, but Suzy only bowed her head and quickly rushed out to the small room for maids.
It was a place strictly for her personal maid, that was right next to hers beyond a door. But even though, it was just the two of them in her bed chamber, and Edgar was sitting down on the edge of the bed and Teresa had completely surrendered her body up against him.

P. 168
If you do anything, I’ll clobber you, she thought, but even her left hand that she was just barely able to move had been moved by Teresa and was now resting around on his back, so she couldn’t do anything.
Just then, Lydia remembered the thing he had said during the day.
Oh, no, was this man seriously going to do something out of bounds so that he could make us established so that I won’t be able to annul our engagement…..
But Edgar spoke up to say something that was completely different from what Lydia was worried about.
“What kind of dream did you see?”
“A dream where my body was sinking in water.”
“Why would you have a dream like that?”
“Probably because I had died from drowning in water.”
Just remembering that, Lydia was starting to feel suffocated again.
“Is there anything else you remember?”
Teresa turned her head up like she didn’t understand his question.
“Why would you ask something like that?”
“I want to know all there is about you. And so that I can feel the reality of this miracle of being able to meet you even after you had died once.”
It seemed like Teresa had accepted his answer without any doubt, but Lydianaturally tried to guess what his true intentions were.
It seemed like Edgar wanted to know about the time when Teresa had died.

P. 169
He had said something like she wasn’t the daughter of Mrs. Collins. Which means, the question of what was the reason behind staging up another person’s soul as Teresa’s.
Like it was impossible to call back the real soul of Teresa, and so it was needed to get one’s hands on someone’s soul who had just died.
“Someone else’s……? That’s right, there was someone there, watching me as I was sinking down….”
If that were true, then it would mean she was killed in order to trick the mother of this house.
Chills went down her spine. Cold sweat seeped out of her. And yet, Teresa continued on with her story.
“I think it was a man. But on one of his ears, he was wearing something that s.h.i.+ned…., a small gemstone?”
“Teresa, is this suffering for you?”
“Oh, no, I’m fine.”
“But, you look like you’re in pain.”
He’s right, this hurts, so stop…..
“Yes, it is a little constraining, my body does feel strained, but I’m not in that much pain,”
What, ….wait, what does that mean?
“Maybe because it hasn’t been that long since I returned to life. It feels like I haven’t fully become attached or used to my living body. That’s why, when I feel sick or when I can’t move, I just feel have a dizzy sense of my condition.”
Hold on a moment, so the only one in pain is me?

P. 170
Now that she thought about it, this was Lydia’s body.
Even if the cause of it was Teresa’s memory, it might mean that the one to completely take on the sickness of health was Lydia.
“Then, would you like to try and remember some more?”
You have to be joking. I’m already suffering this much! Was what she was screaming inside herself, but even if he were to notice, this was Edgar. He was sure to not stop in pulling out useful memories from Teresa.
Teresa was recalling about the muddy water. Just only that, Lydia felt like bitter water was spewing down her throat, and she coughed heavily.
“You don’t have to hurry. Just slowly remember.”
Oh, someone stop this, I don’t want this pain to go on.
“……Oh, I know, I was on top of a bridge. I was watching ripples on the surface of the water. And then suddenly, I was pushed over by someone from behind me…. When I was falling down, I heard that person say something. …..A sacrifice, for His Highness Prince…. Or something like that….”
Why am I the only one who has to go through such torture like this?
Lydia made a fist with her left hand as hard as she could.
That hand had been resting itself on Edgar’s arm, but Lydia didn’t realize that, as she sank her nails down, trying to fight against the pain she was feeling.

P. 171
He must have felt pain, as Edgar made a small frown.
However, Teresa didn’t notice and she didn’t pay any attention. Her body was trembling, but her voice didn’t give out any signs of pain or hurt.
“He was smiling. …..I was so scared…..”
At that moment, Edgar realized what was going on, and quickly put his hand over Lydia’s.
“Teresa, let’s take a rest.”
She looked up at him as if asking him why.
“I’m still fine.”
I can’t take it anymore.
“No, this is enough.”
“I want you to know more about me.”
“No. It seems like there is more damage to your body than you feel.”
She must have been convinced, as Teresa stopped trying to remember anymore, and Lydia was finally released from the tortuous pain she was in.
As her body went limp from exhaustion and she was taking heavy breaths, Edgar held on her left hand tightly and pressed it against his cheek.
“I’m sorry…..”

P. 172
She knew he was saying that to Lydia.
He must have realized that her left hand was connected to Lydia’s consciousness. He appeared like he was worried about her, but to her who was completely exhausted, she only thought ‘what do you mean I’m sorry.’
In the first place, Edgar would just say a light ‘sorry’ as he would use someone in every way he could.
Lydia wanted to say ‘don’t touch me’ but once she was cradled in his arms, there was nothing she could do to fight back.
Teresa was surrendering herself like she had grown completely relaxed.
“You’re so kind. …..I have a feeling like I’ve never been this thought for by someone before.”
“No such thing would happen to someone like you.”
“Oh, no, I just have a sense about that. People thought I was stupid. There were quite some people I had met, but none of them would seriously trying to get to know me. I knew that, but I just wanted to believe that I was attractive and popular…”
“That’s what you remember?”
“Yes, it might be what happened before I died. ….Lord Viscount, you’re so kind, so even if you’re after money, I’m fine even if you are just pretending to be in love with me. I’m happy if you would continue pretending to be nice to me, so that I can continue to like you. I won’t wish for your heart.”
Lydia was listening to their conversation with a dazed mind, but that made her heart skip a beat.
Could she have vaguely noticed Edgar’s lie. Could she have been aware that he wasn’t serious?

P. 173
But, Lydia thought her answer was the complete opposite of hers.
Teresa was honest with her feelings. Lydia didn’t focus on how Edgar felt, but she wanted to distance herself from him because he wasn’t serious.
If Edgar was serious, then would she be able to fall in love with him. If he wasn’t serious, then she wondered if she would absolutely not fall for him.
She didn’t have an answer, and yet she blamed everything on Edgar.
“Why do you think that I’m pretending in loving you?”
“Because you don’t try to kiss me.”
"You shouldn’t trust a man who would kiss you so easily.”
That would mean you from earlier this day.
“You’re right. You’re absolutely right.”
“Either way, you’re not going to believe me.”
“Then, give me a kiss that you won’t give so easily.”
What, wait….
As the both of them looked at each other closely, Teresa managed to somehow put strength in herself and wrapped her arms around his neck.
No, stop it, whispered Lydia.

P. 174
Don’t kiss me as you please.
Don’t kiss Teresa in front of my eyes.
She didn’t know which one she didn’t want.
But she didn’t want it. Neither one.
From the bottom of her ears, she felt two warm hands hold her cheek.
“My fairy.”
That was what Edgar would call Lydia. She normally thought that is was overly-sweet and too embarra.s.sing and someone hurry up and do something about him, but Lydia realized that he was talking to her straightly so that Teresa wouldn’t notice, and although she was tired and slumped down, her heart started to beat oddly fast.
“Even if I meant it from my heart, it would be difficult for me now to be trusted by you.”
Teresa remained silent. There was no way that she could realize that those weren’t words that were meant for her, but she might have felt she was in a distant position.
As Lydia was relieved, she thought this was unexpectedly. She thought that Edgar didn’t mind if she didn’t believe in him and just cared that she would stay by his side. That’s why she thought he was putting his energy and focus on piling up more deniable facts like engagement and kissing.
And yet, right now, he was going through the effort of calling out to Lydia and refused the offer from Teresa.
His words that if it wouldn’t mean that he wasn’t kissing Lydia, then he wouldn’t do it.

P. 175
But, even so, she couldn’t believe she was on the verge of believing him.
Especially a man who did as he pleased and used other people selfishly.
“……I feel weary. I think I don’t have much strength left.”
“You want to lay on your side?”
“Yes…..”
Teresa let the strength go out in her arms. Edgar tried to set her down, but suddenly he brought her into his arms again like he was cradling her.
“I want to be like this, just a little longer.”
Although he said that, the truth was that Lydia’s hand, only her left hand was still clinging onto his sleeve and wouldn’t let go.
Lydia didn’t know why herself. She thought she wouldn’t have such strength left in her, but she didn’t want to let go.
I’m sorry, he said again.
Their words and feelings weren’t able to communicate well. Lydia was always holding herself backwards and even if she thought that she wanted to step closer to him in the corner of her heart, she wasn’t able to act.
But, now, the only thing that was free was her one hand. Since her feelings were concentrating in that, she wasn’t able to control it.

P. 176
For an instant, she felt that if it was this hand, she might be able to touch deep into his heart.
She earnestly wished that she could know that he was really feeling.
And as they were like that, Lydia felt like there were no lies in the arms that were nervously holding Lydia in a more bemused manner than usual.

Until morning arrived, Edgar wasn’t able to even take a light nap.
He sank himself into the sofa and had his eyes closed, but in the darkness where all the lights were put out, he couldn’t take his attention off of Lydia’s breathing.
What was saving was that she didn’t have any nightmares and continued to sleep peacefully.
A man who wore a gemstone on the back of his ear. The one who killed Teresa was no doubt, Ulysses. It was only the close subordinates of Prince who called him in the ceremonial manner of His Highness.
It was valuable information, but he was surprisingly down-hearted and his mood depressed from making Lydia go through such pain.
In the room that was starting to light up, he turned over his s.h.i.+rt sleeve to check his skin.
There was light, red lines left on his arm when Lydia had gripped him strongly.
It was an unexpected strength. He was making her bear with that much pain.

P. 177
He was well aware that she might feel pain, but he did choose to pull out the memory from Teresa.
No matter how much he said that she was special to him, after this it was natural that he couldn’t have her believe him. Where in the world is there a man who would do this kind of thing to the woman he cares for.
Lydia said that he didn’t think about her feelings, but he was vaguely understanding what she meant.
But, for Edgar, he didn’t have any intention of lying to Lydia. Putting aside the fact that she was valuable as a fairy doctor, he thought she was cute, and he wanted her all to himself and wanted to keep her by his side, and if one normally thought about that, you would think that it was feelings of love.
Only, it wasn’t like there were not that many women to Edgar. He was aware that it was easy for him to come to like someone. And yet, the reason he proposed to Lydia wasn’t because of just a whim of his.
Although it was an idea he thought up at the spur of the moment, he did like her, and there was profit for the both of them and so he thought it wasn’t a bad idea.
As he thought that and had his eyes closed, he heard the sound of Lydia waking up and stirring in her bed sheets.
The sound of her slowly approaching his direction was like she was creeping up to a sleeping lion.
Oh, that’s why. Because she would be so cautious, it made him want to joke around. Although that only made her lift up guard up around him, he wanted her to turn her attention towards him even if it was cautiousness.

P. 178
Like she was making sure he was still asleep, Lydia peered down over at him, but she must have not noticed that the tip of one of her strands of hair was brus.h.i.+ng up and tickling the nape of his neck.
The thing that Lydia was looking at was the red finger marks that were left on his arm.
Oh, no……, she groaned as she lowered herself to take a closer look.
The one at fault was Edgar, and yet Lydia was the type who felt guilty from the bottom of her heart.
Because she would lightly touch with her fingers on it, he thought she was so adorable that he could barely restrain himself.
He wanted to hurry up and make her his.
It was easy to steal a kiss from her.
He thought if he were to kiss Teresa, that would be something emotionally unacceptable to Lydia, and so he reframed himself last night.
But right now, it was Lydia. She was close enough in his grasp. She had her guard down completely.
And yet, he didn’t know if he should. He might be all too irresponsible and acting in a halfhearted way towards her.
That’s why he had put her through a painful experience; and he thought that the gap between them would not shrink even if he were to kiss her and that made him feel unusually weak and discouraged.
If he were to show any hints that he was awake, then she was sure to scamper off in an escape.
She was so close to him, and yet he felt like she was miles away.
He wondered what he was to Lydia.

P. 179
A suspicious scoundrel, or as the employer of a fairy doctor. He wondered if she at least felt good enough about him to think of him as a friend.
She also said that she didn’t want marriage that had no love in it.
Love, huh.
He thought that it wasn’t like there wasn’t any……
As he still felt the mark on his arm, Edgar was thinking about that for the first time.
“Miss. Carlton, are you awake?”
It was Suzy’s voice. At the same time, Lydia quickly moved away from Edgar’s side.
“Yes, what is it, Suzy?”
Feeling like they were interrupted, Edgar moved his head like he had just awoken at the maid’s voice.
“Pardon me, Lord Viscount. At such an early hour,” she said towards Edgar when she opened the door.
“It’s fine, …..did something happen?”
“Uh, the earl is frantically looking for you.”

P. 180
The earl imposter was yelling on top of his lungs, calling out for Edgar and his whereabouts who was not in his room.
It was an annoyance, not only to Edgar, but to Lydia.
Suzy was the only one who knew that he was in Lydia’s room. That’s why she shut up the fake earl into the salon and convinced him that she will go and call for the viscount.
Recalling how he was making the same kind of ruckus when the incident happened yesterday evening, made Lydia have a bad feeling. She thought it was best not to get separated, and came along with Edgar.
She rushed to prepare herself, and when the both of them came to the salon, the man came running over to Edgar like he was practically jump himself onto him.
“Lord Viscount! Thank goodness. You’re alive. Oh, Teresa, and you as well.”
His disturbed and frightened state of being didn’t appear like it was an act, but they couldn’t be sure.
“What do you mean in alive?”
“Please, save me!”
“You have to calm down and explain to us first.”
“It was Lord Clark this time. Just like last time, his room was made into a mess and I didn’t see his body anywhere.”
Edgar led Lydia to sit down on a chair and he calmly asked his questions.
“And you’re the first person to discover this again?”

P. 181
“That’s because our rooms were close and I heard noise….”
“Wasn’t your room next to Lord Stanley?”
“It was much too disturbing, so I had it changed.”
“Then, I wonder why it’s always the one next to you that’s the target.”
“I-I wouldn’t know that even if you asked me. But, the next victim could be me, or even you. Please let me stay with you. Since, well, you have an excellent reliable servant with you.”
Edgar didn’t hide it from his face that he didn’t want a man to be following him around.
But it was sure that Ulysses had made another move. In a situation where they couldn’t escape from this estate, he might be trying to slowly put Edgar to a corner.
There still was a chance left that this fake earl could by Ulysses.
Edgar, of course, must have been thinking about that. He abruptly went up to the imposter.
“Pardon my rudeness.”
After he said that, he really did the rude thing and grabbed ahold of the man’s head in his hands. And like the man’s head was an object, Edga turned the man’s head side-to-side and after he had confirmed something, he let go.
Now that she recalled, Teresa had said yesterday evening that right before she died, there was a man near her. That man had been wearing something like a gemstone on the back of one of his ears.
Edgar cast another glance at the fake earl who had no idea what the meaning was in what he just done.

P. 182
“You don’t think that I might be the culprit?”
“Culprit? Isn’t this the work of a ghost?”
“Then why don’t you put the Bible inside your s.h.i.+rt and protect yourself with your own hands.”
When Edgar put his back to the man, he rushed to circle around him. He clamped his hands together and begged him.
“Please don’t abandon me, Viscount. I was just asked to come here; I never heard that this was going to happen.”
“You were asked?”
“Yes, that’s right. I was asked by the spiritualist Seraphita to play the act of marrying her daughter in order to heal Mrs. Collins’ ailing heart. Even if she was the daughter of a wealthy family, she must of never imagined that this many suitors could be gathered. Since the ghost of her daughter was only able to stay in his realm for one week, I just had to seduce her and then engage with her, so that the mother would be relieved and they would pay me my compensation…..”
Saying that much, he shut his mouth in a hurry, and looked over towards Lydia.
The ghost of Teresa was only able to remain on this plain for one week. Lydia was the one who heard that, but his look said he just said the wrong thing.
Lydia looked back at him dumbfounded and pretended like she wasn’t listening.
“And so? What is the name of you who accepted this kind of job?”
“Palmer…. Uh, you see, I was in a little trouble with money. The Lady I was being under the care of went overseas, and so,”

P. 183
“In order words, your occupation is an gigolo.”
“Well, I do have confidence in my looks, and I’m experienced with handling women, so it was quite an easy job,”
“To have a gigolo put up the act as an Earl is quite the way to rub up against someone’s nerves.”
Edgar seemed pretty outraged, but Lydia thought that his kind of type was perfect for the job.
Goodness, she was so disgusted that it made her relax the tension in herself. And she was relieved at hearing that the ghost would only be able to stay in her body for one week.
But, she was worried for Teresa.
She was killed by Ulysses. Not only that, but her soul was being used by him. She was called back to the land of the living for one week, and was going through a sham of an engagement and was going to be once again sent off to the otherworld.
But, in the sense that he was deceiving her, then Lydia was guilty for the same crime.
She was wis.h.i.+ng that the girl who was starting to fall for Edgar would be returned to the realm of the dead.
“Yes, the spiritualist. That woman is controlling a ghost and making it do such a thing!”
The gigolo Palmer yelled out the first thing that was on the top of his head.
“Oi, Viscount, we all should catch that woman and question her.”
“If it’s Seraphita, then she has disappeared.”
Oscar was standing at the salon entrance way.

P. 184
“I was also looking for her because I wanted to ask her a few things, but I haven’t seen her since yesterday.”
Yesterday, which means, it could have been because Raven caused an injury to her.
“So you’re saying that she has escaped from this estate?”
“I thought no one could go across the path because of the high tide?”
“If one were to take their chances, then it wouldn’t be completely impossible to not be able to get across.”
If it were a selkie, then there would be no problem at all, thought Lydia. But, she couldn’t think up of a reason for Ermine to run from here. In the first place, if she was being controlled by the man named Ulysses, then that would mean it was his order for her disappearance.
“What about the old woman who was by the spiritualist’s side?”
“She’s gone.”
“I can understand Seraphita, but do you think that an old woman would try to cross such a dangerous path?”
Palmer tilted his head.
“She might be hiding so that no one can find her, or the both of them could have been erased just like the two gentlemen.”
As he listened to Oscar, Edgar leaned up against a display shelf. He made a painting drop with his elbow, but it was sure to be on purpose.
“Oh, excuse me.”

P. 185
He said that but he didn’t bother to pick it up, which could be said to be the arrogant att.i.tude of a n.o.ble.
He might have felt a little humiliation, but Oscar bent himself down to pick it up.
Lydia watched as Edgar peered himself over the young man from above, and then realized why he had done such a thing.
It was to check the back of Oscar’s ear.
He leaned down which made his faint blond hair fall down over his cheeks to reveal his ear. Lydia wasn’t able to see from where she was sitting, but Edgar casually moved away from Oscar and walked over towards Lydia.
“Anyways, we are in a situation where we can’t run or hide from the culprit who we don’t know is. Oscar, I honestly don’t believe anyone.”
Edgar placed his hand on Lydia’s shoulder and when got the feeling that it was a sign to be careful and on intuition realized that it was ‘him.’
Because there was the gemstone on Oscar’s ear that Teresa saw.
This young boy of a man was the one sent in by Prince? She couldn’t believe in it so easily because she had imagined him to be a more elderly man.
“I wonder if each individual just has to protect themselves.”
“Let’s do that. I’ll take Teresa under my care.”

P. 186
Edgar held out his hand and helped Lydia stand up.
“That would be a little problematic.”
But, Oscar stood in their way like he was blocking them off from the exit.
“Teresa is my relative.”
Did he suspect them?
“I am her fiancé. Mrs. Collins has acknowledged us.”
“Even if you were engaged, I can’t allow you to watch over you.”
Lydia panicked. She didn’t want to be left alone with one of Prince’s men.
“But, I can only trust him!”
“Don’t be a child now, Lydia,” said Oscar with a grin.
Lydia. He knew that she wasn’t Teresa.
But even Oscar himself must have realized that he was found out by Edgar. That line he just said was like he was announcing that he was Ulysses.
Edgar immediately tried to guard Lydia by standing as her s.h.i.+ed. But Ulysses swiftly lifted his arm that held a pistol and pressed the nozzle to the back of Lydia’s head.
“Now, let me have you drop your weapon.”

P. 187
Edgar had just put his hand inside of his coat, but for a fraction of a second, he hesitated.
“What if I said no?”
Whaat?
Lydia couldn’t believe her ears for a moment. When you have faced with a hostage, wouldn’t you normally do as the person says?
“I’ll kill this woman.”
See------?! I knew it would come to this.
“Why don’t you go ahead. In the next second, you’ll be dead as well.”
Wh-what was that.
If he dropped his weapon, then the situation would turn to worse. Ulysses might just kill Lydia right in front of Edgar so that he would be able to inflict him pain. Was what Edgar was thinking, but Lydia couldn’t spend any time to think that up.
Right behind her ear, Lydia heard the faint sound of the trigger being pulled, and she held her breath.
He was the man who killed Teresa. Killing Lydia was nothing to him. And yet, what did he mean ‘to go ahead?’
Ulysses and Edgar’s silent and tense stand-still continued for a while. Just when Lydia was starting to feel like it was hard to breath, Ulysses made a smile like he was unplugging the tension from this situation.
“You are quite clever, Ted.”

P. 188
Ted. He purposefully called Edgar by his nickname. But Edgar looked like he terribly hated it, so Lydia thought that he must have copied the way Prince talked.
“Your target is me. Why don’t you stop trying to beat around the bush.”
“Oh, it great, how you look. The more you fight back, the more I’m excited. The final act starts from here. I’ll keep her with me so that I can have you uselessly struggle to resist.”
He pulled her arm.
This person, he’s scary. Just when she felt that, the memories of when Teresa died rose up in her mind. Lydia trembled from a terrified chill and went into a panic.
“No……, don’t touch me! You murderer!”
But she was pinned down by Ulysses and threatened with a pistol. She grew even more furious at Edgar who just stood silently watching.
If Edgar made a move, then Ulysses would shoot Lydia to constrain her. So that she wouldn’t die, he would start from her arms and legs.
But, Lydia wouldn’t have known that. You murderer, yelled Lydia once more.
“Edgar, you too! You truly don’t care what happens to me! What do you mean that he should go ahead and kill me!”
“It’s not that. Lydia, I will definitely save you so don’t do anything reckless.”

P. 189

P. 190
Lydia’s mouth was covered, and so she wasn’t able to go on and rail at Edgar, but her sense of distrust was heighten when she imagined that she was going to silently be taken away by this man?
“You shouldn’t make a promise like that so easily. But, yes, if you do have a particular liking to her, then at least I’ll will kill the two of you together. Why don’t you try and come to save her?”
Lydia was taken out of the room like she was being dragged by the grinning Ulysses, and since she was pointed to by a pistol, she had no choice but to start walking.

Around that time, Raven, who was going off to the town alone, had finished his business and was rus.h.i.+ng back the way to the estate.
He hurried his horse and managed to arrive at the two sh.o.r.es opposite of each other before the early morning low tide, but the waves which were calm at the town was just as violent as they were yesterday at only this area.
The thin path that appeared after the sea waters went down, was endlessly getting invaded by the waves and appeared and disappeared like it was battling with the heaving sea.
But since the area was still bright, it was still better than when he left during the night.
He might be easier to spot by the enemy, but he had to hurry back to Edgar’s side.
The package that he was entrusted to by the messenger of the‘Scarlet Moon’ was tied to his body. Raven made sure and checked that and made his horse walk on.

P. 191
He headed for the house that was built all by itself on the hill that came up out at the end of the path and stepped on the path that separated the ocean waters. When he came across to the middle of the road, he saw something black floating in between the waves.
For a moment, it looked like a person’s head, but he immediately could tell that it wasn’t.
It was a seal. When he took a good look around him, he was surrounded by countless number of seals. No, they weren’t normal seals.
Fairies?
He learned about selkie seal fairies from being told by Lydia, but when Raven felt the spirit’s nerves start to stand on its end, then he was able to know that he was being targeted by something that wasn’t human.
If they were sea fairies, then they wouldn’t be able to reach him all the way on the sh.o.r.e.
He kicked with his stirrups and hurried his horse.
At that moment, all of the seal fairies dived into the sea all at once. In the next minute, a tall, humungous wave erupted from the waters and rushed over to his direction.
There was no place for him to run as he was engulfed by the waves. He was dragged down to the depths of the waters.
Even if he tried to kicked himself up, once the seals circled around him, they bit and clinged onto him to try to sink him down.
He pulled out his dagger.

P. 192
When he whipped around his arm, he felt he hit something as the sea around him turned dark red. The seals all rushed to get away from him like they were daunted for a moment.
But the red color quickly mixed and disappeared into the gray sea.
Once again, they returned their target back to him and began to swim around Raven as they tried to tighten their radius on him.
There were too many of them. He couldn’t move in the water as free as he wanted.
He couldn’t get another breath of air.
Just then, he thought he heard someone say stop.
This person is different, not one of them.
From behind, his arm was steadied and he was pulled up. The twisting, rough waves that had been circling him died down and disappeared, and Raven was released back up to the top of the water surface without any resistance, and as he took in deep breaths for air, he felt the hand that had saved him slowly let go, but more quickly then that, he grabbed the wrist.
“…..Ermine.”
“Go to the hill on that sea sh.o.r.e. You better get back on land before the waves get rough again,” she said, in a way like she gave up trying to escape from Raven.

After the two of them sat together in a crack in the inclined slope, they were able to get away from the hard wings. If it was here, then they couldn’t be seen from the house said Ermine, or the selkie that looked just like her as she sat down on the sand.

P. 193
“What’s different?” asked Raven as he took and threw away his coat that sagged heavy from soaking up the salt water.
Ermine looked completely exhausted and lifted her head like she didn’t understand the question he was asking her and leaned her head to the side.
”You said that I was different to the selkies.”
“Yes….., they are all on the edge of their nerves. Since a human whose has captured and horribly treating their kind is here.”
“Ulysses.”
“That’s right. But they can’t get near him, and so they attacked you thinking that you were working with him.”
“So the selkies in the sea aren’t under the control of Ulysses’ will.”
“the ones under his control are the servants in the house. They are selkies that are in human form. But some selkies in the sea are also being controlled. Ulysses is the one who is purposefully making them angry, and the selkies are making the sea storm just like he wants.”
On Ermine’s shoulder who leaned up against the rock, the knife that was jabbed in by Raven remained stuck in place.
It seemed like the blood wasn’t stopping as he could see that red was soaking over her chest. But as it slowly dripped down, it turned to a clear liquid and then into silky gla.s.s beads and dropped to the ground.
He was made to know that she wasn’t human at all. Then she wasn’t his sister. She was just an enemy.

P. 194
Since the blood that was running down her body had no longer any connection to Raven.
“…..Just like you can see, I’m not the person who I was before.”
It seemed she noticed Raven looking at her wound intently.
“Miss. Carlton said that you might be a selkie.”
“Well, she is a fairy doctor.”
“Was it part of Ulysses’ plan for you to save me?”
Ermine shook her head like it was bothersome for her.
“Since I have an injury, I was told to stay low for a while. Right now, I’m not given an order other than that. ….But he is going to drive Lord Edgar to the edge and is probably going to keep using me from now on.”
It wasn’t like Edgar was the type to be easily swayed by his feelings. But, if it was to protect those who were dear to him, he wouldn’t think about his own safety. Ermine was his friend who he wanted to protect. Even if she betrayed him, she was still a dear friend to him so much that he felt he was responsible for not being able to stop her before what happened.
Because Ermine was that kind of person, the enemy was thinking that she would become Edgar’s weakness.
Raven felt a small bit of irritation as he walked over to Ermine’s side.
“Why did you return when you should have died. Going so far as to become something not human.”
“It’s not like I wished for this…. No, maybe I did wish for this somewhere in my heart. If I could be forgiven, then I wished I could serve Lord Edgar once more.”

P. 195
“Lord Edgar has a fiancée already.”
“Raven, that’s not what I meant. I just want to purely serve him. That was my wish from the very beginning.”
“But, you gradually wanted to have him all to yourself, and leaked our information to Prince.”
Because, once Edgar became an Earl and hardened his position as an England n.o.ble, then her feelings for him would become even more unreachable. She wanted to remain at the closest distance to him by staying as his fellow comrade.
“Yes, you’re right, at that time I had forgotten my feelings from when we started. It was true that there was feelings that went beyond loyalty for Lord Edgar inside me, and that part of me was taken advantage of by Prince…..”
From the wound on her shoulder, blood oozed out even more. He wondered if a fairy would die if they were to lose too much blood. But can a fairy die in the first place? He wondered why she left the knife stuck in herself without pulling it out.
“Raven, you have to kill me. In the end, that’s the only way there is. You must make sure and kill me so that I will never be brought back to the living world. I don’t want to be used to torment Lord Edgar any further.”
“But right now you are just a walking dead. Can you die any more than that?”
“As long as I’m in human form, then it seems like I can die like a human. The selkies are more close to a living creature than a fairy.”

P. 196
To kill her, was most likely the necessary step in order to protect Edgar, but Raven thought that would also be the most best option for Ermine.
If she says she was the same as a human, then he would be able to let her die without any pain.
He was about to reach out towards her open white neck.
“Please forgive her,” said a voice all of a sudden.
When he turned around, there was a small old woman standing there.
“Are you not her only brother? Even if she has turned into something not human, she continued to worry about you.”
“You’re a selkie as well…..?”
“Yes, my coat has been stolen and quite some time has pa.s.sed since I was forced to take a human form by Ulysses. I am nearly at the point where I’ve forgotten about my selkies ways, but I am definitely a selkie.”
The old woman calmly spoke like she was talking about someone else. She had she was the slave of Ulysses, but it was apparent that she didn’t wish to serve him out of her will.
Lydia had said that selkies who had their coats stolen aren’t able to fight against the one who had it.
A slave held in captivity. Raven and Edgar was like that once before, and so he didn’t feel any malice from the old woman and continued to listen what she had to say.
“I was the one who was ordered by Ulysses to give the life of a selkie to your sister who was wandering the seas as a dead soul. She is still like an infant as a selkie. I am watching over her like a mother.”

P. 197
“That’s why you say not to kill her?”
“Could you, for even just a little, think yourself as if in her position. You were the one she wanted to protect the most, more than herself and her master.”
Raven wasn’t able to understand what she had said right away.
To me, what was the most important was his master Edgar. When asked what was next, all he could say was it would be what Edgar felt important to him, something that he needed more than anything.
Since they were friends that Edgar tried to protect, Raven also poured himself in protecting everyone as well, and it was his understanding that Ermine was one of the people in that group.
He thought everyone felt the same way. They were comrades who believed in Edgar and followed and served him. There were those who were friendly and those who weren’t to Raven, but they helped and saved each other out because they were part of the team that Edgar organized.
And yet, this old woman was saying that to Ermine, Raven was more important than their master.
“Grandmother, ……you don’t need to talk about that.”
“But, you are siblings.”
What are siblings? It just means that they had the same mother.
But Edgar said to him that ‘She is your sister.’ He emphasized that she was his sister.

P. 198
Now that he thought about it, Raven remembered something that he was always wondering about.
How and when was it when Ermine had come in contact with Prince. If that man had figured out her weakness and controlled her to make her secretly leak the information about their whereabouts, then there should have been a chance to directly meet with Prince.
But, during the time when they were in escape, he couldn’t recall when there could have been a period of a long enough time that she could leave Edgar’s side.
When he whipped through his memory, there was one time when that was possible.
It was when Raven was captured in the enemy’s hands.
At that time, Edgar was in the middle of a fight with another organization and from his own experience, Raven knew that he had to get out with his own strength.
Edgar would naturally think that that was possible and he knew that he needed to concentrate on the large number of his comrades than just on Raven.
But, the situation turned out to be much more difficult than he antic.i.p.ated. The one who came to help him at that time was Ermine.
Later on, he found out that she was acting alone, but since it turned out all right, they weren’t blamed for anything.
But, Raven thought about why Ermine had acted out of bounds without getting permission from Edgar one more time.

P. 199
If they felt that Raven was having a hard time, then eventually Edgar and his men would come to his rescue. But he wondered if that would have made it in time.
But for her, it just meant that her prioritization was to rescue Raven than to follow the orders of her master.
If, in case, she had already been under the control of Prince from then….
Raven was confused more than he ever was. He tried to think about it in a logical sense, but his emotions couldn’t keep up. Just that, in a vague thought, he thought that it was because she was his ‘sister.’
Most likely, Edgar too, thought that that was the time which started it. That’s why he said that ‘she was your sister’ to Raven who blamed Ermine for her betrayal.
He wanted to say that the reason she acted on her own, was because Raven wasn’t just a member of their group, but because he was her brother.
Although it was connected to betrayal her friends, even if there was that danger, because she was a ‘sister’ she couldn’t help but go.
“Raven, the selkies are starting to stir. …Something could of happened. You need to hurry and go back to Lord Edgar’s…..”
He swiftly grabbed Ermine’s arm who hadn’t finished talking.
And after he held her down, he pulled out the knife in her shoulder in one fling.
She yelled out in pain, and when she slumped down weakly, Raven slinged her on his back and turned around to face the old woman.
“How do you heal a selkie’s wound?”

P. 200
“It will head when the one who stabbed with the knife pulls it out. There is nothing to worry now.”
That’s why she didn’t pull it out herself.
“Ermine, I will have Lord Edgar judge how to treat you.”

Raven took caution in trying not to be seen as he entered the house and rushed straight to where Edgar was.
It looked like the blood of Ermine on his back had stopped right after the knife was pulled out of her but she was just slumped on him right now.
It might take time until she is able to recover her strength.
He ran into the room, but there was no signs of anyone there. Just after he set down Ermine on the sofa and was about to go off to search for Edgar, the door opened.
Edgar had just returned.
“Raven, you were all right!”
Edgar saw that he came back and gave him a smile of relief.
By being by Edgar’s side, Raven was finally able to feel how it was to be treated as a human being. He didn’t thing that his dangerous missions were anything compared to what this person had shouldered.

P. 201
He was the only one that the brutal demon, a spirit that thirsted for blood inside Raven obeyed. His wish was Raven’s wish, so that was all he needed.
But, right now, there was just one thing that he wished for.
Raven walked over to him who had his arms open in a gesture of friends.h.i.+p and knelt before him.
“Lord Edgar, I would like to ask you to please forgive my sister. She may still be under the influence of Prince’s control and she may become a hindrance to you. But, I will take responsibility for that. I’ll make sure to keep an eye on her. If it turns to the worst, then I’m prepared to end her life. So please, please save her…..”
It seemed Edgar noticed Ermine who was laying on the sofa.
When he went over to her, Ermine tried to sit herself up.
She lowered her head down, and Edgar hugged her right into his arms.
“Welcome back, Ermine.”
And then, he turned around to Raven once more and did the same in embracing his shoulders.
“Welcome back.”
Raven remembered how in the past, when he returned with Ermine, sure enough, Edgar had welcomed them back just like that.
At the same time, he could sense from Edgar’s unusually hard expression that this wasn’t the time to remain overjoyed at the two of their return.

P. 202
“What happened?”
“Ahhh, …..Lydia has been taken captive by Ulysses.”

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