Swan Grave - Chapter 35

If he was only going to stand there and watch, then he could at least say a word in her defense.

But Anna knew that this was nothing more than her own one-sided expectation of Rothbart. If he had truly intended to take her side, he wouldn’t have placed her here in this situation… In the end, the fact that she was surrounded by these two women now was no different from being exactly what Rothbart wanted.

Lady Brabant seemed to quickly lose interest in Anna, leaning her body against the back of the sofa and waving her hand dismissively.

“I have seen your face once, so that’s enough. From now on, serve the Marquess well.”

She spoke as if she were something of Rothbart’s, and Rothbart didn’t stop her.

Standing side by side, Rothbart and the Lady of Brabant exuded a certain decadent charm. At a glance, they looked like a well-matched pair. The red eyes of Lady Brabant were also the same as Rothbart’s. If Svanhild were there as well, the three of them would truly look like a family.

Ah. Could it be?

‘The Marquess and that woman… he may be thinking of remarrying.’

A somewhat plausible suspicion took hold of Anna. Based on the information she had gathered, there seemed to be no other explanation. It hurt her more deeply than when Lady Brabant had appraised her or when Rose had mocked her.

‘If that’s the case, then why did he say those words to me before, asking me to become his wife? Were they nothing but insincere, fickle words? Or else…’

Because I rejected him back then, did the opportunity I cast aside end up going to Lady Brabant instead?

The very thought struck her with pain like writhing on sulfurous flames. Anna clutched her stifling chest.

She didn’t even remember how she managed to leave the drawing room, stumbling out in a rush. Whether she kept her expression under control, whether she appeared strange… she remembered none of it. All that remained was the vivid pain of her heart being crushed.

But she could still endure it. For now… Perhaps it was better this way.

She should have drawn the line long ago. This was a relationship with no room for expectations. No duty, no responsibility… A relationship where what was given and taken was clear. So it was right to fold up these half-hearted feelings and lingering attachments now.

Anna consoled herself in this way.

***

Watching Anna’s pitiful retreating back, Rose sneered as if savoring her downfall. No matter how much she flaunted the title of personal maid, in the end, she was nothing more than an ordinary human.

Rose, however, was different. As a black magician, she was one of the chosen, permitted to step into this ‘line.’ A sense of superiority welled up inside her.

The noble lady before her, Odile Brabant, outwardly appeared to be an ordinary noble daughter, but in truth, she was a demon concealing her presence.

Unlike Rothbart, who released his demonic aura freely without a shred of concealment, Odile had chosen the guise of a human from the moment of her birth. Even to the eyes of a renowned black magician, it was impossible to distinguish whether she was human or demon. She even used magic to distort the proof of demonic blood—her red eyes—into blue.

Had Rothbart not told her, even Rose would never have realized Odile was a demon.

Restoring and refining the lost Swan Summoning Spell required more research materials than expected, and Rothbart poured all the connections he had into it. Odile was one of those connections.

As a demon herself, Odile also needed the swan in order to bear an heir. She became another patron of the Swan Summoning Spell and joined hands with Rothbart.

Moreover, as a demon, Odile was the only one who could claim her rights over Rothbart. She was in a position where she absolutely needed to see the Swan Summoning Spell restored, so the sudden halt to the research would be troubling for her. She would surely give her full support for Rose to resume the research. Relying on that, Rose secretly summoned Odile to the Lohengrin estate.

Rose worried what might happen if the master realized that Odile’s sudden appearance had been her own scheme, but fortunately, it seemed to have passed as one of Odile’s whims.

Rose bided her time, waiting for a chance to bring up Anna with Odile. She hadn’t even needed to explain in detail who Anna was; at just the mention of a personal maid, Odile immediately grasped the situation and ordered Anna to be summoned.

Even so, Rose was uneasy. It was vexing to admit, but it was reality that the master reacted sensitively to that girl Anna. If the master were to show anger over Anna even before Odile, who was both his partner and a fellow demon, then there would be nothing Rose could do.

But her fears proved pleasantly wrong. The master didn’t contradict Odile when she belittled Anna. If the master hadn’t given his heart to Anna as much as expected…

Then perhaps there was still a chance left for me. Rose’s chest swelled with excitement.

Just as Rose was brimming with expectation, Odile’s cold voice dashed her hopes like a splash of cold water.

“You should leave as well.”

“Yes? But…”

She hadn’t even brought up the real topic yet. She had to suggest resuming the black magic research while Odile was present…

As Rose hesitated, Odile sneered, “Why? Do you dare intend to intrude on what the Marquess and I have to discuss?”

Odile’s question, asking whether she had the right to sit in on a demon’s conversation, left Rose speechless. Odile’s sharp blue eyes flashed mockingly.

“Or are your petty jealousy and suspicion also aimed at me?”

“N-no. I wouldn’t dare… If there is something you two must discuss closely, then of course I should yield my place.”

At Odile’s words, which seemed to read her very thoughts, Rose reluctantly rose from her seat. The butler, who had been quietly waiting in the corner of the drawing room, twitched his mustache as if to sneer at Rose.

Rose was forced out, and the butler, quick to read the intentions of his betters, also left the drawing room. As the door closed, only Odile and Rothbart remained.

“Her head must be empty, I can hear the sound of her trying to think from here.”

Odile clicked her tongue and mocked. Rose might have thought of Odile as her only hope, but all that Rose felt from her was hostility.

Odile lifted her dry lips in a faint smile and leaned forward. Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she looked up at Rothbart.

“Anyway… how was it? Did that much stir up our little swan’s jealousy? Her expression didn’t change, so I couldn’t tell.”

“Pointless.”

“You say that, yet the corners of your lips are raised, Lord Lohengrin.”

Rothbart said nothing, maintaining his flawless composure as he sipped his tea. Yet as Odile said, the lips hidden behind the teacup were curved in a faint smile. It was the first smile he had shown since meeting Odile.

“That empty-headed girl truly must not know anything. She doesn’t even realize you’ve already achieved your goal. Well, that must be why you called me to play this game. Did she think two demons would be fooled by a mere human forever?”

Odile was outraged. To think a human dared use her. Did I seem so easy?

No matter how much she erased her true presence, she still had the pride of a demon. Rose might have expected her to act according to her own advantage, but Odile’s lofty pride only brought fury instead.

“She can’t know anything, being a servant who doesn’t even do her job properly. Always babbling about experiments and research, but she never had the will to succeed in the summoning.”

Rothbart replied lazily as he set his teacup down on the table. The dark red tea, the color of his eyes, rippled. His fingertips tapped the armrest of the sofa as if recalling a memory.