NOVEL NEXT Ch. 6
Agnes Levadine was a sickly woman.
It could be said that the magic flower Actrias that had taken root in her heart was the reason, but even aside from that, she was always frail.
Agnes had never been healthy, not for a single moment since she came out of her mother’s womb.
In her childhood, she couldn’t walk for more than 30 minutes.
Her heart would fail if it beat too quickly.
Although she was in a position to eat all kinds of delicacies, she couldn’t eat anything.
Her stomach was so sensitive that it couldn’t handle stimulating food.
Most of all, she couldn’t stay under the sunlight for long.
Her pale, white skin was not strong enough to withstand the heat of the blazing sun.
She was born weak.
God took away her health in exchange for the breathtaking beauty He bestowed upon her.
So, she was pitiful.
So, she was a bird in a cage.
Agnes Levadine was a woman who should be described as a beautifully crafted glasswork.
It was truly a tragic fact, but the one who knew this best was Agnes herself.
She knew that her body wouldn’t allow her to live long.
Growing up nourished by pity instead of love, it was perhaps natural that she became a person devoid of vitality.
She was indifferent to everything.
More precisely, she was a person who couldn’t immerse herself in anything.
There were times when Agnes, frightened of herself, tried to become obsessed with something, but it wasn’t easy.
Attending splendid balls, forcing down delicacies knowing she would vomit them up, traveling to places full of magnificent scenery—none of these filled her with any sentiment.
The few outings she had did not bring her much.
One thing was the acceleration of her death, and another was the words of praise for her beauty.
She became
[Agnes Levadine is likely the most beautiful woman in the continent’s history.]
Such praise eventually became an absolute truth.
Yet, this too did not fill her with any sentiment.
Agnes just waited to die.
She had no fear of death, no curiosity about the afterlife, and no longing for the remaining life.
Deltain Hebron appeared amidst this situation.
“Magic Flower Actrias. That’s the name of this disease. Or should I call it a curse?”
The only man who identified the cause of her accelerating death.
An infinitely arrogant and great man.
Agnes began to take an interest in him on the seventh day he attempted to lift her curse.
“Won’t you give up?”
“I won’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m someone who doesn’t know failure.”
The day she realized that his obsession with a life that wasn’t even his own was due to his pride.
Agnes felt an unfamiliar shock.
In his burning eyes, declaring his success, she felt an indescribable light of life.
It was the first time in her life that Agnes Levadine felt
This was why Agnes provoked Deltain.
“Another failure.”
To make the beauty she finally witnessed burn more brilliantly.
To feel the intense heat that bloomed when his pride was wounded.
Agnes discovered enjoyment.
She still had no attachment to life, but the fact that her path was no longer dull was quite delightful to her.
… that was until today.
Today was a day when she was extremely displeased by Anya’s smile, which bloomed brightly whenever they talked about the three days Deltain had disappeared, and this caused her mood to plummet.
Today was not a pleasant day, even when Deltain finally appeared, haggard, and drove Anya away.
“Hey, take it off.”
Until he said those words.
“… did I hear you wrong?”
“No, you heard right. I’m going to touch your body. Below your left chest, at the rib area. I need to place my hand there.”
The life in Deltain’s eyes, as he spoke those words, was burning brilliantly.
His golden eyes, like the sun, shone more dazzlingly than ever.
This was a stimulus too strong for Agnes.
So, she, as if entranced, followed his words.
It was an emotion stronger than enjoyment.
Agnes decided to use the word
Yes.
Everything was ecstasy.
Even his undoing her buttons without any mood, touching her bare skin without hesitation, and injecting mana with a laugh.
Even the burning pain that followed throughout her entire body.
In the midst of feeling her thoughts floating and her breath choked.
Agnes, enduring it with squinted eyes, learned a new emotion that covered the ecstasy she had felt until then.
“I told you.”
Her body felt lighter.
For the first time, her condition, which had always worsened, moved towards life.
Her chest felt a bit tight, but the returning vitality awakened her senses more clearly.
“I make mistakes, but I don’t fail.”
The life in the man who performed this task was burning so brightly that it hurt her eyes.
Agnes thought.
He was indeed a man close to the essence of the concept of life.
His red hair reminiscent of burning flames, his golden eyes like the sun, and his smile that bloomed without hiding his emotions.
Every element that made him up touched the concept of life.
Agnes felt her heart drop.
He was now the most beautiful figure she had ever seen in her life.
It was different from admiration or reverence.
The moment she saw that smile, Agnes simply reached out and grasped it.
She stroked under Deltain Hebron’s eyes with her forefinger.
Even with dark circles, his eyes were brilliant.
Even with his face stiffened and his expression distorted, he was dazzling.
“Beautiful.”
Agnes felt thirst.
Facing this burning life, she felt her insides dry up.
Having never properly faced the sun, Agnes, at this moment, faced the sun for the first time in her life.
Her heart pounded, and her breath quickened.
Someone might call this love, but Agnes thought differently.
‘No.’
It was not such a lukewarm emotion.
The emotion that was running wild beyond control was not that kind of warm feeling.
‘I want it.’
She wanted this life.
She wanted to make it hers.
Not just to be with him or to capture him, because her life was too short and insignificant for that.
Deltain Hebron was a great hero.
A demigod blessed by all the mana of the world.
He was going to continue this brilliant life for an unimaginably long time by human standards.
What Agnes desired was to dominate every aspect of his long life.
Agnes wanted to leave a mark.
A mark that would never be erased from his heart, even after her insignificant body turned to dust.
A chain that would bind him for the rest of his life.
A master who would keep his life under her feet.
“… what are you doing?”
She wanted to become the only truth that this arrogant man would revere.
“You’re beautiful. Very.”
Agnes smiled.
Deltain felt goosebumps for some unknown reason and stood up abruptly.
His face was flushed red beyond description.
“… it’s late, so I’m leaving. Don’t wait for me; I’ll just be sleeping for a few days.”
With that, he left the room.
But Agnes was busy savoring the warmth that still lingered at her fingertips.
‘I want to have him.’
Agnes awakened to a feeling she hadn’t understood before.
An obsession born from the desire for something.
She realized the feeling she had always scoffed at and ignored.
Still, Agnes was indifferent to her insignificant life.
Indifferent to all the splendor she enjoyed.
However, there was now something she could no longer be indifferent to.
Agnes brought the thumb that had just caressed Deltain’s eyes to her lips.
And she smiled.
‘I want to have him.’
Agnes did not want to be everyone’s first love, but to be Deltain Hebron’s eternal love.
There was something she needed to do first.
“Miss…?”
Anya entered through the cautiously opened door.
*
Anya Willink was an ordinary woman.
Her appearance, abilities, and family.
The only reason she became the exclusive maid of Agnes Levadine was because her father had long been loyal to Duke Levadine.
Anya was in a position that ordinary people couldn’t even dream of, but it was more like a curse to her.
Unlike the ordinary Anya, everything about Agnes was special.
Agnes Levadine was beautiful, pitiful, and supreme.
Anya Willink had been with her since they were very young.
Therefore, Anya Willink mistakenly thought that she too was special.
Anya Willink wasn’t smart enough to know her place and status.
Anya believed she could have everything Agnes had.
She didn’t reach out directly, but she collected the things Agnes discarded since childhood and used them as her own, proving her feelings.
Perhaps even her futile infatuation with Deltain Hebron was an extension of such a past.
She entertained the thought that Agnes’ place might become hers if Agnes were to disappear.
Therefore, Anya was flustered.
The moans she heard from the room she was driven out of.
Deltain leaving with a flushed face after those moans subsided.
And Agnes, laughing in the room with her top off.
“Miss…?”
Agnes looked at Anya.
Anya felt her heart sink.
More than anything, it was because of the dazzling smile on her face that Anya had never seen in her lifetime.
“Anya, come here.”
Anya felt uneasy.
It was an instinctive fear that intelligent beings feel towards the unknown.
However, she couldn’t run away.
Even someone as not-so-bright as Anya knew Agnes’s orders were absolute.
“Y-Yes…”
“That’s right.”
Agnes gently embraced the approaching Anya.
And with a voice still tinged with laughter, she spoke.
“What did you think of Deltain?”
“H-He left…”
“His face?”
“He seemed… a bit flustered.”
“Really?”
Agnes’ laughter deepened.
Anya felt herself tremble slightly at that.
“Anya.”
“Yes…”
“I really like you.”
Agnes’ hand stroked the back of Anya’s head.
“Because you’re cute. You work diligently all day, you know how to be happy with even the smallest things, and you follow my words perfectly.”
“Th-Thank you…”
“That’s why I turned a blind eye.”
Thud.
Anya’s body stiffened.
Agnes was still smiling as if she was pleased.
“Collecting the things I discarded, thinking of them as your own, waiting for me to discard more.”
Agnes was talking about Anya’s transgressions.
Anya felt her tongue dry up at that.
She needed to make excuses.
No, she needed to explain.
Before Anya could open her mouth, Agnes spoke.
“But Deltain is off-limits.”
The color drained from Anya’s face.
Agnes released her embrace.
She held Anya’s cheeks in her hands and looked into her eyes.
“I won’t give up Deltain. Not while I’m alive, not even after I’m dead.”
Agnes was smiling.
However, it was still bleak.
The shadow of death that always engulfed her could not be lifted by merely slowing the growth of the magic flower.
“Anya, there is a good position in our territory. They are looking to hire a new head maid, and this time they want a young one who can serve for a long time. Oh, look! There’s a young, experienced maid right in front of me. I was wondering how to reward you, but isn’t this perfect?”
Anya’s body trembled.
It was because the dark yet impeccably beautiful smile on Agnes’s face reminded her of something.
“Thank you for taking care of me all this time. Be happy, Anya.”
She was very much like death.
She was a woman where fear and beauty harmonized perfectly.
Anya didn’t think long.
“… yes.”
Being not so bright did not necessarily mean being foolish.
Anya simply nodded her head and expressed her gratitude for the mercy bestowed upon her.