12 O'Clock Marionette-Chapter 49

Nigellia spoke with sincerity.

“The child who was once within our grasp has grown so much—how delightful.”

“But the conditioning—”

“There is no need to repeat it. Once everything is set into motion, that petty conditioning will unravel on its own. Morion’s power is far too great, and human efforts are laughably crude in comparison.”

“……”

“All we need to do is wait for Cruello to be fully prepared to wield that power and for our Lord to be reborn into this world.”

Even after those words, the Grand Elder’s expression remained tense.

Tsk, Nigellia clicked her tongue lightly.

“I have received a prophecy.”

“A prophecy? Surely not—!”

“It wasn’t a revelation regarding the exact date. But He spoke to me.”

‘The ship has not strayed from its course.’

“Everything will unfold exactly as He intends. I am simply moving out of personal curiosity about that girl.”

The grand ritual had already set sail upon a great current.

Even without rowing, the outcome was inevitable.

So if the motion was meaningless anyway, wouldn’t it be best to place the oar into the hands of the one who would swallow Morion?

It would be amusing to watch those who would serve beneath him struggle to steer the ship.

That was Nigellia’s faith.

‘And while I’m at it, cutting away the rotten parts is also part of my duty.’

Hiding her true thoughts, Nigellia smiled.

At the word prophecy, Heorim’s defiance crumbled completely.

“I will trust you, Second Elder.”

“As you should.”

The Second Elder nodded slowly.

Then, she turned toward the spot that had been nagging at her for a while.

The drawing room door.

“You’re there, aren’t you, Eden?”

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“What?”

The Grand Elder flinched and spun around.

At the spot where her gaze landed, someone slowly stepped forward.

A man with long, light brown hair cascading to his waist, his complexion pale—Eden.

The Grand Elder’s expression darkened as he scolded his son.

“Did you hear that, Eden?”

“I… I do not understand what you were discussing, Father. Only that the Elders were—”

“This is none of your concern! How many times have I told you to stay in your chambers?!”

“There’s no need to be so harsh, Grand Elder.”

Nigellia’s voice was unhurried as she inserted herself into the conversation.

“If you think about it, this is your fault. Why haven’t you taught this child of His grace?”

“……He is a frail child. He cannot withstand the magic.”

“He was healthy when he was younger. And yet, the same man who was so ruthless toward Tetaniyo suddenly finds excuses?”

“Second Elder!”

“I know, I know. You fear how this soft-hearted child would react to the truth of the sect. How could I not?”

A child who was too moral, too gentle.

Someone who had once shown special affection toward Cruello out of pity—one who would undoubtedly resist the sect’s ways.

The Grand Elder’s fear was obvious.

The sect did not tolerate traitors.

Nigellia smiled.

“Forgive your father for not teaching you the truth, Eden.”

“Second Elder?”

“And forgive me, too, for how many times I have tampered with your memory.”

At her gesture, Eden’s eyelids fluttered closed.

The Grand Elder barely caught his son as he collapsed.

“Sweet dreams, child.”

By the time he woke, he would have forgotten everything.

But that was how dreams always worked, wasn’t it?

***

“What the hell is going on, Siora?”

As if she had been waiting for this moment, Minuet stormed into the room the second Nigellia left.

I slumped back onto the drawing-room sofa.

“She just forced it on me, saying she’s going to teach me from now on.”

“I don’t know either.”

“Siora—”

“Cruello did something.”

At the mere mention of his name, my innocence was proven.

The suspicion vanished from Minuet’s face instantly.

Cruello was useful in times like these.

She scowled and sat across from me.

“The Marchioness of Somon may be respected as a scholar, but that’s a separate issue.”

“Marchioness of Somon?”

Now that she mentioned it, Nigellia had introduced herself that way.

So she held a noble title. Judging by Minuet’s reaction, she must have been quite renowned.

“Her tests are infamous for being brutal. She never actually intends to let anyone pass, and people have died attempting them. It’s a waste of time, Siora.”

“Well, it didn’t seem dangerous yet. She just told me to attend a tea party since I lack social experience.”

“Whatever it is, refuse.”

“Uh… about that, Minuet. I already…”

“You already agreed?”

Minuet squinted at me in disbelief.

I had nothing to say, so I shut my mouth.

With a frustrated sigh, Minuet snatched the teacup in front of me.

I hurriedly stopped her.

“Ah, don’t drink that! Who knows what’s in it?”

“You’re this paranoid, and yet you agreed to this?”

“……”

“The Marchioness of Somon is a White Desert Elder. You saw them in Whistle, didn’t you? You know what they’re like.”

“I did.”

“You claim not to know, but there’s a good chance that the people who had your father killed were from their council. Even if they pretend otherwise, everyone who knows them is aware of how vile they are.”

Correct.

Ares was the one who killed the Count.

But since I had lied to Minuet, saying I didn’t know the culprit, I had to keep my expression neutral.

I had no choice.

If she acted on vengeance and did something reckless, it would be dangerous.

Even if Presto had changed and could face Ares better than before, it was still…

Suddenly, Minuet’s expression shifted.

“Siora Bonetti.”

“Hmm?”

“You know everything, don’t you?”

“No? What? I don’t know anything. I have amnesia.”

“Right. I was too naive. I knew you were suspicious, so why didn’t I question it more specifically?”

That was probably because of divine power… No, wait!

Crisis! Immediate crisis!

I tried to keep my expression as innocent as possible, but it didn’t work.

“You and the Duke are working together.”

“Wow, what a rude accusation. We’re just engaged, so of course, we spend time together.”

“Wait. Was the whole engagement setup part of a scheme?”

“That’s not even remotely true! Don’t make up stories, Minuet!”

“Then why did you agree to this?”

“I was one step away from being thrown out onto the streets. Wouldn’t you have done the same?”

“Considering what happened in Whistle, I doubt you’d have starved no matter what.”

“What are you talking about? What happened in Whistle?”

You promised to keep it a secret!

I poured all my energy into feigning ignorance, and thankfully, Minuet didn’t bring up anything more about the estate.

But her narrowed eyes remained suspicious.

“You are Siora Bonetti, aren’t you?”

…Did I just hear my heart drop?

I froze completely—perhaps to my advantage, because I didn’t give anything away on the surface.

“No. That would be pushing it into fiction,” Minuet muttered.

Thank the heavens she wasn’t some monster who could hear my heartbeat.

I nodded as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

“So, you already agreed, and now you have to attend a tea party?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“If you already said it aloud, canceling is no longer an option.”

“Seems that way.”

“And you don’t even want to cancel.”

“I’ll quit if they ask for something absurd.”

“…Stay there. I’ll find the soonest one you can attend.”

Oh, she was trying to make sure they wouldn’t have enough time to pull any tricks.

“Fine, but next time, discuss it with me before doing something like this.”

Sweating under her glare, I nodded without hesitation.

And then, I was hit with a wave of self-loathing.

Why did I always cave so easily to Minuet? It made no sense.

Eventually, she settled on Nina Holmaze’s tea party, which was scheduled for that very afternoon.

I wasn’t sure if it was okay to barge in so suddenly, but apparently, they were fine with it.

Since time was tight, I had to get ready so quickly that I felt like my heart might explode.

Only barely managing to make it, I climbed into the carriage.

As soon as the wheels started turning, I slumped against the seat, feeling my soul leave my body.

Who am I? Why am I so diligently completing a task given to me by an enemy?

Is the promise of the key even real?

Wouldn’t it be better to just poison Nigellia’s tea and steal the key instead?

Not that it would work.

Scowling, I let out a deep sigh.

“Do you hate tea parties that much?”

Cruello’s voice.

I blinked and turned my head.

There he was, grinning at me as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

Perfectly crisp white shirt, a pale gray vest, his long legs crossed beneath him since he had taken off his coat.

With his sharp, chiseled features, he already looked like a figure from history books, but today, he somehow seemed even more polished.

…Can someone explain why he’s here?

I glanced around.

Did I get into the wrong carriage?

No, this was definitely Bonetti’s.

“I was already here when you got in, darling.”

“…Did Bonetti’s carriage get sold to White Desert?”

“I don’t think so. The coachman let me in without question.”

“…Ah.”

I don’t get it.

I had experienced so many absurd situations that this one barely seemed worth questioning.

I just nodded—then suddenly remembered Nigellia’s warning.

“I have to go alone.”

“I’m only taking you there.”

“I’m not a child.”

“Ares was in charge of Bonetti’s affairs. He fled after failing his mission.”

“There were only Ares and Qudil working there?”

“They were the lowest-ranked among them.”

“So Ares was the third, huh? He’s probably on the run—why would he come after me?”

“He’ll be forgiven if he fixes his mistake. Ares is obsessively loyal to the sect. I’ll keep an eye on him for now.”

I pointed at the ring that led to the secret base, but Cruello didn’t even blink.

“I’ll come pick you up when the tea party is over.”

Well, Ares was an assassin. Maybe he didn’t have the luxury to use the teleportation gate.

In the past, I would have rejected his offer without hesitation.

But now, I couldn’t.

For one reason or another, my body was far more important than I had initially thought.

If my divine power were fully activated, I could easily defend myself. But that wasn’t an option right now.

Reluctantly, I muttered an agreement.

Then, a thought struck me.

I had been so focused on all of this that I almost forgot—

“By the way, Cruello, don’t you have something to explain to me?”