My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 93: Chapter 93

Chapter 93 - A Snake Does Not Shed Tears

The Dandolo estate, the family council chamber.

The chairman’s seat belonged to the head of the family.

Which meant it was originally Rico Dandolo’s.

But at this moment, Tilda was occupying that seat as if it were only natural.

She used it with the air of someone who already owned the place.

"Where’s Henri?"

"He said there are some trade matters that require his attention, so he won’t be back until tomorrow."

"I know that already. He was obsessing over it so much it was disgusting. What I mean is, there’s no chance he’ll suddenly come back, right?"

"That’s correct."

"Then that means this estate is mine for tonight?"

Tilda smiled.

"Before long, this Dandolo estate will truly belong to Lady Tilda."

"You will stand proudly over this estate not as a daughter-in-law, but as its head."

Seeing the opportunity, the sycophants eagerly flattered her.

Every one of them had been promised a share of the rewards in exchange for cooperating with Tilda.

"That will happen soon enough. So shouldn’t we focus on our work?"

Tilda began preparing the next phase of the schemes she had set in motion between Stephan and Merchit.

"Stephan is currently confronting Herman. He’s trying to drive him out over the management rights, but it doesn’t seem to be going very smoothly."

"And Merchit?"

" ’Sharpening his blade’ would be the best way to describe him. He’s preparing for a full confrontation with Stephan."

"Even so, a blade is always closer than money. Wouldn’t it be better to intensify the pressure on Merchit?"

Tilda idly traced her lips before answering.

"No. We only need to keep pressing Stephan. Getting that bastard out of this game is the most important thing."

"Understood."

"And the groundwork on the other side is already solid, isn’t it? Once we spread the evidence throughout the Empire that the mercenary company is actually a band of thieves, it’ll collapse in an instant."

"That’s right."

"Then we’ll proceed exactly as you instructed."

Her underlings moved efficiently without needing further orders.

Tilda smiled with satisfaction.

Everything was proceeding smoothly.

It felt as though she were watching puppet dolls dance upon the stage of a small theater.

She was intoxicated by the exhilarating feeling that everything would soon be in her grasp.

I just need to find the will now... then everything will fall into place.

The will stated that after Rico Dandolo’s death, everything would be inherited by Henri.

Until Henri’s child reached the age of nineteen and could stand on their own, no one else would be recognized as the successor, and all of the family’s assets would instead be entrusted to the vice chairman.

To Tilda, who coveted the Dandolo Trading Company, it was the most fatal will imaginable.

That was precisely why she was willing to go through all this trouble.

Everything would proceed like falling dominoes.

It would begin with something small, but by the end it would grow into a tidal wave no one could hope to stop.

She would become the master of everything.

Just then, one of the estate servants hurried into the room, leaned close to Tilda’s ear, and whispered,

"My lady, we have good news. We’ve received information that the will has been obtained."

"Is that true?"

Could things possibly go any better than this?

Tilda’s eyes sparkled as the servant nodded.

"The servants delivering the will are currently waiting outside the front gate."

"Very well. Let’s go."

It was the icing on the cake.

With light steps, Tilda headed toward the main entrance, accompanied by several servants.

"What?"

But there was no one there.

She even walked all the way to the front gate and looked outside, but there wasn’t even the slightest sign of a carriage.

They said they came to deliver the will... so where are they?

Just as irritation was about to boil over—

A powerful gust of wind suddenly burst through the windows, throwing them open and extinguishing every candle on the chandeliers.

"Oh my!"

"Where did that wind come from?"

"What are you standing around for? Bring the mages! Relight the chandeliers immediately!"

The servants panicked while the butlers calmly issued orders.

The mages hurriedly began chanting Incantations to relight the candles with magic.

Then it happened.

The darkness that had settled over the hall suddenly vanished.

Or rather, only part of it did.

It was like a spotlight shining upon a stage.

The beam illuminated the top of the central staircase, drawing everyone’s attention.

A woman was standing there.

She had pink hair and wore a mask over her face.

Those who saw her immediately voiced their opinions.

"What is that ridiculous outfit?"

"Oh my... how indecent..."

She was dressed like a bunny girl one might see only in Halim, her outfit outlining every curve of her body.

A swallowtail coat concealed her skin from direct view, but in the conservative Empire, merely revealing the outline of one’s figure was considered scandalous.

Wearing a white masquerade mask, she opened her mouth.

"Let all people remain silent!"

The woman shouted energetically like the showman of a circus.

"Injustice has descended, and the world has fallen into chaos!"

Her delivery was awkward, but she compensated by raising her voice.

"Therefore, I descend from the shadows to uphold justice!"

Those captivated by her appearance each blurted out a remark.

"Who the hell are you?! Do you have any idea where you’ve trespassed?!"

When one of the servants demanded an answer, the mysterious masked woman with pink hair laughed loudly.

"If you must know, I am Pepe of the Bunny Swallows! I have come to this estate to stop the atrocities committed here and defend the justice that everyone else ignores!"

"What?! How dare you spew such nonsense here?!"

"Where else would I be? The whole world already knows this is the place where wealth and evil gather to weave their wicked schemes!"

The mysterious masked woman dramatically struck the floor with her staff while gesturing extravagantly.

The servants angrily shouted back.

"Lord Dandolo fed and supported countless people! How dare you say such things!"

"Rico Dandolo! I never realized so many still claimed loyalty to his children! But tell me—why is your loyalty nothing more than empty words?"

"What kind of bullshit is that?! Do we look like petty cowards who only pretend to be loyal to Lord Dandolo?!"

"How utterly lamentable! You are blind though your eyes are open, and deaf though your ears can hear! A witch has been welcomed into this household, yet how can you all pretend not to see her?"

"A witch? Who in the world are you calling a witch?"

At the mention of the word witch, everyone looked around in confusion.

Tilda Pascal also nervously glanced around.

She desperately hoped that damned phantom thief had guessed wrong.

"Tilda Pascal!"

The woman called her name without the slightest hesitation.

At that very moment, another spotlight shone directly upon Tilda.

Every eye turned toward her.

"You filthy hound of that vile witch. Why are you pretending to be a frightened little dog?"

With everyone’s attention focused on her, Tilda was visibly flustered.

"You wicked serpent who devoured your father-in-law, devoured your own husband, and now seeks to devour even your own blood! Your evil deeds end here! I shall reveal before everyone the very reins with which you have seized control of this estate!"

Just as the masked woman reached inside her jacket to pull something out—

The moment Tilda caught sight of the object, her pupils shrank.

"There she is! The intruder!"

At that instant, countless soldiers rushed through the entrance.

Each of them held a crossbow.

"Fire!"

Fwoosh!

The crossbow bolts shot toward the pink-haired phantom thief.

Boom!

Just before the bolts struck her—

A cloud of pure white smoke exploded from the mysterious pink-haired phantom thief’s body.

The entire area was instantly engulfed.

"Eek!"

Cough! Cough!

"It’s the intruder! Don’t let her escape!"

The attendants hurried to safety while the soldiers frantically searched the area.

Meanwhile, Tilda stared at the place where the pink-haired phantom thief had been standing.

Where is she?

She was trying to detect the woman’s movements through the thick white smoke.

Where are you?

She had to find her.

She had to find that woman before anyone else did.

"My lady!"

Someone suddenly grabbed Tilda by the arm.

"This way! Please evacuate!"

Believing Tilda had gone into shock, a servant quickly pulled her along.

Feigning panic, she allowed herself to be led.

"We’ll escort you to the shelter immediately. This way—"

"No!"

Tilda interrupted.

"There’s no need to go all the way to the shelter. I’ll hide in my room."

"Understood. Then this way...!"

Escorted by the servant, Tilda was led back to her room.

"Please don’t come out! Wait until everything has settled down."

"All right."

The door closed.

With an anxious expression, Tilda paced back and forth.

She lightly tapped the door with her index finger.

At that instant, a crimson barrier spread outward from her fingertip, completely covering the door.

No one would be able to pass through it now.

"What the hell was that crazy bitch?"

Tilda’s face twisted with rage.

She had attracted everyone’s attention with that shameless outfit and called herself Pepe.

"Bunny Swallows? What the hell is that? Who’s trying to screw me over with something like this?"

A phantom thief from an organization she had never even heard of.

She considered who might be behind it.

Stephan?

Merchit?

Herman?

Or perhaps some trick Rico Dandolo had prepared long ago before she began poisoning him?

But that wasn’t the real problem.

How did they know I’d made a contract with a witch?

The Garden Contract had one great advantage.

Unless one cast magic directly in front of someone, it could never be discovered.

Tilda had always used her magic with extreme caution.

She had painstakingly transformed this estate into her own through meticulous planning.

There was no way anyone should have known.

Even if they somehow found that out...

There was still one thing she couldn’t understand.

How had they discovered the catalyst?

The item the phantom thief calling herself Pepe had been about to expose.

She had been interrupted before she could reveal it completely, but Tilda had caught a glimpse of its outline.

It was something thin, small enough to conceal inside clothing, and easy to carry.

The catalyst Tilda herself had prepared possessed exactly the same form.

Could it be...

No... that’s impossible.

Tilda couldn’t be certain.

She wanted to dismiss it as nothing more than a bluff intended to frighten her.

But she couldn’t convince herself.

She had to verify it.

Tilda moved.

In her spacious bedroom, she walked toward a desk drawer.

The one beneath the portrait of herself.

She opened the drawer.

Inside was a framed painting lying face down.

She reached out to flip the frame over and inspect it.

"So I was right. I figured it’d be somewhere in this room, and there it is."

A voice pierced the silence.

Startled, Tilda spun around.

Standing where no one should have been was a man.

He had brown hair tied into a ponytail.

Like the shameless phantom thief, he wore a mask over his face as he looked at her.

"Y-You... who are you? How did you get in here...?"

"How do you think? While that pink-haired phantom thief was drawing everyone’s attention? Or from the moment someone grabbed your wrist and led you away?"

Only then did Tilda finally grasp the outline of this absurd situation.

The woman who had acted like a showman had been nothing more than bait.

Their real objective had been to make her approach the catalyst herself and confirm its location.

The brown-haired man gestured toward her chin as he asked,

"So the thing in your hand really is the catalyst for the Garden Contract, huh?"

Instinctively, Tilda clutched the frame tightly against her chest and shouted,

"Die!!"

At that instant, a Magic Circle appeared, and from within it emerged the head of a snake.

Its white scales and golden eyes matched the classic description recorded in ancient texts.

"Wow, so you really did make a contract with Yor Phyliaz. Just as expected from the intelligence network of the Black Bandana."

Yor Phyliaz’s snake.

The moment it bit someone, its deadly venom would melt away every trace of their body.

The snake flicked its tongue as it coiled protectively around Tilda, threatening the intruder.

"How cute."

Zed belonged to the Red-Eyed Clan.

The Red-Eyed Clan possessed the ability to disperse the mana within Magic Circles, rendering them ineffective.

Yet Zed did not reveal his crimson eyes.

The reason was simple.

There was no need to use a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken.

He leaned forward.

Then he sprang ahead like an arrow released from a bow.

"Kill him! Snakes! Hurry and kill him!"

Dozens of snakes surged forward in pursuit of the man.

But they couldn’t catch him.

He was an acrobat who had effortlessly evaded the attacks of two Wolf Monsters.

Swish—

A thin slash of Aura left behind a pale afterimage as it swept through the air.

Each time that line of Aura passed through Yor’s snakes, their heads were cleanly severed from their bodies and rolled across the floor.

It didn’t take long before dozens of snakes had become dozens of chunks of flesh.

"Ugh...!"

Tilda’s expression changed.

Her face began transforming into that of a serpent as she prepared to spray venom.

But by the time she made her decision, the brown-haired man was already right in front of her.

"Drop it!"

"Ahhh!"

He slammed the handle of his dagger hard against the back of her hand.

Tilda’s grip on the catalyst immediately loosened.

The brown-haired man deftly snatched it from her hand and leaped backward.

"Now then... let’s see what kind of catalyst our promising little witch chose..."

After turning the frame over, the brown-haired man let out a surprised exclamation.

"Huh."

"Well... I definitely wasn’t expecting this..."

"G-Give it back!! Right now!"

Tilda screamed at the top of her lungs.

But her cries meant nothing to the brown-haired man.

He removed the painting from the frame and held it firmly with both hands.

"Nothing personal."

"It’s just business."

Riiip—!

He tore it apart with all his strength.

The paper ripped apart as easily as a cheap flyer from the marketplace.

"Ah..."

At once, a crimson aura began pouring out from the two torn halves.

The energy continued growing stronger, condensing until it violently burst outward.

Boom!

"Whoa?!"

Zed’s body was shoved backward.

Tilda, who had been standing farther away, lunged forward like a wild beast and picked up the torn pieces of paper.

"No..."

She desperately tried to force the torn pieces back together.

"No...! No!! This can’t be happening!"

Spilled water could never be gathered again.

And a broken catalyst could never be restored.

At that moment, an ominous aura began enveloping the surroundings.

A terrible premonition washed over him.

"Looks like it’s time for my exit. Later!"

Not wanting to get caught up in whatever was coming, the brown-haired man immediately fled.

Tilda, however, was incapable of such astonishing agility.

She remained where she was, kneeling on the floor as her body trembled uncontrollably.

She’s coming.

She is coming.

Hiss...

What echoed beside her ear was the sound of a serpent’s tongue.

Something long and damp slowly licked the rim of her ear.

"Hehehe..."

Then came a chilling laugh.

Unable to turn around, she froze completely.

The color drained from Tilda’s face.

"Poor Tilda. Pitiful little Tilda. The contract has been broken."

"N-No..."

Tilda replied in a trembling voice.

"I can fix this, Lady Yor! Please...!"

"No. You have failed. Didn’t I tell you that, no matter what happened, you were to protect the catalyst of our contract? But you failed to protect it."

The voice laughed as though genuinely amused.

Tilda desperately pleaded once more.

"I’ll kill that man! I’ll prove my worth!"

"There’s no need, my child. The moment you began coveting things beyond your station, your destruction had already been foretold."

A long strip of cold flesh brushed gently across her cheek.

What followed was mocking laughter.

Tilda burst into tears as she begged.

"Please don’t abandon me. I’ll become your loyal dog. Please... just give me one more chance..."

She begged again and again.

The answer she received was simple.

"Snakes do not shed tears, you incompetent fool."

The instant that presence disappeared, she felt something change.

Whatever had enveloped the estate vanished in an instant.

The Witchcraft Ritual that had sustained Tilda Pascal was undone.