19 – 19. The Usurper
“Tell me the story. Then. How can I make his position mine?”
That depends on your will. Do you want the child to be by your side as soon as possible…
Or do you want a way to possess the child forever?
Which side are you on?
“I didn’t want an ambiguous answer… Can’t I have both?”
Oh, child. His promised dream is so grand that it intertwines not only his own dreams and desires but also those of many others.
Because he can’t handle it alone, he is preparing his plans step by step.
Do you really believe that it will crumble so quickly?
“We just have to kill him… Before he escapes, before he slips from my grasp, I will slit his throat!”
The rules of Members don’t want that. We want desires to collide.
The dream he painted is like a giant consciousness that devours and grows from the previous generations of Members.
A special meal created to satisfy our eternal hunger.
But in the end, it’s just a moment, so we came to you.
…Those who are obsessed with that special meal, they’re still there.
Perhaps they can also feel it.
Your hunger.
Upon hearing those words, I felt a sense of unease. Does that mean the Count Lamberth knows my true intentions?
Oh, that’s not it. We’re interested in you. We don’t want the dream to shatter before it even begins.
Count Lamberth had his time to foster his ambitions. That’s why he succeeded… Your turn should be fair too.
His plan to take everything away and erase even the possibility was truly grand and massive…
What should we do? The blue child planted a seed in you and showed us its fruit.
So those children are watching you too.
Will you really devour all those dreams and give us more?
“You’re telling me to inherit what Count Lamberth has? Without love, without anything, that kind of trash – “
It doesn’t matter how. If it can satisfy all of us, power will be yours.
Don’t you need that? The power to keep him by your side.
If you’re desperate, follow our whispers. Show us your hunger within.
The method… it doesn’t matter how, anyway.
What am I, what do I want?
I…
*
“…Lyn.”
“Irene!”
Where am I?
“Irene, what are you thinking about for so long?”
Le Petit? Is it really you?
“Well, are there fake Le Petits too?”
You’re by my side. You’re here. How?
“Are you dreaming? We’re married, remember?”
Married? Really? Me? With you?
“…Is it something you don’t want?”
No, no! You marrying me, I’m… I’m happy. Truly.
“Now that you’ve become the Lady of Melverth, pull yourself together.”
Me, the Lady? Me? The same as Lord Lambert? That’s…
“What are you saying? Lord Lambert Melverth is already dead. It’s all because of what you’ve done. For me.”
For you, I did it. For Le Petit… yes.
“Well then, shall we start heading back? We’ve put off work and got lost for a while.”
I want to be with you a little longer.
“Do you still have a pile of work to do?”
No, I will be with you. With you. There’s nothing more important than spending time with you.
“…With me?”
You are the most important. Why don’t you know that? Work can’t separate us. Let’s be together. A little longer. Outside. Let’s enjoy an outing together.
“Irene… Are you… okay? We have things to do -“
No, we don’t. Why? There’s no such thing as work. Why are you talking about work? We only have one thing: spending time together. Other than that –
Wait, you’re not Lefeti. Lefeti wouldn’t say that. Lefeti loves me too. He’s not just someone to talk about work with. Who are you?
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You’re not Lefeti. You’re not the man I know. Who are you? What are you?
“What are you, exactly!”
His appearance becomes disheveled. Black feathers flutter where he was. Lefeti? Where is Lefeti?
He was in front of me. No, that’s not Lefeti. Lefeti loves me.
As much as I love him, he loves me too. He would, he was always by my side.
That Lefeti is not my Lefeti. What is this? Where am I?
Ah…
Ah…
I’m sorry. I wanted to see how far your desires go –
“Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Where is Lefeti? Where is my love? He’s in front of me, no, that’s not Lefeti -“
Calm down, my dear. Calm down.
“Lefeti, Lefeti? Where are you, please, I’m scared. You said you’d be by my side -“
…Fall asleep.
“Ah… Lephe…”
The darkness that neatly covered the tears and despair flowing from her fragile body eventually laid her back in her original place.
Surrounded by dying birds, each opening their beaks, they began to speak quietly.
Caw, her only concern is that human man.
It cannot be mixed with Lamber’s possessions. All of her previous achievements will disappear.
But her hunger is intense. More intense than anything else. It cannot be compared to her previous hunger.
And it is incomparably easy. That hunger is so great, but it only takes one man to fill it.
If he is by her side, she will be able to explore the countless lights she is still emitting. We will all taste and be left behind.
But we cannot all be satisfied. She cannot obtain satiety….
Have we ever been satisfied? Any Malverus promised to fill our hunger, but failed to deliver!
We have provoked so many Malverus, but weren’t they always just obstacles?!
But isn’t now the closest? Has any Malverus promised us something new so far?
…The closest. Caw. The closest.
Instead of hollow promises spanning generations, I think it’s better to seize the shining thing right in front of us.
Alright. So, what should we do? What should we do with Lamber?
How should we move her so that she and that child remain unharmed?
Even if we take away Lamber’s power and kill him, his followers won’t leave her alone.
It will turn into chaos in an instant. Each one will move to find their own hunger.
So either she takes Lamber’s place, or she kills everything that Lamber has.
It’s not easy. Gosh. It’s not easy. It’s complicated!
If she takes Lamber’s place, what will happen to this kingdom? In that case, wouldn’t he have no choice but to follow her, as she says?
If she becomes the queen that Lamber desires, wouldn’t it be fitting for her grand dreams and her hunger?
If that’s the case, it will really take a long time… She will be hungry for a long time.
But we, too, will prey. Together with her.
*
“…”
When I opened my eyes, the crows were gone.
Strangely enough, the place I woke up was not the campsite, but inside the carriage.
“Miss, are you awake?”
The person in front of me greeted me.
‘Finally awake. Dammit. I went through some trouble waking you up over and over again…’
“You woke me up?”
“Yes?”
“No.”
‘Dammit. What a surprise.’
So this… is the ability the crow gave me. Maybe it’s their inner thoughts. This resonating voice.
Even without consciously meeting the person’s eyes, I could hear the voice.
If it’s thoughts about me, they automatically come through…
‘Her face is really beautiful. But if she’s so skilled with a sword, damn. And on top of that, her father is Count Lamber.’
But I didn’t want to hear such a vile sound.
You should get used to it a little. Power is an extraordinary thing. We have given you more than what we originally allowed.
…The whisper of a raven echoed in my mind. But I didn’t want to hear it.
I, I want to hear Lepeti’s voice. How much longer do I have to endure? How much more do I have to strive? It’s so difficult for me.
No… no. He’s dead. He died because of me. That must be harder. That must be scarier.
Will he hate me? Will he remember? Will he still love me even in death?
If he hates me? If he’s scared of me? What should I do? What…
Focus for now. Once you kill Count Rambert and take his place, only then can he be yours. When that day comes, if only that day comes, you and he can be happy.
When will that day come? When can we finally get married? When can I get close to him?
I, I wonder how much more I have to do to love him?
You never told me that love would be this difficult.
Are you lying? You raven?
It’s different for each person. Caw. It’s because of Count Rambert. Everything is because of Count Rambert. Caw.
…Yes, everything is because of Count Rambert. Killing him too.
Yes, killing him, taking him away from you, hiding knowledge from you.
My emotions, my love…
Kill Count Rambert. Kill what he took from you.
And then show your hunger to that child. Show him what you have in your hands.
My love, my joy, my colors, my warm person.
Kill and take it away. Take that place. Whether it’s family or king. Kill and take away anything that stands in your way.
…That is the history of your Melbus.