Chapter 28 - Revenge
Scene 028: Revenge
As I opened the door, a rooftop park at the top of the department store came into view. Most people were busy shopping on the lower floors, so only a handful were wandering about. Blanche led me to a secluded corner where no one else was around. She had been silent until then, but now, she finally spoke.
“You seem to have grown quite weak since I last saw you, Tristan. To think you’d roam around without even a single guard.”
“Or did you not expect me to come for you like this?”
Blanche withdrew her hand from my coat, revealing what she had been threatening me with. It was a beast’s hand. Her hand was covered in thick, shaggy fur, resembling an animal, with sharp claws that gleamed menacingly at the tips.
“Look at this. This is what you and Ruelberta have done to me,” she snarled. “I will never be able to forgive you… or your family for turning me into this.”
As if responding to her anger, Blanche’s claws grew even longer, clearly aimed at me. I sighed inwardly. To be honest, I still don’t have the confidence to defeat her. After all, she was the true monster that Ruelberta created.
According to the original story, Blanche was the only “successful creation.” If the extermination maids were the family’s shield, then Blanche was the sword that eliminated threats to the house. She was a weapon, created solely for killing.
In the past, Blanche had obediently carried out William’s orders, eliminating anyone who posed a threat to Ruelberta. She was the family’s loyal dog, and her orders were absolute. Not once had she left an enemy alive.
When Tristan succeeded William as the head of the family, Blanche had already become infamous as a killer demon. She had killed too many people. Eventually, the Empire placed a bounty on her head and began hunting her. When suspicion started to fall on the Ruelberta family, their position became increasingly unstable.
In the end, Tristan decided to sever ties with her. The decision didn’t take long, as by then, there were hardly any threats left to the family. Blanche’s usefulness had already ended. She was eliminated by Tristan.
But, of course, as the original story goes, she survived.
“This is where your bullet went through me,” Blanche said, pulling down her clothes and exposing her shoulder. Her snow-white skin bore a faint scar. “But I’m still alive.”
She was my burden to bear. Standing on the rooftop of the department store, Blanche screamed her fury at me.
“I’ve lived all this time, waiting for the day I could take revenge on you. Every moment, up until now!”
“…I know,” I replied.
“If you had been engaged to Lady Bella, you might have survived.”
“…Because she’s your benefactor.”
“Yes. I couldn’t make my benefactor a widow. But if it weren’t for her, I would have torn you apart and killed you long ago!” Her voice trembled with rage. “But I never expected you to break off the engagement yourself. Now, I no longer have any reason to spare you! In fact, for Lady Bella’s sake, I’ll kill you, Tristan…!”
Her claws wrapped around my neck, the cold tips pressing against my throat. Yet, even with my life on the line, my pride didn’t waver. I stood tall, staring back at her. Blanche tightened her grip.
“If you have any excuse, now is your chance to say it, Tristan.”
“I don’t.”
“What?”
“Because it’s all true.”
Blanche’s face twisted at my words.
“You’re admitting it? Everything you did to me?”
“Yes. I admit everything. I have no intention of denying what my family and I have done. It’s all true, and your hatred and desire to kill me are justified.”
I spoke slowly, deliberately. “I’m not asking for your forgiveness. That would be far too disgraceful. But if you intend to kill me, I will resist.”
“You’re going to resist me?”
“Yes.”
Blanche scoffed. “Hah… You, who can’t even use magic because of your family’s curse, think you can resist me, a former assassin?”
“Yes. Your sins are my sins. Those who live by the sword die by the sword—that’s the law of nature. I always knew your blade would one day turn against me.”
Blanche’s grip loosened slightly. She spoke again. “In that case, there’s something I want to ask you.”
I looked at her. Behind her, the sun was slowly setting.
“Back then, why did you shoot my shoulder instead of my head?” Her eyes trembled slightly. “Was it pity? Or just a mistake?”
“…”
“You knew how to kill me properly. And yet, you didn’t. Why?”
I sensed a faint glimmer of hope in her gaze. Through her words, I began to understand him a little more.
The character named Tristan.