The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 122
The worst possible scenarios were unfolding one after another.
I had learned that the curse placed on me would take two weeks to take effect and that Robert had taken a two-week leave to coincide with Hedonia’s awakening.
“A leave of absence…?”
It was a complete disaster.
If that man stayed in the mansion, my escape would be twice as difficult.
I could already feel the heightened security.
Today, Pheon couldn’t speak to me directly; instead, the bird barely managed to deliver a letter before flying off in a hurry.
However, I also learned how to break the curse and the contract.
For the curse to take effect in two weeks, Robert needed to keep a curse doll soaked in my blood for the entire period.
To break free from the curse, I had to find that doll.
‘Not so difficult…’
…Except that it was extremely difficult. I could barely leave my room, so how could I possibly get to it?
That wasn’t the only problem.
Breaking the contract also required the doll that Robert would likely keep.
I needed a total of two dolls—one for me and one for Robert.
I needed to draw his blood, prepare a doll soaked in it, and then tear both dolls simultaneously two weeks later.
[The doll soaked in blood acts as a kind of doppelganger. If one side dies, the other does too.]
No one would actually die; it would simply fulfill the death clause in the contract.
Pheon’s method, while similar to the one Robert had obtained from the dark magician, was based on legitimate magic.
In other words, it was legal.
‘I have the solution to both problems, yet I can’t even act on it.’
How utterly frustrating.
‘So, I need to end this when Shaelock comes to get me.’
Even if Shaelock came in disguise… could she really avoid detection if she encountered Robert?
After all this time?
Moreover, Robert Apharantes, citing his own health, had completely stepped back from guiding and was now solely focused on Hedonia’s care.
The Espers’ conditions would only deteriorate.
And I, trapped here, couldn’t guide them.
Thankfully, Esban had received his last guiding before leaving.
We needed to finish this as quickly as possible.
When Hedonia’s awakening pains began, he wouldn’t be able to move for a while, so it was best to act before that.
Hedonia agreed. As the young lord of Apharantes, he was well-versed in the mansion’s defenses and continually updated us on the real-time changes Robert made to the security system.
Without him, penetrating the mansion would be exponentially harder.
Espers could break through if they used their full strength, but that would risk revealing their identities—something we wanted to avoid.
Now might be the perfect time.
‘He’s likely let his guard down, having just started his leave.’
At that moment, Shaelock and Esban would strike (their letter stated they were visiting under the pretext of verifying my survival as per the Cairoze family and Hedonia’s agreement), steal the doll from Robert, and I would slip away.
Then I would go to the island Pheon had hidden for me, finish our transaction, and finally rest.
The plan had changed significantly from its inception, but I believed it was a choice for a better future.
Until the unexpected happened again.
* * *
As Hedonia’s awakening pains intensified, he slipped into a state of complete unconsciousness.
The time for his awakening was near.
His accelerated awakening was a dire signal for us.
We no longer had anyone to inform us about the situation in the Apharantes mansion.
Originally, Hedonia was supposed to coordinate with Cayden to oust Robert and take control of the mansion.
Now, he was in the final stages of becoming a guide.
At the most inconvenient time.
‘Why does my life have to be like this…’
I lay in my room, blood being drawn once again.
The more this happened, the more my resentment toward Robert, who had driven the situation to this point, grew.
He deserved to live long and suffer, crumbling under his own misdeeds.
‘I’ll expose every single cursed doll he has.’
I clenched my teeth in determination.
I was confident I could perfectly play the role of the tragic victim sacrificed by him in front of the public.
But the situation was grim.
Shaelock, Esban, and Pheon were still out safeguarding the empire, navigating dungeons, and unable to receive proper guiding.
We had to abandon the plan to take control of the Duke’s household and focus on extracting me.
Operation Karina’s Survival had begun.
