When That Door Opens - Chapter 32
“If you don’t want to see blood, how about hanging yourself with the handkerchief I gave you?”
Finally, I found the magic words that stripped away his facade completely.
“You used that damn handkerchief as an excuse to approach me earlier, didn’t you? Use it to hang yourself. Then, I will graciously forgive your insolence.”
In a twist of irony, he still tried to feign innocence until the very end.
For a fleeting moment, he wore a hurt expression.
The emotion passed so quickly it seemed false, as his face returned to a blank slate.
I chuckled mirthlessly.
Yes, this must be your true face.
Though all you have is a worthless body, you act as if you’re an unbreakable stone, with that calm and indifferent expression.
You look at me with cold eyes, as if I am a complete stranger.
“Disgusting creature. Now you reveal your true colors. I despise beings like you the most!”
At the moment I uncovered his true nature, I felt both joy and anger.
After being tormented by Roman all my life, another parasite clung to me, trampling on this precious time!
Fury surged within me. I wanted to repay this deceitful human by any means necessary. If I could wound him, I would say anything.
“What is it you desire from me? What do you hope to gain by following me? I heard you were a s*x slave, groveling beneath noblewomen. Did you think I would be like the women you used to bite and wash? Did you expect a new master? What a grand delusion! I am Astel! I am fundamentally different from a bug like you…”
As I hurled insults, I unknowingly paused. A memory, long forgotten, resurfaced.
The sculptor had mentioned that this slave was of noble birth. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over my head. I blinked in confusion.
He, who had been silently watching me, lowered his gaze.
Everything remained the same. Dirty hair, a face marred with scars, an indifferent expression, and worn-out apprentice cleric clothes. Feeling bewildered, I stared at his face and suddenly had a thought.
“Was he really trying to deceive me?”
If that were the case, why reveal his true self? If he had truly intended to deceive, wouldn’t he have tried to hide it till the end?
Could it be that I had misunderstood his intentions?
He had almost been beaten to death today. He was saved by my kindness and freed from a terrible master. He might have genuinely been grateful to me…
“…..!”
I flinched and took a step back, covering my mouth with my hand. If he had been sincere, then I had done something utterly horrible.
I had crushed his goodwill with unjust anger and dug into his deepest wounds, hurling insults that were hard even to utter.
My face burned with shame at my pettiness.
I couldn’t bear to look him in the eye.
I fled from the scene as if running away.
He did not follow me anymore.
* * *
The sculptor who had fled was captured within two days. Despite sending people to the border, it was unnecessary. He was found holed up in a small town near the capital, drinking himself senseless.
“How dare you insult and flee from me in Schultz?”
He had been boasting with women on either side, mocking that Schultz’s Astel was a fool with no discerning eye. Well, it didn’t matter. His loud mouth made it easier to catch him.
“You have committed numerous crimes! You received a large advance payment from Grand Duke Roman. Not only that, but you also extorted an enormous amount of support for the cost of making the sculpture and your stay in Schultz. You made such a fuss, yet all that remains is a broken piece of stone. And you dare to flee? Do you have a death wish?”
At my fierce reproach, the sculptor’s face sobered up immediately. He seemed to realize what I intended to do to him.
Well, he should, if he had any sense.
“Pay for ruining the sculpture with your life! I will behead you and offer your head to the deity. I will send your head to Grand Duke Roman to show who ruined the sculpture!”
“But Lady Astel! I surely brought a proper sculpture……!”
The sculptor couldn’t hold back and protested. I knew this was all an unjust accusation. But unlike two days ago, I felt no pang of conscience. He was a villain deserving of such rebuke.
“Still wagging your filthy tongue until the end! If you don’t want to lose that tongue before you die, shut your mouth right now!”
I vividly remembered the moment this wretched artist had mercilessly beaten an innocent slave. The thought still made my blood boil.
Whether it was because I saw Roman’s figure in the sculptor’s cruelty or because of the guilt I felt towards the slave, I couldn’t tell.
“Do you still think I’m an idiot who can’t appreciate your high art? Do you still see this place as the brothel where you used to drown in alcohol?”
