"Help! Someone! Please, listen to me!"
While Gamma was enjoying dinner with Rainhard and Beatrice, someone else was struggling through the corridors, dragging a crippled leg while holding back tears. That person was Charlotte. Her maid uniform was torn to shreds, and her right arm hung unnaturally dislocated from some violent incident. Still, she forced herself forward toward the dining hall, crying for help, praying that someone would hear her.
Elsewhere, Beatrice, who had been eating moments ago, suddenly began to gasp for air without any clear reason. Panic spread across Rainhard and Gamma's faces. Beatrice fell from her chair, collapsing onto the floor as her body convulsed violently. Slowly, her hair began to turn green.
"Father! What's happening to her!?" Gamma shouted, clutching Beatrice's hand as it began to grow larger.
Beatrice's body suddenly changed, her size becoming closer to Gamma's age. The sight only worsened his panic.
"Father! What's going on!? Why is Beatrice suddenly getting older!?"
Rainhard, confused yet forcing himself to stay calm, replied, "Her age isn't increasing. The artifact that kept her body small has stopped working. That only happens when contact with the user is completely lost. Which means… her consciousness has fully severed itself from reality."
"W-what should we do!?"
"Honestly, I don't know what caused this. Can you use healing magic? We need to try anything we can."
"Me!? I don't even know any magic!"
"Then hurry and find someone who can! A servant? anyone! I'll try to suppress her pain somehow!"
"a-Alright!"
Gamma ran through the mansion, shouting for help. But when he glanced out a window, he froze, his mother and his older sister lay motionless near the garden. His panic worsened, yet he decided to retrieve their bodies, even though he had no idea what to do next.
Halfway there, he encountered Charlotte in a corridor, limping badly, her body stained with blood.
"C-Charlotte!? What happened!?"
Seeing Gamma, Charlotte smiled faintly in relief. But before she could explain, her strength gave out. She collapsed unconscious, falling straight into Gamma's arms.
"Hey! Explain it to me! What's going on!? Why does this always happen!? I just need an explanation—just once! Please!"
But Charlotte didn't respond.
Seeing that her condition wasn't immediately life-threatening, Gamma gently laid her down and ran back toward his mother and sister.
With no better option, he carried both of them to where his father was desperately trying to do something for Beatrice.
That night became the busiest night since Gamma first arrived in this world.
And, of course, he hated having to admit that.
By the next morning, Gamma and Rainhard finally understood the situation.
It wasn't just Beatrice, Violette, and Alice. Harrington and several of the workers had been affected as well.
After waking up, Charlotte explained what had happened. It turned out the cause was a curse placed on the dinner plates.
The true targets had been the Hall family. But because the curse activated through physical contact, the servants who handled and served the plates were also affected.
Charlotte said she had traced the source after the curse activated and chased the Caster, but she failed, suffering a leg injury and a dislocated right arm in the process.
"The curse causes the victim to suffocate," Charlotte explained while discussing the situation with Rainhard and Gamma, "It slowly destroys the lungs until breathing becomes impossible."
Rainhard buried his face in his hands and muttered, "Damn it… If only I can detected the curse. This might never have happened."
"There's nothing to regret," Charlotte replied, "Even I couldn't sense it before activation, even identifying such things is my specialty."
"Why didn't you disable the curse on the plates?" Gamma asked, "Maybe you could've saved everyone."
"Unfortunately, this is a soul curse," Charlotte said, "The plates were merely physical conduits touch was required to activate it. The true target wasn't the body, but the soul itself. This is dark magic. The easy way to nullify it is to eliminate its source. That's why I chased the caster."
"You mean… kill him?"
"Yes. That's the only way i can think. But I failed. This is my fault."
Seeing both Charlotte and Rainhard blaming themselves weighed heavily on Gamma. Because the truth was, he had done absolutely nothing this time.
Unnoticed, Gamma's expression darkened. Rainhard caught it and said gently, "By the way, bringing your mother and sister to me last night was the right decision. I should thank you. You did well, Gamma."
"No… it was the only thing I could do," Gamma said, calming himself before asking, "how are they? Are they alright?"
Rainhard's expression dimmed again. He had tried to hide it, but answered anyway.
"Beatrice, your mother, and your sister are stable. I used a freezing method that halts all bodily functions, down to the cellular level. But it's only a temporary solution. If we fail to resolve this properly, they may remain frozen forever, neither alive nor truly dead."
"I see… but that's still better than nothing. At least we have time. What about Harrington."
"I'm not sure," Rainhard sighed deeply.
"When you brought hin in, he was already convulsing. During the freezing process, his heartbeat weakened significantly. Like some of the workers… several were already dead when found," He exhaled heavily.
"I'm sorry, Ray. It seems your birthday gift will have to be postponed. I must compensate the victims' families, and curing this curse will be extremely costly."
"No, it's fine!" Gamma said quickly, "I couldn't enjoy a gift knowing others are suffering because of it."
Rainhard smiled faintly, "Thank you, Gamma. You really have changed."
Suddenly, Charlotte stood up and shouted,
"None of that matters! We need to find a way to deal with this curse now! I request permission to withdraw. I'll seek help in the capital!"
"Calm down!" Rainhard yelled, "Do you even understand what you're saying!? That would expose the princess's identity! Do you want the southern faction to learn that the princess is still alive and on the verge of death!?"
Charlotte ignored him and headed for the door, "Don't worry. I'll only look for someone who can remove the curse."
Rainhard grabbed her left arm, "Stop this foolish act! Soul curses are nearly impossible to erase, you know that better than anyone. And if someone capable existed in the capital, don't you think the nobles would already know? Be honest. You just want to hunt down the caster, don't you?"
Charlotte turned back, tears already streaming, "Wouldn't that solve everything!?"
"You think he don't have supporter? You'd be digging your own grave. We'll deal with that later, slowly. Right now, we must focus on lifting this curse."
"I don't care! If my death can save the princess, I'll sacrifice a thousand lives!"
"Don't be stupid! You only have one life! Remember, you're on the run. No one will save you. Instead of throwing your life away, use it to break this curse!"
Through tears, Charlotte shouted, "Then tell me, what should I do to atone for my sins!?" She grabbed Rainhard by the collar, threatening him, "Hurry up and say it! You don't know what to do either, do you!? Hypocrite!"
Rainhard replied weakly, "…You're right. But we can't give up."
"Don't spout that nonsense! I've lived by those words since the day I was born! Don't tell me to do what I've already been doing my whole life!"
"Calm down! I'm a victim here too, nearly my entire family has been affected!"
Something snapped in Charlotte.
She began choking Rainhard, forcing him to the ground until he could no longer breathe.
"That's right! This is your fault! You should be the ones dying! The assassin targeted your family! Why did the princess have to—!"
Rainhard was forced to knock Charlotte unconscious.
After catching his breath, he looked at Gamma, who had been watching helplessly, unable to do anything but pity them.
Rainhard laid Charlotte on the bed and sat down again.
"What do you think?" he asked Gamma.
The question only deepened the crease in Gamma's brow.
What do I think? Even you don't have a solution—how could I? Listening to you argue made me realize something. You can't act freely because of Beatrice's true identity. What can we do when humans are at odds with one another? Humans are social creatures—this proves it. Solving this without outside help is impossible. Damn it… why are people in this world so annoying!?
Suddenly, something surfaced in Gamma's mind, vague, but familiar. His expression shifted as the tension on his face slowly faded.
Books… I've read about something like this in the library. Races, right. This world isn't inhabited by humans alone. I remember now. Elves. Elves are masters of magic and curses. A race devoted to the mystical.
"If we can't ask other humans for help…" Gamma said quietly, "…then how about the other races?"