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Dryas practically flew out of the room, is this going to be okay? I feel like he’s going to agitate Edim further… If Dryas scolded Edim and she snapped, wouldn’t there be a bloodbath?

Uuh, I have a bad feeling about this.

But the die is already cast. I have no choice but to leave the rest to Dryas. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t come to a conclusion.

So, instead of having the idiot, me, thinking hard with no result, I should just trust in Dryas’ wisdom. Yup, that can’t possibly go wrong!

All right, let’s put the matter with Edim aside for now.

Maybe I should think about a new menu for Berum to get my mind off of it. I also need to do some preparation.

I go into the kitchen and start cooking to cover up my hazy feelings.

But then, while I was absorbed in cooking for a while, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs of the underground empire.

I wonder who it is. I really hope it’s Dryas, coming back up to me to bring good news.

“Dryas?”
“No, it’s me, Edim.”

Hawawa, Edim herself comes straight at me! Don’t tell me, did she find out I was suspecting her?!

“Wh-, what is it?”

Trembling with nervousness and anxiety, I asked Edim the reason why she came here.

“There is something I wish to talk about with you, Lady Tilea.”
“I-, is that so……”

Wh-, what could it be? By talk, she can’t possibly mean talking with her fist or something like that, right…?

Wh-, what do I do? Should I go get Myuu?

With my thoughts frozen from turmoil, I failed to respond properly to Edim.

“U-, umm… please. I’m begging you… please, talk to me.”

Edim’s dwindling voice entered my ear.
What a sad voice…….
That was when my heart was gripped.

“Sorry, Edim. Come inside.”

I motioned for Edim to enter the restaurant and sat her down in one of the chairs provided at the table. I stopped cooking and sat down in front of her.

I see Edim’s face in my vision.

Edim’s face was pale and she looked as if she was about to collapse. She looked more like a girl her own age than a vampire. The thought of doubting such a girl caused a prickle of pain in my heart.

“So, what do you want to talk about?”
“Lady Tilea, please tell me, have I done something wrong?”
“Eh?!”
“Lady Tilea, if there is something wrong with me, I will fix it. If you want to punish me, I will accept anything. So please, please, don’t, s-, sniff sniff, d-, don’t abandon me. Th-, this is the only place, where I can be… to be by the side of those I love and respect… sniffle, my only other option, is to take my own life.”

Edim is sobbing with big tears trickling in her eyes. She is weeping like a child. Her whole body is shaking and she looks as if she is about to crumble.

Aah, Jesus! How stupid can I be?!

Edim had known it all.
She knew I was scared of her.
She knew I was suspicious of her.

She was always alert for those kinds of thoughts from her surroundings.

And here I was foolishly trying to take away Edim’s place, right when she thought she could finally live without discrimination and regain peace.

All because of my weak heart……

S̲h̲i̲t̲! Haven’t I seen this kind of development all too often in manga and anime?!

The protagonist lives a life discriminated against by those around him due to his peculiarity. He is treated like a monster because of his power, and yet the kind-hearted protagonist does not hold a grudge against his oppressors, even more so, he fights against evil and saves their lives. However, the mobs he saves treat him like a nuisance instead of feeling indebted to him.

I always resented this kind of work when I saw it.

Why don’t you take the protagonist’s side?! It’s only thanks to him that your heads are still on your shoulders!

Ungrateful people.
Brutes worse than dogs.
Inhuman.

There are so many names for such ungrateful mobs.

A-, and what I said and did were no different from those mobsters.

Even though Edim had saved me. Even though she risked her life to save me when I was being targeted by the fiend Even though she had to constantly hide herself. Even though she just didn’t want to be noticed. Even though she could have just ignored what I said.

Edim could have taken the easy way out. And yet, she chose to put in effort for the sake of our friendship.

God daaamnn iiittt—!!

I swung my right hand and punched myself in the face with all my might. My right fist smashed into my nose. The impact spread across my face.

Ouch-ouch……

Hm?! Blood?!

There was blood on my right fist.

I-, I guess I hit myself too hard and I got myself a nosebleed, But, so what! Compared to the emotional trauma that Edim has to suffer, this is nothing, nothing I say.

“Lady Tilea?”
“I’m sorry I startled you. It was a warning to myself, a punishment for hurting you, Edim.”
“N-, no, Lady Tilea, please don’t punish……”
“No, it must have been hard for you. Of course, it was! I’m the one who fanned the flames after all.”
“No, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay! Edim, you see, I suspected that you were trying to take revenge for your former master.”
“N-, no way… I would never, ever rebel against you, Lady Tilea!”
“I know. Yeah, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. I’m the idiot here for doubting you. It’s really stupid of me not to trust you.

I bow deeply to Edim. My heart is filled with guilt. I will continue to bow my head, even if it takes me the whole night until Edim forgives me.

Paison = Poison
Peneno = Penne
Iat = Eat