Ouroboros Record ~Circus of Oubeniel~

Chapter 57: The Demon and the Bride (3)

On the other hand, her relationship with her husband, Linus, was on the verge of collapse. If so, it was not impossible that the desire to rely on her brother-in-law, who was in a bad relationship with her husband, might turn into a love affair.

(Besides, he has learned how to keep up with appearances these days, damn bastard.)

It seemed that Tullius was learning to behave more or less like a noble, thanks to the desperate teachings of Victor and Laubert. At least, much more than he himself did.

Simone saw very few bad sides of Tullius. The Tullius she knew was the brother-in-law who came from afar to congratulate her on her wedding day, the one who patiently listened to her complain about married life, the one who fought against Lavallee and others for the sake of a mere slave. The only flaw she knew of him was perhaps the rumours circulating about him being a slave killer, but it was offset by the way he went all out for Uni during the trial.

......If so, then it was a terrible misunderstanding.

The smile that he shows to others was just an affectionate gesture to avoid unnecessary friction. He smiled because he felt no concern towards them. The only time that Tullius smiled sincerely was when an experiment was progressing well, or when satisfactory results were produced. It was a little too difficult to describe what kind of disgusting smile he had in those situations.

The only reason he had saved Uni was because she was a valuable asset and there was a good chance he could get her back with little effort. If he failed, he would have immediately burned her and the royal capital to the ground and fled.

It was not surprising that he had managed to make a good impression from all the points he had listed, but when Tullius facades are peeled away one by one, this is what he really was like.

(Well, maybe I'm imagining things too much.......)

Due smiled bitterly and cut off his useless thoughts. It was not the place for a swordsman to be prying into somebody's love life. To remove the awkwardness he felt, Due made a small cough and concentrated his attention on security instead.

Inside the room, they were finally about to get to the core of the matter that Simone had rushed in with.

"So, you said that you were looking for advice about your life with my brother. And I suppose it has something to do with these scars?"

"Yes, you are right. ......No, to be precise, its just part of it."

No matter how much Due tried to concentrate on guarding the room, his enhanced hearing would pick up the voices in the room on its own.

The following was a brief summary of what she had said.

Last night, she followed Linus, who had abruptly left the dinner table, to their bedroom. Strangely enough, she found her husband crouched on the bed with the lights off, moaning about something. She was worried and called out to him...... Linus got up and suddenly treated Simone roughly and forced her to have unconsensual sex with him.

"He grabbed me by the hair and forced me to the ground. When I didn't like it and resisted, he punched me as hard as he could. Unbelievable, isn't it? It's true that I was married to him to carry his child. But, ......uuu......, isn't that way too much? Even if he doesn't love me, how could he treat a woman who would bear his child like that?"

Simone's voice was hoarse again, as she remembered the fear and humiliation she felt. All the while without knowing that Due had been listening on and was equally mortified by what he heard.

"That's terrible. It's very much not something a married couple would do."

"I know, right! But that's not all. Do you know what that guy said to me in the middle of it? ...... He said I was a servant! He said I'm a slave! You're only here to satisfy me, he said, laughing at me as I cried...... Ahh, I cant do this anymore!"

Finally, she let out a scream and started to cry in earnest. She almost forgot that Due and the others were waiting outside just beyond the door.

"I can't do this anymore! I can't, I can't stand it! I don't want to be with that man! I want to go home....... Please, please let me go home! Please let me go home to my mother and father! Please send me home to my mother and father! ......uuu!"

As she cried out her painful feelings, her emotions must have gotten stronger. It was as if she had turned into a child. The person there was neither a countess nor a baroness. She was just a lonely girl who had been tossed around by men and was devastated. Even though she was a wife and a sister-in-law, if you counted only her age, she looked the same as Tullius. She was no more than a helpless girl lacking the strength to take on the hardships and tribulations.

Due couldn't help but sigh as he listened. The family home that Simone wanted to return to was nowhere to be found. Her parents were already dead. Both had been burned to the ground by Tullius last year. He had brainwashed the commoners into rioting, and they had all been killed in the aftermath.

She didn't know that the man she was burying her face into and seeking help from was her parents' murderer. Due couldn't laugh at her for being stupid or chastise her for being shallow. No, he had no right to do so. He had unknowingly clung to the hand of a demon, and was now an accomplice a tool in the shedding of countless innocent blood.

The demon spoke to her in a hushed voice.

"Please calm down, sister-in-law."

"No! I'm not your sister-in-law! I'm not that man's wife!"

".......Then, Miss Simone."

There was an unnatural pause in Tullius' words, as if he was trying to smooth over something. He must have had a momentary expression of displeasure because he had to deal with somebody so annoying.

"My brother's cruelness is surprising, but it must be true, given the wounds you have suffered. And I have personally heard what has happened from the wife. As such, I would like to take strict action to ensure that this never happens again."

"Y-you believe me......?"

"I believe you. It's Simone, after all."

"More than your own brother?"

"Of course. Last night, I wanted to resolve our longstanding feud, so I held a banquet and tried my best to apologise and talk things over, but he left abruptly. How can I trust him if he behaved like that?"

How could Tullius say that? Due, who was listening outside, could not help but be amazed.

If he were Linus, he would have been unable to suppress his desire to kill him as soon as he heard what Tullius was saying last night. Tullius had foiled all of Linus attempts to get rid of him, was boasting at how he had become stronger than ever before, and was grateful to Linus. The sarcasm was way too much. It was a miracle that Linus had not died of rage on the spot.

"I believe in you, Simone. So please believe in me, too. I'm going to help you."

The devil calmly announced. The temptation he presented to her was gentle and sweet. He smiled and said without hesitation that he would grant her wish.

Even so, the normally firm Simone would have been able to fend it off. But now she was feeling trapped and vulnerable. She was shocked and confused by what her husband had done to her.

So there was no way to resist such a temptation.

"Yes, I believe you! No, I've believed in you since the moment I met you. Much more than Linus ever did!"

Without realising the weight of her decision, she chose to believe in the devil.

"That's not even close to bad taste, master."

"What's that? I was just helping her out, wasn't I?"

After Simone left, as soon as she returned to the room, Tullius feigned ignorance. But from Due's point of view, it was all a scam. All the events that plagued Simone were caused by this man, who she was complaining to while drinking tea.

It was because of the conspiracy against Tullius that she ended up marrying Linus, and it was because of him who started the fire that she lost her parents. It must have been because of him that Linus became mentally trapped and began to behave abnormally.

And yet, he made it seem like he was seeking salvation for the origin of it all. If this was not in bad taste, what else could be?

"Oh, come on, that's all too far-fetched, isn't it, Due? Please dont blame me for everything. It was old man Lavallee who chose her to be my brother's wife, and it was my brother who agreed to it. In the end, it was her parents who made the decision to give up their daughter. The fire in the royal capital was one thing, but please don't make me the mastermind of everything else as well."