Adeline stared at the pile of parasite eggs, her mind refusing to accept what she was
seeing.
How could there be so many horrifying things inside her body?
When did this happen?
Who could have done this? No, she already knew the answer.
It had to be that conniving little witch, Sophie. Who else could it possibly be?
What was even more terrifying were the words Eliza said to her next.
“These eggs are still alive,” she said, her tone grim. “Judging by their size, they’ve probably been living inside you for at least a month.”
It meant Sophie had already started her sinister plans against the Marquis’s estate long ago.
It was only recently, as the eggs inside Adeline and the others stabilized, that Sophie had stopped pretending to be innocent.
“They’re alive? Are you saying these things can actually hatch?” Adeline stammered, her voice trembling.
Eliza nodded. “That’s right. If you’d waited another ten days or so, these parasites would have hatched inside you. They’d burrow into your organs, your limbs, even your brain…”
Adeline’s face turned ashen, her breath catching as the horrifying reality sank in.
Eliza continued, her words cutting like a blade. “At first, you might not notice much- just headaches, stomach pains, stiff limbs, and numbness that makes it harder to move. But once your body is completely infested, these parasites will devour you from the inside out, leaving you nothing more than a walking corpse.”
With a dull thud, Adeline’s legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.
Eliza quickly reached out to steady the wooden basin. “Careful! These eggs are fragile and easy to kill. If they scatter and die, I can’t guarantee Sophie won’t notice.”
“What? She can tell if the parasites die?” Adeline’s voice rose in panic.
The more she thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. “How is this even possible? Could Sophie herself be some kind of parasite?”
Adeline couldn’t help but have such an absurd thought.
Padilla raised an eyebrow slightly.
In a way, Adeline’s guess wasn’t entirely off.
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However, Eliza didn’t reveal the truth about Sophie’s resurrection. Instead, she asked, ” Have you ever heard of sorcerers‘?”
Adeline nodded.
Though she’d never seen one in person, she had read about such mysterious figures in old storybooks during her childhood.
“Wait, are you telling me Sophie is a sorcerer? And those revolting bugs are her parasites?”
Eliza nodded. “That’s correct.”
Adeline’s eyes widened instantly. Her breath caught as she stared at the insect eggs in the wooden basin, muttering to herself.
“The storybooks said that sorcerers could control people with these things. So Sophie‘ s plan is to use these parasites to control everyone in the Marquis’s estate?”
Adeline wasn’t clueless.
If she couldn’t piece it together after Eliza practically spelled it out, she’d be a total fool.
The truth hit her like a slap in the face, and fury surged through her veins.
No wonder Sophie kept everyone locked up in the estate, never letting them step outside.
No wonder her precious Caleb–her beloved son–had been turned into such a shadow of himself, yet still defended that conniving witch.
Even the servants had become increasingly obedient to her every word.
It all made sense now. Sophie had used those cursed parasites to control them all.
“Damn it! How dare she treat the Marquis’s estate like this!”
If this kept up, it wouldn’t just be her. Sophie would turn her husband and Caleb into her puppets too.
Adeline’s heart raced as she recalled Eliza’s earlier words. “Your Grace, you said those parasite eggs would hatch in about ten days. Does that mean my husband and son will be beyond saving by then?”
Eliza stroked her chin thoughtfully. “It’s not entirely hopeless. But even if they’re saved, they’ll be left broken–mentally, physically, or both.”
“That’s unacceptable! We have to save them now!”
Adeline couldn’t hold back any longer. She dropped to her knees, her voice trembling with desperation. “Your Grace, I beg you! Please save my husband, save my son!”
“Wait!”
Suddenly, something clicked in her mind. She fumbled to pull out an object wrapped in
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a handkerchief from her sleeve. “This… this is a Padilla family heirloom.”
She unfolded the handkerchief, revealing the item inside.
It was an emerald seal, about the size of two fingers, engraved with the words “The Scholarly Padilla Family.” The inscription symbolized the Padilla family’s legacy of scholarly excellence and their reputation as a family of learning in Hasen City.
Eliza took the emerald seal from Adeline’s hands and called out, “Summon Malaki.”
She had never seen the Padilla family’s heirloom seal herself, but she was certain Malaki would recognize it.
To be cautious, Eliza decided to have Malaki verify its authenticity.
“It’s real! This is the Padilla family head’s seal!”
Seeing the seal, Malaki’s eyes filled with tears, his emotions overwhelming him.
Eliza asked curiously, “How can you be sure? What if it’s a fake?”
Although the family head’s seal was rarely shown to others, if Gabriel had seen it, he might have been able to create a counterfeit.
It was not impossible.
Malaki shook his head firmly. “Your Grace, rest assured, this is absolutely authentic.”
He carefully held the emerald seal in his hands, turning it over to reveal a specific detail.
Pointing to a faint mark on the seal, he wiped his eyes and said with a smile, “Look here, Your Grace. The real Padilla family seal has a crack on it. Miss Caroline–your mother–accidentally dropped it when she was a child.”
Eliza was taken aback. Following his finger, she leaned in closer and finally noticed the subtle crack, visible only upon close inspection.
“The old family head was worried that if the clan found out, it might cause unnecessary trouble. So, apart from him and Miss Caroline, I’m the only one who knows about this,” Malaki explained, his tone tinged with pride.
After all, back in the day, he was one of the old family head’s most trusted confidants.
“I see,” Eliza murmured, finally understanding.
“Then it seems there’s no doubt about its authenticity,” she said, though a trace of uncertainty still lingered in her mind.
Eliza couldn’t help but feel there was still something she hadn’t quite figured out. Her gaze shifted back to Adeline. “Where did you get the Padilla family seal?”
The Padilla family seal had been missing for years. If Eliza had to make a guess, her first suspect would undoubtedly be Gabriel.
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After all, he had been known to stash away plenty of the Padilla family’s heirlooms.
But to her surprise, the most significant treasure–the family seal–was now in Adeline‘ s possession.
Adeline looked a bit embarrassed and said, “Well… I kind of took it from Benedict’s study over ten years ago.”
“Took it?”
Eliza gave her a sly, knowing smile. “You mean you stole it, didn’t you?”
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