Sable stared at the vial in her hand and clenched it tightly. In the end, she was unable to refuse her father’s request. 

 

Yet, conflicting thoughts still surfaced in her mind. 

 

“Do I really have to kill her?” 

 

“But Father will be angry at me.” 

 

“What did Master do to deserve this?”

 

“No, she doesn’t deserve this.” 

 

Fortunately or unfortunately, she was interrupted from her thoughts when she heard Avinya call out to her. 

 

“Sable, have you finished making the tea?” 

 

“...I’ll be right there, Master.” 

 

Could she really do this? Whether or not she realized it, Sable had grown to care for Avinya. She was a trusted mentor and older figure in Sable’s life. 

 

And yet here she was, about to betray her master because of her father. 

 

It was a cruel task for a child. 

 

Gritting her teeth, Sable uncorked the vial and shakily poured the contents into the hot tea she had made. 

 

Picking up the tray, she made her way over to where her master was sitting and casually reading a book. Avinya looked up at her and raised a brow but didn’t comment. 

 

After carefully placing the tea down on the table, Sable took a seat on the opposite side with a stiff expression. 

 

Avinya’s gaze lingered on her for a moment, before she reached down and grabbed the tea. She brought it up to her face and closed her eyes, inhaling the scent. 

 

Then she unhesitatingly drank the tea. 

 

When Avinya opened her eyes, they were filled with sadness. Sable felt a sharp pain stab her in the chest, and she stood up in a panic. 

 

“M-Master...!” Sable stammered and struggled to come up with an apology, but Avinya held up a hand to stop her. 

 

“Damn, I must be getting soft...” Avinya muttered to herself with a chuckle. 

 

With a small smile, she looked at Sable. She raised a finger. 

 

“One, you’re a terrible actor, Sable.” 

 

She then raised a second finger. 

 

“Two, have you forgotten my lessons already?” She looked a little offended. “You of all people should know that certain poisons have distinct smells.” 

 

Even now Avinya was still trying to point out her mistakes. A mix between a sob and a laugh left Sable’s mouth. 

 

“Thr- Ugh!” 

 

She held up a third finger, but before she could speak, she was interrupted by a cough and blood spilled from her mouth. 

 

“Master!” 

 

“Three.” Avinya grunted. “I should have tried to kill your father sooner.” 

 

Sable stared at her with wide eyes, her shock clearly displayed on her face. 

 

Her master coughed a few more times before continuing. 

 

“Sable, I’ve known for a long time that you can’t refuse your father. You wrote all those letters for him, and even when he didn’t reply, you continued to write. To him, you are nothing more than a tool.” 

 

Sable hung her head down, but Avinya could see tears dripping down onto the floorboards. 

 

“Truth be told, Sable, I considered killing him multiple times, but out of consideration for you, I refrained from doing so.” Avinya smiled sadly. “I guess this is the price I have to pay.” 

 

Observing Sable’s trembling shoulders, Avinya weakly called out to her. 

 

“Wipe your tears, Sable.” 

 

“M-Master… I-I’m sorry…” Sable struggled to restrain her sobs. “I’m sorry…”

 

“Don’t worry. I forgive you, Sable.” Avinya’s breathing was unsteady. “You should get out of here. Your father might get suspicious.” 

 

“I-I can’t just leave you here, Master.” Sable tried to help Avinya up, but she was pushed away. 

 

“Sable, go! Get out of here!” Avinya raised her voice. 

 

Sable flinched. At her master’s blatant rejection, she slowly made her way to the door. She knew when she was no longer needed. 

 

But just before she could leave, she heard Avinya speak to her one last time. 

 

“...Find a way to live, Sable. That’s my last order as your master.” 

 

Closing the door behind her, Sable gripped her skirt as the guilt of her actions tormented her. 

 

Although Sable studied under the tutelage of someone who dabbled in death, their days together were mundane. Avinya never once forced her to undertake an assassination that she often spoke about. Rather, she made Sable learn how to do housework. 

 

Yes, it was boring. 

 

But Sable was content with that. 

 

However, their peaceful days were gone now.

 

Because she had dirtied her hands and killed her master. 

 

Sobs escaped her lips as she dragged her feet forward. 

 

In the midst of her inner turmoil, she failed to notice the sound of footsteps coming from the forest. 

 

Several individuals emerged from the forest. Each of them carried a sword by their side, and a few were carrying unlit torches. From a glance, they looked as if they were mercenaries. 

 

Following closely behind them-

 

-was her father. 

 

Observing Sable’s pitiful appearance, the Marquis sneered in disdain. 

 

“Did you do it?” He questioned without an ounce of pity. 

 

Sable dug her nails into her palm as she felt a quiet anger building up inside her. However, she quickly snuffed it out. 

 

“I… Y-Yes…” Sable managed a reply between her sobs. 

 

Marquis Marten clicked his tongue before motioning to the mercenaries. Those carrying torches immediately lit them and began moving toward the house. 

 

“Burn the house down.” 

 

“W-Wait.” Sable hurriedly wiped her tears. “I-I thought you only wanted to kill her.” 

 

“As far as everyone is concerned, she died in a fire.” Marquis Marten smirked. 

 

“But… her research…” 

 

“Tch.” The Marquis clicked his tongue. “I’m sure there’s plenty of alchemists who can replace her.” 

 

“That’s-”

 

As she was about to reply in protest, the door behind her was suddenly thrown open. 

 

With blood dripping from her mouth, Avinya emerged with fury in her eyes. Killing intent radiated from her body. 

 

“Marquis, you filthy coward!” Avinya roared while throwing several vials in quick succession. “If you’re going to kill me, don’t send a little girl to do it for you!” 

 

Barely able to react in time, Marquis Marten reflexively held up his arm to block a vial headed towards him. As soon as it made contact, the vial shattered, and the fluid inside coated his arm. 

 

The rest of the vials landed on the approaching mercenaries with lit torches. 

 

Immediately, the smell of burning filled the area. 

 

Those who could not shield themselves in time screamed in agony as the fluid began to melt their skin. A few vials exploded as they made contact with the fire, setting a few mercenaries ablaze. 

 

Quickly eating through his clothes, the fluid began to burn his skin, and the Marquis screamed in pain. 

 

“Goddammit, kill her!” The Marquis bellowed as he retreated. 

 

The remaining mercenaries, who were unscathed, pulled out their swords and rushed towards Avinya. 

 

Throwing Sable aside, Avinya moved away while simultaneously throwing more vials. 

 

Sable could only watch in stunned silence as her master single-handedly fought against the mercenaries. There was little hesitation in her movements, and she expertly maintained the distance between herself and her attackers. Each time a mercenary came close, she tossed a vial at their feet, forcing them to quickly retreat. 

 

Slowly but surely, she made her way towards the Marquis.   

 

Realizing her goal, the mercenaries moved to block Avinya and defend the Marquis from her vials of corrosive liquid. As she continued to watch, Sable soon noticed that Avinya’s movements were slowing down. 

 

Avinya’s jaw tensed as blood continued to drip from her mouth. As much as she wanted to kill the Marquis, her body was failing her, and she was running out of vials. 

 

She glanced at Sable and apologized in her heart. 

 

‘I’m sorry, Sable.’ 

 

Sabled looked on in horror as an arrow lodged itself into Avinya’s shoulder. Unable to keep going, Avinya fell to the ground as the mercenaries cut her down. 

 

This time, Avinya was truly dead. 

 

Sable was still in a state of shock when the Marquis approached her. Noticing him, Sable shakily stood up to explain herself. 

 

“Father, I-”

 

SMACK!

 

Sable fell backwards as pain bloomed across her cheek. 

 

“You useless brat!” Marquis Marten was livid. Although the mercenaries had performed some first-aid and wrapped his arm in gauze, it still burned from the vial that Avinya had thrown at him. “If you can’t even do this right, then what the hell do I keep you around for!?” 

 

Sable didn’t respond. 

 

“Tch.” Marquis Marten turned to the rest of the mercenaries. 

 

“Burn her body along with the house.” He coldly ordered. “Make sure there’s nothing left standing.” 

 

“What about the girl?” One of the mercenaries gestured towards Sable. 

 

Sable felt Marquis Marten’s stare on her, but she didn’t raise her head. After a minute of tense silence, the Marquis spoke. 

 

“Bring her to the carriage. It’ll draw unnecessary attention if my daughter goes missing now.” 

 

Without waiting, the Marquis moved back to the path he came from. The mercenary, who had asked the question, roughly picked Sable up and moved after the Marquis. 

 

Sable hung listlessly in his grasp. 

 

~~~ 

 

“After that, I rarely left home and spent all my time in the library.” Sable chuckled, but there was no humor in her eyes. “And well, you know the rest.” 

 

When she finished telling her story, she cautiously looked up at Isadora, who had remained silent. 

 

Sable knew it was a big risk telling Isadora about her past, and even after all their reassurances, a part of Sable was still terrified that they would one day toss her aside. After all, if someone asked Sable if she considered herself trustworthy, then she would shake her head no. 

 

Seeing that Isadora had not said a word to her, Sable started fearing the worst. She stood in a panic, wanting to run away, but before she could do so, she was pulled backwards into a soft embrace. 

 

“Your master must have loved you a lot, Sable.” Isadora mumbled. 

 

Sable felt a lump form in her throat and her vision blurred. 

 

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Sable.” Feeling the girl trembling in her arms, Isadora tightened her hug. “It’s okay. You don’t have to do everything by yourself anymore, Sable. We’re here for you.” 

 

Sabel twisted her body around and wrapped her arms around Isadora, burying her face into her shoulder. Tears spilled from her eyes as the sound of her choked sobs filled the room. 

 

“I-I killed her… d-didn’t I…?”

 

“Shh, Sable.” Isadora stroked her head. 

 

“I-I… I shouldn’t have…” 

 

“I know, Sable.” Isadora blinked her tears away as her heart ached for her friend. All she could do now was hold and comfort her. 

 

That night, Sable finally let out the tears that she couldn’t let out the day she lost her master. 

 

When she woke up the next morning, or more accurately, the afternoon, she was still locked in an embrace with Isadora. 

 

Isadora, who was awake, smiled at her. 

 

“How are you feeling, Sable?” 

 

Although her eyes were swollen from crying, Sable’s features had softened a little, and the air of aloofness around her had disappeared. 

 

Sable responded with a gentle smile of her own, unknowingly making Isadora’s heart flutter. 

 

“Thank you, Isadora... for everything.” 

 

“O-Of course, Sable.” Isadora replied. “We should get up. Mother said that they might have a way to help you get to the Capital.” 

 

As Sable was about to reply, she was interrupted by the sound of her stomach growling. Sable’s face flushed red in embarrassment as Isadora giggled at her. 

 

However, not soon after, they heard Isadora’s stomach growl as well, and the two girls made eye contact before breaking out into a fit of giggles.