Chapter 5: The Hand of Light

At Mireille’s abrupt question, Rebecca held her breath.

“Do you want to change the world?”

That voice was not the idle remark of a noble lady.

Mireille’s eyes, carrying a sharp light as if they could see through everything, pierced Rebecca’s entire being.

Feeling her skin prickle with fear, she cautiously asked.

“Milady, what… do you mean by that?”

“You already understand, Rebecca. Someone like you should.”

At Mireille’s words, Rebecca’s mind grew even more confused.

As she hesitated, Mireille calmly pressed on to the core.

“I have long recognized your abilities.

You know it yourself, don’t you?

That you are being treated unfairly compared to your true worth.”

It was exactly right.

This young girl had seen straight through the depths of her heart.

Rebecca felt a shiver run through her.

“To begin with, your family line was extinguished because your parents died of an epidemic, correct?

Have you never thought about rebuilding your house?”

“Of course, I have…

But I am a woman, so something so grand is beyond me…”

At Rebecca’s words, Mireille’s expression twisted ever so slightly.

It was contempt.

“That is why we will change it.

The world.

This rotten world that looks down on you simply for being a woman.”

Could such a young lady truly change the world?

Doubt crossed Rebecca’s mind, but she quickly realized something.

The overwhelming presence that did not match her age.

The pressure behind her words was on an entirely different level.

“If you do not accept this offer, you will continue living a life where you are bullied by that useless, rotten couple.

…Though I will not allow that to happen.”

“W-why is that?”

Reflexively, Rebecca asked back.

Mireille gave a cold smile.

“You want to hear the answer?

Then you should respond to my question first.”

Faced with Mireille’s severity, Rebecca felt fear.

But at the same time, she understood that if she remained in this situation, nothing would ever change.

And she realized, with a sense of confusion, that she felt a faint longing for the “world that rewards ability” Mireille promised.

At that moment, Mireille suddenly extended her hand toward Rebecca.

“Take my hand, Rebecca.

And let us change the world.

Together.”

The hand extended before her.

If she grasped it, she would become complicit in Mireille’s terrifying plan.

To change the world was the same as baring one’s fangs against those who held power.

Surely, it would lead to a swift death.

But if she refused, she would be killed here and now.

That was not speculation, but a clear future she could read in Mireille’s eyes.

Death might be unavoidable.

But she could choose how to face it.

And beyond that choice, a feeling surged from deep within her chest.

Mireille’s outstretched hand appeared dazzling to Rebecca, almost radiant.

That light seemed to promise revenge against those who saw her as nothing more than a tool, and a world where her abilities would be properly recognized.

A few seconds of silence dominated the room.

After struggling within herself, Rebecca reached out with a trembling hand and grasped that light.

“If I am worthy… no, I offer this body to you, Lady Mireille.”

Thus, as the first step of her plan, Mireille obtained a loyal “piece.”