ORPDRL Chapter 34

 Episode 34

It was already remarkable that he recognized the painting as genuine without ever having seen Aliereto's artwork before. But how did he figure out that the original artist was the daughter of the merchant guild leader?

The merchant guild leader swallowed nervously under the sharp gaze of Grisys—sharp as if an elf had pulled it back from behind.

"T-That is…"

‘I’ve heard that Grand Duke Grisys has a special ability… Could it be that he can see through lies?’

Very little was known about the bear beastfolk, so their supernatural abilities remained shrouded in mystery.

"If you have a mouth, then speak."

Grisys demanded confidently.

Unable to withstand Grisys’s commanding tone, the merchant guild leader eventually collapsed to his knees.

"I apologize, Your Grace. My daughter learned painting from Aliereto’s disciple. Their styles are so similar that I must have been mistaken…"

‘Get rid of it, now!’

Muttering excuses that no one would believe, the merchant guild leader signaled his employees with a glance. At his command, they scrambled to clear away the goods.

He needed to flee before it was discovered that the other items were also counterfeit.

If there was one undeniable fact known about the bear beastfolk, it was their immense strength.

‘I don’t want to be torn apart while still alive!’

Crash!

Just as the merchant guild leader prostrated himself on the floor, repeatedly apologizing to Grisys, he tried to get up—but at that moment, a flustered employee dropped a teacup. It rolled across the floor before shattering.

"Oh my! Didn’t you just say this teacup was made of pure gold? You even told me to bite it to check."

"Since when does gold break so easily?"

The people of Grizzly finally realized that all the flashy merchandise, seemingly coated in gold, was actually fake. They snorted in outrage.

"As far as I know, Aliereto’s paintings are sacred relics managed by the temple. And since impersonating sacred relics falls under the temple’s jurisdiction rather than the imperial court, I suppose we should summon a priest."

It was Lorik, stepping in to take control of the situation, glaring at the merchant guild leader.

"L-Let go of me!"

"I will contact the temple immediately. Moriel could also be involved, so we must conduct a thorough investigation."

Lorik had always believed that Moriel was merely serving Grizzly in Grand Duke Grisys’s stead. But for the first time, he began to have doubts.

‘Phew, now Lorik can handle the rest.’

Having successfully helped the Grizzly Grand Duke's House while keeping her identity hidden, Letty grinned and loosened the butterfly tie in her hands.

"Fairy, Letty did well, right?"

She was so nervous that the tie was damp with sweat. Just as she turned around to hand it to the fairy—

"……....."

Letty’s eyes met Grisys’s, who was looking down at her with a blank expression. Her mouth opened slightly.

“F-Father-in-law…”

Grisys, his eyes half-lidded in a drowsy manner, lowered his gaze to the tiny child before him. His unreadable expression made Letty gulp nervously.

‘Did he figure out that I used him?’

Pretending to be a sleeping Grisys had been a joint operation between Letty and the fairy to help the Grand Duke's household. But from Grisys’s perspective, it could easily have been seen as offensive.

Thump, thump.

Letty took a deep breath to calm her heart, which was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of her chest.

“What.”

Grisys, who had been staring at her intently, spoke lazily. His lips, barely moving, formed words so faint that they were almost imperceptible.

“Was it intentional… You.”

His words were clipped and abrupt, yet, for Grisys, this was considered a lengthy sentence.

He was asking if she had a reason for mimicking him and meddling in the affairs of the Grand Duke's house. Letty’s round eyes grew even wider.

“In-ten…shun?”

“…....…”

Realizing that Letty didn’t understand the word, Grisys opened his mouth slightly, then closed it again.

It was too much trouble to explain the meaning to a child and then wait for an answer.

“Father-in-law, are you going back to sleep?”

His eyelids began to droop again. His vision faded to black, then brightened once more in a repeating cycle.

‘Sleepy…’

Grisys didn’t dislike the drowsiness enveloping him.

Whenever he came into contact with Letty, his body and mind felt strangely clear, as if all his thoughts were being purified. But the fatigue pressing down on him now was like a soft blanket, wrapping around him gently.

“Father-in-law, the mist—!”

Letty reached out to brush away the clinging, murky mist that had gathered around Grisys. He instinctively leaned back, avoiding her touch.

“Don’t.”

The Grand Duke could sense that Letty was somehow affecting his curse.

He had never bothered to think about the cause, but every time they met, his mind cleared. Even without consciously considering it, he had come to realize the truth.

“Don’t help me.”

Grisys didn’t want Letty to help him or the Grizzly family. He wanted to fade into the darkness with his cursed kin.

After failing to protect Isilla, neither he nor his family had any right to exist. Even if they continued to survive, they would only bring harm to innocent people, just like Isilla.

‘No one can break our curse.’

And the truth was, Grisys had no desire to break it.

It wasn’t just him—the entire Grizzly family, afflicted by the curse of the Seven Deadly Sins, had long since lost the will to fight it.

“Leave… us… alone…”

The bear beastfolk had only just gotten used to being outcasts.

Grisys stared blankly at his people, who had grown numb to their suffering, and thought to himself: This was the fate that suited them best.

“We will always live this way.”

Being deceived. Being shunned.

Thud!

As Grisys indulged in his bleak, unworthy thoughts, escaping from reality, Letty’s soft fist struck him right on the head.

“Father-in-law, are you stupid?”

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