The Heroines Who Framed Me Are Clinging to Me

Chapter 18 - The Master and the Toy

"That boy Lloyd is indeed suspicious."

Duchess Gray\'s office.

The Duchess covered her mouth with her fan as she listened to the report.

"How much progress has the encroachment of the Gu worm made?"

"Judging by the depth of the mark on his arm, at least 80%. But..."

"But?"

"...No matter how I look at it, that boy doesn’t seem to be affected by the Gu worm at all. His eyes are still clear, without a hint of madness, and his behavior is as cold as it was before."

The Gu worm was supposed to disrupt the sanity of those who consumed it. It weakens self-control, making the victim aggressive and prone to violence at the slightest provocation, or desperate to satisfy any sudden urges. They become little more than beasts.

And it is in those gaps of their sanity that the Blood Cult\'s ritual magic takes root, expanding the mental rift and allowing the cult to control and manipulate its members. That’s how the Blood Cult turns its followers into obedient puppets.

"But you’re certain the Gu worm was successfully administered?"

"Yes, absolutely. There\'s no way the mark would appear if the Gu worm hadn\'t been consumed."

The Gu worm leaves a mark.

The mark of the Blood Cult engraved on the arm.

The darker the mark, the deeper the Gu worm has taken root.

Eventually, it becomes a deep crimson, reflecting the amount of blood absorbed from others. It is said that the highest-ranking members, like the Cult\'s leader, have completely crimson marks, though no one alive has seen it.

The Duchess herself bore a mark that was a deep, reddish hue.

At that level, one\'s self could be partially restored, allowing them to function as a high-ranking member of the cult. But Lloyd\'s situation was different.

"Of course, there have been a few exceptions."

"What do you mean?"

"The Vessel, my lady. Those who bear the presence of the Bloodfiend\'s servants. When one of them is held within a person, the mark doesn\'t always form."

Duchess Gray shook her head, dismissing the idea.

"He\'s just a boy of twelve or thirteen. Are you really suggesting that this boy, through sheer willpower alone, could withstand the Gu worm and hold the Bloodfiend’s servants within himself?"

"......."

"That\'s simply impossible. No, it’s already impossible for him to hold even one of the Bloodfiend’s servants. Could you withstand their power?"

The aide fell silent, lowering his head in acknowledgment.

It was indeed unlikely.

"Yet, I must admit, there\'s something suspicious about Lloyd. He’s clearly hiding something."

"Shall we force him to reveal it?"

The aide pointed to a crimson box.

It looked similar to the one containing the Gu worm, but it was quivering slightly, as if something inside was trying to break free.

"No. If by any chance he really does contain one of the Bloodfiend’s servants, we need to be more cautious when waking it. The vessel could shatter."

Flap.

The Duchess lightly fanned herself as she spoke.

"Let’s proceed with the plan to use the other children to provoke him. If the Bloodfiend’s servants, or perhaps even the Bloodfiend itself, are indeed dormant within him, they won\'t be able to resist the lure of blood."

Just as the Duchess was about to finish her instructions, she paused.

"Hmm?"

A slight frown creased her delicate brow.

Through the "eyes" she had planted around the mansion’s perimeter, she noticed something unusual.

Lloyd was engaged in a fight with someone in the dark forest.

A flicker of anger crossed Duchess Gray\'s face.

"Someone’s trying to damage my toy."

Swish.

She rose gracefully from her sofa and gestured with her hand.

The space around her split open.

"I\'ll be right back."

She reached her hand into the rift first.

Squelch.

The sound of something wet filled the room as red liquid oozed over her hand.

◆

Lloyd stared blankly at the hand that had just burst through the rift in space.

— Thump, thump.

A heart was pulsating in that hand, spurting blood into the air.

Then the space split vertically, revealing a white leg, followed by a purple dress, and finally, ash-colored hair fluttering in the wind.

A few drops of blood clung to her face—Duchess Gray.

As she tilted her head and smiled, the droplets rolled down her face.

With a red-stained smile, the Duchess asked.

"What were you whispering about with this man?"

Damn it.

How much of the conversation with Arno had she overheard?

The part about brainwashing?

The secrets of the mansion?

Or perhaps the prophecy?

Lloyd quickly realized there was only one response that might suit the situation.

He took a few hesitant steps backward, feigning fear.

"N-Nothing of importance."

"Oh, dear, did I frighten you? That wasn’t my intention. I’m not angry with you."

The Duchess said with a soft smile, withdrawing her hand from Arno\'s chest.

Thud. His lifeless body slumped to the ground as she stepped over him and approached Lloyd.

Her bloodstained hand reached out and touched Lloyd’s face.

"I came because I was worried. I didn’t want you to get hurt."

The strong scent of blood filled his nostrils.

— Blood! Blood! Human blood!

Lloyd suppressed the voice roaring in his mind. He pretended not to hear it as the Duchess gently caressed his cheek with her bloody hand. The sticky sensation of blood barely registered as his mind focused solely on the danger at hand.

Lloyd swallowed hard, trying to portray genuine fear.

It was a convincing display, considering that the Duchess could easily kill him right here if she wanted to. Lloyd was already exhausted, and she had just performed an incredible and mysterious technique.

That rift she created wasn’t ordinary magic. Could it be a Blood Cult ritual? Lloyd had heard of such dark arts before. The scent of that rift was eerily similar to Ortega\'s.

"So, what were you whispering about with him?"

The Duchess asked, her breath warm against Lloyd\'s ear. He finally felt just how dangerous and seductive she really was.

"Take your time and remember. I’ll wait as long as it takes, my dear Lloyd."

Her breath was thick with possessiveness. The Duchess likely viewed Lloyd as nothing more than a toy, something worth a fortune, worth keeping in her collection. To her, Lloyd was nothing more than a hundred-million-crone toy. And a hundred-million-crone probably meant nothing to her.

"He suddenly attacked me."

As Lloyd spoke, the Duchess nodded as if she was pleased. Her hair brushed against Lloyd’s collarbone.

"And?"

"I had to figure out what was happening. It turned out he was a knight of the White Knights."

"I see. He was a spy from the Empire. I thought he was a trustworthy servant."

But it seemed she wasn’t completely satisfied with his answer.

As Lloyd looked up at her, she smiled gently and continued to caress his cheek.

He couldn’t gauge how much she knew. How much more should he say?

Lloyd decided to take a gamble.

"What more do you wish to know?"

Stroke.

Her hand paused for a moment, and then her thumb extended toward his lips.

Lloyd’s gaze followed her movements as she lightly traced his lower lip with her bloody thumb.

"I like my toys to keep their secrets."

"..."

"But not from me."

Slide.

Her thumb slowly glided down his lip, staining it with blood.

The Duchess smiled as she painted Lloyd’s lips with blood, as if applying some kind of twisted balm.

— Blood! Blood! The blood of the innocent! Lick it! Lick her finger!

Ortega’s crazed voice echoed in Lloyd’s head.

Lloyd focused straight ahead, refusing to give in.

The Duchess’s sinister smile grew wider as she pressed her thumb against Lloyd’s lips, forcing them open.

"I do enjoy seeing you keep your lips sealed, but..."

Her long, slender finger slipped into his mouth, the metallic taste of blood spreading across his tongue.

Ortega’s frenzied cheers filled Lloyd’s mind as the Duchess’s breath warmed his ear.

"Before your master, I want you to open your mouth like this."

The Duchess\'s smile was like that of a serpent, cold and calculating.

Her eyes gleamed with predatory intent as she breathed heavily, enjoying her dominance. Ortega’s voice mixed with the sound of clapping in Lloyd\'s head, the smell of blood filling his senses as his vision blurred.

Lloyd’s body swayed, the mark on his arm glowing a deep, ominous black.

The Duchess smiled as she saw this.

"Welcome to the Blood Cult. Are you feeling dizzy?"

"...Yes."

Embrace.

The Duchess pulled Lloyd into her arms, and he found his head resting against her chest.

"I suppose I’ll have to take care of you."

◆

"I will now announce the results of the test."

After the mana orb collection test ended, the new recruits of the Blood Cult gathered in the clearing to have their collected orbs evaluated.

Hector, holding a handful of orbs, received a plaque marked with [Excellent].

But as he glanced around, one of the cult\'s officers noticed and asked.

"What is it?"

"Where is Lloyd?"

Questions were generally forbidden, and Hector knew this well, having been beaten for speaking out of turn before.

Yet, this time, he couldn’t hold back. His impulse got the better of him.

\'This guy has fully merged with the Gu worm.\'

The officer thought, noticing Hector\'s inability to control his impulses. The officer smirked as he responded.

"The boy was injured. He managed to find two Mana Orbs, so he received a high rank. Just like you, he got an [Excellent]."

"Only two? Is that all?"

"Time was short, so we took that into consideration."

"That\'s special treatment! It\'s unfair."

"Do you have a problem with that?"

The officer\'s eyes glowed red, and Hector quickly bowed his head.

"No, sir."

Hector obediently returned to the group of new recruits, but his hand clenched around the [Excellent] plaque, crushing it in his fist.

He glanced around at his fellow trainees.

"I don\'t like it."

"You\'re talking about Lloyd, right?"

"Yeah."

He glanced around, checking the officers\' reactions, then made a subtle signal to the others.

His gaze shifted between the officers and the direction of Lloyd\'s quarters.

"Everyone, listen up! You\'ve all worked hard! Those who passed, take a break. A distinguished guest is visiting the mansion today, so stay put in your quarters. Dismissed!"

This was their chance.