"Have you heard about the monster tale of Marsella?"
Conan didn't think twice and raised his sword, only to hear a piercing pang as the tip of his sword's blade made contact on the floor while a foot stepped on it. His pupils dilated, raising his eyes up at the woman before him.
"How dare you attempt to raise your sword at a delicate lady such as myself?" his heart thudded, and the next thing he saw was a hand approaching him. Conan couldn't react quickly as he stood stiff, shocking everyone since he was able to catch up to all Abel's movements, but stood frozen in front of this woman.
However, the woman's hand stopped inches from Conan's face. He and the woman moved their gaze at the overweight girl clinging to the woman's wrist. Her little body swinging mildly; her back facing Conan, her eyes on the woman named Marsella.
Seeing this, Leon, who was standing near Aries, yelled, "Sunny!" he didn't know how and when Sunny came in here. Not just him, but everyone didn't even sense the little girl's presence until she jumped into the scene and clung to Marsella's wrist.
"Sunny likes Handsome Uncle. Pretty Grandma shouldn't harm him!" came out an adorable voice, unbothered by the blood tainting the floor and the bodies lying without their heads around.
The woman, Marsella, raised her brows. She gazed at Sunny, tilting her head, before amusement fastened in her eyes.
"You lying pig…" Marsella's lips stretched from ear to ear, making everyone hair's raise. "I finally found you."
"Pretty Grandma, you look ugly now."
"You said they were on the mainland."
"Everyone was on the mainland." Sunny frowned. "Sunny didn't lie."
Marsella laughed, eyes fixed on Sunny. It was already baffling how Sunny came into the scene unnoticed, but it was even more puzzling how Marsella could keep her arm raised despite having a three-year-old fatty clinging onto her wrist.
"I had to slit my throat and restart my hell of life because of you. But well, I had lost my virginity, so it wasn't that bad of an experience." Marsella shrugged, swinging her arms from left to right, causing Sunny's body to swing like a bell.
"Get off," Marsella ordered, only for Sunny to shake her head.
"This is fun," said Sunny, enjoying how her body swing in the air while holding on to Marsella's wrist.
"You do understand you're ruining my grand entrance, right?"
"Sunny is saving the night…"
"How dare you take the spotlight from me?"
Sunny blinked while staring at Marsella, not speaking a word as they stared at each other. While they were having a momentary silence, everyone, including Aries and Conan, could only stare at the woman with Sunny clinging to her arm like a monkey.
'Marsella…' Aries thought, keeping her eyes at the woman's back. 'She's Abel's sister?'
Conan had the same thought while watching the woman move her arm to shake off Sunny. But the little girl's grip was no joke, recalling how Abel walked around with a little girl hugging his leg.
Sunny's tight grip wasn't Conan's focus, though. It was on this woman right before him.
Conan was well-aware of the Grimsbanne family tree. He knew Abel had three sisters; the oldest daughter of the Grimsbanne had left the mainland with a few of her friends, and then the youngest, who was only an infant at that time, also fled from home.
Conan never saw her, but he heard about that infant, Marsella. The person Conan had been looking for before the coven as per Abel's orders. They never found her, despite searching every nook and cranny, only for her to show up voluntarily.
"What… are you doing here?" Conan blurted out after an entire minute of full silence, stopping Marsella from shaking her arm. Marsella snapped her eyes ever so slowly, keeping her foot on top of Conan's sword.
"Me?" Marsella pointed at herself with a misplaced innocence in her naturally sharp eyes. "I need to kill someone… and there's only one person who can help me, hopefully."
Her eyes then fell on Abel, smirking. "Poor you. He would've died if not for me. How can you repay my kindness, brother?"
Abel closed his eyes and breathed out heavily, almost grinding his teeth while sensing Marsella's gaze on his nape.
Meanwhile, Sunny gazed at Abel and then let go of Marsella's arm, landing safely on the floor. She walked towards Abel, squatting down in front of him.
"Grandpa, Grandma delivered your powers… but why didn't you receive it?" asked Sunny with genuine wonder in her voice. "Sunny chose the perfect way for you to receive it."
Abel snapped his eyes up weakly, raising his eyes to meet Sunny's doe eyes. "If I were you… run. Once I recover from here, I will deliver your head to your parents."
Sunny frowned as her eyes grew watery. She jumped from her spot and ran away while crying.
"Grandma~! Grandpa is being mean to Sunny!" she slumped in front of Aries, bawling her eyes out while rubbing one of her eyes.
Aries, who had yet grasped what was going on, followed her instinct and embraced the little girl. She couldn't speak right now, stroking Sunny's back to soothe her, looking up to where Abel, Marsella, and Conan were.
Those three, and even the puzzled night council around, couldn't help but look back at Aries in dismay. The little girl was obviously pulling out a victim card, and Aries was buying it.
Was Aries actually dumb? How could she not realize Sunny was a force enough to make anyone's hair raise?
N0 v el Next. CoM
"Fortunately, I had witnessed the dumbest thing in the world that this barely makes me cringe." Marsella shook her head in disbelief. She then nonchalantly removed her foot from Conan's sword and took a step back. When she raised her chin, her eyes glinted.
"This coven… is over. Anyone who wants to continue, then you will have to face me." Her smile disappeared, moving her eyes around to everyone. "I'm warning you, I am not as kind as him. I am not bound in this coven and killing you all… is a piece of cake. Anyone who had an objection, come forth."