Stupid Steps to End
Chapter 9: The daughter of an executioner

Guinevere POV

I am the daughter of an executioner that everyone in this kingdom fears. Everyone hates our family. No one ever dared to come closer. No one has ever invited us but to slash the neck of a criminal.

That's why my mother left this family after she gave birth to me. I envy her so much. However, I couldn't do it because I had nowhere to run.

Wherever I go, I always get a hate glint. That's the punishment for me as the daughter of an executioner's family.

One night, I was visited by an uninvited guest while Dad was away working out of town. A man smelling of mud arrived in front of the house while carrying something covered in a black robe behind him.

He asked for a place to take shelter on a rainy day. I cannot refuse his request. In fact, this is a good opportunity for me.

If I can't get out of here, then I'm the one who's gonna pull them in so I don't get lonely. I have been waiting for a man my whole life who can accompany me in this punishment.

'I'm Arthur. I'm a wanderer lost in the woods'

How lucky I am. I was happy to give him a place to stay. Arthur was a gentle and kind young man. His face was not too bad to look at either. He is the perfect man.

But I could feel something from him look sad. I thought I could fill the emptiness of her heart and make it mine forever. We will be a happy family living on the edge of the forest.

But it all ended not as I expected when I saw the king's mark on his right hand. A star that represents him as the chosen one.

He was the hero who would defeat the demon lord and what he carried on his back was none other than his comrade who was on the verge of life and death.

I immediately became worried about all my plans. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity but I can't take it because fate doesn't allow me. I don't want to miss it.

Unfortunately, as the hero of this country, I knew he would leave me. There's no way a hero would want to marry a woman like me. She must have been married to another woman.

—— Instantly, came across a rotten plan so I could get it fairly.

Seeing that his friend was in a bad condition, I advised Arthur to leave him in this house while he continued his journey.

Your friend will not be able to follow you. He won't be able to survive if you force him to go with you. He hasn't even chosen it completely!

At first, Arthur hesitated at my suggestion in fear of burdening me. He explained to me that his partner was a royal witch from a faraway land. However, he could not use any magic.

On his way out of the forest, Arthur tells me the witch has basically died once and to revive her, he is forced to give her the heart of the demons so that the witch can regenerate again.

The beggar-like man was an important person to Arthur. When I heard it, I almost laughed. It's obvious Arthur has been framed by a tramp.

Only after I persuaded him for the third time did he convince himself to protect the vagrant from the dangers of his journey.

You can visit him anytime. Come to this house after you finish your journey.

A perfect plan! I am so grateful to the homeless man. Therefore I can find a perfect man in this miserable life.

Before he left, Arthur left a letter explaining the beggar's situation. He told me to give it to the tramp when he woke up.

Everything went smoothly. Very well according to my plan. I just need to look after a vagrant every day until his arrival and lie to my father that I found him on the edge of the forest. I thought it would be easy because the beggar looked dead without any news.

Therefore, I did not prepare myself when I found him waking up bleeding.

'The witch's sister is someone who has transcended human limits'

I saw scales and bird feathers appear on his neck. Long horns grew on his head. A tonjok wriggled behind his back as if something was going to tear his skin to come out.

—— He is the embodiment figure of the devil.

I may have underestimated Arthur's warning. At the time, I was too shocked to do anything. Living on the edge of the forest, it was not uncommon for me to find low-class demons around.

Thanks to my father's protective spell, the demons never approached the area of the house. Dad once ordered me that the day a demon made it into the house and he wasn't there, I had to hide and run away.

But what if the devil finds me first? I've made the wrong move.

'Although he is not a mortal man, the witch sir is someone better and gentler than anyone'

JABBARD

".. You.. okay..?"

I raised my head to look at the monster. Feeling her hand on my shoulder still warm, I gasped a little as soon as I realized she was not a fully demonic figure.

It means I still have a chance to help him. I can't let my life guarantee die now!

"—— Wait here - there's an old executioner who can help you!!"