Those who take over

It hurts. Ah it hurts.

Ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurts!

My back, it burns. 

An overwhelming heat is coming from his palms pressed against my back, and burns my skin with a sizzling sound.

My back squirmed in pain, but I’m unable to escape his grasp on my neck and thigh. 

Involuntarily, my body convulsed as if to divert my attention from the pain, but even that did nothing to stop it from coursing in my back.

「――――――――――uu！―――――――――――――――――――uu！！！」

「Now you match with your precious 【Onii-sama】, and no longer belong to the Luzilles.」

A scream keeps trying to rise from my throat, but it won’t come out.* (original text said I couldn’t hear it)

I heard Otou-sama saying something, but my mind couldn’t process any of its meaning.

All of my sensations are overwritten into pain in my back.

「After this…..well, whether you live or die, depends on you now.」

“Best of luck to you, oh daughter of mine.”

Those words of his, sounded so far off in the distance.

My consciousness numbed by the terrible pain of being burned is slowly coming back, along with my other senses. I realized that there were sounds of commotion outside, and a moan escapes me as the shaking of the floor is irritating my wounds to stinging again.

Muted breaths come from my throat and a bloody taste covers my mouth from where I got cut earlier.

I opened my eyes with difficulty, and with tears forming in them, my vision became so distorted that I could barely see anything.

But even I could feel the number of people inside this room increasing.

「We….were summoned here, I hope you understand what this means.」

There was no other sound after that.*(original text said no sound came back)

My hearing is so overwhelmed by the pain that I wasn’t able to pick them up accurately.

My mind is not recognizing them.

I can’t even decipher what they were saying.

「Because she was resisting….she got burned. Bite*…how hateful.」*(i have no idea what 噛み付く mean in this context sorry, anyone who knows pls let me know in the comment section!)

「That’s…not it!」

I feel the bindings in my body being lifted. 

However, me being able to move is another question. *(original text said smth like “i can’t feel my body moving, even a little”)

As I desperately tried to shift my gaze into the sky, I spotted a familiar color, and I was automatically drawn to it, and felt as if I was gazing straight to Otou-saama’s rust colored eyes.

His eyes were narrowed, and for some reason, felt like they were mocking me silently.

「What are you so confused about? I am the head of the family you know.」

How many years has it been since I heard him talking like this; his tone so cold and overwhelming.

The voice of a cruel and heartless head.

An emotionless and fathomless voice. 

The room instantly went silent, and the only sound in the room was my ragged breathing.

Everyone’s gaze is focused on me―――on my back.

By instinct, my body tried to squirm and hide my back, and in return a scream rose from my throat as the pain tugged at my back.

 

What did he just say?

What the hell did you burn on my back?

……no way..!

I…All this guilt…I should be the one to carry them all.

My sins, my guilt, all of it. Only he has the right to judge me.

But, contrary to my impatience, my withered throat is unable to utter anything.

Just a little gasp, a little breath, sends a stabbing pain in my back all throughout my entire body.

I really should have killed him back then.

Someone in the room uttered something, and like a ripple in a calm lake, everyone opened their mouths to say something in agreement.

“It’s no use if the ritual is not followed to the tee. After all, we just witnessed it.” A voice resonated in the room.

A clan member burning the body of the head.

This act is a ritual.

A ritual where the old head is overthrown via burning by a member, and will be established as the new head.

Then the brand on my back is that of a loser―― if I am branded with this, only death awaits me.

And as expected, excited jeers and cheers shook the room as they excitedly sentenced me to death,and urged that I be killed immediately.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re royalty or not. The law is the law”. Their shouting gradually shifted from my death sentence, to having complaints against the royalty, whom they were supposed to serve.

But a chilly voice cut them off, saying “I will not put this woman, who had abandoned her clan, in the grave made for clan leaders for generations to come”

「She’s already at death’s door. In this cold, those poor wild beasts would have a hard time hunting. Be helpful for once and help fill up their stomachs will you? Keika? Go dump this trash outside.」

「I will see to it my lord.」

I wonder how long I’ve been here.

Away from the excitement filled house, I was hauled by my arms by Keika, and carried me outside.

As I walked through the door, the world outside was slowly being filled with snow; I could feel the coldness of the air as it touched my bare skin, as if to cool down my feverish shoulders.

The sudden cold weather made me cough, causing me to curl up in pain caused by the burns being agitated on my back.

But Keika didn’t have the time to care about the pain I’m feeling. She just put more of my weight on her side so she can support me while walking.

Behind us, are cheering and congratulatory noises praising my father’s name.

 

 

oops I posted this too long kek, gonna work on part 3 so i can post it soon. I’m translating and reading as I go so i won’t know the story (: