Chapter 34 - It’s Still Spring

Chapter 34 – It’s Still Spring

Kiehl’s old house had not changed at all.

“…Uncle. Long time no see.”

It had been ten years for him.

Calix…

A wanted criminal, also his uncle.

Even before returning to his young body, Kiehl had seen the flyer and had come to this house. It was autumn then, and now there was nothing other than spring.

Calix frowned and booed with his lips, as he did back then, with his face red up to the tip of his nose.

“No, who is this?”

He already knew what his uncle was doing since then, and what happened after that.

Finally, he gambled on his fate.

“I forgive you, Uncle.”

He practiced every time he fell asleep so that he would say this if they met someday since he went back in time and met the angel who reached out to him with the moonlight on her back.

‘Thanks to your abandonment, I got the most precious thing in the world.’

He prayed that his uncle would understand his sincerity, hoping to avoid the fate to come.

“You must have managed to survive.”

However, when he continued to say the same thing cruelly, Kiehl only smiled bitterly. How many times did he imagine forgiving someone that didn’t even ask for forgiveness?

Bella stared blankly at Calix’s face.

He was definitely different from the person she saw in the flyer.

Before entering the Imperial Palace, his life was always on the verge of death. As Kiehl recalled that day, he touched the pendant. Even then, he was about to die, though he was resurrected by divine power.

‘Your uncle hurt you again.’

What happened after that was instantaneous.

“You must’ve managed to survive? Hey!”

At Calix’s cry, a secret space from the fireplace opened and three strong men appeared. His eyes changed, and he hit Kiel’s head with the bottle he was holding in his hand without mercy.

“You’ve grown up beautifully. As expected.”

Then, he pushed the broken wine bottle to Bella’s neck.

“Will this little lady get a lot of money, too?”

As if this had happened many times, the men came to Bella and Kiehl with ropes without even consulting them.

“I know of a nobleman with a noble hobby.”

She asked, gently moving her hand away from the wine bottle, which was pointed at her own neck.

“You said you were his uncle.”

If there was such a thing as a minimum conscience.

“How could you ever think of selling his nephew twice, not once?”

Bella’s voice was cold and dark. She had been angry so many times, although she was very different now.

“Uncle…? Of that bastard who doesn’t even know where that he was born from?”

However, Calix raised one eyebrow and smiled confidently.

“How can a person be like that?”

Hearing those words, Bella’s face grew cold.

Then, a man took Bella’s hand to tie the rope.

“Do we still look human?”

“Right, thanks.”

The police only catch the criminals, leaving the judgment in the hands of the law. But, did she need to keep the law as she possessed the demon King’s daughter?

Even though Bella just turned her arm around, her strength was so strong that the man holding her fell.

“Ooh, don’t move. You’re an aggressive Miss.”

Another man abruptly drew his sword and pointed it again at her neck, though she held the sword in her hand and stared straight into the man’s eyes.

“Uh… uh—”

“Why are you so surprised?”

Red blood dripped from Bella’s hand as she grabbed the sword.

He was speechless as if shocked by the boldness of a sixteen-year-old girl as Bella pushed the sword straight and took it to the man’s neck.

When murderous energy was felt, the men felt a crisis and pulled their swords from their waists. Although before they could properly grip the sword, she pierced each of their swords into their hearts precisely with the other hand.

For such a short time that they couldn’t even scream.

All that’s left was Calix.

In less than a few seconds, he saw all his comrades rolling around and he stepped back. Bella, on the other hand, seemed to be losing her mind.

Could it be that the smell of death brushed the tip of her nose?

‘Died too soon.’

As it is, she was filled with regret for something.

The seething rage enveloped her from beneath her, and merely killing him was not enough. Was she going to rip that man’s limbs apart one by one and kill him, or will she only inflict life-threatening scars and use him as a toy in the future?

‘I think I’ve felt this way before.’

Suddenly, the flower she was holding in her hand fell to the floor and was stained red.

It was then.

Someone came in with the door open.

“It’s Calix! Arrest him!”

Men in uniform creaked up the dilapidated house, approached Calix and put a shackle around his wrist.

“That b*tch killed all these kids.”

Calix groaned and glared at Bella.

“I’m sure she’s a demon b*stard. Investigate her, too!”

Hearing those words, the said ‘demon b*stard’ burst out laughing.

They were all in the interrogation room.

The investigation room was quite different from what she had expected. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was a living room, with good furniture arranged and the lighting was bright like a banquet hall.

She asked Kiehl in a whisper as she watched Calix knelt down on his knees.

“Kiehl, would you like to secretly kill that bastard?”

Though Kiehl shook his head, holding Bella’s hand that was wrapped in bandages.

“No.”

It seemed that Bella’s hand had received the wound he would receive on his behalf ten years ago.

“I hope you regret it.”

“I don’t regret that.”

However, knowing Calix’s ending, Kiehl only smiled bitterly. Even though he killed Calix with his divine power ten years ago, but now, it was different.

“…Because it would be easier to die than to live in despair.”

The punishment he deserved remained.

Still, Bella didn’t know what the punishment was, and just having a hot meal in the prison cell seemed good since any punishment felt light compared to the wounds that Kiehl would have received.

It was still vividly portrayed as his fingers wiggled as he couldn’t open the door to his heart.

There were times when he was afraid of being abandoned and asked over and over again… There was a time when he said he could die because he didn’t want to be thrown out.

But, the most heartbroken person comforted her.

“Is Bella’s hands okay?”

She replied as she folded her recovered hands. Her monstrous resilience took her by surprise.

“It’s a secret, but it doesn’t hurt at all.”

“That’s a relief.”

Kiehl’s bright voice reassured Bella.

‘You’re brave.’

Kiehl, who looked depressed with no place to return to, grew up healthy and bright as she wished.

“You’re really grown up.”

As in the novel, the wanted criminal was caught by chance. All she had to do now was to spend the rest of her time well and prepare for her farewell so that it wouldn’t hurt.

To be independent so that they can walk each other’s lives well…

‘First, we must go to the sea.’

Then, an investigator came in.

He was a fairly sincere investigator who immediately ran after receiving a report that a person had entered an old, empty house.

As soon as she saw him, Bella started asking questions.

“Inspector. What kind of punishment will they receive?”

“Ah… We will cut off their limbs, cut off their tongue, and then they will be dumped in the city.”

Bella then felt Kiehl grab her hand and turn his head.

‘Is he surprised that the punishment was so severe?’

Although what Kiehl uttered was a little different.

“Thank you.”

“Huh…? What?”

He was gazing at Bella with amber colored eyes that were brimming with tears.

His eyes were clear.

“Thank you… for always being by my side.”

“Thank you, too.”

“….”

“Thank you for growing so bright.”

Thankfully, that wounded child now smiled a lot.

“Your life will eventually have a happy ending.”

“Like a children’s book?”

“Yes. Lived happily ever after.”

Calix, who was watching this, laughed and scoffed at her.

“Hey, that’s nonsense.”

Bella pondered over her, then reached out her hand and scratched from top to bottom. At that moment, Blood gushed out of Calix’s mouth.

“No, they’re going to cut your tongue later, anyway. I cut it in advance.”

“Uuunn—”

“Thank you? It’s going to happen anyway. Wouldn’t it be better if we did it sooner?”

No matter what he said, he was making a sound that couldn’t be pronounced properly. The investigator, who was watching the scene, flinched a little and opened his mouth.

“Are… are you a wizard?”

“Something similar.”

“We have a statement we need to get. What if you cut off his tongue?”

“The wanted letter said it was okay to kill him…”

As the investigator patted his forehead and sighed, Bella frowned as she glanced at her nails.

“I guess it wasn’t.”

Whatever the punishment, whether now or later. Looking at the punishment alone, no matter what crime he committed, it was evident that he was a vicious man.

‘The bounty was ten gold. Murder is the main crime… Human trafficking?’

Meanwhile, many of the wanted criminals she saw in the newspaper had five gold bounties.

‘It wasn’t just the death penalty, did he commit any treason?’

Treason. If this is the case, it makes sense.

Then, the investigator approached Kiehl.

“My name is Rohan. May I take a look at that pendant for a moment?”

Bella’s expression hardened, and her heart began to pound.

His uncle was Calix. Wanted criminal caught by chance… A considerable vortex beneath the water grew bigger and bigger, waking the surface of the water.

‘If it’s Rohan…’

In the novel, the role was to stand on the side of the emperor and watch over Kiehl.

As she turned her head slightly, she could see Rohan approaching Kiehl and examining the pendant in his hand.

A few days after Kiehl was born, the woman who was the Empress’s handmaiden fled with the child.

When the child was born, she saw that he had the same amber eyes as the Emperor. She didn’t say anything at all, though she thought it was wise. However, after the death of the only Prince, they had no choice but to find the Emperor’s illegitimate child, stolen by the handmaiden long ago.

There was only one clue. Amber eyes.

Over the years, numerous candidates for the crown prince passed through Rohan’s hands, although there was no conclusive evidence for them.

A gift that only Rohan knew, the Emperor bestowed upon the handmaiden…

The Crown Prince’s name was written on it.

“As expected. Kiehl Herian Elysia. You are the Crown Prince of the Elysia Empire.”

Silence passed.

It must have been November 10th.

The day Kiehl found out that he was the Crown Prince in the novel… He designated that day as his birthday in the sense of being reborn.

“It’s going to be hard to accept, but it’s true.”

It was still spring.

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