Chapter 279

Chapter 279

Translator: yun

She died countless times in the plains. She had been struck by the border patrols’ stray arrows and stabbed by their swords. She would get an infection from her open wounds before dying, or killed by a band of passing bandits and she had once also died of starvation. But each time she came back to life, she got stronger.

“I needed someone to lend me their strength so I worked tirelessly to find them.”

She had wandered across the continent. To find the right person for her goals. Finally, she found that person in the Academy. The 1st Prince of the Kingdom of Walter. He was a wise and intelligent man.

“I am Rusbella. What about you?”

“... Slon.”

The space framed the two standing before each other like a screen. That scene that seemed to have been filled to the brim with sweetness was a scene from the <Light of Rusbella> I was familiar with, or believed that I was familiar with.

“After regressing hundreds and thousands of times... I’ve lost count of the number of years I’ve lived. That was why I thought nothing would surprise me anymore.”

But as I watched the scenes, I noticed something new. When she was with the Prince of Walter, she could live without dying. No, it seemed like death was avoiding her on purpose.

I wondered if she was too lost in her emotions to bring herself to speak or was I overthinking this?

“For my foolish self, that life had become too precious to me...”

Rusbella whispered softly.

Now, instead of searching for where Rusbella could possibly be speaking from, I focused on the scene she was showing me. Even if I was not focusing on the scene, I was unable to take my eyes away from the smile on that face that was so similar to mine.

I knew the reason why. I understood how hard it was to bring yourself to smile brightly after those countless deaths. The happiness being with her lover from the screen that I had unwittingly hoped for her too came to an end shortly after.

“Welcome to the Empire.”

Familiar scenes unfolded.

“I am Castor. As you are already well aware, I am the owner of this Empire.”

Upon Castor’s entrance, I muttered.

“Is this what was written in the novel? I mean, is this what happened in what I think to be the <Light of Rusbella>?”

“.....”

After a short pause, Rusbella continued.

“Well, it’s not the simple love story you’re familiar with. The memories I had left you had adapted.”

“Adapted?”

She didn’t reply but I was sure she was agreeing through her silence. And I knew almost immediately what she meant by adapt. What was different from what was written in the novel was the relationship Rusbella had with Castor.

“You, you’re an Heir to the Lord, aren’t you?”

While he might have been oblivious before, Castor realised that she was an Heir to the Lord when she appeared before him as Rusbella. His powers could not be manipulated at will when used against another Heir to the Lord. Rusbella murmured to herself. Hearing what Rusbella had to say, I turned to Castor.

Contrary to what I thought I knew, what they had was not love. There might be whispers of love but their eyes were empty and dull. Castor had become fixated on something other than Rusbella’s beauty and abilities.

“Do you desire me?”

“No.”

Castor smiled languidly.

“I have no need for someone with the same eyes as mine.”

Thud.

Castor thrusted his sword at the ground beneath his feet. I stared at the bodies he had ravaged. The victims of his momentary desire for excitement. It was true that he was a tyrant. It was just that contrary to what I knew, he had not been in love with her.

“You can’t fault me. You can never.”

Just then, I made eye contact with the Rusbella kneeling in the space.

“I then brought you over from another world.”

As she slowly approached me, I retreated. I was getting a headache. I strained my eyes so that I wouldn’t become distracted by the headache but I was already hearing strange sounds.

Squeak–

The sound of wheels screeching against asphalt. I knew what was happening. My back felt cold. It was wet.

‘... This smell is blood.’

Was I lying down? No. This was just a hallucination. I was lying there lifeless. And the person shouting next to me...

“... Ahn! Ahn! Get it together! ... Ahn!”

“... Yumi?”

My long-lost friend was shouting at my corpse. For some reason, I was unable to hear my full name that she was shouting. The noise gradually muted. As the entire scene seemed to move away from me endlessly, even the hallucination became a mirage before disappearing. Behind the broken mirage stood Rusbella who looked as polished as an old stone statue.

“In the end, that novel was just a description of one of your many lives.

“... Yes, the <Light of Rusbella> you’re familiar with is one of my thousands of lives. I picked one out of the many lives I had lived and instilled memories of it within you. So that you can adapt to this world as naturally as possible.”

At the end of her sentence, she looked sad for a moment but that expression disappeared faster than it appeared.

“... So, you’re saying that the life I’ve lived so far has not been out of my own will?”

“No. This is your life, Ashley. However, the curse of repeating your deaths that you had experienced was my curse and the story you’ve read in that novel is the truth and it’s mine. The story of the ‘Ashley Rosé’ standing before you.” She laughed before continuing, “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter since I’m you and you’re me.”

“If I had taken over your body...”

I glared at her.

“Then who is standing before me?”

Rusbella tilted her head. Her gold-coloured eyes curled appealingly. As if she thought that was a good question.

“Two souls cannot exist in one body. So, you merged with a part of my soul so my remaining ego had to disappear somewhere.”

She pressed her hand into her chest before saying.

“But how?”

My mutter caused Rusbella to burst into laughter. Her smile felt empty without warmth.

“But strangely enough, your fate branched from mine.”

Staring at me, she walked up to me.

“Why didn’t you die right when you were born?”

“... What?”

“Why didn’t she kill you? And all of you...”

Rusbella must have been talking about Auresia. She glared at me. With vehement anger and hatred.

“Why were you loved and not me?”

“.....”

“You took my body, my fate and even a part of my soul. Why were you able to receive what I’ve been deprived of for so long? Why have you only lived once?”

She grabbed my shoulders before leaning into me.

“You’re supposed to be me...”