Chapter 77 – Upheaval (3)

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 77 – Upheaval (3)

“Could it be... did you chase me all the way here?”

Chase her down?

Me, chase Isabel?

I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.

Coming from the mouth of a woman who once plotted to kidnap me, it was shameless.

I narrowed my eyes and stared straight at her.

Her golden hair, peeking out from under the robe, shone brilliantly, and through the disheveled strands, her piercing blue eyes glinted.

This was undoubtedly Isabel Yustia as I remembered her.

But something felt off.

Her gaze and attitude toward me.

And the flat emotions in her voice.

For a woman meeting a supposedly dead former fiance, she displayed a baffling lack of emotional reaction.

As if she had erased all those memories.

“Ha.”

A dry chuckle escaped through my parted lips.

“Isabel.”

Isabel looked up at me as if I were a stranger.

There wasn’t a hint of personal feeling in her face.

I barely managed to keep my expression from twisting.

Then my uncontrolled lips began to move.

“How are you already here?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Oh, really? Are you sure you’re not the one following me?”

At that moment, her lips twisted violently.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

She laughed briefly and then suddenly turned serious.

With a flick, she tossed her fallen hair back and spoke.

“Excuse me. It was just too ridiculous.”

“What?”

“Did you miss me that much? If so, just say so. Enough with the nonsense.”

I had to ask her in disbelief.

“Are you crazy?”

“Whatever.”

I stared at Isabel, who didn’t even blink, and swallowed hard.

What the hell?

Is this woman really the Isabel Yustia I knew?

Could she be acting?

I scrutinized her closely, my eyes narrowed.

“Got something to say?”

Her furrowed brow, the sharp tone.

And her seemingly irritable voice.

All of it was too natural to be an act.

Moreover, Isabel’s personality was too straightforward for such a sophisticated performance.

“If you have something to say, just say it. I’ll listen.”

“What the hell.”

“Still, this is convenient. I’m new to the Eastern Continent, so I was a bit troubled.”

“......”

“What’s wrong? Are you just going to sit there?”

Isabel had jumped off the balcony.

Did she hurt her head in the process?

She began spewing nonsensical words without pause.

“I didn’t come here to find you.”

“Sure, I’ll believe you.”

She laughed.

It was a refined laugh, like a piece of fine art.

‘She’s really crazy, isn’t she?’

It was certain.

She must have hit her head while jumping off the mansion.

Even her shamelessness was now at an insane level.

That kind of shamelessness was only possible if she had lost her mind.

A slow realization crept up from my toes.

That tone.

That voice.

And that brazenness.

Wait.

That’s just...

‘The Isabel from the previous run?’

Crackling.

The fire in the fireplace roared.

The red light flickered on her pale skin.

I stared at it, lost in thought.

‘Could it be... she lost her memory?’

She was definitely Isabel Yustia.

Or, maybe not.

Did she lose her memory when she jumped?

Or is she a completely different persona wearing Isabel’s shell?

“What kind of nonsense...!”

I shook off her grip and continued walking.

Then, Isabel’s panicked voice came from behind.

“W-Winfred!”

What?

Winfred?

“I’ll inform Winfred that you’re staying in Asven.”

“......”

“So, take me with you. I’m not asking for much. Just a place to stay for a few days until the Papal See arrives.”

Ah, damn it.

...How am I going to explain this to Diana?

****

Meanwhile,

“......”

Luna tossed and turned on her bed.

The sun was already high in the sky, but she neither wanted to get up nor fall back asleep.

“Kyle...”

Luna muttered softly, her voice cracking.

For days, she had been drowning in a terrible sense of lethargy.

The regret of losing Kyle right in front of her, the despair of never seeing him again, and...

“I miss you...”

Regret.

The black regret that clung to her heart weighed down on her chest.

Her ragged breath caught in her throat.

Breathing out a hot sigh, Luna laughed weakly.

It was all over now.

Kyle was dead, and Winfred was finished.

She herself would be executed the moment the Royal Family caught her.

That didn’t sadden her.

The most horrifying fact was that she would never see Kyle or hear his voice again.

Kyle’s voice calling her “sister” echoed in her mind.

“......”

Should she die?

But before dying, she wanted to confirm with her own eyes that Kyle was dead.

Where did he go?

Diana, where did that woman take Kyle...?

“Damn it...”

It felt like a burning lump was lodged in her throat, making it hard to breathe.

Tears welled up in her eyes and fell silently.

Her shattered reason lost form and crumbled.

When she tightly closed her eyes, a pitch-black void unfolded before her.

Her ragged breaths scattered into the empty air.

And then.

Knock, knock—

The sound of regular knocking echoed in the void.

‘...Who could it be?’

Ah, how tiresome.

Had another pursuer already caught up?

Creak.

The firmly closed door began to open.

Luna swallowed a sigh and slowly sat up.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

She lifted her heavy eyelids.

Beyond her blurred vision, she saw someone entering through the door.

Dark purple hair.

Unfamiliar green eyes.

A woman she didn’t remember.

Who is she? Luna’s brow furrowed.

After a moment, the woman standing in front of the bed carefully spoke.

“Luna Winfred.”

Ah, did the Royal Family send her?

Luna clicked her tongue and pulled out the sword hidden beside her bed.

But then.

“I’m here to sell some information.”

The woman immediately proposed a deal.

Luna glared at her suspiciously.

“Who are you?”

An eerie silence descended.

The woman smiled, her eyes narrowing, and then slowly began to speak.

“You’re looking for someone, aren’t you?”

Her words pricked up Luna’s ears.

Indeed, Luna was desperately searching for someone more than anyone else.

“Kyle Winfred.”

Her heart sank for a moment.

At the same time, the hairs on her skin stood up.

“I know where he is.”

[Translator – Peptobismol]