Chapter 140

Chapter 140

Im scared

Verdic clearly had no intention of going back home until hed get to see that girls neck hanging on a rope.

Isella nervously observed her fathers expression, then she eventually tried to bring up what shed been thinking all along.

Father

What, snapped Verdic as he was still glaring at the spire.

I-Im scared.

Theres nothing for you to be scared of. Its all over now.

Isella shook her head. The one shes afraid of was the man in front of her.

But hes her father. She shouldnt be scared of him. There was something scarier than him.

Father, I Did I see it correctly?

Isella was not confident with her own memories.

Did I Did I surely see those things?

What are you blathering on about now.

Verdic raised his tone. Isella hesitated before she replied.

I dont even remember the fire Surely, I Then Carynne with Lord Hare. I saw her in that room with her father. But I didnt see the exact moment she killed him.

Verdic jabbed a finger into Isellas shoulder and said,

You had an injury. Didnt you say that it was Carynne who did that to you?

Y-Yes, it was her.

At this, Isella nodded vigorously.

But that was the only thing she was sure of.

As soon as she had woken up, she heard the news of her broken engagementthat Raymond Saytes was now betrothed to Carynne, not herself.

So, with a frantically high-pitched voice, she recounted the events of that night.

Carynne ran after her along a dark hallway, red hair flowing behind her. Endlessly, endlessly, the chase went on. She was laughing. The hallway was too dark. It wouldnt end.

Surely that girl didnt

Isella finally woke up from her nightmare. She hugged herself, hands on her trembling shoulders. Even after she had woken up already, fear had yet to leave her.

A new fear instead dawned upon her.

I didnt see with my own eyes that she killed What if I What if I saw it wrong?

Things had grown out of proportion.

At that courthouse, Raymond was staring at her, when those countless aristocrats had their full attention on her she felt utterly devastated.

Did she really tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

Really?

Isella, Isella.

Verdic took a step closer to his daughter. Then, he wrapped his arms around the girls quivering shoulders. Verdic gently comforted her.

Youre being much too kind-hearted to the point that its an illness.

B-But, Father

Her tremors would not stop. Isella had been under pressure to speak. She hated Carynne. She loathed the girl so much that she wanted to kill the girl for stealing away her fianc.

And shes scared of Carynne. She wishedprayedthat the girl would disappear from this world.

Im scared

However, coming personally to the site of Carynnes imminent death, just waiting for her neck to be hanged This was another matter altogether.

For her to wait here, twiddling her thumbs, to lay her own eyes upon a real corpseits something she never thought of.

I-Its still too much for me to handle, Father.

This entire situation was too much. Isella felt that she was still too young for this. Things had gotten out of hand.

Even so, Verdic remained adamant.

Youre old enough to see your enemys corpse and check whether shes really dead. Youre already an adult.

Isella could not stop trembling. Verdic continued speaking.

Isella.

Yes, Father.

What are you so scared of? It is the truth that Carynne had killed before, just as much as it is the truth that she had hurt you. Take revenge for thatrip her flesh apart. After all, you are my daughter.

Isella shook her head.

What if I saw it wrong?

Thats possible, yes.

Carynne stared at Dullan, speechless. Its impossible to figure him out. Hes always been so manipulative.

Just what are you talking about right now.

Tell me.

Its already come to this, but what kind of drivel are you spouting now!

Carynne was furious.

Are you kidding me? Why the hell are you saying such bullshit now? The truth Isnt it clear what the truth is? I repeat the same life over and over again. I thought I had fallen into a novel, but thats nothing but mere delusion. To put an end to these never-ending loops, I have to give birth to a child and pass on the curse to them. But its impossible for all this to end because Im barren. This is a fact that you, Dullan, admitted to me before the trial.

You speak of love to me? SHUT UP! Just why the hell are you doing this to me until now!

But Dullan kept looking down from above at Carynne. He did not waver.

T-The wager is not over yet.

Was there hope? Carynne stared at Dullan. Was there a way for her to get an answer? Carynne mulled it over.

Ah, I should have killed Dullan at the start. No, I wouldnt be able to get an answer if I killed him first.

Dullan, Dullan.

What should I do with you?

Tak.

I love him.

But she must answer first.

Carynne replied, schooling her features into a serious expression.

I love Sir Raymond. Youre a witness to it, too.

You saw it. Look at how much he had given up for me after the few months that we were together. He sacrificed all that, only to be left with nothing. Even now He told me to wait no matter what until the end. He said that he would definitely come get me.

Carynne dug through her thoughts.

What else was there?

There was nothing I could offer him in return, but he did all that for me. How could it not be love when he did that much?

N-Not that man, Dullan countered. Y-You. How do you feel?

Carynne clutched her skirt tightly before answering.

I love him back, of course. How can I not love a man whos wholly dedicated to his sacrifice to me

But Dullan did not answer.

He got up. Carynne clung to him.

Wait, wait. No. Dullan. I love you. I was wrong. I dont love Sir Raymond. I love you, you. Help me.

Dullans face became distorted. Carynne took one look at that expression and decided to cut with the bullshit that wasnt even funny.

Everythings wrong from the start so why. Why did she keep trying to find hope. Why was she so foolish.

Fine, I get it.

Carynne lowered her head.

I dont have the ability to love. Maybe. Its just Whether the other persons good or bad, its just not right, so I have not loved.

Carynne admitted it. No other man who loved her that much would ever show up. Her time was limited. And, not only in this life, but didnt she confirm it over and over before? How many times. Oh, how many times was it.

Raymond never ended up hating Carynneit was like that, again this time. No matter what she did. Even if she had killed.

So, she did not choose. Its for this reason that she took this whole world for granted. All this time, hadnt she been thinking that this was all just a novel?

Raymond did his very best, always. To the point that she thought its fascinating to watch.

Her knight. Her male lead.

But I cannot love him.

In just a little while, he would forget Carynne.

Whats the point int doing that

Yet again, the narrative would scatter. Time would rewind itself and bring her back to the beginning.

None of those efforts, none of those affections, none of those duties, and none of that hatred.

Everything would disappear. All of the relationships she had built would collapse.

So, Carynne could not love.

Never.

Her time did not continue. In the end, no one would be able to understand her. No one would live this resetting life with her. She would be alone evermore.

Love is something that happens between two human beings. It cant happen between a human and a fictional character. Ive been told that the notion that this world is a novel is false. But what? That changes nothing. No one can share this worldthis experiencewith me.

From the very beginning, this wager between them was inapplicable.