CH 122

‘This isn’t the first time I have met you in life.’

We met in one life, we met in the next, and in the next… 

We had been seeing each other for a very long time.

‘You always end my life.’

With a cold expression that made my heart freeze…

With words like blades relentlessly spit out of his lips… 

I was born with a fear of him from the moment I uttered my first cry into the world.

Until the moment I died, I had been living in fear of him.

……That was my life, Rixus.

‘Rixus, as to why you did that to me.’

Me. It was me.

‘……Someone who will brutally destroy everything you love.’

People whom he cherished as much as his life.

This country, Aktoum, which he succeeded after his father and tried to lead until now.

Ires, who had always been by his side as an assistant no matter what.

All the people with whom he exchanged warm glances at least once in his life.

With my hand…the flow of this story was ended with this hand.

I knew, it was me.

‘…Can you accept me like this?’

Wasn’t it too selfish to ask him to share my burden like this?

“…Berylia.”

Rixus covered my cheek with a large hand. Then, he looked at my face that was cupped in his hand, with deepened eyes, for a long time.

He whispered,

“What kind of expression is that?”

Before I knew it, my eyes were blurred. I felt the pain of my heart beating and tearing my chest like a rag.

“Why are you making such a face. Like a child whose world has collapsed…”

Confused and embarrassed, Rixus held me in his arms and patted my back.

‘Rixus, what can I say?’

If you knew you killed me seven times, you would be very sick too.

Rixus…

‘Do you know that this embrace is so warm that I am even more afraid?’

In the end, I didn’t even say a word. It was just when I was biting my lips.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince!”

The sound of footsteps running towards us and Ires’ voice were heard at the same time.

Almost immediately, Ires noticed me and stopped suddenly.

“…I didn’t know the two of you were together. I’m sorry for being rude because I was rushing to tell you about an urgent matter!”

“No. Ires, the business is over.”

“Berylia.”

As I hurriedly got out of Rixus’ arms, he called me.

His large hands seemed unwilling to let me go.

I moved slowly to get his hand away from me.

“I have to work anyway. I’ll tell you where the office is… so don’t worry.”

“How can I let you go like this?”

“…I’m sorry, just let me go, please.”

Rixus’ dark eyebrows contorted.

Perhaps he was barely swallowing his rushing words, for his bones shook violently.

I could tell just by looking at his face and rough eyes.

How he felt…

But in the end, I got out of the place as if I was running away from Rixus.

His tenacious eyes were persistently lodged behind my back.

* * *

Ires, who interrupted Rixus’ time with Berylia, was in danger of getting into big trouble.

But he came with some really important and good news, so he could be forgiven.

“Your Highness, I have finally found the ‘Portrait of Madam Artingus’!”

A relic that could look into the past.

It seemed that the object which had been hidden with only the clue that it was in Morentorium had finally been found.

Rixus, who felt like his heart was going to erupt because of Berylia, felt relieved just hearing this news.

“When can I have it in front of me?”

“If you wish, it can be done within three days. In fact, I tried to bring it to the capital as soon as I found it…”

“Did you?”

“As ownership of the object is split across three people, negotiations are taking some time.”

Tak, tak.

Rixus looked into the air and tapped the sofa with his long fingers.

Her eyes were brimming with tears; the thought of her face made even the back of his head tingle.

He was not really that patient.

Nevertheless, the person was Berylia, and he was holding on with infinite patience. But if it went any further like this, he felt like he would go crazy.

‘What the hell are you doing alone?’

He felt like he would go crazy if he didn’t know right away.

A vein was strung across his neck.

“Two days.”

“Yes?”

“I can’t wait any longer. Bring it to me in another two days.”

Ires glanced at his master’s eyes, and immediately lowered his head like a knife.

“Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince!”

* * *

“Ah, Your Majesty! You’re coming in now…!”

On my way to the office, I ran into the chicks in the hallway.

Following Seryl, Laura asked calmly.

“Did you have a good walk?”

“…The weather is chilly.”

Maribel said in a strangely hoarse voice, worried about me.

‘Because they were worried, they came out and waited for me.’

Thinking of the ladies who must have been standing around in the hallway made my heart ache.

The me who suddenly refused to be helped with dressing and insisted on walking alone; it was natural for the ladies who had been taking care of me at the closest distance to worry.

‘Their speed is crazy.’

It was a time when I was thinking about what to say with a sorry heart.

Seryl, still with a bright voice, carefully held out a box.

“This is from him, Archduke Marquis!”

‘Ah, Margot’s Pendant…!’

I reached out my hand without hesitation in the hallway as well.

“Give it to me.”

“Oh, I’ll bring you to the room…”

“It’s okay.”

I wanted to check it out as soon as possible. I immediately took the box and opened it on the spot.

The holy relic would be sealed anyway, so I just wanted to check the item.

Unsurprisingly, the shape of Marge’s pendant wrapped in silk was seen.

My mind was at ease.

‘Johann kept his promise.’

I felt grateful to him again.

Although it was paid for and received, he was willing to give up something like this… Truly, he was a nice guy.

Now that I had no one to turn to, Johann was a person of comfort to me.

“It was an item sent by the Archduke, and next to it was a ‘letter’.”

“……Letter?”

I took out a small shining marble from the side of the relic.

‘Isn’t this a video stone?’

……You mean he sent me a video letter?

“No, really, such a useless thing…”

This guy was being crazy again.

As I muttered frankly without realizing it, the chicks’ eyes widened.

Still, it seemed like he was treated too trivially for the archduke of a country, so I quickly added.

“Isn’t this a bit excessive?”

It was at that time when the chicks were nodding their heads in unison with their genuinely sympathetic faces.

[Queen, do you like the item?]

The video started to be transmitted automatically.

“!”

‘Oh my, I don’t want to see you. What are you being so condescending? I definitely paid for it.’

Forgetting how grateful I was for a moment, I frowned and watched the video.

[You always don’t reply when I send a letter, so a letter without an answer…]

In the video, he gently clasped his chin and smiled.

[I’m sending it as a video so that it stays well in your brain.]

“Huh.”

Unknowingly, I stuck out my tongue at his persistence. The chicks who did not know such a side of Johann were watching the video curiously.

Fortunately, he did not specifically mention ‘Margot’s Pendant’, whether I was prepared to watch the video with others.

But he did not forget to give caution.

[You’re such a smart person, so I’m sure you’ll do well… 

Oh, if you reply to the video, I will not send a video next time.

So, choose.]

He rolled his eyes and smiled softly.

[Whether you reply or continue to receive my video mail.]

…It was a tremendous skill to be annoyed to get a reply.

‘It’s a talent to make a video letter a nuisance, Archduke.’

Poof!

He disappeared after a clean greeting.

However, at that moment, something suspicious caught my eye.

……Did I see it wrong?

Suddenly, my chest went cold.

Confirmation was needed.

I let the chicks leave, and then I grabbed the video stone again.

After confirming that there was no one around, I immediately replayed the video on the spot, I did not have the heart nor time to enter the room.

[Queen, do you like the item?]

I skimmed through the useless section and stopped the video at the last moment.

I widened my eyes and properly looked at the vaguely captured plant.

“…Innocent.”

It was definitely Innocent. Although the leaves were yellow and withered, and there were holy relics placed around it.

My spine became stiff as if anxiety had licked my back.

‘Innocent is about to wither to death, so he put relics…’

I recalled the Innocent that was in his drawing room during the last meeting.

It was obviously healthy. Of course, there were no holy relics around.

If he had only left it that way for a while… 

If it had always needed those holy relics…

What if Innocent had dried up yellow due to being tainted by the energy of evil?

“…….”

My eyes shook rapidly.

No.

‘I don’t know just by looking at it.’

Perhaps because it was unintentionally exposed to evil energy and Johann was working hard to save that plant.

…But how likely would that be?

My heart was constricted. My blood felt cold.

His name leaked out of my mouth like a groan.

“Johann, Marquis…”

Maybe I only remembered his image in the original.

Maybe I trusted him too easily.

‘I need to check on Johann.’

‘How can I check…’

‘…Let’s gather the brain cells, I need to make a plan.’

It required deep thought. Instead of doing this in the hallway, it was time to go into the room and focus.

On my way to the relocated office, I realized that the chicks were waiting, so I quickly moved to the old office.

Almost at the same speed as running, the guards opened the door quickly with a start.

Gi-ik— Tak!

But as soon as I entered, something was weird.

‘What…?’

The air in the office felt somehow unfamiliar. An apprehension that seemed to be harshly intrusive.

I could only describe this feeling with my sixth sense.

“…….”

Was it just my feeling?

I slowly looked around the office that felt strangely uncomfortable.

I glanced slowly from the ceiling to the table… 

The place where my eyes truly stopped was the floor.

The hem of a green dress was protruding from under the desk.

The corners of my lips stiffened slowly.

‘She’s trembling.’

It was vividly felt that the owner of the dress was terrified.

I opened my mouth and spoke, as cold as ice.

“Come out.”

“…Heuk-euk.”

Frightened, the person was sobbing.

Unable to hold back the tears, unable to stand up.

Crawling on the floor, the woman barely appeared. It was a face I knew.

Very well too.

“Mary Jane.”

“!”

My expression froze like frost.