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Chapter 61 – A Turn of Events
Chapter 61 – A Turn of Events
Chapter 61 – A Turn of Events
[Translator – Peptobismol]
Chapter 61 – A Turn of Events
Luna furrowed her brows.
“What did you just say?”
“Master has taken his own life.”
Diana, the Knight Commander from a commoner background.
She thought her to be a loyal individual, but perhaps that was a misconception.
To so confidently spout nonsense about her master’s death.
Luna’s mood plummeted instantly.
How could it not?
From the morning, hearing the ridiculous claim that Kyle was dead.
“Do you think I’d fall for such nonsense?”
What? Kyle is dead?
And he took his own life?
Luna crossed her arms and scoffed.
Suicide is the last resort for someone driven to the edge.
It’s simply ridiculous.
What reason would Kyle have to choose death right now?
‘That’s impossible.’
Yes, it must be nonsense.
It definitely… must be nonsense…
“It’s not nonsense.”
The knight who spoke of her master’s death.
Her face was more serious than ever.
“…What?”
Luna stared blankly at that face.
She stood frozen, staring at Diana with a vacant expression, as if her mind had gone blank.
It was after a few minutes of standing dazedly.
“Isabel Yustia.”
Isabel… Yustia…?
Luna’s gaze lifted slowly.
And after blinking a few times.
“She kidnapped Master.”
Diana nodded slowly and muttered in a low voice.
Luna took a step back.
“K-Kidnapped… she did…?”
With a haggard face, Diana seemed to be out of her mind.
Diana showed Luna one by one the belongings Kyle usually carried.
The pounding in her ears had been relentless from earlier.
Regardless, Diana continued speaking.
Isabel, that madwoman, had kidnapped Kyle.
While heading to the Eastern Continent, Kyle and Diana regained consciousness and chose to escape.
In the process, Isabel noticed their escape and pursued them.
Kyle… had taken his own life…
“Heok—”
Luna swallowed hard and realized her palms were soaked with sweat.
She gulped deeply, feeling as if something was slowly strangling her.
“Why…?”
Why…
Why?
“Is it really… true…?”
It can’t be true.
What reason would Kyle have?
Their relationship had just started to improve.
She had vowed never to disappoint Kyle again.
Most importantly, Kyle had also returned to the past.
They were supposed to start everything anew, so why would he do such a thing?
‘…Ah.’
Kyle was a child who had lived his entire life in contempt.
He had never received proper love.
Kyle, who had suffered under countless torments and scornful gazes…
She had been a bystander.
No, she had even led those torments.
How dare I.
What right do I have to judge Kyle’s decision?
Her chest felt tight.
The weight of her past sins pressed heavily on her heart.
But.
“…Lies.”
She still couldn’t believe it.
So she muttered desperately.
“Kyle couldn’t have died. No, he shouldn’t have died. You, as his guard, what were you doing when Kyle was kidnapped…!”
For a moment, Diana’s frosty gaze choked her.
As if questioning what she herself had done.
“Master’s body is currently in the Eastern Continent.”
“…”
“I would like to announce the death of my Master and give him a peaceful final journey.”
Flutter—
The documents in her hands fell helplessly to the ground.
If.
By any chance… if.
She had killed Isabel sooner.
No, if she had never hurt Kyle in the first place.
Luna, trembling, looked at Diana.
Memories of Kyle flashed before her eyes, and her stomach churned as if it were melting away.
Was it really…
Was it really so dreadful here?
So dreadful that you took your own life.
Leaving everything in this world behind.
Was it really…
Truly…
“…”
There was no response.
What remained was the harsh reality she had to face.
“Please help me hold a funeral.”
****
Sip—
Rudine sipped her tea while gazing out the window.
Today was yet another dreadful day.
No, the past few days had been the worst for Rudine.
Despite trying to control her seething emotions, she ended up like this.
When did it start?
When every moment of living became painful.
Since the moment she desperately longed for someone, endless pain began.
How did it come to this?
The reason was simple.
Because she knew.
How miserable a life is when you can’t get what you want.
How dreadful a world is when everything stops.
Staring blankly at the building swallowed by the blood-red sunset, she thought about the report from the attendant who had just come.
— These are the land transaction records you requested.
Isabel’s dark schemes.
— Among them, there was one transaction under the name of the Papal See.
It didn’t take long to trace it.
Then Rudine realized.
‘Ridiculous.’
Isabel Yustia.
She thought she could use her in some way, but day by day, Isabel went mad and eventually went out of control.
It must have been triggered by the imperial decree to bring Kyle into the palace.
Unable to abandon her filthy possessiveness, Isabel made the ridiculous choice to kidnap Kyle.
‘As expected, it’s impossible.’
Rudine was sure of it.
Kyle had said, no matter what, he would never forgive Isabel.
No, forgiveness wasn’t the issue.
The premise itself was wrong.
‘Lee Seung-jun.’
He is not Kyle.
He is Lee Seung-jun.
The one she loves is not Kyle either.
It’s the soul inside the shell named Kyle.
[Translator – Peptobismol]
So, I am different.
Only I truly know him.
Only I can understand him.
That was when it happened.
“Your Highness.”
An attendant entered through the slightly open door.
The attendant’s face was pale as if he had seen a ghost.
“What is it?”
Rudine blinked her eyes lazily.
After moving his lips wordlessly for a while, the attendant finally spoke slowly.
“A letter has arrived from Duke Winfred.”
“A letter? What’s the content?”
The attendant took something out of his coat.
It was a bundle of documents tied with a luxurious ribbon.
“This morning, a knight named Diana visited the mansion.”
“Diana?”
“Yes, it turns out she’s of commoner origin.”
I know that.
Diana is the first female knight from a commoner background to become a Commander.
But that was before she had returned to the past.
Now, she was Kyle’s personal guard, wasn’t she?
Moreover, I heard Diana went missing along with Kyle.
Rudine tilted her head slowly.
Then she spoke quietly.
“Continue your report.”
The attendant began to report without blinking.
“The person the knight sought was none other than Luna Winfred.”
“Luna Winfred… And the reason for seeking her?”
The attendant’s mouth, which had been open to answer, closed like a lie.
Then he rolled his eyes, gauging Rudine’s reaction.
“That is…”
The attendant couldn’t finish his sentence.
Rudine watched him with a calm gaze.
After a while.
“Kyle Winfred.”
The attendant spoke a familiar name.
“The man Your Highness has been searching for…”
The attendant added with a bewildered face.
“Is dead.”
Suddenly, Rudine felt dizzy.
Her shoulders flinched at the unfamiliar sensation.
A suffocating silence lingered.
As the attendant gauged the atmosphere and swallowed hard—
“…Why?”
The attendant met her gaze.
Piercing yellow eyes glaring as if they would kill him any moment.
Rage… No, murderous intent.
A murderous intent so fierce it seemed it would tear him apart at any moment.
“Th-That…”
The attendant barely held onto his fading consciousness.
He calmly relayed everything he had been told.
The Saintess had kidnapped Kyle and Diana.
Somewhere along, they had tried to escape.
And during their escape, Kyle had taken his own life.
Every single word.
Delivered to Rudine.
“…Are you certain?”
“It was reported to the Duke by the old butler who observed the situation beside Luna Winfred.”
Dark emotions engulfed Rudine’s heart.
It seemed like anger, or perhaps despair.
Rudine let out a bitter laugh.
Then she closed her eyes and slowly opened them.
She exhaled deeply, swallowed, and exhaled again.
“Leave.”
“Pardon?”
“I said get out.”
Rudine growled menacingly.
At her voice, which sounded like scratching metal, the attendant quickly left the room.
“Took his own life…? Kyle…?”
It’s an unbelievable story.
But it’s not an impossible story either.
Her hands fell from her face, trembling.
Between her fingers, her piercing yellow eyes glinted menacingly.
“A dream?”
No.
This is reality.
Rudine picked up her teacup.
Then she let it fall to the ground.
Crash—
The teacup shattered into pieces upon hitting the floor.
“Nothing has stopped.”
The world remained the same.
Nothing had stopped.
Rudine’s hand fell helplessly in disbelief.
All her will, all her determination scattered weakly.
“This can’t be…”
This isn’t right.
If Kyle’s death is true, then for what…
“Again.”
Yes, again.
“I can’t accept this.”
Let’s stop the world.
And go back to the past once more.
The condition to stop the world is simple.
Kyle’s death.
And.
“Ha.”
Isabel Yustia.
Luna Winfred.
The deaths of those two women.
“Oh, fool.”
I should have killed them sooner.
Then none of this would have happened.
“It’s fine.”
Yes.
There’s nothing to worry about, right?
Just kill them both.
And stop the world like that.
Rudine couldn’t withstand the headache and rubbed her temples.
Then she muttered in a low voice.
“First… First, I need to verify the truth…”
Rudine let out a chilling laugh.
Hiding her trembling hands as best as she could.
[Translator – Peptobismol]