NOVEL WEB [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 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?
It might seem like a minor distinction, but for me, it was crucial.
Depending on her condition, I might not need to leave here.
“Hey.”
“Hey? Did you just call me ‘hey’?”
“Who else would I be talking to?”
Isabel’s eyes widened in surprise at my blunt words.
A moment later, a scoff escaped from her slightly open mouth.
“You’re finally showing your true colors.”
“What true colors?”
“True colors…?”
“Never mind that, just answer my question. How are you here? Isn’t the Papal See still a long way off?”
Isabel’s eyes narrowed.
She scanned my expression discreetly, then muttered in a hushed voice.
“The Papal See…”
“What?”
“I came here ahead of time to scout because the Papal See was frustrating me! Are you satisfied now?”
Wow, that was loud.
She came here alone in advance.
The implication was clear.
“Oh, so you just ran away on your own?”
“And what about you? Why are you here?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. Why are you in Asven when you should be in Winfred?”
[Translator – Peptobismol]
Now it was certain.
‘She’s completely reset.’
All the past tragedies.
The fact that I had taken my own life in front of her.
Even her own memory of climbing the mansion’s railing and jumping in shock.
She had erased it all from her memory.
Like wiping away scribbles with an eraser.
The Papal See wouldn’t be unaware of her memory loss.
That meant they had decided to thoroughly conceal everything that had happened.
Saintess Isabel Yustia.
To use her more conveniently.
‘This means there’s no reason for me to leave Asven…’
None at all.
Isabel, who doesn’t even know I’m supposed to be dead, posed no threat to me.
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Moreover, she no longer had any obsession with me.
In fact, she would probably view me with suspicion.
She wouldn’t look at me with those dirty eyes, nor would she scheme vile plans against me.
This is fantastic!
This is the best possible outcome.
I managed to suppress the smile threatening to break out and put on a serious face.
There was still a chance she was wearing a mask to deceive me.
So, I mustn’t let my guard down.
“That’s because I ran away too.”
“Ran away?”
Isabel blinked dumbly, then let out a chuckle.
“That’s quite a cute excuse.”
“Excuse?”
“You didn’t just come to see me?”
I swallowed the curses that almost slipped out.
Just as I was struggling to control my urge to spit in her face, Shizuki, who had been watching us from the side, cautiously approached.
“Um… Mr. Birken?”
“Ah, Shizuki.”
“These are the items you ordered. But…”
Shizuki glanced at Isabel in the robe and asked.
“…Do you know her?”
After a moment of hesitation, I slowly stood up.
Then I casually responded.
“No, this is the first time I’ve met her.”
At that moment, Isabel slammed the table and stood up, scoffing in disbelief.
“I’ll be leaving then.”
Without paying her any mind, I turned and started to walk away.
The moment I turned and was about to leave.
Thud.
Someone grabbed my wrist.
“What are you doing?”
“……”
Isabel held onto my wrist, clenching her teeth in silence.
Then she murmured in a calm, subdued voice.
“…Take me with you.”
“Why should I?”
“So you’re planning to leave me alone in this remote place?”
Did she really come to Asven without any plan?
She’s quite something.
I stopped in my tracks and replied.
“Yes, I am.”
“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 b 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. ƒrēewebnovel.com
“……”
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-b 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]