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Episode 157: The Oracle (II)
“Guide her in right away. Why are you even asking!”
“…Sorry.”
Melfis quietly bowed his head at Johann’s scolding and withdrew.
Soon the door opened and the queen walked in.
‘Berylia… The woman who drove me crazy all night long.’
The last time he saw her was in the past, as cold as a corpse.
Seeing her lively figure, Johann’s heart raced.
Even if she gave him jealousy that could shatter his whole body… It was nice to see her. It was terribly good.
“I found you, Archduke.”
Berylia made Johann’s heart swing like a ship in a storm, while she maintained flawless composure.
He wanted to kiss those pouty lips and nonchalant eyes and hang on to her.
“Berylia.”
Johann approached her at once and greeted her.
The eyes that stayed up all night were bloodshot, but the way they looked at her was deep.
“Did you hear that I went to find you yesterday?”
“Yes, and that’s why I came.”
“I heard that you returned to the Imperial Palace in the evening… Why didn’t you look for me? Were you with Rixus by any chance?”
He was crossing the line. He was asking too much. Johann himself was aware of his tenacity, but he couldn’t stop.
In front of the calm woman, he acted impatiently, not even having time to put on the mask he normally wore with ease.
The corners of Berylia’s lips rose upwards.
Like she was mocking him.
“I was busy.”
She just casually dismissed his earnest question indifferently.
Johann’s eyes fluttered.
Regardless, Berylia coldly asked him.
“Aren’t you going to ask me to sit down?”
“Come this way.”
At the gesture of Johann offering a seat right in front of her in the drawing room, Berylia sat down slowly with a still face.
Then she looked at the bottles of wine that were ‘promiscuously naked’, and checked out his attire.
‘…It’s a mess.’
His shirt was undone, revealing his chest, and his hair was messy.
If it was the usual him, he would have arranged his clothes and greeted her with a stoic and neat appearance.
There must be only one reason for him to behave like a madman.
‘Johann is also under psychological pressure.’
‘If so, that’s great.’
‘It would be perfect to slowly wither and die under that pressure, Johann. Is it not so?’
Berylia looked at him, struggling to suppress showing the disgust in the depths of her eyes.
‘What have you done to me, you bastard.’
After finding her memories, and after confirming her deep love for Rixus, the emotion that came right after…
It was the great ‘wrath’ towards Johann.
‘You dare… to play with me.’
This man erased her memories, and that made her hurt the man she loved with her own hands.
As though that wasn’t enough, this man pretended to be in a ‘secret relationship’ with her in an attempt to manipulate her.
The blue roses, which were tied to her like a leash of death for seven lifetimes.
It was related to him.
Berylia felt choked by this dreadful and terrible evil.
“I really miss you.”
“….…”
“My queen.”
Even though his intense longing for her was dripping from his body, Johann did not hide his heart.
Berylia hated it. But she maintained her standard cold face, then she pulled her lips into a smile and parted them.
“Maybe me too, a little bit.”
“!”
A delightful smile spread across Johann’s face as if he had been electrocuted for a moment.
‘…Oh, that’s enough.’
‘The heart that wants me.’
‘My dear eternal companion.’
It was astonishing that he had considered himself a monster all his life, but now his heart was beating fiercely towards her.
Just like a man who desperately wanted love.
But Berylia’s heart was as cold as if it had been locked in ice.
“……”
She glanced down between Johann’s shirt.
To be precise, her gaze stopped on the left side of his chest.
Originally, it was the place for a ‘full’ heart.
But maybe, there was only half of a heart left in him.
The other half must have been hidden very well.
‘…Where the hell did you hide it?’
Johann’s weakness, which would remain as a human heart until the very end.
‘I have to find it.’
In order to find the heart of the monster who loved her, Berylia’s gaze moved sharply.
That was then. Her eyes caught the ‘bizarre pattern’ engraved on Johann’s skin.
‘That pattern…’
She had seen it before.
“…If you think you are being insulted by lies right now.”
“……”
“You can stab my heart right here.”
When Johann tried to convince her, daring her to pierce his heart.
That was when she saw it. At the time, it was not a big deal, but not now.
‘Surely, I’ve seen it somewhere.’
Something similar to that pattern…
‘Where did I see it?’
‘Try to remember.’
Where did you see it? Berylia.
Berylia thought fiercely, holding the teacup that Melfis had brought.
Then she came to a conclusion. She should ask questions… After all, that idiot was being fooled by her.
“Archduke, that pattern on your chest…”
“Did you sleep with Rixus yesterday?”
“!”
In an instant, Berylia’s face turned red.
Her heart started pounding at the blatant, shameless question that pierced deeply at an unexpected moment.
Asking a very rude question… Johann was looking at her in a nonchalant and languid manner.
His sensitive-looking fingers slowly wrapped around a bottle of wine depicting a naked woman, and his black eyes deepened.
Just like a vampire who felt a dreadful thirst with a sip of blood in front of him…
His eyes lit up with eerie longing.
“Did you have fun?”
‘Crazy.’
Berylia fixed her expression immediately after giving a fed-up look.
She then raised the corners of her lips as she slowly leaned her body forward.
“Now isn’t the time to worry about something like that.”
“….…”
“Shouldn’t you try harder to please me?”
As Johann took a sip of the dark red liquid, his tenacious and dark eyes did not look away from her.
“If you want to be chosen by me, you have to use those lips… to say pretty things, Johann.”
Gulp—
His rib cage shook greatly.
His black eyes gleamed with interest.
‘That’s right. It’s this side that is disappointing.’
Berylia was a cold-hearted woman who was weighing in with the crown prince and his father’s brother.
Out of the blue, she asked a question. To Johann, who was thirsty to be chosen, who was waiting to say something pretty.
“You must know something about the oracle? Archduke.”
Johann did not give everything out, as if he was nibbling food.
“…A little bit?”
‘After all, it had something to do with Johann.’
Wasn’t the oracle of the blue roses also related to Johann? So that was what she was guessing.
But this time, things had completely changed.
‘Tomorrow at noon, the sun in the sky will disappear and the sun will rise on the earth.’
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with an answer.
But she thought she might get some clues from this damn man.
To dig out his heart and toss it into hell, Berylia sat right in front of him.
‘However… How far will he tell me?’
‘How much does Johann long for me?’
Berylia had no way of knowing until there.
Then, Johann got up from his seat with blackened eyes like a moonless night and came to her side.
A heavy weight was placed on the sofa on which she sat. At that weight, Berylia felt her heart being crushed.
Badump, badump.
The anger she had suppressed surged uncontrollably as he drew nearer.
His body scent, which she usually thought was soft, was mixed with the scent of that bitter red wine, and it felt somewhat decadent.
Berylia forcibly pressed down her feelings as she looked at Johann. Just like how she would treat a small child.
“…Johann. Go back to where you were.”
“I like this seat. Next to you.”
“…….”
“You’ll like this seat soon, too. Beside me.”
Johann smiled softly and swept his hand past his neckline and ribcage.
Then he whispered softly as if seducing.
“Even if you don’t like it, you will have no choice but to sit.”
“……”
‘Damn bastard.’
Berylia looked away from him and took a sip of tea. It was as if he had no interest in such craftsmanship.
Then she asked about it in a quivering line, longing for attention.
“Are you curious? The contents of the oracle.”
Berylia then looked at him. Without erasing the expression of expectation, Johann continued.
“Tomorrow at noon the door of Marsephone will open.”
“!”
“Aren’t you curious? How the world falls apart. All arrogant humans will learn to obey. Of course, Rixus, that arrogant bastard will die before he learns to be servile.”
“……”
Berylia’s breath was quickening.
Things were going much faster than expected.
‘I didn’t think so…’
‘Are the doors really opening tomorrow at noon?’
Her heart was pounding and her mind was giddy. The blood in her body circulated so fast that she felt dizzy.
All she could think of was that she had to tell Rixus about this as soon as possible.
It was when she was in a hurry.
Chaengrang—
Subconsciously, Berylia tried to get up from the table, and knocked over the glass of wine that was on the table.
The shattered shards of glass shone, they were as sharp as a blade.
“….…”
Reading the change in atmosphere, Johann’s eyes darkened.
Then he asked sharply with his reddened lips.
“Why are you flustered?”
“!”
The front that Berylia had covered with smoke collapsed in an instant.
Not missing that moment, kwaak— Johan’s hand grabbed her arm.
Berylia looked at him with quivering eyes.
“…Let me go.”
“It’s strange to be nervous. Is it because the situation is scary? …Don’t be afraid, even if the world collapses, you will be safe.”
Goosebumps rose on the part he touched.
Berylia’s eyes suddenly turned red.
“I’ll protect you. Forever.”
As if she was fed up with him, she struck back with a shrill voice.
“I don’t need it.”
Then she shook his hand away violently and stood up.
Tak!
In a moment, Johann grabbed her arms and stared at her as if peering at her face, much closer than earlier.
Dark eyes pierced her abyss-like eyes.
“…If you like a man with power. Tomorrow I will have all the power in the world…”
Johann’s forehead narrowed greatly.
“But why do you look like that?”
“Let go of me!”
As Berylia resisted fiercely and unleashed her powers, icy thorns scratched his cheek.
Red drops of blood… dripping from his cheek.
As if he had experienced a strong shock, Johann’s arms slacked, and he watched her with trembling eyes.
It was like the expression on the face of a child abandoned by his or her parents in front of an orphanage.
Berylia moved her tongue relentlessly.
“Power didn’t matter from the start. Not even once from the start, I’ve never thought of you.”
Her words tore Johann’s heart to pieces.
But she didn’t stop there.
Berylia exploded the anger and misery she had been trying to hide, and her rejection of him.
“It’s terrible. Every time you look at me like that, I always only get goosebumps on my skin.”
“….…”
“I’ve only been acting to bring you down.”
Johann blinked, in utter disbelief.
Her words turned into a mace and slammed into the back of his head, as if crushing it.
“The one I chose was Rixus. From the beginning, and even after I lost my memories… It’s a fact that hasn’t changed at all.”
“….…”
“You damn monster.”
Under Johann’s weakly stretched sleeves, a large hand was shaking minutely.
He asked, with incredulous eyes that still couldn’t believe the reality.
“Now… Why are you telling me that now? You could have hidden it.”
‘If you’re going to destroy me anyway, you could have kept it a secret until tomorrow, right?’
At his question, Berylia shot at him with a mocking face and a voice full of hate.
“Because I don’t want you to die thinking I was even a little bit interested in you.”
“….…”
How strong was her hatred, how wide her hatred was.
‘…Does that mean that even the slightest misunderstanding is not allowed?’
Johann was dazed and recalled the events of his previous life.
[Johann, this is ‘Berylia Spinel’. The woman of your destiny!]
“She’ll be with you forever…”
The moment when an inhuman monster who did not know love learned blind longing.
“When my power is perfect, I can save her. With the power of the gods, I can rescue the souls of the dead…”
During the seven lifetimes, he alone loved her, and even the moment when he hugged her cold body, unable to let her dead body go.
Even if he was cursed by god, the heart that wanted to revive her…
It was still vividly felt.
Slowly, from some part of his heart, Johann collapsed.
His soul was being dismantled.
Suddenly, with a low metallic sound that seemed to scrape the bottom of hell with a knife, Johann opened his mouth and let out something like a moan.
“…You love that bastard who killed you seven times? …I was first, always…”
“…….”
“I love you and want you.”
‘It was me who endured the heartbreaking sorrow when that bastard killed you.’
Berylia looked straight at the teary Johann who had been through eight lives, and she was sober.
“No matter when you met me, I don’t even care about your heart.”
Such a garbage obsession.
“…It’s terrible.”
Each and every word she spoke became a rake and scraped Johann’s heart, creating a deep wound.
In that hellish pain, Johann’s reddened left eye twitched… Tears fell.
Tuk, tuk—
He said to Berylia as he walked forward.
“Then let’s die…”
“!”
Berylia backed away with a bewildered face.
But abruptly, his two hands grabbed hers.
“Hey, let me go…!”
However, the long-stretched obsession with her, his young love, stuck in her like hooks; he tenaciously did not let go.
He was close to madness.
“I’d rather we die. If we die, I’ll make you forget everything… I’ll start over.”
“Ugh…”
His tough hands clung to her like a spider’s web. The more she resisted and writhed, the more he clutched and strangled her.
“With the memories alone, in the next life… I’ll meet you first.”
“I… as a child.”
Berylia stared at Johann tiredly, with tears in her eyes from the wrath and misery, then unleashed her powers and pulled away.
Bang!
There was a loud noise.
A long drop of blood trickled from Johann’s sleeve.
“……”
Their furious gazes met as if they were about to tear each other apart.
Those eyes, like barbed wires, stabbed each other’s hearts closely, sharp and tangled.
“Even if you die ten thousand times, hundreds of thousands of times, and then be reborn…”
Berylia chewed the blade-like words and spit it out.
“It won’t be you.”
“….…”
“Forever.”
Berylia stared at him with eyes full of contempt, then left the room, leaving Johann in a complete mess.
Left alone, Johann stood there for a very long time, helplessly, with a face wet with blood and tears.
Then suddenly, his knees, which had lost strength, bent.
…Soon, a beast-like howl rose from his throat.