Chapter 76: 76

Episode 76: Bait-and-Switch (X)

 

After saying so, Eristella quickly returned to a resolute appearance, turning to Heinricion and spoke meaningfully.

“There are two kinds of endings when a secret is revealed. One is to get rid of anyone who knows the secret… Another is that the listener keeps the secret.”

“…….”

“So, please take good care of me in the future. I haven’t yet found out what kind of connection there is between my parents and black magic. Can you keep it a secret until then?”

Her golden eyes were playfully folded, forming crescents, and the corners of her mouth were raised coolly.

She was so spirited that, at first glance, it seemed that she had really given it all away.

However, in Heinricion’s eyes, he could see that she was enduring very hard.

“It’s an honor to be invited on the same boat, rather than to eliminate me.”

Therefore, Heinricion went along with Eristella’s beat.

“But is that all? If we search together, you will be able to find it sooner.”

“That’s enough.”

The voice that calmly replied was one that did not expect anything.

And Heinricion could not accept it as it was.

“They were special people to me too. Besides, my parents were also entangled in black magic, so how could I stay still?”

From the start, he intended to be actively involved.

“For my own sake, I won’t let you move alone.”

This was Heinricion’s promise and notification that he would not let Eristella endure alone from now on.

If he hadn’t seen her memories, he probably wouldn’t have known the truth she had kept forever.

There was confusion about how Eristella had the memories of her previous life, but the weight of the time that she had endured by herself was even greater than that.

As shadows fell on the face of Heinricion, Eristella calmly shook her hand and declared,

“Don’t misunderstand. I was loved for a short time, and it was overflowing.”

It was sincerity without a hint of lies.

“I received all the love that a person will receive in a lifetime. That memory was enough for me.”

The love was really great. So, she wasn’t having a hard time.

Eristella spoke without much expression, but Heinricion, having learned everything, was devastated.

Not because of the truth about the death of the previous emperor and empress, but because of Eristella’s past.

She was too young to go through it all alone. He didn’t even dare to guess how much of a struggle it must have been while enduring all that time alone.

It was due to those times that she could now say these amazing words casually.

Only now did he seem to understand Eristella’s incomprehensible behavior.

Even why she went so far as to hide the death of the former grand duke and grand duchess of Adelasia. 

Since she had already experienced such pain and confusion, she tried to thoroughly hide it so that he would not know about it. That was the only thing that mattered.

That’s why she tried to accept the fate of not being able to be loved, like it wasn’t a big deal.

‘But there’s no way that those times when everyone took you for granted and said hateful words were really nothing.’

As he lived with Eristella, who had turned into a fox, he learned one thing.

—Eristella is good at pretending to be calm.

He couldn’t even guess how many times she had endured all this alone and pretended to be okay.

It was too much.

How many people have left Eristella so far?

And among them was Heinricion himself.

According to her fate, he also misunderstood, hated, and rejected her.

It seemed to manifest her destiny.

‘So I’ll must prove it even more.’

‘In this world, there is no such thing as fate. I can’t admit it even if there is.’

At this moment, Heinricion decided he would demonstrate it to Eristella throughout her life from now on. In his heart, he swore. This was a matter of direct actions.

As no matter what he said, the Eristella now would not completely believe it.

It was then.

The surroundings shook greatly. As the place trembled dangerously like fluctuating air bubbles, Heinricion and Eristella supported each other and held on. Before they knew it, they had come to another memory.

What kind of memory is this time?

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“Surely, the hypnosis that shows my memory when I was nine is already broken.”

However, the world in front of their eyes had not broken.

It meant that even if they escaped from one memory, they could not escape from the hypnotic world.

“Hypnosis seems to be affected by our will. But even if we completely cut it off, this world won’t collapse… There must be something else that makes up this world.”

Which means they have to find another way.

“Before that, let’s check how old you are here.”

To do so, he had to find the old Eristella. Fortunately, this time too, the young girl appeared before the two went looking for her.

However, unlike before, she seemed to be a little older.

“How old am I now? Fourteen? Fifteen?”

It was when Eristella was confused by her younger self.

“You’re fifteen.”

At once, Heinricion recognized the small changes in Eristella.

“What happened at this time? I don’t remember much.”

Eristella looked back on her memories, but she couldn’t come up with anything particular.

“Considering the previous times, there will be something specific. Think carefully.”

In order to get through this world now, Heinricion had no choice but to rely on Eristella’s memories.

“What happened around this time… It’s just that my relationship with His Majesty the Emperor has gone bad.”

Eristella murmured. Yes, from the summer of fifteen, there was a change between the loving siblings.

The current emperor grew cold as if he was gradually getting tired of Eristella’s behavior, and even refused the meals or leisure time they usually spent together.

“But it was meant to be. It wasn’t anything special.”

When Eristella muttered in denial, Heinricion raised a possibility.

“Or there could have been an incident you didn’t know about.”

“It’s my memory, but if there’s something I don’t know about…”

Eristella, who was refuting, closed her mouth and was lost in her thoughts.

The emperor appeared before her eyes. Little Eristella faced the young emperor.

Seeing the two of them side by side, she couldn’t help but doubt. Could it be that…

“I guess… I think it was when His Majesty was first brainwashed.”

And the more she watched the situation, the more she became convinced.

It was like a collection of memories that would torment her.

Amidst her anger, Eristella’s eyes trembled.

She was angry with herself, she couldn’t stand her past self. 

Since then, the emperor’s attitude has changed little by little.

‘I could have doubted it then.’

Eristella had taken the emperor’s change as natural, judging it was due to her destiny not to be loved; even in her previous life, the emperor rejected her.

When watching her memory, she wanted to slap herself in the back of the head.

‘Then… His Majesty… my brother… It might not be because he didn’t like me?’

Maybe it wasn’t real, but because of the black wizard’s brainwashing, he changed regardless of his true feelings.

Eristella’s heart began to beat unsteadily.

Complex emotions swirled.

Maybe if she had the anticipation that her one and only family might not hate her… Was she being too selfish?

With a tiny bit of hope, she learned when the emperor began to be brainwashed.

And Eristella caught a glimpse of the black wizard’s intention to display her memories by hypnosis.

When looking at the memories of her childhood, she continued to fluctuate unsteadily.

It made her constantly emotional and shaken. As if inducing the inability to think rationally.

Therefore, no matter what happened, they had to look at the situation calmly and critically in order to break the black wizard’s intentions that locked them in the world of memories.

‘I will never let you do as you please with His Majesty.’

Eristella’s head felt cold, as if she had been submerged in cold water.

Ame: Cion be like “I’ll be your strength” and Eri going “Nah, don’t bother” TT_TT our cute fox put up a hard front to protect herself

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