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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: An Unsettling Reunion
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It was that night.
Griffith had left the Imperial Palace in the afternoon.
He had no intention of staying at the palace, so he went to a mansion that Calix and Romeo had arranged for him in advance.
Lellia lay in bed, her mind restless, unable to sleep.
She had just taken out her rabbit doll and was hugging it tightly.
The wind must have been blowing hard, as the window rattled.
‘Why is the wind blowing so hard? Is it going to rain?’
Deciding she couldn't leave it like that, she got up to lock the window securely.
*Shing.*
It was then.
In the blink of an eye, someone appeared and pressed the edge of a sword to Lellia's throat.
“......!”
Lellia gasped, feeling as if her heart had stopped. Her mind went blank.
‘An assassin in the Imperial Palace!’
Could Princes Cedric and Damian have sent him? That would make sense. With the princes' permission, infiltrating the palace would have been easy.
Or he could be one of the palace knights to begin with.
But this person was skilled enough to invade without a sound or a trace of their presence.
Most knights aren't trained primarily in assassination, so this man was likely a professionally trained assassin.
Lellia swallowed hard, feeling the cold steel against her skin.
Then, she slowly lifted her lowered eyelids to look at her assailant.
The figure was dressed in black. She couldn't see clearly, but he didn't seem to be wearing a mask.
‘To infiltrate the palace without even covering his face.’
He must have absolute confidence in his skills.
Just as she had that thought.
A gust of wind blew through the curtains of the open window, revealing the assassin's face.
The man's bare face, illuminated by the moonlight, shone with a bewitching glow.
Ah…!
Lellia found herself admiring him in spite of herself.
It felt as if she were being enchanted by something.
The assassin was like a demon from hell, said to steal the souls of the dead disguised as an angel.
According to the legends, that demon possessed a beauty more sublime and noble than any angel. But its eyes were as red as a demon's...
Belatedly recognizing who he was, Lellia froze. Goosebumps prickled her skin.
“Oscar….”
As Lellia spoke his name, he narrowed his eyes. The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
“I kept thinking something was strange.”
Oscar's low voice was as gentle and warm as a dream.
But the blade aimed at her throat was poised precariously, as if it would pierce her neck at any moment.
“So, there's an experiment I wanted to try.”
“……”
Oscar muttered words that Lellia couldn't comprehend.
‘Why is Oscar….’
Is he really trying to kill me?
Her heart pounded wildly. She absolutely could not die like this.
Just then, Oscar's gaze shifted to Lellia's bed. He seemed to be looking at the rabbit doll she had been holding moments before.
In that instant, Lellia tried to quickly strike Oscar's wrist and push him away.
But Oscar was as unmovable as a great stone pillar.
In a flash, their positions changed.
Lellia let out a sharp gasp!
Both her wrists were seized, and suddenly Oscar's face was right in front of hers.
He lowered his head and glared into Lellia's eyes. His red eyes, inches away, were filled with killing intent.
“Let me go…!”
Lellia struggled.
She was prepared to scream if she had to. If Romeo or Calix heard, they would stop Oscar.
But at her words, a fiercer flame erupted in Oscar's eyes.
“Why are you doing this—!”
Lellia couldn't finish her sentence. Oscar covered her lips with his own, as if to devour her.
At the sudden kiss, Lellia's eyes widened even further.
She pushed him away with all her strength.
Fortunately, this time Oscar yielded easily.
Lellia exhaled, staring at Oscar with shocked eyes.
What in the world….
Her heart was pounding violently.
“Even after this, you won't talk?”
After his insane act, Oscar laughed as if in disbelief. His eyes were strange.
Looking at his glassy, glittering eyes, Lellia thought Oscar had gone mad.
A madness swirled in his eyes, so much so that she wondered if he had been injured during the subjugation.
Lellia was confused.
Why was Oscar acting like this, and what was he talking about...?
Could it be…! Had he realized her true identity?
But there had been no sign of it before he left last time.
She could understand if it were Romeo or Calix, who had been with her all this time, but how could Oscar suddenly...
It was then.
Like a beast waiting for the right moment before its prey, Oscar lunged at Lellia again.
“……!”
Fortunately, however, he didn't force a kiss on her or hold a sword to her throat this time.
He grabbed both of Lellia's hands and brought his face close to hers. That was all.
Oscar's hands, holding hers, were trembling slightly. And they were terribly cold.
He stared into Lellia's eyes with a desperate expression, like a man frantically searching for something within them.
“……”
But as Lellia remained silent, the look in his eyes changed once again.
Oscar let go of Lellia's hands, dropping them limply, and backed away.
Taking a step back, Oscar had the look of a wounded child.
“……”
Tears dripped from his red eyes to the floor.
Watching Oscar cry without a sound, Lellia didn't know what to do.
But that was only for a moment.
Oscar glared at Lellia, then vanished out the window.
‘Oscar….’
She immediately looked out the window, but all traces of Oscar were gone in an instant. Lellia collapsed where she stood.
“……”
Her head spun and her heart pounded. It was hard to think straight after what had just happened in the middle of the night.
It was difficult to understand what had just occurred.
Why on earth would Oscar...
Lellia stared uneasily at the spot where Oscar had been standing.
Those eyes.
The eyes that had looked at her were filled with disbelief, hatred, and killing intent.
As if he had been betrayed by the person he trusted most... like a wounded child.
‘He recognized me.’
Lellia buried her face in her knees. Tears suddenly poured down.
