Chapter 72
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That one act of help was still etched in her memory.
To Odelia, Beloa was undoubtedly a peerless 'villainess.'
But suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.
If Beloa hadn't been born into the Cardel family...
She wouldn't have committed so many sins, nor would she have stained her hands with anyone's blood.
'Without Beloa, Gawain would collapse miserably.'
Even now, he must be running around without knowing his place.
Not even appreciating his sister.
Odelia looked at Beloa with a strange smile.
"Do you know something?"
"What..."
"That idiot can't do anything without you."
That... idiot?
At first, Beloa didn't seem to understand what Odelia was saying.
But soon, her eyes flickered slightly.
It didn't take long for her to realize who the word was referring to.
"Always hiding behind you, shirking responsibility, passing off the dirty work, leaving the decisions to you, not acknowledging your contributions, while claiming all the honor and glory for himself..."
As Odelia suddenly began to rattle off, her face gradually turned pale.
Beloa glanced around and hurriedly cut off Odelia's words.
"I don't know what you're talking about all of a sudden."
"No, in fact, you know better than anyone."
That's why she harbors a distorted heart.
My brother can't do without me. The Cardel family needs me...
Odelia once thought so too, so she knew better than anyone.
That this world might perish without the Purifier.
That I have to sacrifice myself for the world.
That wasn't it.
It was only Cardel who would be in trouble without Odelia; the world was doing just fine.
"You have the right to choose a different life."
"..."
"You've held the key from the beginning."
"..."
"So have I..."
Actually, it's not really my place to say.
Odelia trailed off for a moment before throwing out the last words.
"Looking at it this way... we're quite alike."
At those words, Beloa momentarily forgot her 'benevolent sister' act and showed a hint of displeasure.
To be compared to a Purifier born as a disposable item from the start.
That was the look on her face.
Well, it was a natural reaction.
That was always Odelia's treatment in the Cardel family.
She must have grown up being brainwashed that she was just a tool borrowing her mother's womb and wearing her sister's shell.
'She's probably still thinking of killing me.'
Odelia chuckled and shrugged.
It wasn't like she was saying these things to her with the intention of getting along in the first place.
"Thank you for attending the reception. I hope to see you again sometime."
Odelia left those words and left without regret, linking arms with Ludville.
Suddenly left alone, Beloa was dazed for a moment...
Soon, she rearranged her face again.
With a familiar smile, familiar hypocrisy, and a familiar mask.
'...She definitely noticed.'
She knows everything.
That Gawain and Beloa are plotting something dangerous at the reception.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered to come to her alone and say those things.
'She's trying to drive a wedge between my brother and me.'
It's an obvious trick.
'From the start, the reason nothing happened at the wedding was that Excepcion noticed it first and manipulated the Spellwork.'
No, it's certain.
Beloa had thoroughly checked it twice, three times.
The only reason she silently accepted when Gawain blamed her for making a mistake was that.
She hadn't confirmed it with her own eyes.
But...
If it wasn't a ridiculous mistake on Cardel's part.
If Excepcion had already figured everything out and deliberately left the Chaos Stone in place, removing only one circuit to make it look like a mistake...
'They deliberately induced Cardel to retrieve the Chaos Stone.'
That means they know how to deal with it.
Beloa hurriedly pushed through the crowd and quickly found Gawain.
Gawain, who was holding a glass of wine with a relaxed expression among the guests, narrowed his eyes when he saw Beloa.
"Brother!"
"What's wrong? This brother is a little busy..."
"I have something urgent to tell you."
Because Beloa seemed very urgent, Gawain had no choice but to enter the lounge with her and lock the door.
He checked that no one was there and complained.
"You must have heard that I'm trying to win over the vassals? I'm already short on time... Do you think it's easy to win them over in the meantime? It's tight just giving them suggestions..."
"The Purifier seems to know everything."
Beloa interrupted him and urgently told him about the conversation she had with Odelia earlier. And even the conclusions she had drawn.
And Gawain, after hearing Beloa's words...
"Beloa."
Instead, he asked back like this.
"Do you really think that bitch has such knowledge? That she manipulated the Spellwork? How could that thing, which was locked in the basement, learn Spellwork?"
"...That's."
"Excepcion is the same. How would they know about our Chaos Stone?"
His eyes turned cold.
"That's just them testing you. Let's say they were lucky enough to discover and erase the Spellwork. But will luck follow them after that? Even if they know danger is coming, they'll have no way to deal with it and will have no choice but to suffer. So they're shaking you up, hoping we'll stop first. That's a typical weakling's strategy."
Gawain flicked Beloa's forehead with his finger.
"To believe that and come to me. Even after I told you that much, you still don't understand? No matter how smart you pretend to be, you're still naive."
"..."
"I told you, you still can't do without this brother by your side. Our poor sister."
Beloa's face gradually turned pale.
"But surely... there was a sign..."
"Ah, I see."
Gawain laughed and snapped his fingers.
"You, you were ashamed of your mistake, so you wanted to find an excuse even if it meant doing that?"
"..."
"Haha, how cute."
Then he stroked Beloa's head as if he were dealing with a child.
