I Reincarnated As An Evil Duchess - Chapter 121
Translator: Nabi
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Chapter 121
“….!”
The next moment, a long mauve-colored hair that had been concealed beneath a thick robe cascaded down like a waterfall. The youthful man with long mauve hair exuding a dense floral fragrance and amethyst-colored eyes didn’t seem so much like a living person as a fairy leaping out of a fairy tale.
“Mer… Merlin! How are you—!”
“It’s been a while, my disciple. Has it been only three hundred years? Are you still meddling in useless and greedy deeds?”
“…Shut up, you half-demon old man. Did you show up with the intention of interfering with my work again?!”
“Unfortunately, not this time. I also have a contract to keep.”
“….!”
“Just stay right there for a moment.”
The moment the robe was taken off, revealing the face of ‘Merlin,’ Morgan screamed akin to a shriek. In response to her reaction, Merlin smiled wryly before snapping his fingers in front of her eyes.
At that instant, Morgan stiffened as if she had turned into a doll.
Looking at the scene with amusement, Merlin slowly walked over to Grand Duchess Blaine’s side, pulling her to a corner and sitting her against the wall before returning to Min-ha’s side. He then bowed his head slightly and, with amethyst-colored eyes fixed intently on her, he softly murmured.
“Hmm. If we endure a little longer, I should be able to complete my second contract with the Duchess successfully.”
“…Yes?”
“Just wait a little longer. According to the terms of my second contract with her, no one will be able to utter a word about your true identity ever again.”
Merlin, who couldn’t utter the words directly to Min-ha, positioned himself in front of her as if shielding her and shifted his attention towards Rupert, who was giving him a piercing gaze, with a smirk on his face and spoke.
“If you want to restore your leg back to normal, it’s better to stop these futile actions now. So, how about stopping around here since it doesn’t look like there’s a chance for you anymore.”
“D*mn it! What do you mean, stop? You b*stard, stop talking nonsense and restore my leg to its original state right now!”
“Oh. Stubborn to the bitter end, aren’t you? If that’s the case, I suppose there’s no other way. I’ll have to make you realize the reality of your situation.”
Shrugging his shoulders as if expressing his regret at Rupert’s stern demeanor, he wore a chilly smile that was different from the one a moment ago.
He waved his hand through the air and summoned a small glass vial.
Shaking the transparent bottle lightly, which held a single sip of ruby-like sparkling red liquid, Merlin pointed it towards Rupert and spoke.
“Viscount, do you see this?”
“…Ha?”
“It was completely full until a while ago. I savored it quite deliciously… Ah, for the first time in one thousand five hundred years of living, I’ve never experienced such a sweet and exquisite ‘emotion’ that I wanted to drink it again and again.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Tell me in a way I can understand! How does whether you enjoyed it or not have anything to do with me?!
“Well. If what’s inside here happened to be Minase’s ‘emotions for Rupert Guinivis,’ would you still say that?”
“…What?”
“Shall I say it again? As a price for helping Minase conceal the secret that her soul had changed, I received all her ‘emotions and memories of loving you.’ For Minase, who is now in the other world, she doesn’t have any of those emotions or memories of loving you left anymore.”
“….!”
“Because I devoured all of them, leaving just a sip behind while I remain here.”
As if recalling the taste of the ‘emotions of loving Rupert by Minase,’ Merlin licked his lips as he spoke.
On the other hand, Rupert looked up at him with eyes completely devoid of venom. No, it wasn’t that the venom had left — it seemed more like his mind had completely abandoned him.
‘…What the hell was that nonsense, eating ‘emotions’?’
As if driving the point like a wedge into Rupert, who seemed unable to accept or comprehend his words, Merlin parted his lips again.
“In other words, even if I were to undo the half-soul spell and restore her soul to its original state, she wouldn’t be the same woman who loved you.”
“…What, that… Don’t say such absurd things! How could Minase forget me?! She loved me more than anyone else! She’s—!”
“So, those emotions, I ate them all and right now, she doesn’t retain even the slightest memory of loving you. Shall I say it again? To her, you’re merely a childhood friend who rescued her from a ‘mulberry allergy’.”
“That, that can’t be true! You’re lying, right?! Minase… It can’t be…”
Merlin’s next words stunned Rupert. The venom that once filled his reddened eyes seemed to turn cold as his fierce countenance loosened like a severed puppet’s strings, giving way to a vacant expression.
Rupert, who had been constantly denying his words for a while, spoke in his mind.
No, she couldn’t possibly be like that. Minase wouldn’t abandon him, even to the point of discarding her emotions. She must be a little upset over what he had done, hence her seemingly annoying stubbornness.
Nevertheless, no matter how much he denied it as a lie, Merlin’s eyes that were mocking him and the moment Morgan’s face contorted as she heard those words, confirmed that all of it was true.
‘…No, it can’t be. It must not be!’
Rupert crawled towards Merlin on his knees, desperately clutching his clothing and shaking it while shouting.
“Spit, spit it out now! Give back her emotions that you swallowed!”
“Oh my. I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. Apart from the sip I have here, everything has already been absorbed into my body.”
“Then… then at least give me what’s inside that bottle! Just give me that! Even if there’s just a small bit of fondness, a memory, it could make her love me again! So, please…!”
“Please stop it!”
Seeing the man in front of her with tears streaming down his eyes, begging like a madman, Min-ha shouted in frustration. She then turned her gaze towards Rupert, who was glaring at her, she yelled out.
“What you’re doing isn’t love! It’s a dreadful obsession and self-satisfaction! Why don’t you understand? Love is supposed to be a feeling where you want and wish for the person you love to be happy, more than your own happiness?! Minase is happy in that other world now, so you should know when to let go! How long are you going to torment her?”
“…Who are you to dare to judge my love? Do you know what it feels like to lose the only valuable thing in the world? Do you understand the feeling of losing the only reason for your existence?”
“So, you’re saying it’s okay for other people to suffer and be unhappy for the sake of that one emotion? Do you realize how many people have been hurt because of your obsession?”
“What does that matter?! It doesn’t matter who lives or gets hurt as long as I have her!”
“…Are you really completely insane? Just admit it already! Minase might not come back, and there’s no one left to help you now!”
“Shut up. It’s not over yet.”
With a face that seemed to have lost even a pinch of sanity because of Min-ha’s scolding, he let out a derisive laugh. Refusing to give in and insisting it wasn’t over, Rupert turned his head in the opposite direction, letting go of Merlin’s clothing and crawling away.
Naturally, in that direction was the stiffened figure of Morgan.
Min-ha burst into a bitter laugh seeing his relentless determination. There really was no point in this anymore. What more could be done at this point?
As she was glaring at Rupert with such thoughts in mind, the man in front of her suddenly sprang up from his spot.
‘What on earth is this…?!’
Min-ha stared at Rupert, standing up with confidence and Morgana coldly smirking behind him, with her eyes widening in astonishment.
When she turned to Merlin, wondering how this could happen, the face that had been painted with nonchalant playfulness just a moment ago seemed slightly contorted. Perhaps between the conversation with Rupert, Morgan had managed to undo the spell that bound her and Rupert by Merlin.
Merlin let out a deep sigh, taking Min-ha’s hand and positioning her behind him.
“…You really don’t know when to give up, Morgan.”
“You’re the one who’s become quite foolish, Merlin. If you wanted to stop me, you should have done more than just binding me. Did you forget that I’m a witch who would do anything for a contract?”
“…No way. I haven’t forgotten for a single moment.”
“Then, you probably haven’t forgotten this either, that I could easily break the taboo that forbids harming fellow wizards or witches if it’s for a contract.”
“…And by drawing your wand, are you planning to kill this old man?”
“Yes. Right here, I’ll get rid of you and I’ll fulfill the contract I made after I break the half-soul spell.”
“…Haha. My, my. That’s quite a frightening thing to say.”
At the sight of Merlin responding with a wry laugh as he took a step back, Min-ha bit her lower lip nervously. Gripping his robe, she clutched it tightly as Morgan and Rupert approached, with Morgan pushing forward a staff about the length of her own height.
Until just a while ago, she was somewhat confident that Rupert wouldn’t harm her own body. However, seeing the two of them slowly approaching with a fiery glint in their eyes now, it seemed difficult to secure safety.
Clutching onto the hem of Merlin’s robe tightly, Min-ha spoke.
“W-What do we do now? Do we have no other option but to use all our strength to open the door and escape outside?”
“From the moment the dark-haired lady was summoned into this room, the door has been magically locked from the outside. Breaking that magical seal would take me some time, no matter how skilled I am.”
“Then… then what do we do?!”
“… Don’t worry, dark-haired lady.”
“Yes?”
In response to her concern and unease, he replied with a small smile.
‘Is this person, no, wizard, finally losing it?’
As if he heard the question in her mind, Merlin turned his head slightly and met her gaze. Then, with a mischievous expression, he gestured towards the closed door.
“Can’t you hear it? The sound of the Emperor and the Knight of Persen in motion?”
“Yes?”
Just as Min-ha was about to reply that she could only hear the sound of her own racing heartbeat due to tension—
Thud—!
—Merlin grabbed her shoulder and rushed towards a corner of the bedroom, simultaneously, there was a loud crash. The door, which had been tightly shut, was violently thrown open as the latch fell out and hit the ground, accompanied by a gust of strong wind through the room.
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Translator’s Note: Hello, it’s Nabi! I’m the translator of this novel ପ( ๑•ᴗ•๑ )ଓ♡ If you like the novel and would like to support me, please feel free to click the button below to go to my kofi~! Thank you so much for always supporting the novels I work on, even if you don’t buy me a coffee, I really do appreciate it a lot. ❤︎
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