CHAPTER 097
It all happened in an instant.
The demons attacking them from the sky and ground disappeared in the blink of an eye.
It was thanks to a man with black hair and red eyes who appeared out of nowhere.
Next to him, Sephelia exclaimed joyfully,
“He is my fiancé. He has come to rescue me!”
At the same moment, Ermire fell from the rock.
For a moment, Arabelle couldn’t believe her eyes.
The balance between the three girls who had been relying on each other was broken.
The moment Sephelia pushed Ermire away.
Luckily, a white leopard, unseen before, caught Ermire with its body as she fell from the high rock, protecting her.
Arabelle sighed in relief upon confirming that Ermire was unharmed and turned her gaze to Sephelia.
It made no sense that Sephelia would push Ermire, but Arabelle had witnessed that nonsensical scene herself.
Arabelle’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She saw herself within her own eyes.
And there, she saw Sephelia occupying her body.
Sephelia, with Arabelle’s hazel eyes, met Arabelle’s gaze.
The corner of Sephelia’s pink, soft lips curled up ominously.
Then she opened her mouth and screamed,
“Your Majesty, help me!”
In Arabelle’s voice.
For a moment, Arabelle blankly looked back and forth between herself and the man in front of her.
Within Arabelle’s eyes, she saw Sephelia inside her own appearance.
The man who had just been cutting down monsters now had his sword pointed at her.
When she first met his gaze, she felt her heart drop heavily, almost painfully.
The ruby-red eyes of the unknown man were filled with indescribable sorrow.
An undefinable emotion from the man was conveyed to Arabelle, choking her up.
One thing was clear... He was ready to give up everything to come to her.
She couldn’t take her eyes off the emperor as he cut down the monsters.
‘Didn’t you promise to only look at me when we were together? I am almost jealous of the lotus you are gazing at now.’
A pleasing, slightly amused voice echoed in her ears and then faded away.
However, the man standing on the rock now did not have the heart-wrenching look from a moment ago.
To be precise, the man’s gaze, which he had directed at her, was now fixed on Sephelia beside her.
Instead, he looked at Arabelle coldly with bloodshot eyes.
It was a gaze full of hatred and loathing.
Arabelle shivered, more fearful of his gaze than the sword pointed at her neck.
No, it wasn’t fear.
This emotion was...
Arabelle subconsciously placed a hand over her aching chest.
Sadness, sorrow, and longing.
And the sight of his body, covered in large and small wounds, pained her.
If only she could, she wanted to take his wounds upon herself.
The man’s gaze, which she had never seen before, stirred inexplicable emotions within her, confusing her.
She felt like she might burst into tears from the heartache.
But soon, gathering herself, Arabelle grabbed Sephelia’s arm.
Sephelia must be just as bewildered.
At that moment,
“Eek…!”
Sephelia screamed.
Her face twisted with fear and disgust.
She looked as if she might faint from the shock.
-Sephelia...? Ah…!
Arabelle’s scream, calling out to Sephelia, was not her own voice.
It was a screech, similar to the cries of harpies that grated on the nerves.
But what horrified her more...
Was her hand on Sephelia’s arm.
Grotesque fingers with bluish, rough reptilian skin and yellow, sharp nails.
Startled, Arabelle pulled her hand back and looked over her arm and body.
It was a monstrous sight she had never even seen in storybooks.
Her eyes, which had been staring at the three thick, writhing tails, met Sephelia’s, no, her own hazel eyes.
In the round eyes, she saw her face reflected.
-Ah…!
Arabelle’s fear-filled scream became the cry of a fear-inducing monster, filling the forest.
Only glossy black eyes without a mouth or nose were visible.
The solid black eyes, without any whites, glared at Sephelia as if about to devour her.
“Arabelle!”
At the man’s shout, both Arabelle and Sephelia, who was in Arabelle’s form, turned to look at him simultaneously.
Arabelle quickly realized that the Arabelle he was desperately calling for was not her, and she lowered her head.
The emperor couldn’t recklessly swing his sword for fear of injuring Arabelle, who was in the grasp of the monster.
“Are you holding Arabelle hostage so cowardly? How about releasing her and fighting me fairly?”
Normally, the emperor would provoke and dismiss his enemy with harsher words, but Arabelle was in the monster’s hands. If he made a mistake, the agitated monster could harm Arabelle.
The emperor’s mouth went dry with anxiety for Arabelle, who was trembling with fear.
She was right there in front of him...
He could reach her if he just extended his hand...
The emperor gritted his teeth, wiping the sweat dripping down his chin with his scarred hand.
The damned monster wasn’t moving, as if scheming something.
If it moved, he could use the opening to bring Arabelle over, but the monster was clinging steadfastly to her.
How frightened she must be.
Thinking about the terror Arabelle must be feeling made the emperor’s blood boil.
Then,
Thud.
“Your Majesty!”
As Arabelle pushed the monster’s arm that had loosened its grip momentarily, the monster staggered backward.
Not missing the opportunity, Arabelle desperately ran toward the emperor.
“Arabelle!”
The emperor caught the running Arabelle in his arms, protecting her with his whole body.
Though he still held his sword aimed at the monster, he quickly shifted his position to shield Arabelle behind him.
“Stay behind me. This will be over soon. Then we will have a proper reunion.”
The emperor’s voice was endlessly tender as he kept his vigilance and glared at the monster.
To Arabelle, who was standing frozen in confusion, it sounded like,
‘Don’t be afraid. Don’t open your eyes. It will be over soon.’
Firm yet soothing, the gentle voice lingered in her ears and then disappeared.
The grotesque black eyes glistened wetly.
“Hurry... please cut its throat, Your Majesty.”
A clear voice pierced her ears.
When the emperor turned his head back, he saw hazel eyes shining with affection, looking up at him.
The eyes that looked at the emperor were filled with joy and delight.
The slightly parted pink lips, which seemed to invite a kiss, revealed white teeth.
When the emperor raised his hand to stroke Arabelle’s face, he felt her soft, smooth cheek.
Arabelle, seeming pleased, rubbed her cheek slowly against his palm like a seductive cat.
“Just wait a moment.”
The emperor murmured quietly, looking down at his hand, which still held Arabelle’s warmth.
As he assumed a fighting stance and changed his footing to advance, the monster’s black eyes, standing in front of him, reflected no light, and dozens of snakes on its head thrust their heads forward, opening their mouths menacingly.
The long, thick tail writhed and slithered over the rock.
The monster, as if plotting something made no move and merely stared at the approaching emperor.
Suddenly, black liquid began to flow from the monster’s eyes.
The sight of its eyes rotting and melting away was so grotesque it made the emperor nauseous.
Gripping his sword with both hands, the emperor raised it diagonally.
Planning to sever the monster’s neck in one swift motion, as Arabelle had suggested.
The monster’s hideous fingers reached out toward the emperor.
He thought it was an attack...
Furrowing his brow, the emperor momentarily halted the downward swing of his sword.
The emperor, who had fought for survival since birth, possessed unmatched intelligence and rationality, but his animal instinct had saved him in critical moments many times.
To seize and defend the throne, to win wars, he faced dozens and hundreds of enemies.
Observing their glances, expressions, and movements, he discerned their hidden intentions and strategies and exploited them.
The monster’s outstretched hand was clearly pointing to the wounds covering the emperor’s body.
From the monster’s twisted lips,
“...Doesn’t it hurt...?”
A high-pitched voice, accompanied by a chilling, whispering breath, emerged.
Though undoubtedly a mocking tone to most, it sounded different to the emperor.
It was filled with concern and sorrow.
The black eyes swept grotesquely over the emperor’s body from head to toe.
What appeared to others as eyes gleaming over prey seemed different to the emperor.
It seemed as though the eyes were weeping while looking at the emperor’s thoroughly wounded body.
With black tears.
No matter how absurd the thought, he couldn’t help it.
The monster’s tears made his heart ache poignantly.
An urge to wipe away those tears made the emperor’s jaw clench tightly.
As the emperor paused his movements, Arabelle’s voice came from behind him.
“Your Majesty, please kill that monster. It tormented me greatly. Sniffle, sniffle. Please avenge me.”
Turning his head, he saw Arabelle’s round eyes welling up with pretty tears rolling down her cheeks.
The emperor glanced back at the monster, then returned his gaze to Arabelle.
“Don’t worry. I will avenge you for the torment you suffered. Close your eyes. I don’t want to show you something scary.”
Arabelle faintly smiled and obediently closed her eyes.
In an instant,
“Aaah!”
A large hand grabbed Sephelia’s neck, which was in Arabelle’s form, and lifted her vertically.
In her shaking hazel eyes, the coldly frozen red eyes appeared.
The emperor growled low through his teeth.
“My Arabelle would never tell someone to recklessly kill a life. She wouldn’t look at my scarred body indifferently and urge me to face a dangerous monster for her revenge!”
As the emperor raised his arm higher, Sephelia’s scream echoed through the dark forest.
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