I Regret The Kindness I Gave You - Chapter 45

“……?”

The moment she pushed her hand between his thick, brawny arms.

It was unbelievable, but she thought she saw the large, menacing man make a dumbfounded expression.

In disbelief, she quickly raised her gaze, and there he was, grinning crookedly with a mischievous look in his eyes.

Did she see it wrong?

While she was pondering, Rude led her away with large strides.

“You’re going too fast.”

“It’s because you’re so tiny. Who told you to be so small?”

“I’m not small. You’re just excessively big.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go with that, tiny lady Merche.”

They were bickering, but they had almost reached the hall where the banquet was being held.

“……”

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Merche, who had suddenly stopped in her tracks, stared at the pitch-black shadows of the distant forest.

Was it her imagination? It felt like someone was watching. As if something was gazing right at her from far away.

“…It’s nothing.”

That can’t be.

Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the path they were on. In the first place, there wasn’t even a hint of human presence to be found here.

Only various venomous snakes were crawling about in this forest.

Leaving the dark hillside behind, they walked towards the entrance of the hall where bright light was spilling out.

A dazzling halo of light, bright enough to hurt the eyes, poured out to welcome Merche.

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“Congratulations on your engagement.”

“You flatter me.”

The two men shook hands while glaring at each other as if they wanted to kill one another.

The handshake lasted for a long time, as if they were having a contest of strength, but in the end, it was Fabio who pulled away with a frown.

“Lady Merche.”

“Oh my? It seems you have dozens of lives. Seeing as you don’t watch your eyes in front of your fiancée.”

“…Duke, your words are going too far…”

“Before you babble, properly use that thing attached above your neck. As you can see, I have a bit of a foul temper. I’m afraid I might accidentally strangle your neck. Ah, I’m just so timid.”

At the scathing mockery, Fabio’s complexion alternated between turning pale and darkening.

Carla, who was watching from behind, also laughed at first, but as it went on, she couldn’t continue and averted her gaze.

If only the other party wasn’t Rude Lupinus, he would have already drawn his sword.

Gritting his teeth, Fabio managed to put on an indifferent expression and greeted Merche.

“Congratulations on your engagement, Lady Merche.”

“Thank you, Duke. I hope you will also find a good match soon.”

The monotonous exchange of pleasantries made his suppressed emotions surge up instead. He tried his best to turn a blind eye to it, but to no avail.

The moment Fabio saw Merche’s eyes, he became powerless.

The scene from that day vividly came to mind, replaying before his eyes once again.

−Stop!

The instant her usually gentle voice carried a fierce force.

The unidentifiable power that overwhelmed him. His Pegasus, who usually bowed its head meekly like a gentle sheep, and the black wolf of the Lupinus family head.

What was that? What kind of power was it that…?

−The, the portrait. The portrait of the first king in our nature… I know it doesn’t make sense. I know! …But that woman looks too much like King Iker in the portrait, what can I do…?

Huana’s words were not wrong.

The moment he encountered the woman named Merche Venenum, he felt a sensation akin to a shiver running through his entire body.

A woman with features that closely resembled the first king.

A woman who wielded a strange authority to subjugate the spirits of others.

Was it just a coincidence? He asked himself hundreds, thousands of times.

Yes, he knew. He knew how irrational this thought was. How absurd this speculation was. Perhaps it was just his own delusion.

But even so, even if it was just a hypothetical assumption that would end up being a delusion, he had to confirm it. He wanted to confirm it.

“…Excuse me, Lady Merche.”

“What are you trying to pull?”

After much hesitation, he barely managed to speak.

But just for that, a murderous gaze that seemed ready to cut him to pieces in an instant flew his way. He didn’t even need to look to know who it was from.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to make advances in plain sight of your fiancé. What, do you have a fervent desire to hasten your demise? Huh?”

Fabio’s straight forehead finally cracked. It was too rude, no matter how one looked at it.

Unable to endure the mockery any longer, he slowly turned around.

Just as he was about to face the brutal gaze, mustering strength in his weakening legs.

“Rude.”

Just one call. It was nothing more than a soft breath. But the moment it was heard, the atmosphere changed completely.

The Lupinus family head, who had been exuding a beastly aura as if he were a wolf, instantly contorted his fierce eyes and whined at Merche like a child.

“What now?”

“Your words have gone too far. Apologize to the Duke.”

“Why should I apologize? What did I do wrong?”

“If you don’t know the reason, that is also a mistake. Do you really not know?”

“Yeah. I don’t know. I’m stupid and my head is empty, so I don’t know. If you’re so smart and knowledgeable, why don’t you kindly teach me yourself!”

At the sharp cry that pierced the ears, all eyes were drawn to them.

It was a ridiculous situation.

Despite being the one who sarcastically lost his temper, Rude was the one who got overly excited and couldn’t easily calm down.

He breathed roughly. With each inhale and exhale, his broad chest heaved and fell intensely.

“……”

“Merche.”

“…Lord.”

“Answer me. Answer me, Merche!”

Merche coldly shook off Rude’s hand that grabbed her. It was a rejection tinged with a hint of contempt.

For the first time, Rude’s face turned deathly pale.

“Lord. I’m sorry, but I think I should take my leave now. I know it’s rude, but would it be alright if I excuse myself at this point?”

Mariette gestured vaguely with frightened eyes.

After paying respects to her, Merche quietly left the hall.

A suffocating silence descended.

Eventually, Rude, his face contorted beyond description, cursed viciously and chased after Merche.

“…So much for a banquet for reconciliation. If this is reconciliation, there are no friends in the world…”

Carla muttered absentmindedly.

It’s a mess, a complete mess. This banquet was ruined by a mad wolf.

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Merche walked without looking back even once.

She was known to be cold and coldhearted to the point where others found it chilling, but never before had her body felt as heated as it did now.

The sound of heavy footsteps followed from behind. And sure enough, a large hand grabbed Merche’s wrist.

“Merche…!”

“Let go.”

Could a voice alone freeze someone solid? In that moment, Rude was convinced such a thing was possible.

The eyes of the woman looking at him were chillingly cold.

The lake-like blue eyes were covered with thick ice, seeming as solid as if nothing could break them. His heart sank with a thud.

No words could break that ice. No matter what he did, even if he threw his own body and collided with it.

A terrible metallic sound rang in his ears, and Merche’s lips parted to judge him.

“Before I left Lupinus, Lady Elizabeth made one request to me. Just once, she asked me to forgive you.”

“…What?”

“No matter what wrong you committed, no matter what terrible disaster it was, just once. I agreed to forgive you once. So I will forgive you now.”

Merche let out a soft but long sigh.

A calm, monotonous breath without a hint of agitation.

As Merche’s slightly raised shoulders found their proper height, Rude held his breath.

“I…”

Aaaaargh!

It was an instinctive and reflexive reaction.

At the desperate scream that tore through the silence, both of their gazes converged on one spot at once.

And their eyes met with ‘it’.

There was no time to think. Merche froze in place, helplessly exposed under the vertically elongated, blood-red pupils.

Hiss−. The familiar sound of a snake exhaled its breath.

That breath traversed the ground like a flame, blackening and killing all life that had bloomed there.

Merche!

The last thing she heard was Rude’s voice. Consciousness flickered along with the startling pain piercing her abdomen.

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“…erche.”

Her ears felt muffled. Was it a dream? Or an illusion?

“…Merche! Open your eyes!”

Her mind, which had been drooping as if submerged in water, was brought to the surface by someone.

In an instant, her blocked airway cleared as if everything became vivid, and Merche opened her eyes.

“Gasp!”

Crimson eyes. ‘It’ was looking at me…!

Even though it was unintentional, her body trembled. She couldn’t control the rising fear.

A strong, thick arm wrapped around Merche, who was suppressing a sobbing cry, and pulled her into an embrace.

“It’s okay. You won’t die. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you alive, so Merche.”

“…Rude?”

“You won’t die. Never. That can’t happen.”

She was certain. The heavy yet subtle musk, the voice that sounded like it was scratching his throat.

It was Rude. Merche wriggled and tried to push his body away.

But startled by the suppressed groan, she quickly removed her hand that had touched his rock-solid flesh.

Merche gently touched his forehead.

Somehow, his skin felt excessively hot.

A heat that was unbelievable for human body temperature, like bubbling, boiling molten metal, filled Rude’s body.

“…Ugh!”

“Merche. Does it hurt?”

She had only tried to slightly twist her body.

It was a movement no more than a small flap of a bird’s wing. Yet, a pain so intense that it made her vision blur for a moment surged in.

Merche lowered her hand to her stomach and ran it down fumblingly.

“Urgh…”

“Don’t. Do you have a death wish?”

“Right now, who’s the one…”

The one who looks like they’re about to burst into flames any moment.

A sense of injustice welled up, but she didn’t even have the strength to raise her eyes.

Once, twice…, after taking several short breaths, Merche finally confirmed her blood-soaked hand with her own eyes.