I said,
“The Red Caterpillar is a disciple of the Black Worm who killed your father. I was also an assassin who learned to kill from him.”
At that moment, Julia Nugent looked at me with a surprised face.
Then she showed a sneering smile.
“Finally confessing, huh? Why? Are you here to kill me now?”
“You only hear and see what you want,” I blurted out unintentionally.
“What?”
She glared at me, raising her hand towards my cheek.
I caught her wrist.
“What? Won’t you let go?!”
“I will release you.”
As I let go of her hand, she raised it again. I slapped her cheek.
Stunned, she looked at me with dazed eyes.
“You… You hit me just now?”
“Have you ever been hit by someone in your life?”
“Do you think I’m as lowly as you?!” she burst out.
I grabbed her hands.
“I’ve been hit a lot, cut by swords, deceived, and used. I’ve committed many sins. But… I acknowledge that I committed those sins. That’s why I chose to live again, under Duke Belfast. He, at least, was right.”
“Right? What does that mean?”
“It’s not about believing and seeing what you want! It’s about constantly questioning what to believe and what to see!”
“!”
“Constantly asking yourself. Am I right? Do I deserve this? Who gave me this right? Have I lived a life worthy of it?”
“…”
“A while ago, I saw your brother breaking down in tears. You! You have left indelible wounds on many who love you. Don’t you realize? Being trapped in the past, unable to distinguish whether what you wielded was a sword or a flower, you foolish woman…”
“!”
“I came here to give you a chance. A person like me, who has sinned, is still struggling to live again… and you… you don’t even realize you’ve sinned.”
Julia looked at me blankly and then spoke.
“What sin have I committed? I was also a victim of that man. The steward said so!”
“What was the steward’s expression when she said that?”
“What…”
She lost her words.
“Wasn’t it a face that was suffering on your behalf?”
Julia’s voice trembled.
“What do you know?”
“I don’t know, I’m not you. I can’t possibly know all your pain. It would be a lie to say I do. I won’t even guess, that would be arrogance. But at least! You should know.”
I felt pity for her.
I took out the Ventus stone.
“Everything you’ve done is recorded in this stone.”
“!”
“I’ll show you.”
“What… what will you show me?”
“Your actions.”
“!”
“Do you remember what happened after you were hypnotized?”
“Idiot. How can I remember if I was hypnotized?”
She continued to pretend.
“Then see.”
I commanded the stone to project her image onto the prison wall.
The video started with her being brainwashed by the Caterpillar.
For the first time, she saw herself from another’s perspective.
As her own image appeared, she was shocked, stumbling backwards.
Julia Nugent, who am I?
My friend.
Yes, you foolish girl.
The Caterpillar insulted her and manipulated her. She was shocked, seeing the Caterpillar’s real face for the first time.
I’m a foolish girl.
Yes. Now, get rid of that face and let’s go find my transmission stone.
Her fingers, gnawed and blunted, began to tremble.
In the video, she was seen spraying sleeping gas on knights.
And herself, spraying sleeping gas on a young knight guarding her room.
The Caterpillar killed the knight, even as she just watched blankly.
Julia watched all this, bewildered and in denial.
“The deceased apprentice knight, no, that boy had long admired the Nugent family, which has served the duchy for generations. He was a war orphan who dreamed of becoming a knight. That boy, Julia, he must have believed in you.”
“…”
“I heard you also sprayed sleeping gas on Count Nugent. Arcadia, your younger brother, found his older brother unconscious.”
“…”
“After the Red Caterpillar was captured and the monster attacks began, the commander of the 4th Division lost an arm. The Duke nearly died from a monster assault, and Bran Ofilite almost lost his life too.”
“!”
After showing everything, I turned off the video silently.
Julia Nugent didn’t say or do anything. She just blankly stared into the darkness.
I locked her barred door and left the prison. Then, near the surface, I saw the Duke standing on the stairs.
“Your Grace!”
The Duke silently looked at me.
Why is the Duke here now?
Ah, I see.
Julia Nugent was his fiancée in a previous life.
Indeed. There’s history between these two that I don’t know.
‘It’s better to pretend not to know.’
I lightly bowed my head and then tried to pass by the Duke, but he called me.
“Estelle.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Have you carried out my command?”
“!”
The guards must have told him.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I misused your name.”
“That’s fine.”
The Duke was silent for a while. I waited for him to speak.
“Did you show the lady what happened that day?”
“Did you hear?”
“Yes.”
“I apologize for not asking for permission, Your Grace.”
“Well done.”
“What?”
“Do you wish to give Julia Nugent a chance?”
He mentioned her name dryly.
“Yes. The vice-captain… he’s been on my mind.”
“I see.”
The words about Arcadia are true, but they are also a lie.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
