Your Ultimate Love Rival

Chapter 10

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Huh? “Desire”?

You could say that the ancient devil’s relic was one of the deciding factors that turned FBD into a tragic one. The novel didn’t go into detail about its origins, such as which devil made it and for what purpose. The ultimate purpose of the relic was to get rid of Felix and his family, as opposed to the lore behind the devil’s power.

I was so focused on trying to keep Felix and his family safe that I overlooked the ancient devil’s relic itself. That was why everything he said to me felt foreign.

“What do you mean by ‘desire’?” Not holding back if there was something they desired sounded ambiguous for some reason.

Felix could tell that I wanted a more detailed explanation, so he said, “It’s their characteristic. Devils are born from desire, so they will stop at nothing to get what they want since that’s the area they control in the first place.”

“What kind of desire are you referring to?”

“That depends on the relic, so I can’t be sure.”

According to his explanation, there were not just one or two devils, and there seemed to be many different types as well.

“Aha... I see... I’m sorry to ask, but... is that it?” I felt bad for saying that, but if all that were to happen was the devil taking over half of your body and you being unable to hold back on your desires, wasn’t that a decent trade-off? I mean, the relic was powerful enough to destroy the whole world. If all that happened was you getting swayed by your desires, was that the worst thing in the world?

I glanced around and said, “I don’t rein in my desires during every waking moment.”

I recalled how I had stood in the center of the room and shouted about how much I loved money and pretty people. Maybe I had been possessed by a devil too.

“Well, y-you know... we all feel strong desire once in our lives, right?” I added.

Even saints had desires too, didn’t they? The only difference was whether you were open about your desires or if you kept them well hidden. This was probably an extreme example, but it’d be like the difference between having the urge to kill someone and actually doing it.

I may have been calling Felix an angel internally, but that didn’t mean I believed he had zero desires or was completely innocent and pure. When I call him an angel, I’m just saying that he’s really patient, while also wondering how he could put up with so much. That’s all.

Felix pushed his glasses up after they had slipped down the bridge of his sharp nose, then said, “I’m not talking about desires in the cute sense.”

The small movement made that beautiful man seem so intelligent. I couldn’t help but get swept up in my desire to remember this moment forever, and stared at him intently.

“The desires of devils are entirely different from those of humans. If the prophecy that you saw were to come true, it would probably be best if I left this place. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that I could get entirely swallowed up. If that happens... even I don’t know what I might do at that point...”

Felix let his words trail off as the ambiguous smile on his face began to fade away. However, unlike the troubled expression on his face, he looked directly into my eyes with a resolute and determined gleam. It seemed like he was carefully choosing his words out of concern for me, which meant that he had already made his decision.

Ah... Since he chooses to sacrifice himself in the novel, this time he’s choosing to leave?

Why did Felix always try to shoulder the burden and make all the sacrifices by himself? I knew that was the character he was written as, but after spending all that time with him, I had grown quite attached. I felt bad about what was to come.

“Are you saying that devils can kill people on impulse?”

“Yes, that’s right. They are more than capable of doing something like that.”

I leaned closer to him so I could whisper in his ear. It didn’t even cross my mind that we were sitting way too close to each other. “So, a devil could be even more dangerous than the three crazy men trying to win innocent Claud by cornering her so they can have her to themselves?”

“...”

“Well? Are there devils worse than them?”

“About that...”

Felix seemed to be at a loss for words too. He looked at me with a rare look of surprise, so I said, “Perhaps they’ve already been possessed by devils.”

“I know what you’re trying to say, Irene, but...” It didn’t seem like he got it.

I sighed deeply while covering my face with my hands, and then looked up.

“Why do you think I’m telling you all this in the first place?” What I’m trying to say is… “There are humans far worse than devils in this world. If there’s a reason for the disappearance of devils after ancient times, it’s probably because there wasn’t a place for them since there were so many terrible humans. Even a devil would find some of the things they did to be shocking.”

Of course, I totally just made up the reason that devils disappeared because of devil-like humans. I just blurted out whatever came to mind. However, what I said next was completely sincere. “So... please don’t talk about leaving.”

Just as Felix did before, I kept my eyes on him, and only him. I hesitated for a moment before putting my hand on top of his. I wanted to tell him that even if the world turned its back on him, I would be the one person who would understand. I wanted to tell him that just as I was shown kindness without being expected to do something in return, I was going to remain by their side to protect their happiness.

With that as my base, I said, “I’m here to stop the tragedy of you taking the burden alone and dying for us as the prophecy foretold.” I felt his hand twitch under mine.

I patted his hand to calm him down, then continued, “I’ve come to lessen your burden, so let’s figure this out together.” Though I’m not sure just how much help I would be since I didn’t have any abilities or powers. But I was sure it’d be better than one person suffering alone. When someone is having a hard time, I know that just being at their side can be helpful, even if they don’t say anything. I might be uncertain about everything else, but I was confident that I could trust him until the very end since I’m a biased person. As the saying goes, “Near is my shirt, but nearer is my skin.”

Once Claudia told me she didn’t like the male leads, I immediately gave up on trying to go the easy route. I had chosen to stay by her side, even if that meant I was constantly in danger.

Claudia, Felix, and Liam. Those were the only three people I wouldn’t care at all if they committed a crime. They had already become “my people” in this world. No matter which side of themselves they showed me, I was ready to accept them with a smile. To me, that was what it meant to be close to someone.

“You know... if you get possessed by a devil, I would go to hell for you.”

“...”

“Will you take me seriously now?” I asked as I looked up at Felix.

He typically had a tranquil look in his eyes, but they rippled like waves at my words. Felix looked as if he never expected me to say something like that.

He languidly closed his bewildered eyes and laughed dejectedly, then said in a low voice, “I see why the gods chose you to receive the gift of prophecy, Irene.”

Really? Even I didn’t know why I ended up in this novel, so for him to say he knew the reason left me curious as to why. It was incredible.

As I pondered what he meant by that, he flipped his hand over to grab mine.

Ack, I missed the chance to pull my hand away!

I wriggled my clasped fingers.

“Do you… believe me?” I asked the question I had been wanting to ask.

It seemed like he naturally accepted my words, so I was able to get through my explanation, but... it had to have looked odd from his point of view.

“I thought there was something about you from the very first time we met when you brought up magic resistance,” Felix said, laughing as he recalled our first meeting. “I trust you because you’re Irene.” He basically repeated my words back to me.

Had my sincerity reached him? Thinking that I had convinced this stubborn man to stop trying to shoulder the burden alone, I cheered up and said, “Then...”

“But I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“...”

Had he heard anything I said up until that point? It felt like we were going around in circles.

Confused, I asked, “Why do you think I’m going to get hurt?”

“Because you’re you.”

What did that mean? I needed an explanation for his cryptic words, but all Felix did was silently pat my hand with a subdued look on his face. He touched my hand carefully as if I were made out of fragile porcelain.

Help! I need an explanation!

I glared at Felix to show I wasn’t going to let it go this time. It took some effort, but he finally opened his mouth and said, “Devils take advantage of people’s deepest desires.”

Ah, yes. They’re corrupt beings that try to separate humans from gods. In other words, they’re the incarnation of desires. I knew this because I had heard about it enough during my previous life. Devils constantly tested humans and picked at their weaknesses.

“So... your desire is for me to get hurt?” I know I said I’d accept everything, but this was kind of shocking.

When I looked up at him in the hopes of him taking it back, he kissed the back of my hand. It was a kiss as soft and light as a feather. It almost tickled. I don’t know why this reminded me of the knighting ceremony I saw when I followed Claudia to the imperial palace last year.

“Yeah, something like that.” He looked quite reverential for someone who had just confessed that he wanted me to get hurt.