Chapter 184

His gray-brown eyes were so wide, they seemed to be in danger of tearing at the corners. I watched as shock flooded them like a rapid gushing.

“I-I...” Eckles fell still, not even breathing—like time itself had stopped. It was quite interesting to watch his wax-like, expressionless face drain entirely of all color.

“Oh, you didn’t get to witness my death, did you?” I felt a sense of catharsis wash over me as I spoke. I bent down slowly, pressing my face close to his. My breath ghosted across his face gently.

“M-mistress.” His shoulders tensed, gaze quivering violently.

I felt delighted watching him fall apart at the seams and whispered sweetly, “Have you ever consumed poisoned sherry before? Do you know what happens? It doesn’t take more than a few seconds for your chest to feel like it’s on fire like someone’s pressing a torch against it. I opened my mouth to try and gasp for air, and blood came pouring out instead, like a fountain.”

“The poison I drank apparently causes its victim to bleed to death. I hear that I continued bleeding even after I lost consciousness,” I said, wearing an exaggerated look of sadness. “It was excruciatingly painful, right up until the moment I finally passed out, Eckles. Do you have any idea of the agony I suffered?”

“Ah... Mistress... Mistress...” Eckles’ expression crumpled in misery, as dramatic as an actor in a play. His throat quivered as if he’d drunk poison himself. Apparently, it hadn’t just been empty words when he’d said he loved me.

I recalled the despair, frustration, and sense of loss that had threatened to drown me when he’d brought Ivonne to the manor before the coming-of-age ceremony.

I want you to feel what I felt. I wiped the feigned sadness from my expression. Gritting my teeth, I spat, “And all of it was thanks to you. Do you understand that?”

“Ah... Ah... M-mistress...” Eckles gasped.

“It’s a shame. If I’d known that surviving meant having to see your face again, I would have put more effort into dying.”

The words I’d chosen, designed to hurt him as much as I possibly could, were startlingly effective. Eckles, who had never once revealed his true emotions to me, now wore an expression openly contorted with pain. I wanted to laugh at the way his eyes wandered, trying to focus on anything.

He stammered, unable to properly draw breath like he was drowning. His face was deathly pale.

“Why... why, Mistress? Why choose to die?”

“Why do you think?” I asked with a cruel smile. I couldn’t be sure if I was actually genuinely smiling though. “You knew that I had my reasons for buying you and taking such good care of you. You brought Ivonne here to thwart me, throwing me into the mud in the process. What do you think happens to people who fail to achieve their goals in the end, I wonder? They either end up miserable like you or like your fellow countrymen, whom you betrayed… Dead.”

I slowly stood, staring down at the top of his bowed head. His affection bar was still a dark, bloody red. Eckles loved me so much he would die for me. Could I honestly say it was entirely his fault that I’d failed to succeed at hard mode? No...

I was sure that I had made wrong choices along the way, too. Perhaps Eckles had actually done nothing wrong. If I hadn’t chosen him to be my way out, he wouldn’t have been in any position to do any of the ludicrous things he had. But I was too tired to muster the energy to pity the man I’d used or to examine my shortcomings. I lacked the strength to fight against the game’s plots, the frightening female protagonist, and the brainwashed Eckles.

It can’t be helped. Running away was the only option for a loser like me who didn’t wish to die.

Then Eckles spoke. “I thought you’d be immediately thrown out as soon as I brought back the duke’s daughter. I thought you’d be forced to rely on me and me alone...” Eckles, who’d been quivering feebly, suddenly said in a voice that resembled a ghost’s, “This isn’t what I wanted. I’ll just kill Ivonne and return things to the way they were—”

“If anyone should die, it’s you, Eckles,” I said coldly, putting a stop to his childish muttering. “You’re the one who brought her here and ruined everything.”

“I... I don’t want to die.”

“Why not?”

After a long pause, he murmured, “If I die I won’t be able to see you again.”

An incredulous laugh escaped me.

“Sometimes, this yearning inside me makes me want to die... But it also drives me crazy to think someone else might take my place by your side. I don’t want to die, Mistress.” He suddenly raised his bowed head. “Tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“Tell me what I must do to be allowed to stand by your side again.” He didn’t regret his actions for more than a few moments. His eyes were already glowing fiercely again. “I’ll do whatever you ask...”

Rummaging in his back pocket with the hand that wasn’t holding mine, he produced something, pressing it against my hand. I felt a cold sensation around my index finger. He’d slid the large ruby ring onto it.

“I’ll crawl like a dog,” he begged, trembling. The ring I’d cast aside some time ago had been returned to my hand. “If you don’t want to hear it, I will never say that I love you ever again… Just please don’t abandon me, Mistress.”

His face—even shadowed with pain, eyes brimming with tears—was still so pretty. It was almost enough to weaken my resolve, but I returned to my senses upon seeing the person now standing behind him.

“Eckles...” I started, slowly pulling my hand from his.

He jerked and tried to grab at me again, but I soothed him with a soft sound. I stroked his disheveled, ashen hair with my now free hand, skimming it slowly down the back of his head until I found the hard surface I was searching for.

My eyes locked on the airy dress the intruder was wearing, I said, “I’m no longer your mistress.”

As the words left my lips, the ruby ring slotted neatly into the opening in the choker with a click. The black leather that had been tightly bound around his neck fell away. The magical choker that had marked his status as a slave fell to the ground.

“Mistress?” Eckles questioned, looking down and finding his choker in the dirt. He looked up at me with an expression I couldn’t read.

This was the last kindness I was doing for my once loyal knight, who had betrayed my trust. “You answer to your new mistress now.”

“I-I don’t understand—”

“Goodbye,” I said quietly.

“Eckles,” came another voice, echoing through the quiet grounds.

Eckles slowly turned to face the other girl. Ivonne was pale, looking between me and the man kneeling at my feet in turn. “I-I heard Eckles had gone missing... I-I came to look for him...” she stammered her excuses, trembling all the while. She looked ready to cry, as always.

I gripped the mirror fragment harder as it pierced my palm and shrugged carelessly. “Well, it looks like you found him.” I walked past Eckles.

When the main protagonist appeared, it was the extra’s role to step aside.

“M-mistress.” Eckles stared at Ivonne blankly but still tried to stop me as I walked past him. I dodged away before he could touch me.

“P-penelope...”

“Have a good day,” I said to Ivonne, who stood rooted in place, wearing the most harmless smile I could muster.

“M-mistress!” Eckles pleaded, jumping to his feet.

“Eckles, wait—” Ivonne cried.

“Let go of me! Mistress—”

“I have something I must tell you before anyone else finds out! Please listen to me!” His new mistress grabbed onto him and I was finally able to leave without being stopped. I left the incineration area behind with swift steps.

* * *

Silence fell after Penelope left. Ivonne covered the distance between them with quick strides, approaching Eckles, who stood staring in the direction Penelope had gone.

“Eckles,” she called, but he did not turn around. She grabbed at his arm urgently. “Eckles! What about the fragment?”

His eyes finally shifted to her, empty of all emotion.

“Well? I let you go so you could bring me the fragment! What do you think you’re doing?” Ivonne shrieked, realizing that his silence could only mean he’d failed. Her face twisted into an expression of deep frustration.

Eckles ignored her, watching Penelope slowly disappear from sight with vacant eyes. He muttered, “It’s all over.”

“What’s all over?”

“My mistress told me I should just die.”

“What—”

“I have to kill myself now. Then she’ll understand just how much I love her.” Eckles began walking away before Ivonne could do anything to stop him.

He was about to leave when she finally called out to him, “What if I told you Penelope and the crown prince are to be engaged soon? They’ll be married in a few short years and Penelope will give birth to another man’s child. Are you sure you’re okay with that happening?”

Eckles froze in his tracks at Ivonne’s quiet question. “You told me that you would kill him, to stop the engagement from going ahead.”

Ivonne injected a sense of urgency into her voice as she stared at his back. “I... I did everything you asked. I had him sent north so that the engagement couldn’t take place, but at this rate, he’ll attempt to go ahead with it as soon as he returns. He’s a powerful warrior, after all. Do you still want to die, even knowing this?”

Eckles clenched his trembling fists tightly. The thought alone made him feel sick. “I just want... Penelope,” he choked out, voice full of despair. “What do I do? How do I make her smile at me like she used to?”

“Look at me, Eckles,” Ivonne said, carefully approaching him. She reached out, brushing her hand against his cheek and forcing him to make eye contact. “Poor Eckles,” Ivonne said, commiserating tears beading in her eyes. “The only way you can have her is by taking over the empire.”

“How... do I do that?” He’d only just managed to escape slavery. How could he possibly conquer this huge empire?

Ivonne smiled faintly. “Have you forgotten? You are also of noble blood. Eckles Khan Delman. You are the illegitimate son of Krue Khan Delman, the last king of the plains.”