Chapter 132
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 132
"If the flower scent hasn't faded yet, what do we do? Bishop, come inside for now."
At my words, Enoch and Kaiden hurriedly grabbed Rujeep and dragged him into the room. We locked the door firmly behind us.
Rujeep, pulled into the room, pushed past Enoch and Kaiden to approach me and took my hand.
"What happened? Young Lady, you're safe!"
He pressed his forehead against the back of my hand as if in prayer, then released a sigh of relief. I stared at him with a bewildered expression.
After holding that pose for quite some time, he suddenly lifted his head and shouted at me.
"How could you leave so suddenly like that!"
Rujeep's face was full of anger. Or was it hurt? In any case, his face deeply furrowed, he pulled my hand and drew me into an embrace.
"...I was worried."
His body trembled against my shoulder where he buried his face.
I gazed at Enoch and Kaiden while held in Rujeep's arms. Enoch stood silently with his arms crossed, while Kaiden merely shrugged his shoulders and observed.
"What happened? Where's Diego? Why is everyone separated?"
"That is... to find you, Young Lady, we split into two teams—His Highness and Rodban in one, Diego and myself in the other."
In response to my question, Rujeep glanced at Enoch and Kaiden before answering. Enoch nodded in acknowledgment.
Rujeep searched his memory and explained the situation.
"Diego, who was scouting the Forest with me, suddenly vanished. He disappeared without a sound, and while I wandered the Forest in confusion, I discovered this place."
"He suddenly vanished? Did something happen to him?"
"I'm not certain either. I don't know what occurred."
Rujeep answered with a confused expression, then wearily rubbed his face. Now that I looked at him, he appeared quite haggard. It seemed he hadn't been sleeping properly again.
Grrrrowwwl—
A loud rumble of hunger erupted from Rujeep's stomach. Embarrassed, his face turned crimson. Flustered and at a loss, Rujeep quickly hung his head.
"I'm... I'm terribly hungry."
Hearing his words, I realized I was hungry too. I had found canned goods here, but Enoch, Kaiden, and Rujeep had not.
My last meal that I could remember was just before the massive Anaconda Monster appeared.
It wouldn't have been strange if I collapsed right then and there.
"Shall we eat first and talk afterward?"
At my suggestion, Rujeep looked uncertain and asked me.
"Do we have food?"
Enoch and Kaiden also looked at me curiously. I retrieved the bag I had prepared and pulled out canned goods from inside.
In the end, we decided to have a quick bite before assessing the situation and making plans. I sat on the floor, opened the cans, and distributed them to everyone.
"What exactly is this? How does it taste like this?"
After eating the ham cans, Rujeep's eyes widened as if he had discovered a new world, and he rejoiced. I found myself feeling proud as well.
Meanwhile, Kaiden and Enoch wore rather subtle expressions as they ate. I looked at them with a puzzled face and asked.
"Doesn't it taste good?"
"Uh...?"
Kaiden looked at me with an awkward expression and averted his gaze.
"That's not it..."
"Originally, I wanted to discuss this separately when it was just Rodban and me. But I suppose the Bishop is acceptable."
Enoch answered in place of Kaiden, who was hesitating and trailing off. Rujeep, suddenly called upon without warning, blinked in confusion.
"Margaret, there's something else I want to ask you."
Enoch regarded me with a composed expression.
The moment he spoke, Rujeep—who had been bewildered—suddenly seemed to grasp something, his eyes searching mine.
Why did they look so uneasy? What was happening?
Without thinking, I tensed and met his gaze. Silver Earthworm, who had been dozing nearby, opened her eyes and crawled onto my lap, coiling against me.
Enoch, who had been quietly observing, finally asked his question.
"That damned Archmage claimed another soul resides within your body."
"...What?"
The shock froze me in place. Kaiden exhaled heavily and added his words.
"We believe you, Margaret. So tell us the truth."
My heart plummeted.
I set down the canned food I'd been holding. I forced my face to remain calm, but my blood ran cold.
I looked at Enoch, Kaiden, and Rujeep in turn. All three were watching me intently.
I was terrified.
Were they disappointed?
Did they feel betrayed by me? Or were they doubting me?
I racked my brain desperately, searching for the right words. How could I make them understand?
As I wrestled with these thoughts, tears suddenly welled up. My eyes burned, and moisture gathered at the corners.
When the tears finally spilled over and rolled down my cheeks in droplets, the three men scrambled awkwardly.
"If it's true, you'll hate me, won't you?"
The tears continued to fall without restraint.
I had only wanted to survive alone at first—how had it come to this?
I had never opened my heart to others like this before. I didn't know what Margaret would have done, but right now, I was Jin-ju Lee, wasn't I?
I cared for these men. I could no longer deny that. Beyond any rational emotion, I simply cherished them as people.
I wiped my tears away roughly with the back of my hand and looked at the three men.
"I'm sorry for lying..."
I couldn't finish. My voice cracked, and sobs rose in my throat, choking off my words.
'I'm the one who's been lying all this time.'
I had known that they had begun to trust me at some point. Yet I had deliberately kept my distance, cowardly as it was. I had maintained that barrier myself.
I was afraid of being hated by those to whom I had first opened my heart, but now there was no escaping it.
If I spoke the truth and shared my secrets, could we develop into a relationship where our hearts truly connected?
Only the sound of suppressed sobs and sniffling filled the room.
"Margaret, I'm sorry. Don't cry."
Kaiden was the first to break the silence. He apologized helplessly.
But once the tears had started, they wouldn't easily stop. Even wiping them away with my hands had become futile.
Unable to bear it any longer, Enoch retrieved a spare t-shirt from the hanger. He carefully examined my face and gently wiped away my tears.
Though he said nothing, that tender touch only brought a deeper sorrow flooding in.
Even as he continued to wipe my face, the tears flowing from my eyes showed no sign of stopping.
Enoch sighed and finally lowered his hand, realizing that wiping away tears wasn't the real solution.
Rujeep and Kaiden stood on either side of me, creaking awkwardly like broken machines.
"Margaret."
I sniffled and looked up at Enoch. His gaze was persistent, as if demanding an answer to the question he'd posed moments before.
I finally swallowed my tears and opened my mouth.
"Jenath didn't say anything else?"
"That there exists another soul within you, that you've deceived us all. That was all I heard."
It seemed he'd spoken those words to sow discord. Did Jenath know I was Jin-ju Lee? Did Anata tell him? How much does Jenath actually know about me?
He didn't seem to know the truth—that I was the "real" Margaret.
While I was lost in such thoughts, Enoch spoke.
"I already knew those words were meant to create division, so don't worry."
"But it's the truth."
I muttered dejectedly. At my honest confession, Kaiden grabbed my shoulders with a shocked expression.
"You're really not Margaret?"
Looking at Kaiden's disbelieving face, I felt a pang of hurt. We'd shared emotional exchanges all this time, so was he disgusted now that I wasn't Margaret?
"If I'm not Margaret, do you hate me?"
I lowered my eyes listlessly. I didn't have the courage to look at Kaiden's expression. I had a conscience, so I shouldn't have held out hope.
As I waited for his answer with such an empty heart, Kaiden cupped my chin.
"Don't say such things. How could I ever hate you? As long as the world doesn't end and I'm still alive, such a thing will never happen."
Kaiden soothed me as if his words were honeyed.
His exaggerated words were so absurd that I felt embarrassed and let out a hollow laugh. It was like being pulled up in one breath after sinking deep into a vast Swamp.
I saw Rujeep, who had been standing awkwardly, let out a relieved sigh at my reaction.
Enoch gazed at me with quiet, serene eyes. Eyes that revealed nothing of his thoughts. Soon, he called out to me.
"Margaret."
"Yes?"
"I originally despised Margaret Rose Flone. You know that as well."
"Ah... yes."
I nodded reluctantly. I couldn't understand why he was suddenly bringing this up. Kaiden, seeing my anxious face, carefully took my hand.
Enoch glanced at the hand Kaiden and I held together. He stared at our joined hands for a long moment before asking me.
"For you to claim you're a different person, you seem to possess Margaret's memories as well."
"...I do possess Margaret's memories. I know it sounds absurd, but it's true. I am Margaret, yet I'm not Margaret. To be precise, rather than being a different person, it would be more accurate to say that Margaret transformed into me."
Enoch crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly as he looked down at me. With no expression on his face, he appeared even more indifferent and cold, and I found myself shrinking back.
"I know this is an unrealistic story. I can't believe this situation myself either. Who am I...? I don't know either..."
As I spoke, sorrow washed over me again, and my words faltered.
How could I explain this? Honestly, even I, speaking these words, don't know what my identity is.
Enoch gazed at me silently with an expressionless face before opening his mouth.
"If we're talking about what lacks realism, then I—obsessed with a woman I once despised to this extent—am far more unrealistic."
I had been bracing myself, thinking he was about to reproach me, but at his unexpected words, my eyes widened in surprise.
Kaiden and Rujeep looked at Enoch with expressions that said, "Well, that's true."
Enoch regarded me with an unadorned, straightforward gaze. It was a look free of any prejudice whatsoever.
"All I wanted to know were objective facts. That way, I could protect you perfectly. Did you think I would change for such a trivial reason?"
"Ah..."
Hearing an answer I hadn't anticipated, I stood there like a fool, utterly bewildered.
Kaiden, who had been holding my hand, gave me a subtle tug—as if to say, look at me.
"Now tell us what you're thinking, Margaret. Was everything you showed us—your heart, your attitude toward us—all a lie?"
I shook my head frantically at Kaiden's question.
"No, absolutely not."
"Then that's enough."
Kaiden answered so simply and stepped back. Like Enoch, he displayed an unwavering resolve, rigid as an ancient tree.
How could these men be like this? How could they be so unshakeable?
"I also trust the Young Lady."
Rujeep, who had been quietly observing and keeping silent, finally spoke up.
"Hey, lackey. You've always been a Margaret fanatic anyway."
At Rujeep's words, Kaiden furrowed his brow and glared at him.
"What kind of insulting remark is that? I have my own deity."
"Ah. I'm sure you do."
When Kaiden replied dismissively, Rujeep erupted in anger. Watching the two of them begin their quarrel again, I shook my head and found myself laughing.
Somehow, it felt as though a veil obscuring my vision had been lifted, and brilliant light came pouring through.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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