Lucian didn't leave Celine's side, even though he knew he was risking being killed by Edmund if he woke up.
What was the limit for a wish that could come true? And what was the limit for a person to sacrifice?
'I'm willing to do whatever it takes.'
'Whatever it takes.'
'Whatever...'
Edmund twitched, his hand tightening its hold on the dagger, pulling it out.
The wound in his chest lit up with a golden glow, seeping out of his body. The threads made of his life were traveling towards Celine, stitching her back together.
Edmund's body started losing its shape and becoming translucent. He was slowly vanishing.
As he did so, Celine's blood replenished, her body slowly starting to warm up.
Edmund could now stand without his physical body holding him back. He reached out to touch his sister's hand, only to see that it passed through. He couldn't feel her warmth anymore.
A shackled without a physical body, a ghost, was what remained of him. His spirit, on the other hand, was not allowed to rest in peace.
The moment Celine took her first breath of air, Edmund's relieved smile twisted into something sinister.
'An interesting vessel you've got us here. It will do nicely.'
Speaking to Lucian's mind through Voice, the creature waved Edmund's fingers in a raising motion. It ordered all the human corpses in the vicinity to open their eyes, including the royal ones.
They were many times weaker than their former selves, barely able to wake up, but the sheer number of them contained enough energy to help materialize Edmund's ghost form into a solid one. The faint light left their eyes, flowing towards his body.
It was Voice, who narrated the scene from within Lucian's mind. Lucian himself didn't pull his attention away from Celine.
Edmund's golden eyes changed to blue ones, the color of the Rocheforts.
His wish was granted to him by the creature that had now taken over his body. He now had no choice but to give it full control of his identity as Edmund Rochefort.
'Who knew that a little child's innocent wish such as yours could bring about so much chaos and disorder?' the thing that was no longer Edmund whispered in his mind, passing by Lucian with its new physical body, 'Continue spreading seeds of destruction for us to harvest, human. Until the time comes for you to join our ranks as well...'
Lucian carried Celine away, walking through the camp, looking for whatever he could scavenge. He needed to change her clothes, get rid of the evidence of her wound.
After he cleaned her body, he dressed her in his spare shirt and pants, and threw the royal armor into the fire.
Then, he secured her to his back in a piggy carry. He also needed some food and water for her to nourish herself with later. He stuffed some money, a few rations, and a flask he found into his bag, then he continued on his way.
His movements were stiff, his hiccups coming in short, sharp gasps, but he never stopped moving.
The royal army would soon come back to inspect the area, and Rochefort army as well.
Celine definitely sent an alert message to them before the attack happened.
He knew Celine was brilliant. What he never managed to grasp was the extent of it.
If Lucian didn't interfere in the battle, would Celine and Edmund survive? He started to believe that they would.
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Tears ran down Lucian's face as he ran through the woods, away from the battlefield.
He tried to calm himself down, wiping his eyes into his arm. He couldn't let Celine see him in such a state and call him a cry baby.
He was her hero, after all, and heroes didn't cry. They didn't lose, or break, or fall apart. They were there, always, no matter how much it hurt.
Whether a bad ending or a good ending awaited the heroes, they had to keep going. To keep the hope alive, and never, ever, give up.
The prophecy echoed in Lucian's mind, making him remember his role in it.
'Not a male lead who could claim a happy ending, and not a villain deserving of an end befitting his cruelty.'
Lucian wiped his tears into his arms again, trying to convince himself that everything was okay, and that his wish to get married, have a family, and a happy life was still within his grasp.
That he wouldn't lose everything that mattered to him in a blink of an eye, that his dreams were not made to be shattered.
Celine was never meant to be fixed, she was too perfect for Lucian, which meant one less excuse to delay their marriage.
Maybe he didn't delay the marriage with Celine because he wanted to make more money and gain more power.
Maybe it was because deep down, Lucian knew he was destined for a tragedy.
Maybe he just wanted to delay the inevitable, to enjoy the feeling of being in love and being loved for just a little bit longer.
'I'm nothing more than a second male lead, made to help things bloom, only to wilt behind the curtains.'
Not even Edmund could escape the curse that followed after getting his wish granted. Even a ruby knight had to bow to the rules of the deal. No exceptions for anyone.
The proof was clearly before him now. He was unable to deny it any longer.
'No amount of money or power can change that fact,' Lucian thought bitterly, as the realization washed over him like a cold storm.
He didn't know what to do. He was scared. He felt helpless, afraid that if he made a wrong move, he would lose even more than he already had.
He stopped running and sat down on the ground, leaning against a large stone as he cradled Celine in his lap.
He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the scent that used to bring him comfort.
"You should have listened when I told you to leave," Lucian whispered in her ear, "It doesn't matter whether I meant it or not. You should have left, and saved yourself, at least. Now what am I supposed to do? I can't just let you go."
He didn't want to give her to another person, no matter who they were.
A small, pained sound escaped his throat, and he held her tighter, as if he could keep her from slipping away. She was his. His to hold and cherish.
'The villainess, hm? That's what the prophecy calls you,' he kissed the top of her head, 'The one everybody hates, but I can't help but love. So much. Too much.'
He couldn't let her go, and he couldn't keep her either, so the only option he had was…
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
I think I've left too many hints and breadcrumbs across the title, the reviews and the story itself. Now the ending of this arc sounds so anti-climatic to me. Well, that's my poor attempt at luring in more readers.🫠
We've reached the end of ARC 4! Which means? Review time! 🥳
Do leave your impression, especially why other readers should give this title a try despite there being no isekai and no system. I'm afraid a native, non Earth MC, is out of some people's comfort zone. The first chapter is extremely important as well, even though it doesn't seem like it at first. 😅
Some of you know that this is a remake of the first version, and maybe even read it before this remake. So you know what's coming for us in arc 5 (arc 5 is where the first version used to start at). I deleted all the chapters in case some of you are thinking of reading it.😌
I started writing this remake because of Lucian. I believe he was overshadowed by Celine's character in the first version; she carried it hard.
Those who came here for the yandere, I hope you are staying for the MC as well.😅
Lucian is holding 1.st spot in the character list, which tells me that he might be doing something right? 🤔
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