Chapter 109 (Illustration)
“What happened to everyone?”
Aria broke the silence and asked.
“What about those sold into slavery?”
“They’re okay. We brought them all into Valentine’s Castle.”
The hundreds of people? Aria was surprised at first, but soon agreed.
Looking back, Valentine’s was and is always an extraterritorial jurisdiction. If they decide to hide them in the Grand Duchy, no one will know where the slaves were.
‘It must be the same on the Underhill slave merchant’s side.’
It seemed that in the future she wouldn’t have to worry about that any more.
“And your brother was on the ship.”
“What?”
But this was completely unexpected. Aria blinked for a moment with a puzzled expression.
“Luther Angelo?”
“No, the eldest son, Winter Angelo.”
The eldest son…….
‘That was said to go down to the countryside to follow the gutter rat’s trail?’
Somehow, even after the gutter rat’s problem was resolved, he didn’t appear and couldn’t be contacted, so they thought it was strange.
He must have been kidnapped by the Underhill slave merchant.
“But they’re not usually crazy enough to kidnap the eldest son of a prestigious Duke’s family.”
“He may have seen things he shouldn’t have seen. Rather, they may have found it more difficult because he was the son of a prestigious duke family.”
Lloyd further explained.
“Pirates were guarding the Young Duke. If things went wrong, they would have thought of putting everything back on the pirates.”
Aria heard his explanation and understood, but at the same time she felt puzzled.
Why was he saying it in a speculative way?
“I don’t think you heard the explanation yourself, did you happen to pass out and not wake up?”
“No, I’m conscious.”
Lloyd answered with a slight look.
“You’d better check it out yourself.”
Hmm? Did Vinter lose his consciousness in the shock of being kidnapped? Things like that happen, too.
Aria nodded her head for a moment.
“Why are Lloyd’s eyes like that?”
And from the moment she woke up, she asked what she was most curious about. It seemed irreversible that his eyes had already turned gray.
However…… However, if she knew the cause, it would not happen again. So that it doesn’t get worse, she would make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Then Lloyd answered.
“There were chimeras on the ship.”
“What?”
“It was significantly lower in intelligence than the gutter rat, but the physical abilities were superior.”
Chimera.
As soon as Aria heard those words, she understood all the circumstances. She murmured in a dismayed voice.
“…Hans.”
“Hans? If it’s Hans…”
Had Lloyd ever heard of him?
She narrowed her eyes for a moment and seemed to trace her memory. Aria answered briefly.
“The wizard who was on to the gutter rat’s side.”
“Ah, you’re talking about the wizard who rebelled against the gutter rat four years ago?”
Hans was the one who created internal divisions and helped Valentine sweep the gutter.
Aria paused, averting her gaze for a moment before adding.
“Actually, I did that.”
“……What?”
She said so far, so why would she hide it?
Aria explained the whole story. The longer she talked, the more serious Lloyd’s expression became.
“So that was why you were ill then?”
“Yes…….”
Aria averted her eyes again. It looked like there was going to be a hole on the side of her that received Lloyd’s relentless gaze.
“It was Hans who made the gutter rat a chimera. It was unstable at the time, but now he can make a better chimera. Maybe in 5 years he will make a more perfect chimera…”
“Five years? That’s a pretty accurate guess.”
How do you know that? Lloyd asked suspiciously.
Aria closed her mouth, alarmed.
“…Carlin gave a potion and left.”
Lloyd changed the subject.
He skillfully pours the potion into a spoon and brings it to her lips. Aria looked down at it without saying a word.
She felt faint again.
‘Was it four years ago…….’
Aria fumbled over her memory for a moment.
At the time, she had a dream that Lloyd was taking care of her. When she awoke, Lloyd, who looked somewhere tired, met her eyes.
‘I thought it was a dream back then.’
“Open your mouth.” Lloyd said.
It was the same lines as back then, but the tone of voice was completely different. Contrary to his childhood voice, which was full of annoyance and irritation, now there was a gentle tenderness.
“Did Lloyd take care of me all night before?”
Aria asked.
Lloyd looked like he was asking what she was talking about at first, but then he realized it belatedly.
He wrinkled his eyes.
“Is that important now?”
“Hmm, I want to know.”
Aria clenched her lips cheekily only when he brought the spoon to her lips. Until he answered properly, she was determined not to take the potion.
Lloyd sighed and said.
“……I did.”
“All week?”
“……yes.”
“You gave me medicine?”
“Yes.”
Aria opened her mouth only then.
Lloyd seemed a little relieved after giving her the potion.
“Why did you hide that you took care of me?”
“No idea.”
Then the murmur returned.
“You were shy.”
Aria chuckled.
Lloyd, who was staring at her, without showing much shyness, opened his mouth.
“Then can I ask you something I want to ask now?”
Aria stopped her laughing and looked up at Lloyd with a surprised look. Because he naturally grabbed Aria’s chin and made her turn her head towards him.
Rather, it was Aria who was embarrassed.
‘I think it’s a bit close…….’
She couldn’t even move her hand, so she couldn’t avoid his gaze any longer. Aria’s eyes were dyed red for a moment, trying to avoid his gaze here and there.
And at that moment,
Their eyes met in the air.
‘Ah.’
His black eyes, so dark that she couldn’t even see the pupils, were spreading faintly as if mixed with water.
Aria answered, forgetting that she was thrilled by his gaze. Staring straight at Lloyd.
Rather, she placed her own hand on the back of his hand and held it firmly.
“Yes, anything.”
Lloyd looked down for a moment and didn’t say anything.
“I don’t know where to start…”
After hearing his words, Aria noticed what question he was trying to ask.
‘Ah, I think he was finally going to ask.’
In fact, Aria knew it too. Four years ago, Lloyd had been suspicious of her.
‘Even if I tried to hide it, it would have been visible.’
However, he did not ask for details, although he occasionally casts doubts on her. It was simply because he accepted Aria as Aria.
‘Still, I couldn’t be silent anymore.’
Her work with the Emperor. Also, there is a remark she just made. In addition, Aria willingly threw her body into danger several times.
Aria said.
“Actually, I was waiting for Lloyd to ask.”
Lloyd, who opened his eyes wide as if surprised for a moment, replied with a grin.
“I see. I’m waiting for you to tell me…”
Then, weren’t they just wasting time waiting for each other?
There was a moment of silence between them at the thought that they had made a fool of themselves.
“I actually know the future.”
To what extent was that an expected answer? Lloyd wasn’t as surprised as she thought.
“I was guessing.”
She was taken aback.
He had a reaction similar to when she told Carlin about the future.
“What happened in the future?”
But the answer she got back was different from Carlin’s.
Lloyd seemed to have waited, no, more impatient than that, and asked about the future.
“It’s too long to talk about, but…”
Aria explained everything she had done in the past.
Except for one thing. It was somewhat difficult for her to say that she would soon die from the potions she had drank from her birth.
‘Honestly, I’m afraid.’
She approached him by deceiving him.
Because she was going to leave this world irresponsibly after being one of Lloyd’s dearest people. If he accused her of deceiving him, no, even if he didn’t criticize her, she was afraid that he would look hurt.
“The Count was said to have lost his mind, so I left him alone….”
Then Lloyd muttered in a small whisper.
Aria, who had been contemplating for a moment after finishing her words, lifted her head suddenly.
“No, nothing.”
Shaking his head, Lloyd patted the table with his fingers, giving a cold glance.
An overtly cruel emotion ran across his face. It was the murderous energy she felt the other day just before Lloyd secretly dealt with Count Chateau.
“Who else are you going to kill?”
“What a bloody thing to say.”
It wasn’t something a person with a ferocious energy all over his body would say.
Aria looked at Lloyd with squinted eyes as he kept pretending to be innocent, and then she smiled in dismay and shook her head.
“Do whatever you want, Lloyd.”
“Hmm, right.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“Well. I want to show the wife only pretty things and let her hear only pretty things.”
She doesn’t think he wanted to tell her.
Aria wondered if this was Lloyd’s own consideration, so she said.
“Yes, I too only want to show the husband only pretty things and let him hear only pretty things.”
She said it sincerely, but the reaction she got back was bitter.
“Is the future me going to be so nice to you just because I helped you once?”
She can’t say that’s necessarily the case, but the trigger was the salvation of that time.
Aria thought for a moment, then nodded her head.
“If there was even one happiness in your future, you wouldn’t have come to me.”
“……”
“It seems that you have reached the limit enough to choose me from among many people.”
Lloyd seemed to believe that Aria had been driven to the edge of the cliff and that she had no choice but to choose the devil.
“Anyway, I should thank myself in the future. Thank you for choosing me.”
He spoke as if swearing to his soul.
“I won’t let that happen again.”
And he put his lips on her palm, and slowly lifted his half-lowered eyelids. Between the densely embedded black eyelashes, the pupils with a colorful light were revealed. As if he wouldn’t let her go even if she regretted it later since she had chosen him.
The tips of Aria’s fingers trembled, feeling that her palms were somehow numb.
‘No.’
Aria licked her lips. She didn’t come to him because she had no choice.
‘I just liked Lloyd.’
She was in love with him at first sight.
Aria thought so, and she looked up at him.
She only sees Lloyd in her eyes. With eyes that seem to embrace thousands of lights that sparkle like jewels.
‘One day, when my body gets better, I want to tell you.’
The confession she couldn’t put out of her mouth today.
Sabina called Lloyd and Aria into the conference room.
‘Why?’
Aria didn’t know why until she got to the conference room.
However, as soon as she saw the scenery inside the conference room, she immediately realized it.
It was to scold her in earnest!
“I won’t listen to any excuses.”
Sabina said as she sat at the head of the conference room and snapped her fingers.
Tristan leaned next to her and had a strange smile on his lips.
