Chapter 89

Knowing he was loved, Lewis used his life in front of his crying disciples.

"Could you really believe that the disciple would have led a normal life after parting with the beloved witch like that?"

He was fully aware of this.

Just as he was about to accept Lewis's words,

"…Stop it."

"…Noah?"

Claudia blinked once.

"Don't impose your ugly wishes on the princess."

Noah, speaking in a low voice, continued as Lewis responded.

"When Lady Adelheit died, our future died too."

"Princess, you must not listen to him."

"If you're going to leave, you should have taken us with you…"

"Be quiet. Or else—…"

Noah, holding a magical sword, pointed its tip at Lewis.

"Noah, you understand my feelings better than Claudia, don't you?"

"…"

Noah spoke quietly.

"…I can never condone the means you took."

"It's a lie. You would do anything to bring Lady Adelheit back after losing her…!!"

"The princess wouldn't want that. …Deep down, you knew from the start that what you were doing would be rejected by the princess, didn't you?"

Hearing this, Lewis's eyes widened.

"Did I know that Lady Adelheit would reject me…?"

"Or are you unaware? That you only talk about 'magic' to the women in the tower. But the women's sleep isn't due to your excellent barrier magic."

Noah's obsidian eyes glared at Lewis.

"It's due to a curse."

"……?"

Lewis slowly blinked.

"…a curse"

The whisper sounded as if he were uttering a word he had never heard before.

"Did I activate the curse? …Indeed, it was difficult. I couldn't keep those women asleep forever. The only thing left in my possession was the magical tool I took from them five hundred years ago…"

"That's why I said I can't empathize with you. I won't degrade myself to your level."

"No, I wouldn't rely on a curse…! The curse magic is a tool used by our enemies! Because of it, we lost Lady Adelheit. There's no way I would rely on such a thing, but…!!"

Lewis covered his eyes with one hand as if to hide them.

"Yes, I remember. The feeling of offering a strong wish, the silver collar I reached for…"

"Don't pretend to offer sincere devotion and hurt the princess's heart. Your actions are not to reclaim and protect the princess, who risked her life to resist the curse."

Noah said this with a calm, deadly tone.

"—To take revenge on the princess."

"………………"

Lewis took a slight breath.

"…huh"

But his composure was only shaken that much.

The light in his eyes faded, and his irises became hazy and vacant.

Noah, looking down at him, said in a cold, matter-of-fact voice,

"You can still maintain your sanity because you haven't lost this person yet."

"…………"

At that moment, Noah gripped his sword tightly.

"Revenge. …Yes, revenge. I couldn't forgive it. Lady Adelheit, who left us, and her despicable actions, which fueled my anger…!!"

"You understand now, Princess! What the beloved disciple did for you, there's no need for you to be pained by it."

Claudia narrowed her eyes at Noah's words.

It seemed Noah understood. Despite not showing it on her face, Claudia felt very sad as she gracefully sat in her chair.

She was thinking about how to make amends to this disciple named Seville.

"Lady Adelheit is truly terrible. I suffered for five hundred years, always…!!"

"Stop it!!"

"Feel through my actions how despicable you are! This is because you abandoned us. The women's lives were warped because of you!! For the sake of not wasting their sacrifices, please nod to my words, Lady Adelheit. You are the only one in the world who truly values me…!"

"Princess, let me cut down Lewis!"

Claudia looked at Lewis and listened to his cries.

"If you enter the vessel I prepared, I can protect you so you never leave me again. I have been eagerly waiting to meet you again! Lady Adelheit, you are my light, Claudia… please praise me, I beg you!"

As if something was mixing turbulently, the words of 'Seville' and 'Lewis' intertwined.

Lewis, who had collapsed on the snow, reached out to Claudia as if clinging to her.

"…Cunning and cruel, my light…"

At the same time, cracks like ice breaking appeared on the surface of Lewis's white skin.