Chapter 94

It was too long, so I split it! (So there are two updates today)

As if her neck was being tightly squeezed, she would lose consciousness at the moment it loosened. When she opened her eyes, emerald eyes filled with anger, regret, and repentance would be staring at her, and the moment she tried to speak, her neck would be squeezed again.

This went on for hours.

Both the one squeezing and the one being squeezed had reached their physical limits. In a dazed state of consciousness, Cecilia could only stare at the bruises on Zwey's neck.

("So, 'hindrance' can possess people like this.")

That was her honest reaction.

There was no resentment or hatred towards Zwey, who was straddling her stomach. After all, he surely didn't want to kill Cecil in his heart. Even when possessed by the 'hindrance,' he still hesitated so much.

("If I could touch it, I could erase it.")

However, with her hands tied, that was impossible. There was no way to cut the rope, and no tools or methods available. All Cecilia could do at that moment was react to the neck being squeezed at random.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?"

As soon as the grip on her neck loosened, Cecilia spoke in a hoarse voice. She thought that if she spoke immediately after the grip loosened, he might listen. As expected, Zwey, looking slightly surprised, responded with, "What?"

"Why did you call out to me as Ein?"

"Because I thought Cecil wouldn't follow if I was myself..."

"What do you mean?"

"Because Cecil, you hate me, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

She didn't understand. Looking back at her own actions, she couldn't recall any conversation or behavior that might have given him the wrong impression.

"You were saying bad things about Ein and me..."

"I never said that!"

"Don't lie!"

The hand around her neck tightened again, but not to the point where she couldn't breathe. He hadn't fully recovered yet.

"I heard someone! Someone heard you two saying bad things about me—!"

Three days ago, Zwey was approached by a man he didn't know. A brown-haired man with a hood pulled low over his eyes. He smiled and said, "We met a while ago, didn't we?"

Upon talking, it turned out he had just met Ein and Cecil and mistakenly thought Zwey was Ein.

"I'm his twin. I'm the younger brother."

"Ah, you are..."

The ambiguous response caught his attention. It sounded as if he had known Zwey from the beginning. Wondering if Cecil and Ein had talked about him, Zwey casually asked, "Do you know me?"

The man looked a bit troubled and said, "Not exactly. I just overheard your conversation earlier. It was a bit unsettling, so it stuck in my mind."

"Unsettling? About me?"

"Well, maybe I misunderstood. You seem like a good person."

The hesitant words piqued Zwey's interest. "What did they say about me?" he asked. The man prefaced his response with, "I don't want to hurt your feelings, but..."

"They said you—"

"Killed your mother."

At Zwey's hesitant words, Cecil shouted, "I never said that!"

"Then why! That man knew about your mother! Besides me, only Cecil or Ein would know—"

Hearing his tearful voice, Cecilia remembered something. Three days ago, Ein had said something right after meeting the man Zwey described.

"No, I've actually seen him before."

"Really?"

"Yeah, at Uncle Cady's house..."

(Could it be...?)

Cecilia's mind clearly recalled the man's appearance.

Brown hair and amethyst-like purple eyes. A well-groomed face, but one she had seen somewhere before.

What if that brown hair was white? What if he was wearing more regal clothing?

(Prince Janis?!)

Everything clicked into place. Moreover, Prince Janis apparently had the ability to possess people with 'hindrance.'

(That means Zwey's 'hindrance'...)

Could have been placed by Prince Janis. Given the circumstances, it was also possible that Cady, who was said to have killed Zwey and Ein's mother, was under his influence.

"I don't want to hurt Cecil either. Because I also—"

"Zwey, calm down! Listen!!"

"But that man said Cecil would tear apart the bond between me and Ein—!"

Suddenly, a black mist overflowed from Zwey's body. At that moment, his grip on her neck tightened even more.

"Everyone, everyone, everyone, I'm in the way! Even Father and the servants, they all think I should have died instead of Mother! If I were gone, Ein wouldn't be called the 'demon child' anymore, and Cecil—!!"

Suddenly, the pain disappeared.

Looking up, she saw Zwey covering his face with both hands.

"...I see."

As if he had found an answer, he stood up from Cecilia's stomach.

Then, with unsteady steps, he moved away from her and leaned on a nearby desk.

"I see, that makes sense."

"...Zwey?"

"It should have been me, not Cecil, who should have been gone."

The bruise on his face, resembling plant vines, now covered his entire right side.

Zwey's hand searched the desk and grabbed something.

"If I die, I won't hurt Cecil anymore, and I won't be a burden to Ein. Ein needs to be happier from now on."

"Zwey!"

What he held was a knife used by hunters to skin animals. His hands were shaking, but the current Zwey wasn't afraid of the knife. The 'hindrance' had amplified his self-destructive urges more than his fear of the weapon that killed his mother.

Zwey pointed the knife at his throat. His breathing became heavy. The hesitation he showed when trying to kill Cecil was gone.

"Cecil, I'm sorry for hurting you."

Just as the knife was about to touch his throat—

"What are you saying—!!"

"—Ah!"

Cecilia headbutted Zwey. She knocked him over and kicked the knife out of his hand, sending it sliding under a shelf.

"Cecil, what are you doing!?"

"Shut up!!"

Cecilia straddled Zwey's stomach, just as he had done to her. After leaning back, she

delivered a powerful headbutt.

Please enjoy the book and the manga adaptation.

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