The sunset’s afterglow stretched the shadows long.
In the nearly ruined fishing village, Mu’en held An’s shovel and found a sunny spot, digging fresh soil one scoop at a time.
A pit quickly took shape; after digging about half a meter deep, Mu’en stopped.
Because it was enough.
He stepped aside, and An came forward, holding Eluka’s head.
Eluka’s eyes were tightly shut, as though she had fallen into a deep sleep.
A slight curve formed at the corners of her mouth.
It seemed she had received a satisfactory answer, so there were not many regrets left when departing.
An gently placed her head into the pit, then used her hands to cover it with soil one handful at a time.
This time, Mu’en did not help but leaned against the shovel, watching the sunset in the distance while listening to An’s whispers.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t find anyone else to be buried with you.”
An lowered her eyelids, her expression somewhat sad.
When the Evil God personally descended, all flesh and blood turned into food in his mouth, leaving no remnants behind.
In the end, An could only bring Eluka back to this empty fishing village for burial.
It could be considered going home.
The beautiful head gradually became covered with dirt.
An placed the final handful of soil on the small grave, then with a thought, a metal tombstone stood upright above it.
An reached out, wanting to write something on it, but hesitated for a long time and could not write a single word.
“Write Eluka’s grave?” That felt too lonely.
“Write the name of this small fishing village?” But beneath the grave soil, there was nothing but the young girl’s head.
“Forget it.”
Mu’en looked at the sunset and softly said,
“Tragedies need not be remembered.”
“Is that so?”
An’s expression was somewhat dazed as she withdrew her hand.
“Then I’ll listen to you, Young Master.”
In the silent fishing village, there was no hint of life’s warmth anymore.
An gazed at the blank tombstone, for a long time, as if she were seriously contemplating something.
Only when she was certain that she could not obtain the answer to her question did she, with a touch of apprehension, cautiously ask:
“Young Master.”
“Mm?”
“Did I make a mistake?”
“Mistake? What do you mean?”
“About my love.”
Love is possession.
Love is to have everything of the person you love.
Love is to be with the person you love forever.
Love is ruthless.
Not long ago, she understood it this way.
This is love.
What a beautiful love!
Yet, seeing Eluka’s monstrous appearance, disregarding everything to devour the one she loved, An felt as though she were looking into a mirror.
The self in the mirror whispered of love, much like that monster, and it was so ugly.
One couldn’t help but wonder, is that nauseating thing really love?
“Young Master, is my love wrong?”
“Perhaps.”
Mu’en nodded and then shook his head.
“Or maybe you just mistook possessiveness for love.”
“Possessiveness?”
“The desire born from the madness of wanting to own something.”
Mu’en said:
“Possessiveness mostly stems from the derivatives of love; it resembles love, though there is an essential difference between the two, making it easy for people to confuse them.”
“Do you mean to say that I confused possessiveness with love…?”
“I don’t know either.”
Mu’en gently said:
“Everyone has different thoughts in their heart; whether what lies within is love or possessiveness, only you can be clear.”
“But it’s precisely oneself that is hardest to distinguish.”
An gave a self-deprecating smile.
She turned her head to look at Mu’en’s profile; that handsome face, outlined under the silhouette of the sunset, evoked an urge to embrace that face tightly.
At that moment, what was in her heart: love or possessiveness?
“What is love, after all?”
This seemed to be the simplest question for An, yet it suddenly became the biggest conundrum in the world overnight.
But perhaps, if she changed her perspective, she could understand.
Thinking of this, An couldn’t help but feel shy.
“Young Master, I remember you said something before.”
“Mm? What did I say?”
“You said…”
An’s cheeks flushed slightly as she whispered:
“That we could date as a normal couple.”
“I think I did say something like that.”
Mu’en suddenly recalled that it was something he said to stabilize An when he was in prison.
But why was An bringing this up now?
Mu’en furrowed his brow slightly, feeling that the matter was not simple.
“Since Young Master said that, can we start over?”
“Starting over means…”
“Just like ordinary people, to be an ordinary couple.”
Dating.
Marrying.
Even having children.
To explore what true love is.
“I see; I think I understand your meaning.”
Mu’en nodded, seemingly dazzled by the sunset as he subtly took a few steps back.
“But just in case, I still have to ask—are you going to take me back to the Duke’s Mansion?”
“Of course.”
An nodded vigorously and shyly said:
“I grew up in the Duke’s Mansion; it is also my only home… Of course, I don’t aspire to be the mistress of the Duke’s Mansion or anything, I will still serve you as a maid, but while serving you, can we…”
The young girl shyly turned her head back, her flushed cheeks filled with beautiful expectations for the future.
To run their love nest in the Duke’s Mansion, to do this and that shameful stuff, perhaps they could even have a dozen or twenty children—just thinking about it made her…
Swoosh—
An heard the sound of whistling wind.
In that moment she turned back, An saw Young Master’s cold face, and—
The shovel.
Before she could react, accompanied by a dull sound, An showed a hint of shock before her vision went dark, and she collapsed to the ground.
“Hmph, bad woman.”
Looking at An, who had fainted on the ground, Mu’en smirked and said:
“Thinking to trick me into returning to the Duke’s Mansion for some play, do you think I’m that easy to fool?”
“A Holy Warrior can’t fall in the same place twice!”
“Duke’s Mansion? Even dogs wouldn’t want to go back!”
The darkening sky echoed with the man’s arrogant laughter.
A pair of loving water birds hid in the grass by the lake, secretly glancing at the man standing alone against the cold wind.
Filled with pity.
…
…
“Where is this…”
An awoke from her faint, and what greeted her was the familiar ceiling.
“Head Maid, you’re awake.”
The girl waiting by the bed leaned down excitedly:
“How do you feel? Is there anything wrong with your body?”
“Noel?”
Looking at the girl in a maid outfit in front of her, An’s eyes revealed a hint of confusion.
“What are you doing here, and… right, where’s Young Master?”
An suddenly sat up, looking around. “Where is he?”
“This is the Duke’s Mansion, of course I’m here.”
Noel blinked, hesitating to say:
“As for Young Master… after he brought you back, he changed his clothes and hurriedly left.”
At this point, Noel’s cheeks turned slightly red, muttering: “How could Young Master wear such shameless clothes, did he learn something bad outside?”
“Young Master left?”
An’s eyes widened, then she angrily said: “Why didn’t you stop him?”
“He is Young Master; how could we stop him?”
Noel said with a bitter face: “Besides, Young Master said he was going to school, so we had no reason to stop him.”
“Is… is that so?”
An lay back down on the bed in despair.
What she said was true; if Young Master really wanted to leave, how could ordinary maids stop him?
“Then… then I will take my leave; you should rest, Head Maid.”
Noel gave a bow and hurriedly left.
She felt that the Head Maid was acting strangely; it was better to slip away first.
…
After Noel left.
An got up alone and walked to the window.
Looking at the scenery outside.
In the manor, maids were busy trimming the plants, shaping them into various pleasing forms.
Yet, even so, An felt that this vast Duke’s Mansion had suddenly become desolate.
“Did you really run away, Young Master?”
“And it’s the Saint Maria Academy, which prohibits outsiders; how cunning you are, Young Master.”
An leaned her head against the window, gazing into the far, far away distance.
Unfortunately, the person she wanted to see was already out of sight.
“I will not give up.”
An placed her fingertips on the glass and suddenly pressed down hard.
The sound was harsh, and her fingers left sinister marks on the glass.
“No matter where you run, Young Master, I will bring you back, and then…
I will keep you by my side forever and never let you go.”
In An’s eyes, this strong obsession surfaced, just as always.
“But…”
An slowly crouched down.
In the gap where her hair fell, that poised and delicate face turned a ripe apple red.
That was the young girl’s shyness and troubles.
No more darkness flowed, only the clear and beautiful essence like spring water.
“I seem to be unable to harm Young Master now; what should I do?”
…
…
I love you, Young Master.
…
…
[Jealousy Progress: 100%]
[Fixed progress reached, destiny interference has been activated]
[Partial memory fuzzy processing has been completed]
[……]
[Please continue to struggle, Mu’en Campbell]
…
…
(End of this volume)
