“Any last words, Mu’en Campbell?”
At this moment, just as Ariel had predicted, Celicia was pinning Mu’en down with a vengeance.
The “trampling” was over.
After who-knows-how-long of a fierce battle, the two had tussled from the couch to the floor, even knocking over the tea table, shattering teacups, and making a mess of the woolen carpet.
It wasn’t until both of them were completely exhausted and the effects of the drug in Celicia’s system had completely dissipated that they finally called it quits.
But the room still reeked of a strange odor, the lingering traces of their struggle were impossible to erase, and their still-naked bodies were a testament to how intense the battle had been.
With the fight over, all that remained was… “the reckoning.”
Celicia was still sitting on Mu’en, maintaining an ambiguous position, but her delicate face no longer had the charm it had earlier. Instead, it was frosty, coldly glaring at Mu’en with murderous intent.
Her fingers wrapped around Mu’en’s neck, slowly tightening as she repeated her earlier question:
“Speak your last words, for this is your final chance before you die.”
“Well…”
Mu’en, looking completely drained, forced a smile that was uglier than a cry, and said:
“If I don’t say anything, does that mean I won’t die?”
“So you still haven’t grasped the situation.”
Celicia’s fingertips suddenly radiated a terrifying chill, instantly engulfing half of Mu’en’s body, bringing him sharp pain and… the shadow of death.
Mu’en suddenly realized—this woman really would kill him, and without hesitation.
Even though they had just shared a… ‘beautiful connection.’
“Wait, wait! I’ll speak, let me speak!”
Mu’en couldn’t help but scream in terror.
“There’s a reason for what I did!”
“Oh, a reason?”
Celicia sneered coldly:
“I’d love to hear what reason could possibly justify such beastly behavior.”
“Because… because…”
Mu’en’s mind raced, searching for an excuse.
Rebirth? Destiny? A prophetic dream? No, those were clearly fabrications; he needed something more believable!
Like maybe he just tripped and accidentally dumped the ” into the tea.
Or maybe it wasn’t ” but a weight-loss supplement.
Or perhaps this was all just a dream, and nothing actually happened.
But when the words came out of Mu’en’s mouth, they turned into something entirely different:
“It’s because I like you, Celicia!”
“Huh?”
“Wha?”
Celicia was visibly stunned.
And not just her—Mu’en himself was dumbfounded.
‘What the hell am I saying?!’
Sure, in his past life, he’d always liked Celicia’s character—he even bought her official life-sized poster to hang by his bed so he could see her the moment he woke up.
But that didn’t mean he could just fall for someone who’d only existed in fiction like this!
He wasn’t one of those guys who called 2D characters their “waifus”!
This wasn’t just a slip of the tongue—this was a full-blown verbal avalanche!
Wait, could this be the original owner’s influence?
He remembered the original host did have a thing for Celicia—after all, if he hadn’t been truly smitten, he wouldn’t have been stupid enough to do something like this.
Damn it, you’re already dead, stop screwing me over!
Mu’en roared internally.
But… since he’d already said it…
Logically, if a girl is suddenly confessed to, she’d get a little flustered, right?
Mu’en’s sudden surge of survival instincts gave him a glimmer of hope.
So maybe…
…
“So that’s your disgusting reason?” Celicia quickly regained her composure.
Her hands were still around Mu’en’s neck, and she showed no sign of being affected by his confession. As for “flustered,” it was Mu’en himself, pinned beneath her, who seemed to fit the description better.
“Disgusting?”
Mu’en grinned awkwardly: “Well, in a way, this is a pretty sincere feeling…”
“You call ‘this’ sincerity?”
Celicia suddenly cut him off, coldly stating:
“Do you think stealing a girl’s purity counts as sincerity? What kind of joke are you playing, Mu’en Campbell! If you really liked me, you should’ve stood in front of me openly, using your character, your strength, your sincerity, like a man, to win me over! Not resort to such despicable methods as drugging me! If you’d done that, even if I still didn’t fall for you, I might’ve followed the marriage contract and become your wife.
But now…
Hah, did you really think such a physical relationship would make me feel differently about you? No, Mu’en Campbell, I will never fall in love with a scheming, underhanded villain, nor will I ever marry a beast.”
Celicia leaned down, her face close to Mu’en’s, so close they could feel each other’s breath, just like before.
But this time, what Mu’en felt was different.
Through Celicia’s ice-blue, frozen eyes, Mu’en seemed to see something hidden deep within.
A burning, sacred white flame.
Yes, this was Celicia.
Celicia Leopold.
The first heroine of the original story.
Just like the quote on the poster Mu’en had bought described her:
—She is the eternally proud, eternally sacred white swan, who would never yield to any evil or filth.
So even now, as she lay bare and stained, she was still a queen in full regalia, looking down upon the lowly sinner.
“So beautiful…” Mu’en couldn’t help but murmur as he gazed at the girl so close to him.
“Alright, you’ve had your say. Time to send you off, Young Master Mu’en.”
Hearing Mu’en’s murmur but showing no change in expression, Celicia gradually tightened her grip.
“May you remember my advice in your next life, and seek love with true sincerity.”
“Goodbye…”
