The Story Is Not Over Yet - Chapter 144

Chapter 144

“Miss Velista.”

“…Yes.”

“I heard that you asked Duke Ferial to marry me.”

Azela lowered her head that was ashamed of what Livia had said.

It was as if all her emotions were exposed… in addition to her heart that sympathized a bit with Livia, even her bad heart that tried to take advantage of her. In order to clear herself from Zagnac’s mind, she told him to marry Livia because she thought that was the way to help her.

But in the end, she was using her.

“…I used the Princess.”

Azela whispered softly, expressing her sorry feelings. She couldn’t bear to say more about it. Even though she offered a short apology without further explanation, Livia smiled kindly as if she knew everything.

“You don’t have to be sorry. In the end, it was a good thing for me as well.”

“…Yes?”

“Maybe it’s an experience I’ll never have again in my life.”

“Th, that—”

“Is Duke Ferial hiding his emotions because he is not human?”

“….!”

Azela widened her eyes in surprise when Livia spoke like she knew everything.

“Ho, how…”

Should she pretend not to? As she pondered for a moment, she frowned when she saw Livia’s face, that looked like she was already convinced.

With a bitter face, Azela finally opened her mouth in a low voice.

“…Did he say it himself?”

“As expected, Miss Vellista knew.”

“….”

After a moment’s pause, Azela nodded.

“Why…”

“Why did he reveal his identity to me?”

Azela nodded again. She suddenly wonders why Zagnac suddenly revealed his identity to Livia.

“Well… It must be because he likes you.”

“What?”

“To completely dissuade me, he revealed that he was a devil, not a human.”

Saying so, Livia smiled faintly.

“You must be well aware that Duke Ferial likes you enough to reveal his true identity to me.”

Of course. His feelings were something she knew before he even realized it. As Azela nodded, Livia laughed, tucking her flowing hair into her ear.

“You must know best that nothing will change unless you face it, Miss Vellista.”

“Princess…”

“I learned a lot thanks to you, and many things have changed.”

“….”

“So, I hope you change because of me. As a non-human, his lifespan will surely be longer than ours, and he may grieve alone for the rest of his time.”

Azela shook her head as her words hit her head. The sixteen-year-old little Princess had become a fully grown woman before she knew it. Livia stretched out her hand and gently stroked Azela’s bowed head.

“Still, as long as you live, Duke Ferial will be happy.”

She didn’t know what happened though Livia had changed. It was a good change.

“…You have changed.”

“Yes, now I’m going to do it my way.”

“You look much better than before.”

She smiled brightly at Azela’s sincere praise.

As expected, she thought if it were Azela, she would be happy with her change. Livia moved and pulled her body in front of her. She had many stories to tell. The story of her punishing Sylvia for Azela’s sake. If it were Azela, she would listen to it all with a smile.

“Miss Vellista, actually, I… can use ancient magic that has disappeared. It has been like that since birth.”

Livia gulped.

It was the first time. It was the first time she had personally exposed her secrets to someone. As the woman in front of her widened her surprised eyes, Livia clenched her fists in her lap. However, that was fleeting, and Azela, who opened her surprised eyes, smiled brightly.

“To be able to do what others can’t… You are wonderful.”

Livia couldn’t control it and finally laughed out loud. It was that simple. She thought that maybe it had been herself who was persecuting herself, not the members of the Imperial Family.

In fact, nothing had changed.

The reality of being able to use the magic and the fact that people in the Imperial Family still despised her were all the same. It seemed that the whole world had changed like this simply by changing her mindset.

Livia looked at the window with a relieved face.

A bright sun was shining brightly.

It was late at night.

Knock.

A polite knock came.

Azela, who was lying on the bed to fall asleep, carefully raised her body.

The door opened, and it was Zagnac who entered. At best, she thought it was the handmaid who wanted to check on her condition, so Azela widened her eyes in surprise. And without knowing it, she turned her gaze and pointed at the window.

“Why aren’t you coming through the window?”

“…Just.”

Zagnac shrugged his shoulders slightly and walked over to the window before closing tight the window that was wide open.

It was the first time he had walked through a door rather than a window at such a late night, so Azela felt a little strange. She grabbed the back of her neck for no reason. After closing the window she had left open, he stepped over to her.

“Now, you don’t have to sleep with the window open.”

“…Huh?”

As he placed his hand on her cheek as she looked up at him very carefully, his hand was trembling softly somewhere.

“Because I’m going to open the door and come in, even in the middle of the night.”

Just like humans.

Zagnac laughed as he swallowed those words. Then, erasing his laughter, he knelt down in front of her on one knee and gently took her hand.

“You are so great.”

“What?”

“No race has ever made me feel afraid. I am afraid… I thought it was a feeling that only weak people felt… like humans, for example. I thought I had nothing to fear.”

Uttering so, he quietly closed his eyes before he put his forehead to the back of her hand. Her warm body heat seeped into Zagnac. Azela couldn’t say anything about his actions. It was as if all the emotions he felt were conveyed to her through her skin.

“To be honest…”

“….”

“I was so afraid.”

Zagnac’s low voice resonated in her chest.

Watching him acknowledge his fear, Azela closed her eyes that she had been keeping open. Having acknowledged his fear, he probably also acknowledged his love. In the end, she couldn’t erase herself from his mind or erase him from her mind.

“I was afraid of losing you, Azela… I’m afraid you won’t open your eyes, I’m afraid you won’t hold my hand like this, I’m afraid I won’t be able to talk to you anymore.”

“…Zagnac.”

“Yes, I was afraid of it, nervous, and anxious again.”

Zagnac opened his eyes and continued to speak, gently stroking the ends of Azela’s hair.

“You must have known my feelings that I did not know.”

“….”

“Because you are human.”

Zagnac raised his cheeks and curved his lips.

Thinking about it now, perhaps it was. As a demon, he might not know, but as a human, there was no way she didn’t know. Still, she pretended not to know. She pretended not to know, and neither did she try to put that feeling on him.

The reason must be the same as Azela’s habit of saying, ‘It’s okay.’ It was clear that it was a consolation for him who would be left alone even though she herself was hurt.

“Because I am not human.”

He gazed up at her.

Strangely, even though it was a dark room where nothing could be seen, the purple eyes were shining like a jewel.

“That’s why I thought I couldn’t tell you how I feel, and I only thought of a way to release you from being tied to me… because I thought that I, the devil, could not bind you, a free human being.”

“Zagnac.”

“Though if, Azela, you too…”

Zagnac placed his hand behind her back. Azela was startled by him, who suddenly raised his body, and slowly fell over.

The bed shook greatly.

Before long, she was lying on the bed and he was looking down at her.

“If you’re hiding those feelings for me while being hurt.”

“….”

“For you, I try to become a selfish me.”

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