IELNDMH - Chapter 70 < Your One and Only Companion >

IELNDMH - Chapter 70 < Your One and Only Companion >

I Ended Up Living Up Next Door With My Ex-Husband

“Your Highness, no way... You didn’t know anything about engraving?”

I sheepishly rolled my eyes at Elliot's surprised reaction.

“Because I don’t know... You’re going to ask, right?”

Then this time his chin dropped down.

'What on earth is an engraving like that?'

Was it something I really needed to know as the Grand Duchess of the Twins?

I thought I was well-versed in the duties of the Grand Duchess...

It was a time when I tilted my head.

Elliot, who had already lost his surprised expression, slowly opened his mouth.

"...No, maybe it’s a good thing.”

“Is this a good thing?”

“If you don’t know the engraving, it means you’ve never obtained it.”

“...”

“From our perspective... It means it’s a good thing.”

The more I listened to him, the more question marks filled my mind.

I looked at Elliot with confused eyes, but he just shook his head.

“By the way, Your Highness, I knew about you, but you are truly an amazing person.”

“...”

“I can’t believe you kept it so completely hidden during your long marriage...”

Elliot looked at me as if I were the poorest person in the world and let out a long sigh.

“This is it. You must have been lonely a lot, Your Highness.”

How many more times did I sigh?

Elliot suddenly checked his watch.

“Ah, it’s already time like this. It was an honor to meet Your Highness the Grand Duchess. Then I'll just....”

You're telling me a lot of things I don't know and treating me like a pitiful person, so you're going to leave without saying anything?

That won't work.

I pursed my lips and gently pulled on the end of his sleeve.

“Elliot, I need you to properly tell me what engraving is.”

“....”

“If things continue like this, I’m going to stay up all night wondering what it is.”

“But, Your Highness, it’s a bit too much to say it with my own mouth..."

Elliot scratched his eyebrows with a troubled expression.

“...It’s embarrassing.”

I crossed my arms towards him and spoke firmly.

“Elliot, since you keep putting off answering, I’m getting more curious. Please tell me quickly.”

“But Your Highness....”

“Hurry?”

After that, Elliot's lips opened and closed several times.

He couldn't resist my urging and wanted to just talk, but he seemed completely embarrassed.

How long did you hesitate?

“Imprinting is a property that only demons have. You become bonded to the only person you allow. And the engraving....”

Elliot paused for a moment, then he opened his mouth again.

Before he knew it, a red color had seeped into the nape of his neck.

“With someone... It’s done through one-night stand.”

It was a very unfamiliar story.

As I blinked, Elliot smiled slightly and continued speaking.

“You might find it difficult to understand. It’s a concept that doesn’t exist at all in the human world.”

“Yes, that’s right....”

“It will be easy if you understand it this way. If Your Highness obtains the imprint of any of the demons...”

Elliot's static gaze landed on me.

“It means that Your Highness will be that demon’s only companion in his life.”

The one and only... Companion?

I blinked my eyes in a dazed mood.

Elliot smiled slightly as if he had expected my reaction.

“So, in a way, it is very unfair to the demons who are connected to humans.”

“...”

“The only thing that happens is when the love for a human companion grows cold and they leave, but the remaining demons will have to wait for that person for the rest of their lives.”

“...”

“Maybe that’s why the demon’s affection and obsession for his companion is enormous. It has caused major problems many times in the history of the demon world.”

Elliot paused for a moment, and a faint crack appeared between his eyebrows.

“Especially most of those incidents... It was related to ‘Lillian’s Heart.’”

As for Lillian's heart, I have heard of it several times.

'This time, I might be able to truly find out what it is.'

Elliot didn't notice the sparkling in my eyes. He sighed and spoke again.

“Given the circumstances, His Highness the Grand Duke must have been more concerned.”

“...”

“As you know, His Highness the Grand Duke, along with the head of the Norman family, are responsible for sealing that wicked thing.”

Elliot spoke as if I would naturally know about that item. I quickly nodded so as not to miss the opportunity.

"Ah... I see. It would be dangerous if the seal on that thing was released, right?”

Elliot shook his head with a serious expression when asked what to think.

“No, actually, that object is dangerous enough even when the seal is not broken.”

Perhaps because he had once started talking about boundaries, he continued his words more easily this time.

“The moment they face each other, they become possessed and even try to use that person to break the seal.”

“...”

“The only ones who can’t be fascinated by it are His Majesty the Grand Duke and Master Vincent. That’s why the two are keeping the location of where it’s buried a complete secret.”

"Yes...”

“That object sweetly tempts the other person by saying it will give them what they want, and it certainly helps to some extent,”

"...”

“All he gets in the end is the destruction of his soul. Moreover, if the item falls into the hands of a powerful person..."

Elliot suddenly shuddered slightly, as if he had goosebumps, and let out a long sigh.

“From that moment on, this world will be headed towards catastrophe.”

***

Lillian’s heart.

It is the heart and the 'source of evil' left behind by the primordial goddess Lillian as she cursed the world after being betrayed by her love.

The history I heard from Elliot was truly shocking.

A red-colored gem the size of a fist.

It tempted people with sweet whispers that it would get them what they wanted.

Power, material, love.

Whatever you want, you can get it as long as you have Lillian's heart.

Those in power in both the human world and the demon world coveted the item, and as a result, huge wars between empires and races continued on Earth.

Those who did not get it died suffering from the damage of the war, and even for those who were lucky enough to get it, the situation was not much different.

Any transaction with evil ends up costing more than what is gained.

Those in power went crazy because they were obsessed with the wealth and power they gained from Lillian's heart, and there was no shortage of blood on earth.

It is literally a catastrophe for the entire world.

Lillian's heartbreaking seal and coming out into the world meant that destruction had come to the world once again.

‘The Guard of that scary thing... It's Cedric.'

As I was climbing the stairs to the upper floor, I let out a long sigh.

Only then did I understand exactly why Duke Bold had gone so far as to marry Cedric to his daughter.

'So when I say something nice... Bring Lillian's Heart before me.'

Duke Bold would have been asking Rebecca to obtain Lillian's heart through engraving, just as he had done for me.

After the two spent the night together, Cedric wouldn't be able to refuse Rebecca's request.

'But Cedric must have figured out the intention first.'

Duke Bold's excessive interference in the couple's first night, and Cedric's continued rejection.

It seemed as if all my doubts were finally answered at once.

The one and only companion of his life.

Cedric had held out for a long time to avoid giving up that position to Rebecca.

'Cedric like that... You were with me that night.'

His truth and his sincerity.

All those feelings that I had been ignoring because I didn't want to be hurt finally came to the surface.

In addition, a fascinating voice buried in my memories suddenly penetrated my heart.

'After tonight, you will be the only one who can save me or ruin me. Even so...'

'I will never regret this moment.'

And that moment.

As I climbed the last stairs, he came into view, leaning on the glass terrace railing.

Cedric Twins.

It was the man I had been looking for all along.

***

I leaned against the terrace railing and felt the warm night breeze.

As the silence continued for a long time, Cedric asked in a low voice.

“Rebecca, you said there was something you wanted to ask me.”

Despite his gentle urging, I fell silent once again.

I excitedly entered the glass terrace, saying I had something I wanted to ask, but the reason was that my lips barely separated.

Cedric waited for me in silence for a while.

How much time has passed?

I swallowed the words that never came out and changed the topic.

“Why were you here alone?”

In response to my question, Cedric gently turned his head as if he had been reminded of an unpleasant memory.

Then, I suddenly remembered that he had moved separately from Duke Bold a little while ago.

"...Did something unpleasant happen with Duke Bold?”

When the story of Duke Bold came out, I somehow became cautious.

Although I tried my best to ignore him, he was indeed the biological father of Rebecca, whom I had possessed.

I felt embarrassed at the thought that he might have treated Cedric rudely again.

Cedric seemed to have noticed me as well, as he tried to loosen his furrowed brows and let out a shallow breath.

“It’s not like that, Rebecca. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

"But..."

“More than that, I’m more curious about your story.”

At Cedric's soft words, I was silent for a moment, looking outside the terrace.

Then, I slowly removed the lipstick.

"In fact... I finally found out.”

"What?"

I turned my head towards Cedric again and continued.

“About engraving.”

At the same time, a small ripple appeared in Cedric's eyes.

“Then in the meantime... Are you really saying you didn’t know?”

Cedric asked back in disbelief.

“Yes, I finally understand. And I learned something else. The reason why you, the guardian of Lillian's heart, had no choice but to stay away from me..."

“...”

“It was because of that imprint.”

I nodded slowly and continued speaking.

“Your choice was right then.”

“Rebecca...”

Cedric took a step closer to me, looking like he wanted to make an excuse.

I stepped back just that much.

It wasn't Cedric who had to make an excuse now.

No, he might actually be the one who deserves an apology.

Cedric's suspicions that Duke Bold was trying to steal Lillian's heart using Rebecca were all true.

Duke Bold, who tried to take advantage of Cedric, and Rebecca, who secretly helped him.

Cedric had to watch his wife knowingly and pretended not to know her throughout their marriage.

He is like that... How lonely and distressed. Has he been during this time?

Like Rebecca, Cedric probably resented Rebecca for a long time.

Only then did I understand why he had so coldly turned away from Rebecca.

A man and a woman who became married.

Their relationship was stained with wrong interests, greed, and anger, and it had already been a long time since it was irreparably damaged.

However...

“That night, you held me even though you knew everything.”

After gazing at the night sky for a moment, I turned my head towards Cedric again.

“Hey, Mr. Ex-husband.”

And I smiled softly, looking at his wide twinkling eyes.

“Do you like me that much?”

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