In addition to Cedric and Rebecca, there were others preparing for the day of decisive battle that was just around the corner.
Inside the dark basement.
The old woman sitting in front of the table lit a candle.
The dark space was soon illuminated by the soft light of candles, but the light was far from brilliant.
The inside of the basement was still dark and filled with an insidious atmosphere.
Lobelia was walking slowly around the old woman with her arms crossed.
Her steps, lost in her thoughts, moved busily for a while, finally stopping opposite the old woman.
“So in the end... You mean I have to go back to that damn tower at least once?”
The old woman, who had closed her eyes the whole time after lighting the candle, slowly nodded her head.
Lobelia nervously picked at her fingernails at the silence of the old woman's affirmation.
“There... I really don't want to go back... You don't know how terrible that place was...”
Uncharacteristically for Lobelia, she even stuttered.
That tower was the reason she ran away and hid in the dark basement, missing Rebecca right before her eyes.
Her time in that tower was nothing short of a nightmare in itself.
But she has to go back there.
It was a time when even the madness that had been soaring all along was at a standstill for a moment, oppressed by her fear.
Finally, the old woman opened her eyes and a low, calm voice flowed from her lips.
“Lady, don’t you want to put an end to all that hard work and suffering?”
Lobelia's eyes were lost and shaken at the old woman's curious question.
“On the day when her innocent soul reappears, the Lady must return there with her and perform the last rites.”
“...”
“There is no place where the Lady’s vengeful spirit can complete the ritual more surely than the place where the vengeful spirit resides.”
It was Lobelia, and no one else, who wanted to end this painful cycle of life more than anyone else.
But the place where the long-awaited final ritual was to take place was, of course, in that terrible tower.
As she thought about that, memories of her past, which had been so cruel that she was sick of it, attacked Lobelia like an angry fire.
The tower was infested with rats and smelled like a gutter, with only a handful of light to lean on.
The day she died there, engulfed in a huge fire, was still vivid as if it were yesterday.
Lobelia felt a strange ominousness about it and her body trembled violently.
The old woman looked up at her silently, then shook her head with a short sigh.
“Don’t worry too much. Lady's history will now be written differently..."
The old woman who said so put ink on a pen nib made from a bird's feather.
Then she opened the last page of the thick book that had been sitting on one side of the table.
“...What are you doing now?”
At Lobelia's question, the old woman, who was about to put the nib to the last page, stopped for a moment.
"That... It's my book. The book you told me to cherish like my life. What if I write graffiti there?"
"Are you crazy?”
It was the book containing the biography of her failed past life that was used to summon the innocent soul.
Lobelia screamed hysterically as if she was shaking like a frightened dog.
A faint smile appeared on the old woman's lips as she looked at her like that.
“Since Lady’s biography is going to change soon, shouldn’t the ending of this book also change?”
“...What does that mean?”
Lobelia blinked slowly.
The old woman calmly put down her pen, got up, and walked slowly towards Lobelia.
And finally, when the two wicked women made close eye contact, the old woman's smiling lips revealed her newly blackened teeth.
“On the day of the last rites, we need two things. The thing of the innocent soul, and the thing of the Lady.”
“...You mean this lump of scrap metal?”
Lobelia asked, taking out her coins from her pocket.
It was the same piece of scrap metal that an innocent soul had thrown into the fountain along with a useless wish on the day she first changed bodies.
“Yes, and Lady’s thing is this book with the ending changed.”
Lobelia slowly frowned at the old woman's seemingly incomprehensible words.
“I’m asking you not to feel ominous, Lady. On that day, we will hold a ceremony with this book with the changed ending. Then Lady...”
A bizarre smile widened on the old woman’s wrinkled face.
“As this book concludes, you will return to your original body and live the life you have longed for.”
From then on, until the date of birth got closer, Cedric visited Norman Castle in the demon world almost every day.
Meanwhile, little by little, he regained the reason and stability he had lost while being separated from me.
The problem was that, unlike Cedric, Vincent seemed to be gradually reaching the limits of his patience.
“Hey, you really... Don’t you think it’s a bit too much?”
Despite Vincent's scolding, Cedric continued to look happy by stroking my stomach or putting his ear on it.
Then he suddenly looked up at me and asked, as if he couldn't hear what Vincent was saying.
“So you’re saying I’ll be able to meet my baby soon?”
An expectant smile spread across Cedric's face.
Vincent, who had been laughing at him in bewilderment, rolled his eyes wide.
He hated his shameless cousin who came to his castle every day, but he seemed to be getting irritated because Cedric ignored his words.
“Hey, are you okay? I'm making you so annoying, but you're so happy with your family, right? Uh?"
Vincent scratched his silver hair and said, 'Ah, what crime did I have to be caught among those brats!' He shouted in an irritated voice.
Then Cedric's gaze, which had been looking at me the whole time, slowly turned towards Vincent.
"Huh. It’s so good, why?”
“...”
“Are you jealous?”
Vincent's eyebrows arched, drawing a tall mountain at the uncharacteristic Cedric's tone of voice.
However, a happy smile appeared at the end of Cedric's lips again.
As if seeing that made him even more disgusting, Vincent ran around even more.
“I’m not jealous, I’m not jealous! I’m not jealous at all!”
“...Rebecca, I think Vincent has gone crazy with envy of us.”
Cedric briefly kissed my hand, which he held tightly with both hands as if it were a treasure.
Vincent, who was hissing hot breath in exasperation, muttered a few more times as he looked at Cedric's wide back.
“Hey, here we go. Let's go! Why didn’t you go?”
Then he shouted that as if he was being generous.
In fact, Vincent was largely responsible for Cedric being able to visit me with peace of mind.
This was because while Cedric was spending time here, Vincent put on his disguise and bought time within the empire.
Vincent was about to leave my room, but suddenly a thought occurred to him and he stopped in front of the door.
After a moment of hesitation, which was uncharacteristic of him, he turned his head towards me and shouted.
“Rebecca, don’t forget the precious effort I am giving as the head of Norman Castle! When that child comes out into the world, I have a stake in seeing his face often!”
"Ah... Of course, Vincent.”
When I answered softly, Vincent went straight to the door.
Cedric clicked his tongue in disapproval as he looked at the door he left.
“If he wanted to see his nephew often, he would just say so.”
Then he shook his head loudly.
I smiled softly while looking at him like that.
“I think grumbling like that and taking care of the people around him is Vincent’s unique way of expressing himself.”
While staying at Norman Castle, I got to know Vincent Norman better.
Despite his rough exterior and way of speaking, he actually cares deeply about the people around him.
There was no way Cedric, who had spent a long time with him, did not know that fact.
Perhaps the reason he was able to ask Vincent so comfortably also stemmed from that sense of trust.
“Be nice to Vincent. Even though he speaks harshly, he is actually a really good person.”
"Of course. Because he is a cousin who has been with me since childhood. Yes, but...”
“...?”
“Still, I don’t want you to look favorably on men other than me.”
Cedric gently furrowed his brows.
As I was laughing at him, I suddenly felt pain in my stomach.
“...Uh?"
“What’s wrong, Rebecca?”
Cedric, who had been sitting on a chair next to the bed I was lying on, quickly got up from his chair.
Then he looked down at me with a worried expression.
“Wait a minute... Huh?”
"It hurts? Are you going into labor?”
“No, I don’t think it’s that bad... Ugh!”
This was on a completely different level from the pain I felt intermittently just a moment ago.
No way... Has the time finally come?
As I looked at Cedric with frightened eyes, his blue eyes slowly opened wide.
He urgently called his servants and instructed them to bring in Norman Castle's doctor immediately.
“Cedric, I’m scared of something...”
After saying that, Cedric held my hand tightly and tried to calm me down.
“It’s going to be okay, Rebecca. Take a breath, huh?"
But his face also showed signs of nervousness.
The labor pains had subsided, but the aftereffects of the sudden tension that came upon us were still significant.
I followed Cedric, taking deep breaths and exhaling repeatedly.
When about ten minutes had passed, the doctor hurriedly opened the door and came in.
“Rebecca, are you feeling contractions?”
"Ah. It was like that before, but now... Ugh!”
“You’re here, it’s clear you’re in labor! Everyone set up the birthing room, right now!”
Then, all the employees began to move in perfect order according to the doctor's instructions.
As the birth room began to take shape little by little, the doctor carefully approached Cedric's side.
“Um, His Highness the Grand Duke of the Twins. I understand that you are worried, but for the sake of a safe birth, it is better for you to go out for a while...”
“I can’t do that. Rebecca is suffering like this, so you’re telling me to just let go and wait?”
Cedric held my hand tighter with a nervous look on his face.
I looked at him and shook his head.
“Just out, Cedric.”
“Rebecca, but... !”
“It’s harder for me when you’re here. I'm so embarrassed that I don't think I can even wrinkle my face and feel the pain as much as I want, ugh...”
The pain I felt intermittently made my neck tighten.
Cedric looked back and forth between me and the doctor with an anxious expression.
After a while, he slowly nodded his head, as if he had finally acknowledged that even though he was so great, there was nothing he could do in this birthing room.
“I can’t help it. Instead, if you think something might happen to Rebecca, you must call me. No...”
Cedric paused for a moment and slowly got up from his chair.
Then he took the doctor's hand and asked.
“Unconditionally, please ensure that both my woman and child are safe.”
His blue eyes shone earnestly.
“Of course, Your Highness.”
As the doctor bowed his head politely, Cedric's eyes turned to me again.
“I’ll wait, Rebecca.”
He looked at me with pity as I lay in bed and suffered, and then lightly kissed my forehead.
"I love you."
It was the book containing the biography of her failed past life that was used to summon the innocent soul.
Lobelia screamed hysterically as if she was shaking like a frightened dog.
A faint smile appeared on the old woman's lips as she looked at her like that.
“Since Lady’s biography is going to change soon, shouldn’t the ending of this book also change?”
“...What does that mean?”
Lobelia blinked slowly.
The old woman calmly put down her pen, got up, and walked slowly towards Lobelia.
And finally, when the two wicked women made close eye contact, the old woman's smiling lips revealed her newly blackened teeth.
“On the day of the last rites, we need two things. The thing of the innocent soul, and the thing of the Lady.”
“...You mean this lump of scrap metal?”
Lobelia asked, taking out her coins from her pocket.
It was the same piece of scrap metal that an innocent soul had thrown into the fountain along with a useless wish on the day she first changed bodies.
“Yes, and Lady’s thing is this book with the ending changed.”
Lobelia slowly frowned at the old woman's seemingly incomprehensible words.
“I’m asking you not to feel ominous, Lady. On that day, we will hold a ceremony with this book with the changed ending. Then Lady...”
A bizarre smile widened on the old woman’s wrinkled face.
“As this book concludes, you will return to your original body and live the life you have longed for.”
***
From then on, until the date of birth got closer, Cedric visited Norman Castle in the demon world almost every day.
Meanwhile, little by little, he regained the reason and stability he had lost while being separated from me.
The problem was that, unlike Cedric, Vincent seemed to be gradually reaching the limits of his patience.
“Hey, you really... Don’t you think it’s a bit too much?”
Despite Vincent's scolding, Cedric continued to look happy by stroking my stomach or putting his ear on it.
Then he suddenly looked up at me and asked, as if he couldn't hear what Vincent was saying.
“So you’re saying I’ll be able to meet my baby soon?”
An expectant smile spread across Cedric's face.
Vincent, who had been laughing at him in bewilderment, rolled his eyes wide.
He hated his shameless cousin who came to his castle every day, but he seemed to be getting irritated because Cedric ignored his words.
“Hey, are you okay? I'm making you so annoying, but you're so happy with your family, right? Uh?"
Vincent scratched his silver hair and said, 'Ah, what crime did I have to be caught among those brats!' He shouted in an irritated voice.
Then Cedric's gaze, which had been looking at me the whole time, slowly turned towards Vincent.
"Huh. It’s so good, why?”
“...”
“Are you jealous?”
Vincent's eyebrows arched, drawing a tall mountain at the uncharacteristic Cedric's tone of voice.
However, a happy smile appeared at the end of Cedric's lips again.
As if seeing that made him even more disgusting, Vincent ran around even more.
“I’m not jealous, I’m not jealous! I’m not jealous at all!”
“...Rebecca, I think Vincent has gone crazy with envy of us.”
Cedric briefly kissed my hand, which he held tightly with both hands as if it were a treasure.
Vincent, who was hissing hot breath in exasperation, muttered a few more times as he looked at Cedric's wide back.
“Hey, here we go. Let's go! Why didn’t you go?”
Then he shouted that as if he was being generous.
In fact, Vincent was largely responsible for Cedric being able to visit me with peace of mind.
This was because while Cedric was spending time here, Vincent put on his disguise and bought time within the empire.
Vincent was about to leave my room, but suddenly a thought occurred to him and he stopped in front of the door.
After a moment of hesitation, which was uncharacteristic of him, he turned his head towards me and shouted.
“Rebecca, don’t forget the precious effort I am giving as the head of Norman Castle! When that child comes out into the world, I have a stake in seeing his face often!”
"Ah... Of course, Vincent.”
When I answered softly, Vincent went straight to the door.
Cedric clicked his tongue in disapproval as he looked at the door he left.
“If he wanted to see his nephew often, he would just say so.”
Then he shook his head loudly.
I smiled softly while looking at him like that.
“I think grumbling like that and taking care of the people around him is Vincent’s unique way of expressing himself.”
While staying at Norman Castle, I got to know Vincent Norman better.
Despite his rough exterior and way of speaking, he actually cares deeply about the people around him.
There was no way Cedric, who had spent a long time with him, did not know that fact.
Perhaps the reason he was able to ask Vincent so comfortably also stemmed from that sense of trust.
“Be nice to Vincent. Even though he speaks harshly, he is actually a really good person.”
"Of course. Because he is a cousin who has been with me since childhood. Yes, but...”
“...?”
“Still, I don’t want you to look favorably on men other than me.”
Cedric gently furrowed his brows.
As I was laughing at him, I suddenly felt pain in my stomach.
“...Uh?"
“What’s wrong, Rebecca?”
Cedric, who had been sitting on a chair next to the bed I was lying on, quickly got up from his chair.
Then he looked down at me with a worried expression.
“Wait a minute... Huh?”
"It hurts? Are you going into labor?”
“No, I don’t think it’s that bad... Ugh!”
This was on a completely different level from the pain I felt intermittently just a moment ago.
No way... Has the time finally come?
As I looked at Cedric with frightened eyes, his blue eyes slowly opened wide.
He urgently called his servants and instructed them to bring in Norman Castle's doctor immediately.
“Cedric, I’m scared of something...”
After saying that, Cedric held my hand tightly and tried to calm me down.
“It’s going to be okay, Rebecca. Take a breath, huh?"
But his face also showed signs of nervousness.
The labor pains had subsided, but the aftereffects of the sudden tension that came upon us were still significant.
I followed Cedric, taking deep breaths and exhaling repeatedly.
When about ten minutes had passed, the doctor hurriedly opened the door and came in.
“Rebecca, are you feeling contractions?”
"Ah. It was like that before, but now... Ugh!”
“You’re here, it’s clear you’re in labor! Everyone set up the birthing room, right now!”
Then, all the employees began to move in perfect order according to the doctor's instructions.
As the birth room began to take shape little by little, the doctor carefully approached Cedric's side.
“Um, His Highness the Grand Duke of the Twins. I understand that you are worried, but for the sake of a safe birth, it is better for you to go out for a while...”
“I can’t do that. Rebecca is suffering like this, so you’re telling me to just let go and wait?”
Cedric held my hand tighter with a nervous look on his face.
I looked at him and shook his head.
“Just out, Cedric.”
“Rebecca, but... !”
“It’s harder for me when you’re here. I'm so embarrassed that I don't think I can even wrinkle my face and feel the pain as much as I want, ugh...”
The pain I felt intermittently made my neck tighten.
Cedric looked back and forth between me and the doctor with an anxious expression.
After a while, he slowly nodded his head, as if he had finally acknowledged that even though he was so great, there was nothing he could do in this birthing room.
“I can’t help it. Instead, if you think something might happen to Rebecca, you must call me. No...”
Cedric paused for a moment and slowly got up from his chair.
Then he took the doctor's hand and asked.
“Unconditionally, please ensure that both my woman and child are safe.”
His blue eyes shone earnestly.
“Of course, Your Highness.”
As the doctor bowed his head politely, Cedric's eyes turned to me again.
“I’ll wait, Rebecca.”
He looked at me with pity as I lay in bed and suffered, and then lightly kissed my forehead.
"I love you."
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