Angie swallowed nervously. Kyle didn't know about Noah. He shouldn't know. He must never know. She would protect the child even if it meant giving her life.
“Now tell me, Young Master... Duke. What do you want from me?”
Angie sat up straight, her body perfectly straight. Inside, her heart was pounding. She wanted to go home too, so she wanted to beg him to let her go, to stop this, but she steeled herself again and again so as not to lose her senses.
“Surely you still don’t want me in the government?”
“Angie, you’re not going to be anyone’s government.”
Kyle sat on the sofa opposite her, leaning forward. It seemed as if he would jump over the table and rush at her if she showed even the slightest sign of moving away.
“You will be my wife. Leticia and I will be officially separated by the end of this year at the latest. This divorce was already decided before I found you. It’s just that the timing wasn’t set yet, but the documents were always prepared so that I could start the process at any time. In the end, everything was going as I had promised three years ago. As planned.”
The only variables were that she was going to leave him, that she was trying to end the relationship by saying it was over, and that she ended up falling off a cliff and disappearing.
Angie clenched her hands on her knees at his addition. The sound of the gunshot, the call to her, and the last image of her parents collapsing without even being able to scream were still vivid in her mind.
“So that was planned too? And killing my adoptive parents.”
Angie suddenly wondered. Were the two bodies properly buried? Or were they engulfed in flames and reduced to ashes when the fire broke out on the island?
“Angie. That was... my fault. Whatever they did to you, they should never have done it in front of you.”
Kyle's green features cracked. His eyes were filled with regret. It didn't look fake, but it didn't inspire Angie either. But as he continued to speak, she couldn't help but feel agitated.
“They tried to feed you an amnesiac. A drug that would erase all your memories and reset your mind. They tried to trick you into giving it to me, so I couldn’t just leave you alone.”
“What? What the heck is that...”
“If I had arrived at the North Shore just a little later that day, your memory would have already been reset.”
“What... I don’t understand. Why on earth would Mom and Dad do something like that to me? I know they weren’t my real parents. I came to Vintergar and found out the whole truth about the island, and I even found my memories from before I was taken to the island.”
Kyle was momentarily silent at her last words, seemingly speechless at the thought of Angie finding out about the atrocities committed by his predecessor, the terrible things he had done to Eternity.
“But they truly loved me. They cared for me and worried about me like their own daughter... ”
“That’s why. They loved you so much, like their own daughter, that they didn’t want you to know the truth about the island, or to leave the island and go to Hedestad. They wanted to keep you by their side forever, without any worries.”
Angie didn't say anything. Her blood ran cold in the extreme confusion. How could her mom and dad do that? After all, was everyone on the island crazy? The helpers at the Blackwell Heights mansion, the people who acted as her parents, and even the adults in the village.
It seems that the only one who was sane was Remedy. Including her, the poor children who lived with manipulated memories without knowing anything. They were now sleeping under the ashes of the island, having completely lost the chance to return home.
It was all because of John Fitzroy Blackwell, Kyle's grandfather. And Kyle was benefiting from it. That fact alone meant Angie and Kyle could never be together. Even though he was Noah's father, and even though she might still have feelings for him in a corner of her heart, it was a given.
“We can’t be together, Kyle.”
He must also be aware of that fact. No matter how much emotion he uses to try to turn back the past, it is useless. The sins of his family were too great, and Angie knew too much.
“There is only one thing I ask of you. Black Mass - to completely erase that horrible ritual from the world and truly atone for what your ancestors did. That is all.”
“I’ve been working on that for the past three years, Angie. I married Leticia to gain the power to eradicate that evil from my generation. The power to dispel the vain hopes of Baron Samuel Dervan, the leader of the Caelum cult that follows Eternity, and the Helpers who still remain in the ducal palace... That’s why I married Leticia, but we are only a couple on paper. We are no different from other people. I completely ruled out the possibility of having children from the beginning. Of course, I had no intention of living with her as a couple.”
“...”
“I’m serious, Angie. I have no intention of following in the footsteps of my grandfather, who was turned into a monster, and my father, who suffered for twenty years as a victim of his madness. Do you really think I could do that? A horrible person who would sacrifice his own child to hope for his own well-being...?”
“You said that before. That you wanted to live forever... Do you remember?”
'What is your wish, Master?'
'Wish...?'
'Yes. Do you have any other wish or earnest wish besides getting healthy? Your body will definitely get better.'
'I want to live forever. Angie, I want to live forever...'
“I meant that I wanted to be with you forever, always. If not in this world, then somewhere else. Whether in heaven or hell, wherever, if you could just stay by my side like this, I couldn’t ask for anything more. That’s still the case, Angie.”
“...”
“Trust me. If only I could, I would show you my true feelings even if it meant breaking my heart.”
The painful oath continued through the teeth of the evil one. Angie wanted to cover her ears because of the desperation. At the same time, she did not want to cover her ears because she hoped that the words were true.
“I’ll believe you. But Kyle... we can’t be together anymore. Face the reality and send me back to Revan now. I’m back where I belong... here in Vintergar, living as a Vintergarian.”
“No. I can’t let you go, Angie. I’ve been searching for you like crazy for the past three years. You’re the only reason I’m still alive and not dead... Now that I’ve finally found you, how can I let you go?”
Underneath the cold tone, there was an unseen pain. It was simply desperate. This relationship, where they could neither live nor die nor be together nor be separated, seemed like a curse of fate.
Suddenly, Angie thought of Grandma Catherine and her family in the capital. She remembered the situation three years ago when she had refused to go with him to Hedestad.
“If I refuse to follow you to the end, will you keep me here? Are you going to confine and bind me again? Until I obey you..."
“No. I won’t do that. I won’t do that anymore.”
But now that I know where you are, now that I'm inside your world, I will never give up.
Angie knew what he was thinking even when he didn't say it out loud. He wouldn't arrest her directly, but she would definitely be under surveillance. No matter when, where, or what she did, every move would be heard by him.
No. If he does that, Noah's existence will be revealed at some point.
She believed that he had been plotting the end of Eternity and that he would not follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, John Fitzroy Blackwell.
Of course, Kyle wasn't the man she had initially known. When he didn't get what he wanted, he forcibly confined her, raped her violently, and even mercilessly killed the Ridsdel couple right in front of her.
What about the child? Kyle was a man who could be cruel if he wanted to. There was no denying that there was a devilish side to his always sweet and affectionate smile. But if he really had his mind set on uprooting and destroying Eternity.
If that's true, then at least he's not a murderer who would harm his child. The young master she'd known since she was sixteen, Kai wouldn't have degenerated into such a horrible beast.
However, Noah's safety could not be guaranteed. The Caelum cult in Trieste was still alive and well, and there were still Blackwell's helpers who awaited the realization of the doctrine. He had not yet completely ended Eternity and was still married to Leticia.
“Kyle, I have my own world now. I’ve been living peacefully in it and I hope to continue to do so.”
“But you still love me. Just like I do. Even if your feelings aren’t half as deep as mine.”
His assertion stabbed her heart like a knife. Angie's lips trembled thinly. Her chest tightened and her throat tightened because she couldn't deny it. But she couldn't admit it.
“It’s been three years, Kyle. In that time, have you ever thought that I... have someone?”
Suddenly, Martin, Bryn, and Uncle Willem came to mind. She was anxious about how much Kyle knew. Did he even know that her base was not Grandma Catherine's house, but Armitage's residence in the capital city, the Citadel? Angie hoped not.
“I have a family.”
"I know."
Kyle followed up with a calm nod.
“Willem Van Armitage. His daughter Bryn Meyer Silver and his son-in-law Martin da Silva. And their children Patricia Silva and Noah Silva. They are dear to you. And to me.”
“Now tell me, Young Master... Duke. What do you want from me?”
Angie sat up straight, her body perfectly straight. Inside, her heart was pounding. She wanted to go home too, so she wanted to beg him to let her go, to stop this, but she steeled herself again and again so as not to lose her senses.
“Surely you still don’t want me in the government?”
“Angie, you’re not going to be anyone’s government.”
Kyle sat on the sofa opposite her, leaning forward. It seemed as if he would jump over the table and rush at her if she showed even the slightest sign of moving away.
“You will be my wife. Leticia and I will be officially separated by the end of this year at the latest. This divorce was already decided before I found you. It’s just that the timing wasn’t set yet, but the documents were always prepared so that I could start the process at any time. In the end, everything was going as I had promised three years ago. As planned.”
The only variables were that she was going to leave him, that she was trying to end the relationship by saying it was over, and that she ended up falling off a cliff and disappearing.
Angie clenched her hands on her knees at his addition. The sound of the gunshot, the call to her, and the last image of her parents collapsing without even being able to scream were still vivid in her mind.
“So that was planned too? And killing my adoptive parents.”
Angie suddenly wondered. Were the two bodies properly buried? Or were they engulfed in flames and reduced to ashes when the fire broke out on the island?
“Angie. That was... my fault. Whatever they did to you, they should never have done it in front of you.”
Kyle's green features cracked. His eyes were filled with regret. It didn't look fake, but it didn't inspire Angie either. But as he continued to speak, she couldn't help but feel agitated.
“They tried to feed you an amnesiac. A drug that would erase all your memories and reset your mind. They tried to trick you into giving it to me, so I couldn’t just leave you alone.”
“What? What the heck is that...”
“If I had arrived at the North Shore just a little later that day, your memory would have already been reset.”
“What... I don’t understand. Why on earth would Mom and Dad do something like that to me? I know they weren’t my real parents. I came to Vintergar and found out the whole truth about the island, and I even found my memories from before I was taken to the island.”
Kyle was momentarily silent at her last words, seemingly speechless at the thought of Angie finding out about the atrocities committed by his predecessor, the terrible things he had done to Eternity.
“But they truly loved me. They cared for me and worried about me like their own daughter... ”
“That’s why. They loved you so much, like their own daughter, that they didn’t want you to know the truth about the island, or to leave the island and go to Hedestad. They wanted to keep you by their side forever, without any worries.”
Angie didn't say anything. Her blood ran cold in the extreme confusion. How could her mom and dad do that? After all, was everyone on the island crazy? The helpers at the Blackwell Heights mansion, the people who acted as her parents, and even the adults in the village.
It seems that the only one who was sane was Remedy. Including her, the poor children who lived with manipulated memories without knowing anything. They were now sleeping under the ashes of the island, having completely lost the chance to return home.
It was all because of John Fitzroy Blackwell, Kyle's grandfather. And Kyle was benefiting from it. That fact alone meant Angie and Kyle could never be together. Even though he was Noah's father, and even though she might still have feelings for him in a corner of her heart, it was a given.
“We can’t be together, Kyle.”
He must also be aware of that fact. No matter how much emotion he uses to try to turn back the past, it is useless. The sins of his family were too great, and Angie knew too much.
“There is only one thing I ask of you. Black Mass - to completely erase that horrible ritual from the world and truly atone for what your ancestors did. That is all.”
“I’ve been working on that for the past three years, Angie. I married Leticia to gain the power to eradicate that evil from my generation. The power to dispel the vain hopes of Baron Samuel Dervan, the leader of the Caelum cult that follows Eternity, and the Helpers who still remain in the ducal palace... That’s why I married Leticia, but we are only a couple on paper. We are no different from other people. I completely ruled out the possibility of having children from the beginning. Of course, I had no intention of living with her as a couple.”
“...”
“I’m serious, Angie. I have no intention of following in the footsteps of my grandfather, who was turned into a monster, and my father, who suffered for twenty years as a victim of his madness. Do you really think I could do that? A horrible person who would sacrifice his own child to hope for his own well-being...?”
“You said that before. That you wanted to live forever... Do you remember?”
'What is your wish, Master?'
'Wish...?'
'Yes. Do you have any other wish or earnest wish besides getting healthy? Your body will definitely get better.'
'I want to live forever. Angie, I want to live forever...'
“I meant that I wanted to be with you forever, always. If not in this world, then somewhere else. Whether in heaven or hell, wherever, if you could just stay by my side like this, I couldn’t ask for anything more. That’s still the case, Angie.”
“...”
“Trust me. If only I could, I would show you my true feelings even if it meant breaking my heart.”
The painful oath continued through the teeth of the evil one. Angie wanted to cover her ears because of the desperation. At the same time, she did not want to cover her ears because she hoped that the words were true.
“I’ll believe you. But Kyle... we can’t be together anymore. Face the reality and send me back to Revan now. I’m back where I belong... here in Vintergar, living as a Vintergarian.”
“No. I can’t let you go, Angie. I’ve been searching for you like crazy for the past three years. You’re the only reason I’m still alive and not dead... Now that I’ve finally found you, how can I let you go?”
Underneath the cold tone, there was an unseen pain. It was simply desperate. This relationship, where they could neither live nor die nor be together nor be separated, seemed like a curse of fate.
Suddenly, Angie thought of Grandma Catherine and her family in the capital. She remembered the situation three years ago when she had refused to go with him to Hedestad.
“If I refuse to follow you to the end, will you keep me here? Are you going to confine and bind me again? Until I obey you..."
“No. I won’t do that. I won’t do that anymore.”
But now that I know where you are, now that I'm inside your world, I will never give up.
Angie knew what he was thinking even when he didn't say it out loud. He wouldn't arrest her directly, but she would definitely be under surveillance. No matter when, where, or what she did, every move would be heard by him.
No. If he does that, Noah's existence will be revealed at some point.
She believed that he had been plotting the end of Eternity and that he would not follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, John Fitzroy Blackwell.
Of course, Kyle wasn't the man she had initially known. When he didn't get what he wanted, he forcibly confined her, raped her violently, and even mercilessly killed the Ridsdel couple right in front of her.
What about the child? Kyle was a man who could be cruel if he wanted to. There was no denying that there was a devilish side to his always sweet and affectionate smile. But if he really had his mind set on uprooting and destroying Eternity.
If that's true, then at least he's not a murderer who would harm his child. The young master she'd known since she was sixteen, Kai wouldn't have degenerated into such a horrible beast.
However, Noah's safety could not be guaranteed. The Caelum cult in Trieste was still alive and well, and there were still Blackwell's helpers who awaited the realization of the doctrine. He had not yet completely ended Eternity and was still married to Leticia.
“Kyle, I have my own world now. I’ve been living peacefully in it and I hope to continue to do so.”
“But you still love me. Just like I do. Even if your feelings aren’t half as deep as mine.”
His assertion stabbed her heart like a knife. Angie's lips trembled thinly. Her chest tightened and her throat tightened because she couldn't deny it. But she couldn't admit it.
“It’s been three years, Kyle. In that time, have you ever thought that I... have someone?”
Suddenly, Martin, Bryn, and Uncle Willem came to mind. She was anxious about how much Kyle knew. Did he even know that her base was not Grandma Catherine's house, but Armitage's residence in the capital city, the Citadel? Angie hoped not.
“I have a family.”
"I know."
Kyle followed up with a calm nod.
“Willem Van Armitage. His daughter Bryn Meyer Silver and his son-in-law Martin da Silva. And their children Patricia Silva and Noah Silva. They are dear to you. And to me.”
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