[Wh-What’s going on, Serina!]
“It’s Serena.”
[Ah.]
At this point, it’s a severe case, isn’t it?
Of course, Serena had rested well and lived like trash, but Nyx was a bit worse.
How should I put it, it feels like the one who led the other down the wrong path ended up being worse by the one who led.
“Let’s quickly do that world peace thing or whatever it is.”
[Ah……]
Nyx didn’t seem willing.
“…You don’t want to work?”
[N-N-No, not at allll?]
Nyx trembled its arms and showed her the words it had written in the notebook.
It’s quite a sight to see it pout its lips, pretending not to know, when it can’t even whistle.
[Serena just needs to eliminate a few sources of evil that will bring darkness to this world!]
“What’s that supposed to mean.”
It was clearly a healing-themed slice-of-life story until just now, but it suddenly turned into a fantasy.
[I don’t know! ^▽^!!]
“…What?”
[The sources of evil will appear before Serena someday, so you can solve them then.]
“…They’ll appear before me?”
Serena looked at the innocent Nyx as if she had heard something completely out of the blue.
‘My peaceful daily life of taking it easy…?’
As Serena stood still, frozen, Nyx came hopping… no, thumping over and climbed back onto the bed.
It started scribbling something in the notebook and then held it out again.
[It’s a simple task of preventing the sources of evil to avoid the world’s destruction!]
“That’s not simple at all, no matter how you look at it!”
[You can do it, Serena! You were chosen by the World Tree because you can do it.]
Serena crossed her arms.
‘I shouldn’t have made a contract without hearing the details.’
She was blinded by the thought of getting revenge on Lemerun and Kim Chul-soo.
But at the same time, she thought,
‘But even if I had heard the contract details, could I have refused knowing this reward?’
Serena quietly shook her head.
No, even if it meant giving up an arm, she would have done it.
Belated regret was ultimately meaningless.
“You’re telling me to just stay put without knowing anything?”
[Yes!]
Scribble scribble scribble, Nyx said while gnawing on a limp cabbage leaf it had pulled out from under the pillow, who knows where it had been hiding it.
“So even if I just live like trash like this, they’ll come?”
[That’s exactly it!]
It flipped through the pre-written commonly used words in the notebook to answer.
Then it turned to the next page and showed another one.
[Maybe not.]
What am I supposed to do with that?
Which is it?
I was momentarily speechless because it looked so half-hearted.
“Nyx, you don’t care at all about saving the world, do you?”
The rabbit’s ears perked up and its body twitched.
It’s a rabbit with little courage.
[No, it’s just that the cabbage leaves are so delicious……]
“I’m sure that’s it.”
[I can tell you when the source starts to activate and gets close to you. But until then, I don’t know either.]
The rabbit said quite seriously, kneeling down.
Munch munch munch.
With cabbage leaves in its mouth and pieces stuck to its cheeks, it didn’t look very serious at all.
“But how do you know they’ll come to me?”
[Evil is naturally drawn to evil!]
“…What did you say?”
[Don’t worry Serena, you’re the most hated thing in this world!]
“……”
Was I that bad?
I’m officially recognized as the most hated villainess in the world?
That’s it, you’re saying I’m an attention seeker!
In other words, bait!
Even though I opened my eyes wide, the rabbit seemed quite proud of this fact and nodded its head.
[You have excellent qualities of evil!]
“You’re not really a World Tree spirit, are you?”
[I am! The World Tree gave birth to me!]
“No, I don’t think so. How could the World Tree be pitch black? Look at you. You’re too black now. Usually, when you think of the World Tree, it’s white. White color. Whitey.”
[Why is it usually white?]
“Well, white seems clean, and black seems like something demons would often use.”
[Isn’t that just prejudice created by humans?]
Nyx tilted its head.
[Think about it, black could be the good guys, and white could actually be the bad guys. No one knows the truth.]
No, for heaven’s sake.
It’s saying such nonsense so seriously that it’s a bit tempting?
“So I just need to stay put, right?”
[You might need to do a bit more bad things.]
Looking at the rabbit smiling innocently, I frowned.
[How about trying to kill a person or two?]
The rabbit asking so casually, with an expression that was neither smiling nor crying, just that expression, was a bit grotesque.
“Hmm.”
I got up from my seat.
[Serena?]
“Goodbye, villain.”
I grabbed the rabbit’s body and threw it out the window, beyond the terrace.
Fluttering–!
I heard the sound of the notebook fluttering in the wind. I closed the door with a thud.
“This is why you should read contracts properly.”
To think this was a scam too.
What World Tree spirit would tell you to kill people?
‘Geez……”
I closed the curtains, turned on the lights, washed up, and left the room.
I was hungry after starving for a few days.
They kept bringing meals, but while I wasn’t eating, that pig of a rabbit ate everything.
On my way to the dining room, I ran into Magnus.
“Ah…”
“……”
My eyes meet Magnus’s.
Serena, recalling how he had rejected her, slightly averted her gaze.
Although it felt awkward, she didn’t bother to show it and just brushed past him, heading straight to the dining room.
Inside the dining room were maids clearing away dishes, as if Magnus had just finished eating.
“Ah, ah, good day! Duchess!”
“Yes, I’d like to have a meal.”
“Yes, we’ll prepare a feast for you right away.”
The maid who was cleaning the dining room turned pale and ran away in a hurry.
Serena looked at the empty table and yawned while resting her chin on her hand.
‘I should go to the market today.’
She needed to buy ingredients for the hair loss remedy.
‘I was going to tell him to try it when it’s done.’
With their relationship having soured like this, it’s difficult to give it as a gift now.
Knock knock.
That’s when it happened.
Someone knocked on the dining room door.
Then they came in without waiting for permission.
It was Magnus.
Serena saw him and pretended not to, turning her head away.
Seeing her indifferent attitude, a faint crease appeared on Magnus’s forehead as well.
He stood still at the door for a moment, then strode over to where she was.
“…Good afternoon. Did you just wake up?”
“……”
Serena rolled her eyes to look at him. What’s with this change of heart again.
“Yeah.”
She answered and turned her gaze back towards the terrace.
“…Do you have any plans? For today.”
“Yeah.”
“Where are you thinking of going?”
Magnus said as he sat down across from her.
“The market.”
“Do you have something to buy?”
“Yeah.”
“…What are you planning to buy?”
“Ingredients to make samples.”
“……”
In response to her indifferent answers, Magnus raised his hand and rubbed his brow firmly.
“I’m sorry about that day. I was very angry too, but thinking about it… I realize I didn’t explain properly either.”
“It’s fine.”
Serena answered, still resting her chin on her hand without meeting Magnus’s eyes.
“I…”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
Serena cut off Magnus’s words.
After thinking for a month, she had come to accept that his words were right.
“You’re right. What does it matter when we’ll never see each other again anyway.”
“Serena.”
Why did she try so hard to gain recognition with a body that was destined to be hated by everyone no matter what she did?
Serena quickly accepted it.
What’s important to her is a life of taking it easy.
That’s all there is to it.
“I forgot that you hate me.”
Honestly, she doesn’t care what happens to anything else.
“……”
Magnus, for his part, felt his chest tightening again.
He raised his hand and gently pressed his eyelids.
A month and a half.
They had spent exactly half of their remaining time together, which felt both too short and too long.
During the entire month that Serena had been holed up in her room, Magnus too had gone through numerous worries and eventually had to admit several facts.
Magnus is concerned about Serena.
Magnus was worried about Serena.
His… his mood drastically worsens every time she treats him as a complete stranger.
He didn’t want to admit it, nor did he want to say it out loud, but…
The moment had finally come when he had no choice but to acknowledge it.
That thought made him sigh involuntarily. But at this rate, he might really end up sending her out all alone.
However, this woman who was hated by many, whose thoughts were unfathomable…
“Serena.”
“What?”
“I’m worried about you.”
Magnus deliberately spoke out loud to her.
- ianthe
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