The fantasy has not yet come to an end.
…At least, I hoped Yuria would think so, but it seems like she definitely does not.
Manipulating the fantasy was simple enough.
I twisted and adjusted the magic power I already possessed, making it so that I remained in a reality even harsher than the one I had experienced.
It was possible because I was convinced I had recalled forgotten memories.
The Moon Stone certainly seemed to have reached a singularity.
Since I knew everything Yuria was going through in her inner self, I couldn’t help but shake my head at her relentless desire for the position of Head of the Family.
What could the title of Head of the Family mean to Yuria that she pursues it so blindly?
It was an incomprehensible feeling for me.
To begin with, the title of Head of the Family held no greater significance for me than just a name.
Having experienced countless reincarnations and many deaths, I wanted to applaud her for still desiring the position of Head of the Family.
Of course, that was also why I could manage to retract my own feelings.
“…You, a Duke?”
I nodded at Yuria, who asked back in disbelief.
The most effective way to break a person’s heart was to crush their hopes.
Even when a heart remains steadfast through all hardships, once someone realizes it is ultimately useless, they are bound to crumble.
I knew this better than anyone, as I had experienced it myself.
It didn’t take long for Yuria’s eyes to cloud over.
It had been a while since she was untethered, but her body wobbled as she staggered back to the chair.
She had not officially succeeded to the position of Head of the Family.
It could be considered a bluff of sorts, but the emblem on her chest certainly symbolized the position of Head of the Family.
It was best to make use of everything I could.
If it would help in completely erasing Yuria, I had to use it even if it pushed my limits.
“Indeed. You seem to find it hard to believe.”
“There’s no way… the nobles wouldn’t have just stood idly by-”
“I’m not sure which nobles you are referring to. Do you still think there are those who support you?”
Yuria and I headed to the basement, and what returned was me.
It was all too obvious what the nobles would think upon hearing this news.
Ultimately, wouldn’t they think about becoming the Head of the Family?
Even those who supported Yuria hurriedly took my hand, so it could be said that her influence was gone now.
“There will be none. All the nobles who supported you have sent me their intentions to support me.”
I had the seal of the North.
The Divine Power I received from the Saint was still intact, and the Artifact given to me by the Princess was something only she and I possessed.
I fiddled with the insignia of Yugress next to the emblem of the Head of the Family as I parted my lips.
Yugress fiddled with the emblem beside the sentence, his lips fluttering.
Yuria’s support base was now gone.
What remained was a single woman who had lost everything, her once icy eyes now fiercely shaking.
Yuria, who seemed ready to shatter at any moment, staggered and pressed her forehead.
“…It’s a lie.”
“It’s the truth.”
“A nobody like you can’t possibly become the Head of the Family. It was always meant to be me. Right? Isn’t that so, Robe—ugh!”
Out of nowhere, Renold approached and pricked Yuria’s hand with a needle.
The moment she felt the pain, Yuria glared at Renold with a venomous look.
Her expression questioned his actions, but Renold casually shrugged, pulling back the needle without a care.
“Call me Duke. You’re not the Lady of the House anymore, are you? It’s better to keep some decorum.”
“Wha—?”
So, is he really siding with them?
Suppressing a laugh, Yuria glared at Renold as he silently observed her.
The fire of rage in her eyes was slowly fading.
It seemed that Renold’s attitude had provided some reassurance, as the last remnants of her emotions began to scatter away. Something was collapsing within her.
In fact, I thought that by the end of this illusion, her mind would be completely shattered.
I was starting to understand why I couldn’t change Yuria.
How could I change a woman living with such a mindset?
She was a woman who firmly believed she would become the Head of the Family.
Though she was treated like a toy in endless torture, she finally recalled her purpose.
Though there had been psychological scars, it didn’t seem like she had completely broken down.
Now, it felt like she was on the verge of doing just that, but I wanted to see Yuria crumble before my eyes.
So she would never rise again, and I’d never see the name Yuria Taylor again.
“Jay, Renold. Step outside for a moment.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Arwen glanced at me for a moment, but she smiled gently and nodded.
I wanted the two of them to finish this. Both Yuria and I had gone through a hundred deaths together.
How would the ends of so many deaths converge? Would our end be a comedy or a tragedy?
Though there was a vague conclusion in sight, one thing was certain: today was your end.
I gaze at the tragedy. My eyes were fixed on Yuria.
#
Looking at it this way, I could sense that our roles had completely reversed from before.
It was always me sitting in this chair, looking at Yuria in front of me.
Yuria’s eyes were hollow.
A strange groan escaped from her slightly parted lips, but for some reason, she didn’t react at all.
“I used to see a lot from here when I was a kid.”
“Let me tell you something.”
After my Mother passed away, I was tied up in this basement, losing hope as I lost my nails.
I fainted from the pain I had never experienced before.
Time and time again, I regained consciousness only to be met by the pain again and would faint once more.
By the time all that time had passed, my nails had completely disappeared.
Still, no one was curious about my condition.
The one person who took care of me was already dead at the hands of Yuria.
I thought she had just retired, but it was only later that I realized Yuria had killed her.
The dead do not return.
There was no one to indulge my childishness at the tender age of 10, so I built many connections with this basement afterward.
“…If you’re going to pull out my nails, feel free to do so.”
“I refuse.”
I am not Yuria. I don’t want to be like Yuria.
I have no desire to be a moth drawn to the flame, clinging to the position of Head of House, living my entire life for just one moment.
I have no intention of casually killing others for my own purposes or torturing and tormenting my family.
Do I still consider Yuria family? Not really, but I don’t want to act like her.
Yuria was covered in wounds.
They seemed to be the traces of the torture I had once endured, reminiscent of scars derived from memories, just like Teresia.
Since I don’t regenerate like her, my body gradually deteriorates.
Though it’s not severe, those wounds gnawing at my body are surely affecting my lifespan.
Like she imagined, I won’t live long.
Even if I want her to live long, the mental toll from forcibly dragging up memories through hallucinations must be significant.
Yuria was still sitting in a chair, watching me.
Bleeding from every corner of her body, her once white shirt was stained red with blood as she sat there.
Perhaps she had come to terms with it now.
Maybe she had accepted the possibility that everything was over and she could never get back up.
At that thought, a laugh suddenly escaped me.
Surely, Yuria wouldn’t genuinely think that way.
Even now, she must be searching for a gap in my defenses. That’s Yuria for you.
The one I hated, despised, and wanted to erase.
That demeanor is what truly suits Yuria.
I felt relieved that she hadn’t been broken. If she had been easily defeated, I would have been disappointed.
What a waste it would be if a woman who hadn’t changed in a hundred reincarnations crumbled just because she died a hundred times.
With a small smile, I slowly approached Yuria.
“Thank you for your hard work all this time. I will make sure to remember the effort you put into becoming the Head of House Taylor.”
“…Just kill me quickly. After all, you came here with that intention, didn’t you?”
“I never said I would kill you. Why are you so eager for death? I am not a wicked person like you. Isn’t it better to save lives rather than take them, and better to make use of someone alive than to simply let them be?”
“It’s better to save, and it’s more useful to utilize than just keeping alive.”
It seemed like she had no intention of waking up, so I slowly began to tie Yuria to the chair.
As the ropes moved with my magic and bound her body, Yuria glared at me after a moment of resistance.
I won’t kill you. That fact wasn’t a complete lie.
“I’ll be coming every day from now on, so I hope you’ll listen to what I say and show various reactions.”
I planned to tell you everything I would do since becoming the head of the family.
Leading Taylor, using Taylor to gather forces, and getting close to the Crown Prince to become a confidant—all those processes.
So, I had no intention of killing you.
You should see the whole process with your own eyes.
If your younger sibling, who hated the path that should have been yours the most, walked the road filled with pain more than eternal illusions, could you endure it with a clear mind?
There was one thing I was unsure about—whether you might end up biting your tongue from not being able to bear it.
“Ugh—!”
So I magically sealed your mouth. Only food could enter; if you had something to say later, I could let it loose then.
I tied your arms and legs. However, I had no intention of locking the door.
I wanted you to see the scene of attendants bustling around with your own eyes.
I was curious about what you would think seeing an even more vibrant display than when you were the Lady of the House.
“Well, it’s my personal selfish desire.”
You must see the steps taken by Robert Taylor, the head of the family.
You’d have to watch as everything you built is used by me, discarded, and ultimately rendered useless.
I thought a lot, but I believed that would be your greatest pain.
To sit in this chair and just watch everything unfold.
I wanted you to watch me, Taylor, crumble without being able to do anything.
What expression would you make if the Taylor you were so obsessed with eventually vanished under the name of betrayal?
Your wide-open eyes seemed to have much to say to me, but I simply chuckled and leaned closer to your ear.
Then, I slowly whispered.
“I hope you can live long, as healthily as possible.”
Only then will all of this finally be complete.
You died in the illusion a hundred times.
And would this life be your hundred and first?
If I were to express your life as a book, there was only one thing I wished for.
That your life ends in a complete tragedy.
I could only hope that this hundred and first bad ending would be harsher than anything for you.
The blue eyes, which momentarily shone, lost their light.
Empty, their gaze devoid of any emotion scattered into the void.
Perhaps it was light that would never return.
Suddenly, I had that thought.
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