Caught in the heart of wanting to help Ezekiel, Neo worked quickly.
It was clear she wasn’t in her right mind to judge right from wrong. This felt like the only way to lead Ezekiel, and before she knew it, Neo was mimicking his handwriting.
“The handwriting left on the letter looks so strange… If I borrow a bit from the spirit trap…”
As Neo wielded her magic, the letterhead began to forge itself, and soon words that weren’t there before started to etch themselves onto the paper.
“…”
Was it really okay to do this?
Her breath occasionally hitched. It made her hands tremble, wondering if she was really doing something she shouldn’t.
This was clearly an act of creating a fact that didn’t exist.
But soon she shook her head. Look at the bigger picture. This had to be done for Ezekiel.
“Just one? No, all five letters should be proposal letters!”
The girl was convinced.
It needed to be proposals to all five if she wanted to pull Ezekiel into the imperial family for sure.
Swish, swish—!
She kept the heartfelt greetings Ezekiel had written for each princess and cleverly added that he wanted to marry them someday.
Snap—!
The paper trembled as if struck by lightning, transforming into a completely new letter. It went just as Neo intended.
…She still didn’t know the butterfly effect these letters would bring.
So Neo could only hope.
Please, let it ultimately help Ezekiel.
…
…
…
…
…
…
And back to the present.
“You must resent me, right?”
The 5th Princess, Neo, asked Ezekiel. It was then that Ezekiel snapped out of his daze.
In his view was the 5th Princess, facing execution, but the problem was that Ezekiel’s head was in turmoil.
The truth was, he couldn’t remember the exact contents of the proposal letters… He never imagined they would carry such truth.
Plop. Drip.
The sound of droplets falling to the floor was heard then. As he regained his composure, he noticed clear streams flowing down Neo’s cheeks.
With a voice choked up, she said,
“But how can I pretend not to know…”
Ezekiel quietly gazed at Neo.
Her expression was filled with indignation and anger. What he should have possessed the most, she held instead.
The woman lowered her head. Now and then, droplets fell to the ground like jewels.
“Hnnng, to see the person I cherish most being forgotten in loneliness… Who could possibly allow that…”
Ezekiel didn’t know immediately what to do.
First, he felt grateful. Neo arranged this because she was thinking solely of him.
But if Neo were to be executed in the end, could Ezekiel really rejoice? It was perplexing. He had no idea what he should do or how to act.
It was only natural.
He had always lived sacrificing himself every moment of his life, and now, for the first time, he was witnessing someone who sacrificed for him. It was natural to not know how to handle it.
Neo’s voice was heavy with emotion.
“I should have put more thought into the execution part. Since I did this anyway, if I had seen it through to perfection… the entire empire would have known the truth by now…”
Ezekiel understood the burden of guilt that weighed on Neo.
She felt she had executed a selfish plan and failed. It seemed she thought Ezekiel’s life had fallen deeper into despair because of that.
“If I hadn’t dragged the imperial family into this, I could have at least had a peaceful rest… Hnnng, it’s my fault. Everything is because of me…”
She had struggled countless times while planning. He imagined she trembled even more as she executed it.
Neo must have been in severe emotional turmoil.
“I… I deserve to die…”
“Neo.”
But Ezekiel cut off Neo’s self-blame. Gently, he gripped her shoulders.
Finally, their gazes clashed after a long time.
Neo had blue eyes just like Ezekiel, resembling a lake filled with pure water.
Ezekiel spoke toward Neo.
“You don’t need to feel guilty. It was good in so many ways.”
“…?”
Perhaps it was surprising to Neo, as puzzlement spread across her face. She hadn’t expected to hear such words.
Soon the woman shook her head.
“Don’t say that. It’s just empty comfort…”
“I mean it; don’t regret it.”
Ezekiel’s tone was firm.
And the words he spoke were quite sincere.
Advancing to a higher realm through training, gradually shedding his notoriety, and starting to have one or two people follow him…
And, most importantly, he was slowly changing his terminal illness’s nature. All these were difficult moments for Ezekiel but also rewarding.
In the end, his relationships with the princesses had strengthened. Living cut off like before was tougher, but the current life was certainly better.
So even if Ezekiel could go back to the past, he would likely make the same judgments as now.
Therefore.
“Thanks to you, I’ve experienced things anew. Things I never had in my previous life. So, thank you.”
He felt compelled to say this to Neo.
Right now, the woman was suffering from immense guilt, losing her will to live, and he didn’t want that for her.
Ezekiel wished for Neo to genuinely feel the gratitude he felt. He wanted her to continue living with pride rather than guilt.
“…Why?”
Of course, Neo questioned him.
On her face, horror and confusion were mixed together. It was filled with guilt for ruining the most important plan of her life.
“It’s no different from trying to manipulate your life. Not even on the best path, just leaving behind a mess…”
Thud.
Ezekiel placed his hand on Neo’s head.
“Speaking of which, you always rejected my invitations to play back in the days. I was just a teacher, after all.”
Even with poor words, he wanted to at least say something.
Neo’s face fell slightly blank.
“Let’s just say we played this time.”
That was where their conversation ended.
Boom—!
Ezekiel’s chill shattered all the chains binding Neo. He aimed to get her out and let her live.
But.
Thud—!
Thud—!
The entire space began to shake.
He realized immediately.
The emperor was coming himself.
At the entrance of the underground prison.
Whoosh, whoosh—!
Threads sharper than blades spread everywhere. It was like setting a trap to catch prey.
“Damn it, what is that…!”
“We can’t possibly breach the entrance…!”
The soldiers, filled with rage, couldn’t dare enter the underground prison, which was blocked by none other than Goddess Arcne.
“Where do you think you’re going~”
Arcne’s dazzling sunset-colored eyes scanned the environment. There were already soldiers wrapped in coope-like forms, unable to budge due to her spider silk.
“I won’t kill you, but I’ll keep you like this for a while. You might find it a bit hard to breathe?”
“So you were planning this from the beginning? Betraying humans and threatening the peace of the empire…!”
“Betray? Threaten?”
Arcne tilted her head as if she couldn’t understand.
Moments later, in a voice that reflected her cluelessness, she muttered.
“It’s not such a grand reason. This is simply…”
The corners of Arcne’s mouth curled into a bewitching smile.
“…In the lowest levels, it seems my husband is having an important conversation. I simply came out to ensure you bumbling fools wouldn’t interrupt.”
“What?”
“It means I’m providing personal assistance. Personal assist~”
As she said this, Arcne continued to extend her spider silk, not allowing any of the guards trying to sneak into the underground prison to enter.
Of course, there was an urge to cut their legs off or strangle them, but…
Each time she thought of Ezekiel, she held herself back.
But then it happened.
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, from Arcne’s neck, space warped, and a powerful shockwave erupted. The glow in her sunset eyes flickered out instantly.
“Uh…?”
Arcne fell weakly to the ground like a reed.
A supreme being capable of knocking out a goddess in one strike had just made an appearance.
While the soldiers stared blankly at the cause of Arcne’s fainting, the dry voice of a transcendent being echoed.
“Enter.”
Finally, the emperor had stepped out personally.
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