* * *
After the otherworldly gate closed and Oberon’s rampage ended, I could finally take in my surroundings.
The bodies and wounded knights lay scattered everywhere.
Among them, Rhea ran toward something she’d noticed. She picked up an object and came back to me.
“Look at this. It’s such a strange gem.”
Taking the gem she held out, I realized it was the third Maya’s Crystal we’d been searching for.
The emerald-green crystal was beautiful, but as I fit it into the pocket watch, all I could think was how pointless it felt now that Jerome was gone.
Without this watch, though, I feared even my memories of him would fade.
The rabbit siblings flanked me, offering quiet comfort.
“Jeanne, don’t look like that. Jerome made his choice for our sake.”
“Sniff… Jerome… he was so kind….”
While Rhea stoically accepted the farewell, Remi could only cry.
As for me, I neither fully accepted the parting nor gave in to the loss.
I simply crumbled quietly from within.
Passing me, a knight shouted:
“Set the forest on fire!”
Flames erupted around us, and the rabbit siblings froze in shock.
Clenching her fists, Rhea stormed toward the knights.
“What are you doing?!”
“Lord Carlisle ordered us to burn the forest.”
“What—?!”
“The trees in this forest are already tainted. They can’t be saved.”
Carlisle abruptly interrupted the conversation and spoke in a calm voice.
After staring at him for a moment, I staggered forward and jabbed his shoulder with my index finger, my face twisted with disgust.
“Right. Contaminate it and burn it, deem it worthless and kill it. That’s what you’re best at, isn’t it?”
“Too bad,” Carlisle smirked, his tone teasing. “That’s not actually my greatest talent.”
Despite my derision, Carlisle chuckled softly and grabbed my wrist.
The subtle touch of his thumb brushing over my skin sent chills down my spine.
As I twisted to free myself, he pulled me even closer, his low voice making my hair stand on end.
“I’m best at stealing my friend’s girl.”
My steady breath grew increasingly ragged.
The anger rising in me burned away my reason.
Even as I lunged at him with curses, Carlisle didn’t so much as flinch.
My rage overcame me, and I snatched the dagger from his belt.
Raising it high, I prepared to plunge it into his neck.
I belatedly realized I might face execution for regicide—but it didn’t matter.
All I wanted was to kill him in that moment.
“Why make the atmosphere so grim?” Carlisle clicked his tongue and struck the back of my neck.
Pain exploded as my vision went white.
The dagger slipped from my hand, clattering to the floor.
“Urgh…”
“There are no more monstrous things for you to run from.”
“…”
“Because I’ll be your paradise.”
Carlisle’s hand brushed the ring on my left ring finger, his fingers tracing it gently.
His touch made me twist my body, overwhelmed by emotion.
His golden eyes, like captured sunlight, burned brightly as he effortlessly hoisted me into his arms.
I had no strength left to resist.
“How is it there, Jerome?”
Even as my consciousness faded, I clutched my left hand tightly, refusing to let it open.
I was terrified Carlisle might strip the ring away.
Flames from the knights’ fire consumed the forest, scattering ashes in the wind.
The last thing I saw was Carlisle pressing a firm kiss to the back of my hand.
Slowly, I closed my eyes.
“This place is outside of paradise.”
By sacrificing himself to close the portal to the otherworld, Jerome restored peace to the empire.
Though effectively considered dead, as no one could return alive from the underworld, his body had not been found, sparking debates about whether to hold an official funeral.
Some speculated on who would succeed the Howard family, while others suggested erecting a statue in honor of the hero.
As the noisy arguments carried on, I did nothing.
Freshly brewed milk tea tasted like nothing.
Staring out at the verdant greenery outside the window evoked no feelings.
Nights passed sleeplessly, and I only managed to doze off at dawn, leaving me perpetually in a daze.
News of Carlisle’s impending coronation elicited nothing from me.
“It doesn’t matter.”
This wasn’t my body to begin with, but now I felt like a hollow shell with my soul scraped out.
As I lost my voice and grew emaciated, the servants at the mansion didn’t know what to do.
I stared blankly at the untouched soup in front of me before pushing it aside.
“Right, none of it matters anymore.”
There was a way to see Jerome again.
I had the Jerry doll. If I wanted to, I could peek at his past self.
But I didn’t.
There were only two chances to revisit the past, and even then, I couldn’t speak to or touch him.
I feared I’d interfere with time if I dared to glimpse his face.
Clutching the Jerry doll tightly, I hung my head.
“Sorry, Jerry. I couldn’t keep my promise to you.”
‘Knock knock.’
As I sat wallowing in despair, there came a knock at the door.
It was Tweety, asking if they could enter.
When I asked what was the matter, their hesitant response came back.
“Milady, you have a visitor.”
“I’m unwell today. Tell them to visit another time.”
Since my return from the East, rumors had spread from the Temple Knights.
They claimed Jeanne had tamed Maya’s divine beast and single-handedly rescued the knights.
Combined with the tale of my purification of Belze in the South, the empire now revered Jeanne as a miracle worker.
Some desperate parents even brought their sick children to the mansion, pleading for a miracle.
In the past, I might have pretended to oblige.
Now, I didn’t even bother.
“Miracles, huh? They don’t exist, you fools.”
While I was steeped in self-mockery, Tweety spoke again, their voice hesitant.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince has requested an audience.”
I rejected Tweety’s offer to help me dress.
I had no desire to put on airs for someone I didn’t want to meet.
After sending them out, I glanced in the mirror.
My hair was dry and tangled, and dark shadows loomed under my eyes.
Even so, my beauty was undeniable. If anything, my slight gauntness gave me a melancholic allure.
“So, it’s true. You’ve been lying around like a corpse,” came a familiar voice from behind me.
I turned my head. It had been a while since I’d seen him, not since the East.
Carlisle lounged on the sofa by the fireplace, removing his gloves.
Dressed in the royal navy uniform, he seemed to have completed his coronation ceremony without issue.
I watched his reflection in the mirror, then turned to him with a faint smile.
“Thanks to whom, I wonder.”
“I heard the Howards plan to hold a funeral. Shouldn’t you attend? You were his fiancée, after all.”
“There’s no need. Jerome isn’t dead.”
My emotionless response made Carlisle chuckle as he rose and approached me.
A shadow loomed over me, and I froze.
It wasn’t just his imposing figure; his uniformed presence radiated an unsettling authority.
Gone was the gentle and warm Carlisle of old.
His eyes brimmed with sinister, twisted desire, stealing my breath away.
“You’re too thin. Have you been eating properly?”
He grabbed my wrist, his touch oddly tender.
I knew I was gaunt—days of surviving on water had left me so.
But I saw no reason to explain myself, so I bit my lip and remained silent.
Carlisle’s tone grew threatening as he spoke again.
“What, planning to die and join Jerome?”
“Even if I were, it’s none of your concern. Just say what you came for and leave.”
“None of my concern? Do you truly not understand why I’m here?”
I recalled Tweety’s earlier gossip about Carlisle breaking off his engagement with the royal court’s chosen fiancée.
Tweety had speculated the Crown Prince might have a hidden lover.
Part of me wished it were true, but I couldn’t shake Carlisle’s haunting words from the East:
‘There are no more monsters chasing you.’
‘…’
‘Because I’ll be your paradise.’
My breath quickened as Carlisle’s intent remained inscrutable.
He seated me on the sofa, bringing a bowl of soup.
With a slight tilt of his head, he commanded softly:
“Open your mouth.”
Carlisle knelt on one knee and extended a spoon toward me.
I remained silent as I watched him try to force food into my mouth.
Turning my head to the side, Carlisle let out a sigh and spoke.
“Are you trying to die?”
“That would be better than following your orders.”
“That’s a shame. I’m not bad in bed, you know.”
I looked at Carlisle with a blank expression.
He was holding a spoon much smaller than his hand and talking nonsense, which made him seem distant.
I let out a hollow laugh and leaned my upper body toward him.
“I will never love you. What I love is not you, but Jerome. No matter what tricks you try to pull on me, I’ll never…”
“I know, that you don’t love me.”
“….”
“I just want to feed you one spoonful of soup.”
Our gazes met in the air. I could feel my hand, gripping the sofa, trembling.
I understood that, just as I made my choice for myself, Carlisle had made his own choice for him.
But after losing Jerome, I needed someone to blame to keep from going mad.
And Carlisle was the one I had chosen.
Without realizing it, my true feelings slipped out.
“I hope you suffer horribly and die.”
“….”
“You should have died instead. It should have been you, not Jerome.”
I spoke my words clearly and with unwavering voice.
Carlisle, who had been silently watching me, suddenly pushed me back by my shoulders.
He climbed on top of me and grabbed my chin.
My eyes widened.
The worst possible scenario flashed through my mind.
Kicking my legs, I screamed, filled with anger.
* * *
Jerome.. come back..
👩🦯luuuke come and grap ur sh1t