084. The Forest of Mist (2)

The shredded pieces of the paper fell to the floor of the carriage.

Owen and Kyle’s cold gazes bore into Bella.

Meeting their eyes, Bella smiled radiantly.

“I told you, didn’t I? I’m going to devour ‘Bella.’ That way, I can stay here forever.”

“Saintess, that’s murder—forcing such a thing without consent….”

“Oh my, even though you know I’m not ‘Bella,’ you still call me Saintess?” Bella interrupted with a smirk.

“Well, for now…”

“For now? I intend to make it that way for the rest of my life. Is that so impossible?”

When Bella tilted her head and asked, Kyle replied firmly, “Of course. Forcing something on someone against their will is violence.”

“So if the person agreed, even with the same outcome, it wouldn’t be violence? How absurd.”

Bella let out a sharp laugh and turned her eyes back to Owen.

“There’s no difference between me and that man. We’re both selfish people.”

“Human beings are inherently selfish creatures,” Kyle replied when Owen remained silent.

“But there’s a difference between selfishness and sin. You should know that.”

Kyle’s blue eyes glinted coldly.

Bella met his icy gaze with a bright smile. Her springlike, picturesque smile carried no warmth.

“So, you’re saying what I’m about to do is sinful?”

“Anyone would say so.”

“And how would they know? If no one finds out, who’s to say I’ve committed a crime?”

Her silvery eyes narrowed, feigning innocence.

Her expression was a masterful facade of serenity.

“No one will know except the two of you. So how can I be accused of wrongdoing?”

Bella spoke with certainty.

Neither Kyle nor Owen could reveal her plans, no matter what.

“You won’t say a word. Hardly anyone would believe you even if you did, and even if they did…”

She cast a sidelong glance at Owen, a smirk playing on her lips.

“I wouldn’t leave that man alone. I can’t die by myself, after all.”

If they exposed her, Bella would ensure Owen didn’t escape unscathed.

If she were dragged into ruin, she would pull him down with her.

And both Owen and Kyle knew—neither of them wanted to see Owen brought to ruin.

“So if you drag me to hell, I’ll make sure he comes along. That way, we’ll go together.”

At her words, Kyle gritted his teeth before replying.

“I never said I’d send you to hell. I have no intention of killing you or causing you harm.”

“Even without intent, your decisions with him will make my life a living hell.”

“I offered you a way to return to your original world,” Kyle said through clenched teeth, his frustration evident.

Bella chuckled softly.

“Even if I returned to Earth, to Korea, and got my original body back… that’s not what I want. Forcing something unwanted onto someone is cruel.”

“Stop trying to persuade her, Kyle,” Owen said in a low voice, finally speaking after silently observing their argument.

“She’s already rejected our offer. She won’t change her mind.”

“But…”

“It’s no use.”

When Owen shook his head, Kyle sighed deeply and looked away.

Bella, watching their exchange, tilted her head in curiosity.

“You don’t seem very affected by this, considering it’s your life on the line. Yet the Mage Tower Lord is the one getting angry.”

“What reaction should I have toward someone who won’t be persuaded?” Owen responded, his expression cold and emotionless.

“There’s at least some effort you could make.”

Bella gave a crooked smile, but Owen simply replied, unamused.

“Wasting effort on the meaningless is just a waste of time.”

“You have a way of saying things that really gets on my nerves.”

Bella ground her teeth in frustration, but Owen ignored her entirely.

Trying to calm her rising irritation, Bella shifted her focus to Kyle.

“Then let me ask you, Mage Tower Lord. Why are you so invested in Owen’s affairs?”

“Do I need a reason?”

Kyle seemed genuinely puzzled by her question.

Bella gave a short explanation.

“I just don’t get it. It has nothing to do with you, does it?”

“It’s a friend’s matter. Of course, it’s my concern.”

“And that’s it? Just because he’s your friend, you’re helping him to this extent?”

Bella’s incredulity deepened.

“The saintess will try to get rid of Owen otherwise,” Kyle said flatly, his tone devoid of any doubt.

Bella’s expression twisted into a scowl.

“Get your words straight. I’m not trying to get rid of Owen; I’m trying to get rid of ‘that man.’”

“They are already one and the same.”

“No, their souls are still separate.”

Raising her voice in frustration, Bella pressed a hand to her forehead before glaring at Owen.

“Even though it’s obvious his soul has become so faint it’s barely there anymore.”

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to ask,” Owen replied, not even meeting her gaze.

Bella, with an exasperated sigh, ran her fingers through her hair and clarified, “I’m talking about Owen’s soul. Why has it become so faint and weak?”

“How would ‘you’ know that?”

“Do you think I’d know? It’s because Bella told me!” she snapped back.

“Of course,” Owen muttered under his breath.

“So, it was Bella who let you figure out I’m not really him,” he added.

“Stating the obvious, aren’t you?” Bella sneered.

“I had a little chat with the second son of the Marquis of Selid, and then Bella suddenly spilled the beans. Told me everything I was planning was pointless.”

At the mention of Selid’s second son, Owen’s face hardened.

“Now that I think about it, the sleeping herb in the tea was also from Selid’s second son. What exactly are you plotting with him?”

Bella simply smirked in response to Owen’s question.

“What’s wrong? You found the ancient spellbook so easily, but can’t figure this out?”

“Is that what you think?” Owen shot back, his tone steady.

Bella sighed, her tone turning dismissive. “Did you ask just to confirm?”

“Exactly.”

“Well then, what else could it be?” Bella shrugged, feigning indifference.

Selid’s second son wanted Lucia, and Bella wanted Owen.

The only plot these two could devise together was painfully obvious.

“We’re working together, strategically helping each other get what we want.”

“Do you even know what kind of person the second son of Selid is?”

Owen’s frown deepened at the expected but nonetheless irritating answer.

Bella’s desire to consume Bella’s soul was already problematic, but Selid’s second son was an entirely different level of threat—a man who didn’t hesitate to commit murder or break laws.

“More or less. You can tell just from his demeanor. He’s a bad guy,” Bella replied dismissively.

“It goes far beyond ‘bad.’”

“So what?”

Her nonchalant response only made Owen’s tone sharper as he issued a warning.

But Bella merely tilted her head, not taking him seriously.

“Whatever terrible things he does, how does that concern me?”

The specifics of Selid’s second son’s evil deeds were irrelevant to Bella.

“What he does doesn’t affect me. It’s not like I lose anything. Right?”

Their relationship was purely transactional—mutual benefits in exchange for mutual cooperation, as long as neither betrayed the other.

“Selid’s second son wants Lucia.”

“…And you.”

“Don’t glare at me like that.”

As Owen’s icy stare turned sharper, filled with quiet malice, Bella shrugged with mock indifference.

“It doesn’t matter to me what you think. You’re not the Owen I want anyway. Even if you were, I wouldn’t care.”

“….”

“How could you possibly care about Lucia? With that face of yours?”

Bella grabbed Owen by the collar, but he easily swatted her hand away.

She reached for him again, but this time Owen caught her wrist and held it firmly.

“Stop.”

“That’s enough, Saintess. This is inappropriate,” Kyle interjected, his voice calm yet firm.

Bella chuckled softly, her expression filled with sarcastic amusement.

“You two are really something. You’re both so infuriating.”

Letting out a sigh, she sat back down, her gaze alternating between the two men.

“Whether Lucia lives or dies, it doesn’t matter to me. Why should I care? Lucia has nothing to do with me.”

Owen stared at her silently, while Kyle narrowed his eyes as if trying to decipher her intentions.

“If Selid’s second son takes Lucia, that works perfectly for me. It means I get to have Owen.”

“Do you think Lucia would just let that happen?”

“Of course not. That’s why we’re teaming up, isn’t it?”

Bella replied with a smile, leaning her chin on her hand as she continued.

“Oh, and there’s one more thing you should know.”

Her silver eyes glinted with emotions Owen recognized all too well.

Possessiveness and obsession.

They were familiar feelings, but his reaction to them had changed.

Instead of sympathy, Owen now felt a rising disgust—a visceral rejection deep within him.

“I’ll make sure to claim even the shell of you if you absorb Owen’s soul completely.”

“I don’t understand where you get your confidence from.”

“Do you think I can’t?” Bella’s eyes widened in feigned surprise as she covered her mouth, her exaggerated act blatantly insincere.

“I’m a saintess, after all. A representative of God. Don’t you think I can proclaim the will of God if I want to?”

“What kind of nonsense…” Kyle muttered, his tone sharp.

“Why is it nonsense? If I say so, people will believe it.”

Bella smiled brightly, her expression so dazzling it could have been a blessing—if not for her words.

“My true desire is Owen, but even just the shell of him would satisfy me. That’s why I hope you give up soon. Then you won’t have to be shackled to me.”

“….”

“And since you and the Mage Tower Lord have figured out how to send me back, but can’t convince me to go… how about you return instead?”