“Huh? Why all of a sudden…”
Ciello hesitated.
‘It was said that unless from Peregrine, no one would know about the necklace. Is he just asking? Or is he testing me?’
“It’s just… a necklace.”
Ciello answered nonchalantly with a slight smile. Estribal held the pendant.
“Just a necklace. That’s what you said.”
“The origin… you know, right? It’s from the street.”
Ciello shrugged off shamelessly. Estribal held the necklace and slowly fiddled with it.
“Really, it’s nothing.”
Estribal raised his gaze to meet Ciello’s eyes and asked. His voice was as deep as if it came from the depths of the sea. Ciello shrank back at the unusual atmosphere.
Should I tell him honestly? But then, he might unnecessarily argue about when it was given, who gave it, why it was hidden until now, and end up with a bigger misunderstanding. Ciello didn’t want to break this situation right now.
“Yes. That’s right.”
Ciello nodded. At that moment, Estribal’s expression distorted terribly.
“…Duke? Why all of a sudden…Ahhh!”
He ripped the pendant off the necklace. The strong force made Ciello’s eyes well up with tears.
“What, what are you doing…huh?”
Estribal manipulated the pendant by turning the scale very familiarly.
“Huh? How did you do that?”
Before the flustered Ciello could stop him, Noah’s voice came from the scale.
–Ciello?
Ciello’s face turned pale. Noah’s words continued without any consideration.
–What’s going on, you just cut off…
Estribal held the scale in one hand, propped himself up on the bed with the other, and looked down at Ciello expressionlessly.
–Are you okay? Did the Duke do something?
Her head was spinning. Noah’s voice sounded distant, like a buzzing noise.
–Hey, tell me if something’s wrong. You said you’d help me too. So I will help…
Click. The Duke closed the scale. Ciello moved her mouth with a blank face, but she couldn’t say anything as if her throat was blocked. A cold silence flowed. After a while, Estribal opened his mouth.
“Humans always betray me. You’re no different.”
At his words, Ciello, who had come to her senses, shook her head.
“No, it’s not. Duke. It’s not that I betrayed you…”
“You would have betrayed me.”
Estribal cut off Ciello’s words.
“Lies lead to deceit, and that leads to betrayal. Everyone chooses the same path.”
The heat that had risen cooled down and became chilly. Estribal asked quietly.
“Do you find me that ridiculous, Ciello?”
Ciello, no, Ciello’s heart sank. When Estribal reached out, Ciello instinctively flinched.
Estribal spoke in a low voice.
“Don’t be scared. How could I hurt you?”
“Duke, I was trying to help by providing information…”
Ciello whimpered. Estribal murmured as he stroked Ciello’s hair with the back of his hand.
“I’m truly grateful. But as I said, I want to control all variables.”
Estribal muttered as if convincing himself while looking down at Ciello.
“If your heart changes while interacting with them, what should I do? Rather, I would be happier if you did nothing.”
Estribal pulled up and covered Ciello’s clothes and got up. Then he put on the coat he had taken off.
“So make it that way. So that you can’t do anything.”
“What…what are you going to do? Surely…”
Ciello looked up at him, trembling. Estribal looked at the dragon scale in his hand and very naturally moved it.
“It was something I had to do anyway. A good item just happened to come into my hands.”
Estribal spoke calmly. At the same time, light burst out from the scale.
“From today, all those who mention Peregrine’s independence will disappear from this empire.”
Ciello’s face turned pale.
“Duke!”
“Whatever relationship you had with that young man. Whatever you were planning to do with them, it doesn’t matter now.”
Estribal turned his back on Ciello and spoke.
“Your way is only me. You should know that.”
“No, Duke…!”
Ciello tried to get up and grab him in a hurry, but Ciello’s hand weakly touched the floor. His body disappeared in an instant.
“No, it can’t be. This isn’t right…”
Only those who were hurt without doing anything wrong were left. Ciello, who had collapsed on the floor, could only stare at the place where he had disappeared without shedding a tear.
Ciello could guess what he had been doing before he came to her room every night. He must have been killing someone by royal decree. Or doing something equivalent. Estribal found himself in pain and regret, and returned with some comfort.
Someone might find it ridiculous that nothing happened between a man and a woman over dozens of nights. But for Ciello, the night with him was never empty. That night was a time for Ciello to realize a clear truth.
The truth is that Agent Estribal is not a madman obsessed with murder.
Thus, the answer is that Ciello must stop this massacre.
“Is…is anyone there?”
Ciello staggered to her feet and knocked on the door. But there was no answer.
“Please let me out. Please, open the door!”
Maybe if she did well, she could open it. Ciello pushed a pin into the keyhole and shook it, but the lock did not open. Ciello bit her lip and looked around, then dragged a heavy chair over.
“Ugh!”
Ciello hit the doorknob with the chair several times. But it was not enough. The chair broke and a piece of it scratched Ciello’s cheek.
“Ah…!”
Tears welled up in Ciello’s eyes.
‘What should I do?’
Ciello slumped down on the spot. Her head was spinning. The hideout of the liberation group spread out before her eyes like a fantasy. Gunshots, screams, and the sound of bombs echoed in her ears. But the most frightening thing was…
“…Ciello.”
Ciello’s eyes trembled in horror.
A wound that had healed, a wound that seemed like it would never heal. Estribal, covered in someone else’s blood and his own, had returned and stood there.
“Now you won’t dare to…say anything else.”
Estribal’s knees gave out weakly. Ciello quickly caught him.
“Duke! I’ll heal you. Just hold on for a moment…”
“Kuh…ugh!”
But the moment their bodies touched, he convulsed as if he had been struck by lightning. Startled, Ciello fell away from him.
“Duke? Why…”
“Don’t touch me. To me now…”
He struggled to control his ragged breathing and forced out the words.
“You are just pain.”
Ciello, who understood his words, covered her mouth with both hands. She could now understand why Estribal had pushed her away so much the day he rescued her from being kidnapped.
If I were his senses, how could I only choose the good ones. The smell of blood stinging the nose, the pain of flesh being torn. All of that was the sensation he originally had to endure. I was digging into his wounds that he had been forcibly blocking.
“But it’s okay. Now the plan is perfect. No one will interfere with us.”
Contrary to Estribal’s words, his golden eyes were completely out of focus, as if the light had gone out. It looked like he could never return to his original state.
“Duke, please come to your senses. Okay?”
Ciello licked her lips in desperation, unable to hold him.
“Yes. If you are my pain anyway…”
Estribal grabbed Ciello’s arms. His face contorted for a moment.
“Stop. Duke, it will hurt more if you do this…”
Ciello tried to push him away, but Estribal didn’t care and gently wrapped his hand around her shoulder, neck, and cheek. The smell of leather and gunpowder mixed from his gloves stung her nose.
“It’s okay. Rather, hurt me more. Then all these nightmares won’t be forgotten.”
He rubbed Ciello’s lips several times with his gloved thumb. His lips slowly approached.
Is this what Estribal wants? Whether the world collapses or he and I break down. In this mansion, licking each other’s wounds and creating bigger ones…
“Duke, it’s not.”
Just before his lips touched, Ciello firmly pushed him away and shook her head. Tears fell from her eyes.
“This… this can’t be.”
Ciello bit her lip and snapped her fingers. With a sharp sound, time twisted.
‘Please…!’
When Ciello opened her eyes, Estribal was standing in front of her without a scratch.
“Do you find me that ridiculous, Ciello?”
Ciello quickly grabbed his arm.
“Duke, can’t we just talk a little?”
But it was hopeless. Estribal left Ciello and came back completely broken.
‘It can’t be.’
Ciello snapped her fingers again at the same point.
“From now on, your way is only me.”
****
The next was the same. Without a moment to stop, Estribal’s body disappeared and he returned after breaking and destroying everything.
Three times, four times. Five times, ten times. Ciello turned back time like crazy.
“No one…no one will interfere with us.”
But his choice was still the same. He who was hurt pushed Ciello away and went out, killed all the remaining hope of Peregrine there, and came back collapsed and clung to Ciello. The past did not change.
‘How many times have I turned back time?’
Now Ciello couldn’t remember how many times she had moved time. She couldn’t feel anything from her fingers that had been hit countless times. Her head was dizzy and her mind was blurry.
“Duke, can we talk, just once…”
Estribal reached out and brushed Ciello’s hair just like before.
“Do you find me that ridiculous, Ciello?”
But his next words were different.
“Ci…ello…?”
Confusion was on Estribal’s face. Ciello blinked her foggy eyes.
“Why… why are you doing this?”
Ciello blinked her eyes.
Ciello blinked.
Continuously.
“…Ciello!”
Ciello’s figure was flickering as if it would disappear soon.
