No More Regrets, Just K*ll Me

Dorothea slowly opened her eyes.

 

“Ariadeline, you…….”

 

Her eyelashes were trembling. Unable to understand anything, I simply stared at her blankly.

Suddenly, she rose from her seat.

 

“The wounds still haven’t healed. Thank you for showing them to me.”

 

Then she turned away. The crown prince looked at her pitifully, then locked eyes with me.

 

“Tsk.”

 

As soon as our eyes met, he clicked his tongue.

 

“Are you trying to look pitiful on purpose?”

‘What?’

 

As I tilted my head, Luciano sneered.

 

“The more pitiful you look, the more Dorothea will pay attention to you.”

‘Why would I?’

“You wanted to go back to the capital, didn’t you?”

‘Huh, are you going to take me back to the capital?’

 

As I looked at him, puzzled, Luciano stared at me with a strange look.

 

“I think you’re getting a little stupid.”

‘Have you finished talking? You jerk.’

 

As I glared at him, Luciano finally understood and said, “That’s the Ariadeline I know,” before following Dorothea out.

Dorothea went straight to Demolan, the monk in charge of the monastery.

 

“I will take Ariadeline to the temple in the capital.”

“Yes?”

 

While Demolan was preparing tea for today, he was completely distracted by the sudden arrival of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

 

“They’re not properly taking care of Ariadeline in this monastery.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

 

Demolan inquired as if he didn’t understand.

Regardless of Ariadeline’s background, she is now clearly a sinner. There is no need to hear such nonsense about not taking care of sinners.

But Dorothea furrowed her brow menacingly.

 

“Do you know that Ariadeline’s body is covered with scars and bruises?”

 

She had just spent a lot of time singing to treat Ariadeline.

And among them, the first thing she could find were the scars on her wrists, which were so harsh that she barely managed to hold back her scream when she saw them.

 

“That’s…….”

 

Ariadeline was not a gentle person, even in the nicest sense of the word, which is why she was always the one to injure herself.

 

“She brought it to herself.”

“Excuse me?”

 

Dorothea’s eyes widened. The fury in her eyes made the monk wince.

 

“Ariadeline will be monitored in the temple at the capital starting today!”

“I-I will comply if you insist, but…”

“This is really the worst!”

 

Dorothea, angry, stormed out of Demolan’s room, and the prince, looking at him coldly, soon followed Dorothea out.

Dorothea, standing still in the hallway, buried her face in her hands.

The prince approached her with a worried expression.

 

“Dorothea, what’s going on all of a sudden?”

“Your Highness…….”

 

Tears welled up in Dorothea’s eyes as she raised her head.

 

“Is it because you pity Ariadeline? But what he just said is true. She is a sinner. There’s no need to sympathize.”

“Your Highness, I think she might have used dark magic on herself.”

 

She interrupted, her voice filled with sadness.

 

“What?”

 

The prince frowned. Dorothea clasped her hands together as if she couldn’t even imagine it.

 

“Now that I’ve taken a closer look, I can see it. I can feel the dark magic in her wounds. Luciano.”

“She used dark magic again? I knew it. We should execute her immediately.”

“Luciano! Calm down and listen to me!”

“How do you expect me to calm down now?”

 

Dorothea held onto Luciano’s arms tightly. And then, as if asking him to look at her, she opened her eyes wide.

 

“You know, Luciano. Dark magic is frightening not only because it can kill people, but also because it plunges the souls of the killed into eternal agony.”

“I know that.”

“Ariadeline used dark magic, but she didn’t manage to kill herself with it. She could save her soul if she repents and stops using dark magic.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“Ariadeline used dark magic on herself. Which means she wanted herself to go to hell.”

“Ariadeline wanted to use dark magic to fall into hell? That’s not like her. Dorothea, you know that too.”

“I don’t really understand why she changed like that.”

 

She lowered her gaze.

 

“But there must have been a significant change in her heart.”

 

She bit her lower lip. A deep sadness began to settle in Dorothea’s eyes.

 

“Doing something that would condemn her soul to eternal agony. She might be regretting her past.”

 

Dorothea clasped her hands together and looked to the heavens, as if she had received a divine revelation, even though she was no longer a saint.

 

“That’s why I’m taking her to the capital.”

“To the capital?”

 

Luciano frowned as if displeased.

 

“I don’t mean to take her to the capital in a reckless manner. I just thought she should be placed under stronger surveillance in the temple.”

“Under stronger surveillance?”

“The monks at the monastery will never be able to stop her, no matter what happens.”

“But the priests at the temple will be able to destroy Ariadeline’s flimsy black magic.”

“And actually, there was a reason why she was spared, besides my forgiveness.”

“…….”

“Her parents agreed to spare her life in exchange for…”

“Okay, Dorothea, I understand. I’ll take her to the capital.”

“……Thank you, Luciano.”

“Yes.”

 

Luciano’s voice, conceding as if he couldn’t win, followed.

 

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

 

‘So, can anyone explain why I’m here?’

 

I pondered, gripping the thick iron bars tightly. I was sitting in a prisoner transport carriage. Or can I even call this a carriage?

It was just a square space enclosed by iron bars. It is not much different from a prison transport cart.

At that moment, Dorothea approached the carriage’s front and spoke to me.

 

“I have come to the conclusion that this monastery is not fit for you.”

‘That bald priest was overly fixated on me.’

 

Without realizing what I was thinking, Dorothea went on to say something serious.

 

“Instead, you’ll receive even stricter surveillance at the temple in the capital.”

 

No, I appreciate the sudden change, but are you all really that naive?

 

“You might spend even more agonizing days there than here. But you won’t be allowed to do such things to yourself again.”

 

Can you wipe the tears out of your eyes before we talk?

And anyway.

 

‘What did I do? I was supposed to be dead in the first place. Go ask your god!’

“……Why, why do I feel like I’m being cursed?”

 

Dorothea rubbed her temples. The prince still looked at me with a disapproving expression.

 

“You will behave yourself while we transport you to the capital, and if you do anything foolish, you will face immediate punishment.”

 

The prince glared at me coldly, but I remained unfazed.

 

‘Yeah, I didn’t expect you to treat me so nicely. Stil, we’re going to the capital!’

 

To enter the capital so easily like this. I almost felt like the gods were helping me.

 

‘No, don’t let your guard down. You never know when someone might stab you in the back again.’

 

A mobile prison made entirely of bars, allowing everyone to see inside.

Click, clack.

The sound of the iron bars locking reverberated.

 

‘Even without that, I’m not going to run, not until we get to the capital.’

 

I stretched out sideways on the firm chair. I figured I might as well get some sleep on the way.

Benjamin, the man who personally locked the prison door, still had an anxious expression.

 

“Is it really okay to take that woman back to the capital?”

“Since Dorothea decided it’s better that way, we have no choice but to trust her judgment.”

“If it’s what Her Highness suggested…”

 

In this way, Dorothea was the admirable female protagonist who absorbed the affections and trust of those around her.

I felt extremely uncomfortable under the suspicions and piercing glances of the others, but it wasn’t unbearable.

The infamous villain, Ariadeline, returns to the capital! This was undoubtedly an enormous event that could fill the front page of the capital’s newspapers.

 

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

 

It wasn’t until late at night that the carriage could pass through the gates of the capital.

 

‘My back is killing me.’

 

I groaned as I stood up and looked around. Fortunately, there weren’t many people on the streets late at night.

 

‘If we had arrived during the day, I might have been pelted with stones…’

 

Dorothea was a beloved princess, even among the commoners. Ariadeline’s misdeeds against such a beloved princess had spread quite well among the common folks.

As I gazed outside, Benjamin, who was riding along from outside, approached.

 

“What is it?”

 

He asked brusquely. I gestured with my hand, as if asking for something to write with.

Benjamin frowned, then pulled a notebook from his inside pocket and tore off a piece of paper.

 

“What do you want me to do with it?”

 

I held out my hand and spread two fingers.

 

‘Give me two more!’ 

 

With a resigned expression, he handed me two more sheets of paper and a pen.

I grabbed them, took a step back, and began to scribble. Then I handed back the pen.

Soon, the carriage reached the front of the monastery temple, and a knight approached to untie my arms and legs.

And I had been waiting for this moment. Now’s the time!

Grasp-!

I forcefully pushed away the knight, who had untied all my bonds, and started running forward.

 

“Stop her! Capture that villain right away!”

 

I heard the crown prince shout, but I didn’t stop.

I dashed into the densely packed forest surrounding the temple, rather than heading towards the open road.

Could Carlothian really be there, like in a side story? He had to be there. Otherwise, after traveling all the way to the capital, I would have to go back to the beginning!