Chapter 1053: Three Months Later, Changes [5] |
As for why this was the case, Michael did not have a firm answer. It was not like he could just ask Arianne directly.
He had a few guesses, however.
One of them was that it was probably related to her recent death. During the time when Michael and Jester had been sorting through her memories, even without deliberate intention on his part, Michael had still come to know fragments of Arianne's memory, with her last memory, the memory of her death, being the most recent and vivid.
Though he could not feel her pain, Michael had seen it clearly. Her head had been slowly cut off while she was still alive.
It did not matter how strong one was. Michael dared to say that even a true divine being would hate such a death, let alone a relatively gentle girl like Arianne.
As for why the manner of her death would be a reason for her clinginess toward him, Michael figured it had to do with him being the reason she was alive again. Perhaps he provided her with a powerful sense of security, making her want to be close to him most of the time.
Another reason he had in mind was probably the more intimate connection they now shared through one body.
Thanks to her identity as a distinct consciousness, Michael could not see her as family in the traditional sense, yet the bond of blood was still there in its own way.
Perhaps combined with the former reason, it caused Arianne to feel a need for a certain level of closeness in order to feel at ease.
Knowing what was about to come, Michael straightened slightly and directed his gaze toward Arianne's shadow.
"Fade."
The moment his voice sounded, the shadow beneath Arianne's feet rippled. Arianne did not react. She was already used to it.
The darkness stretched outward before slowly rising from the floor. Then a figure stepped out.
The newcomer appeared to be a man in his late twenties. Extremely handsome. Even Michael had to admit that if looks alone were considered, Fade could probably make a living doing absolutely nothing.
His features were sharp and refined. His black hair was neatly combed. His posture was perfect. Dressed in a dark suit tailored to fit his body, he looked less like an undead assassin and more like the personal secretary of some wealthy noble.
The moment he emerged, he bowed respectfully. "My Lord."
Three months ago, Fade had still been a Rank 3 undead. Now, thanks to Michael's abundance of Evolution Points and his increasingly formidable resources, the undead assassin had successfully entered Rank 4.
Not that Fade was unique in this regard anymore. Among Michael's legion, Rank 4 undead had become increasingly common.
Still, Fade remained one of the undead Michael trusted most. His stealth abilities were terrifying. His assassination capabilities were even more so.
Even among Michael's thousand Rank 4 undead, Fade was unquestionably near the top.
As for why such an undead was currently hiding inside Arianne's shadow, the answer was simple. Michael had too many powerful undead.
Even after assigning duties throughout the Eternal Crown Empire, countless powerful undead remained with little to do.
Occasionally, Michael assigned tasks based entirely on mood.
Fade had simply been unlucky enough to be selected this week, or perhaps lucky, depending on one's perspective, to be assigned as Arianne's personal guard.
Fade straightened. His expression remained perfectly calm. "My Lord called for me?"
Michael nodded. "Please excuse us for a moment."
The undead bowed and obeyed without hesitation. As for why this particular order had been given six times today, an undead like Jester might have been curious, but Fade saw nothing unusual in it. It was simply an order.
The moment Fade received the command, he bowed once more. "As you command, my Lord."
His body dissolved into darkness. A second later, the office became quiet.
The silence lingered for several moments. Arianne stood where she was, her fingers nervously clasped together behind her back. Without Fade present, the confidence she had displayed earlier seemed to disappear almost immediately.
Michael felt a familiar sense of helplessness.
What was about to happen was another strange development that had emerged over the past two months.
The young woman slowly approached his desk. Step. Step. Step.
Michael watched her draw closer. Then, without a word, he pushed his chair slightly backward. The movement was so natural that even Michael did not realize when it had become a habit.
Arianne's eyes brightened slightly. Moments later she reached him. There was a brief pause. Then she carefully sat down.
Not on another chair. Not across from him. Directly on his lap.
Michael maintained an expressionless face. At least outwardly. Internally was a completely different matter. His heart immediately became somewhat restless.
Arianne, meanwhile, seemed completely satisfied. She adjusted herself slightly before leaning forward and resting her head against his shoulder. The familiar scent of flowers reached him.
For a few moments neither spoke. The office fell into silence once more.
Surprisingly, it was not an uncomfortable silence. In fact, it had become increasingly common over the past month.
When Arianne first woke up, Michael had been awkward. Extremely awkward. After all, before her death, their relationship had been relatively ambiguous, but now it was increasingly approaching a clear direction, largely thanks to the girl's own active choices.
As I watched the prince of the empire slowly cut off my head while rage and satisfaction filled his face, I fell into darkness.
For some reason, I knew exactly what had happened. I was dead. There was no confusion or denial. There was no desperate attempt to convince myself otherwise. I simply knew.
The strange thing was that I could still think. I could not feel my body. I could not move. I could not see. I could not hear. Yet my thoughts remained.
At first, I wondered if this was what death felt like. An endless darkness where only the mind remained. It was not painful. It was not peaceful either.
In that darkness, there were only two people I found myself thinking about.
The first was my father.
I wondered what he would do after learning I was dead. Would he be angry? Would he be sad? Would he blame himself?
I did not know. For all his flaws, he had always cared for me. Perhaps too much. Perhaps not enough. I honestly did not know anymore.
I only hoped my death would calm things down. I hoped the old man would survive. He had already sacrificed enough. There was no reason for him to throw away his life because of me.
The second person I thought of was Michael.
Even now, thinking back, I find it somewhat embarrassing.
In my eighteen years of life, I had never truly believed in love. Not really. As a noble daughter, reality had been made very clear to me from a young age. Love stories existed in books and plays. Reality was different.
It was filled with contracts, alliances, and family interests. Reality gave me the prospect of marriage between noble houses. I had always assumed my future would follow the same path.
Perhaps I would marry some noble heir. Perhaps we would eventually grow to care for each other. Perhaps not. That was simply how things worked.
Then Michael appeared.
Looking back now, I still do not know exactly when it started. Maybe it was the first time we spoke. Maybe it was later. Maybe it happened so gradually that I never noticed.
He was handsome. That much was obvious. He was also young and strong. Ridiculously strong. Yet despite all that, what I remembered most was something else.
He was awkward. Sometimes unbelievably awkward. There were moments when speaking to him felt like speaking to someone who had never learned how normal conversations worked.
And somehow, I liked that.
He made me laugh. He made me curious. He made me want to know more. For the first time in my life, I found myself genuinely interested in someone.
But the realization that came after had been frightening. Because the more I learned about him, the more I felt I did not deserve him.
Michael always seemed to be moving forward. Always growing stronger. Compared to him, I felt ordinary. Small. Insignificant.
Even so, I still found myself wanting to stay near him.
In those final moments before darkness completely consumed me, my thoughts drifted toward him again. I hoped he escaped. I hoped he survived. I hoped he ran as far away from the empire as possible.
I knew he was strong. Stronger than most people could imagine. But the empire was the empire. One person could not fight an entire nation. At least that was what I believed back then.
So I prayed. Not for myself. Not for my future. Not even for revenge.
I simply hoped he would live.
With that final thought, my consciousness slowly sank deeper into the darkness. And eventually, even my thoughts disappeared. The world became silent.
And I slept.
What I did not expect was i would see the light of day again.
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