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n“Ah, I failed.”

nSeraphina spread her hands, lay down on the ground, and stared blankly at the sky.

n“I failed.”

nNo matter how the beast in her soul roared almost madly, she remained indifferent.

n“Was I… a joke to Ansel?”

nHer long eyelashes trembled constantly, her eyelids slowly closed, and she tried her best to prop them up.

nAll the remaining strength of Seraphina could only be used for breathing and propping up her eyelids.

n“Heh… heh…”

nAs her breathing became heavier and heavier, her constantly opening eyelids also fell more and more, only her slightly trembling eyelids still proved that she was trying hard to open her eyes. fгeewebnovёl.com

n“I’m sorry… Ansel.”

nThe girl murmured weakly and sadly, “I seem… to have messed up again.”

n“I didn’t live until… the moment you are willing to believe in me.”

n“I’m really… sorry.”

n“I’m… so tired.”

nThe moment before her eyelids completely closed, the mouth of the glass bottle was brutally pried open, and the cool liquid quickly poured into her throat.

nSeraphina, whose consciousness was gradually recovering from the daze, also heard a sound she had never heard —

nThe roar of the always gentle and smiling boy, raging and angry:

n“Seraphina! You crazy! Why don’t you ascend third stage! Do you want to die here!”

nFate wants… to kill her.

n“Damn it… damn it… you should have that feeling, how could you possibly die here, fate won’t —”

n…No.

nNo, it shouldn’t be like this.

nAnsel looked at Seraphina, whose intestines were flowing out of her abdomen and whose lower half had turned into a pool of meat, his heart aching violently.

nFate would let Seraphina advance to the third stage… but Seraphina refused?

nNo, no, Seraphina has no way to subjectively resist it, her thoughts and actions, if not under my command, will only be completely controlled by fate, which means —

nFate wants… to kill her.

nIt was not until this moment that Ansel truly understood what kind of dead end fate had made in the endgame of this chess play.

nAt this moment, rather than letting Ansel have a Seraphina who would never betray him wholeheartedly, fate would rather let Seraphina die.

nAnd if Ansel didn’t want Seraphina to die, then… he had to accept the betrayal that would come sooner or later.

n“Ah… Ansel.”

nThe girl, who had almost entirely crossed the line of death, was still in a state of confusion upon awakening. She struggled to open her eyes, but couldn’t discern the face of the person beside her.

nShe couldn’t even hear what the other person was saying, only that the voice was filled with rage, unparalleled rage, and a… panic she had never heard before.

nCountless images flashed through Seraphina’s mind, including her own thoughts and memories that… didn’t belong to her.

nIn those memories, Seraphina saw that the woman seemed to be in a similar situation to her own, and Ansel was… just like this at that time.

nWhat did she say at that time?

nAh, she remembered.

n“Ansel…”

nSeraphina, who had completely swallowed the potion, let out a faint murmur from her throat.

n“Ansel, Ansel… Don’t be afraid.”

nThe young Hydral stared blankly at the girl whose face was devoid of color and who couldn’t even open her eyes, hearing her murmur in her sleep:

n“Ansel, don’t be afraid.”

nDon’t be afraid.

nAnsel remembered clearly, at that time, his mother had stroked his head, telling him not to be afraid.

nFear.

nIn the eyes of that gentle and great woman, in the eyes of this foolish and clumsy girl, Ansel was afraid.

nAfraid of fate, afraid of everything that was destined to happen, afraid of all this, unable to change.

n“Se-ra-phi-na.”

nHydral slowly clenched Seraphina’s wrist: “You can’t die, and don’t mimic my mother’s words.”

nBut the girl seemed not to hear what he was saying, only murmuring clumsily, the words that she thought could comfort Ansel:

n“Don’t be afraid… Ansel, I won’t… betray you.”

n“…”

nThe young man’s eyes were ablaze with uncontrollable fury, but the hand that held Seraphina’s wrist, even though it was bulging with veins, did not hurt her.

n“Seraphina, I’ll repeat it once more, I’m not afraid, and this is not something you can decide.”

n“But you… are… afraid.”

nSeraphina, who had regained some consciousness, whispered:

n“Otherwise, why would you… be so… angry? So… don’t be afraid, I…”

n“Seraphina Marlowe!!!”

nThe words ‘don’t be afraid’ seemed to touch Ansel’s most untouchable scale, and he roared uncontrollably again, his sea-blue eyes rolling with dark colors, the color of the abyss burning fiercely here.

nHe choked Seraphina’s throat with one hand, squeezing out an extremely violent growl from his throat:

n“Don’t, mimic, my, mother’s, words!”

n“Cough… cough, cough, cough…”

nThe girl kept gasping and coughing, struggling to raise her hand, touching Ansel’s cheek with her trembling fingers.

n“For such a long time, Ansel, you… have been… cough… all alone…”

n“I came… cough… too late…”

nThe hand that was tightly choking Seraphina’s throat began to tremble, while Seraphina’s hand was no longer trembling, firmly attached to Ansel’s face.

n“I left you alone for so long… I’m sorry.”

n“Ansel… I’m actually very afraid too, afraid of becoming like that, afraid of the… betrayal you talked about.”

n“But, but when I’m with you, I’m not so afraid. I just want…”

nShe struggled to sit up, her forehead touching Ansel’s forehead, whispering:

n“If I could always be by Ansel’s side, Ansel… wouldn’t be so afraid, would he?”

nSix years like walking on thin ice.

nTesting, despair; resistance, despair; failure, despair… The existence known as Ansel of Hydral, living like a person trapped in a crevice, every moment, every second, thinking, preparing to fight against fate.

nBecause no one knows what kind of despair he has experienced, no one knows what the world in his eyes is like, so he does not walk with anyone.

nBecause he doesn’t trust anyone, including himself.

nHe is really afraid.

nThe more he understands, the more he confronts, the closer he gets to success, the more afraid he becomes.

nBut in this fear, this terror, what Ansel gets every day is awe, is worship; what he enjoys is food and drink, is beauty; what he holds is authority, is power.

nHe is walking on thin ice, being the great Hydral, the evil Hydral, hearing countless praises or curses.

nWhat he never heard is… “don’t be afraid.”

nIt is at this moment that Ansel finally understands… why, why it is Seraphina.

nThose who are better looking, gentler, loyal, and more dependent on him, will never compare to Seraphina.

nBecause only this clumsy girl, who stumbles along the way, can recklessly squeeze to his side, stand on the path he walks on thin ice, and tell him not to be afraid.

nBecause she is like him, also knows the cruelty of fate, also fears the cruelty of fate, also… resists the cruelty of fate.

nSo, Seraphina is different.

nSo those feelings are not driven by fate.

nSo his hesitation, his indecision, his dilemma, have never been due to the interference of fate.

nHe may be able to hurt, to sacrifice the people he loves.

nBut he can’t hurt the few people in this world who can go on with him, who can stand by his side as comrades.

nAmong the four heroes, the other three do not have much resistance to the so-called fate.

nPerhaps, no, definitely.

nSeraphina is definitely the only one in this world who can raise the blade of rebellion against fate with him.

nYes, so from that time, from the moment he made that vow—

nHe actually fell in love with Seraphina.

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