Idris knew Judy had brought back an orphan from the convent, but he had never cared enough to look into the boy's identity. Seeing him today, just moments ago, when he caught sight of the youth's face, his instinct had been to flee.
In his previous life, he died at this youth's hands, without reason. The boy had burst through the manor doors and, without saying a single word, began slaughtering. Swift and clean. Before anyone could react, Idris was already clutching his blood-soaked neck, bewildered as he fell to the ground.
He saw with his own eyes the youth gripping a Poignard dagger dripping with blood, giving him one cold glance before vanishing as if he had never existed at all.
Idris died without understanding why. Even after being reborn, the terror felt carved into his bones, staying with him day and night.
Judy should not be near this youth because in the previous life, she never had someone like him at her side. Was it because he had been reborn… that the trajectory of life was shifting off course?
…
Outside Skywind Pavilion, I turned into seven or eight different corridors, zigzagging like a frantic fly.
"Judy, slow down."Nick let me drag him along, but after watching me circle around until I nearly returned to the starting point, he frowned. I was walking too fast, breathing hard and endlessly; perhaps this was the price of coming back to life. My body truly had become much weaker, fit only for display.
I pulled him into a remote area before stopping. My vision darkened; my body swayed and nearly collapsed. Nick blanched in fear, catching me, and exploded in anger:
"You keep protecting him like this! Liking him this much! Afraid I'll hurt him?!"
His roar stunned me. When my sight finally focused, the fury on his face only left me more confused. He looked like a lion that had lost control, closing in on me step by step. I kept retreating, but no matter what, I couldn't escape his grip.
Suddenly, the Nick before me felt unfamiliar, yet strangely, I wasn't afraid.
Finally, he pressed me against the palace wall. His gaze was dark and unfathomable, his facial muscles tight, every line of his face tense with suppressed urgency. His hoarse voice slipped out:
"You like him, don't you?"
I was completely bewildered. "What… what are you talking about?"
"You kept looking at him just now. Over and over."
He was certain she liked him, otherwise, why get engaged? He could ignore everyone else, but that man must die. If he could kill him once, he could kill him again.
Nick tightened his grip on my wrist unconsciously. With his other hand, he gently raised it and stroked the small beauty mark on my face. His voice was soft, his eyes filled with an emotion I didn't recognize dangerous and seductive.
In a low, husky voice carrying a strange allure, he spoke slowly:
"What do you like about him? He isn't more handsome than me. He isn't better to you. He will hurt you. Don't like him."
"Nick, do you… like me?"
"Shhh…"
He pressed a finger lightly to my lips, the fingertip carrying a faint trace of my lipstick. His expression turned aggrieved, as if he were the one being wronged, his voice resentful:
"Judy, how can you like someone else? Isn't Nick the one you like?"
I felt relief wash through me so it was just jealousy. Still like a child. My uneasy heart settled, though a faint bitterness brushed through me. I set aside that strange ache and gently said:
"I like Nick the most."
It was like sunlight breaking after rain.He carefully retracted the claws and fangs, easily locking the beast in his heart back into its cage. His eyes regained their familiar brightness; the corners of his mouth struggled not to lift.
"Really?"
I smiled. "Mm."
Nick straightened, hands clasped behind his back, turning his head slightly. The tips of his ears turned red.
"Okay."
The tense atmosphere gradually dissolved. I frowned and called:
"Nick."
"Hm?"
I looked straight at him, tugging his sleeve. "Look at me."
He turned back, eyes lowered, watching me seriously.
"Why did you want to kill him?"
"What else should I do?"He turned his face away again in a sulk, voice icy: "He's not a good person."
I wouldn't allow him to dodge. I raised both hands and forced his face up toward mine, not letting him escape.
Nick pressed his lips tight. His expression was still terrible, but he slowly leaned down so I wouldn't strain to reach.
"You know him?"
"…I don't."
"You know his name?"
"…I don't."
"Then why did you..."
"Judy! His eyes looked at you so dangerously! How could I just watch you jump into a pit of fire?!"
In his previous life, he had found Judy too late. He hadn't witnessed her life, didn't know how she lived; when he saw her again, she was only a lifeless body on a sickbed. The feeling of his heart being torn apart, he would not forget even after several lifetimes.
If he had been by her side before…If he had killed everyone who wanted to possess her…How could she have died?
To him, indeed, all of them deserved to die.
"Nick, I don't know why you have such hostility toward Idris. I'm not trying to blame you."My hands trembled twice; I was still frightened. "But this is the royal palace. The Crown Prince is right beside him. Did you consider what would happen if you rushed in to kill him? You would be seized, imprisoned, tortured even executed."
Nick let out a cold laugh. "You think I'd be afraid?"
My heart ached. My hands fell, and my gaze dropped:
"But I'm… a little afraid."
Afraid that he would leave me.Afraid something would happen to him.
The one who had been with me the longest was Nick. Without him… it would feel like being without a home, utterly hopeless.
Only just now did I realize how much I depended on him, even though he was still only a youth. Through years of relying on each other, he had worked his way deep into the walls of my heart.
The founding emperor had been a woman; even now, the court had female officials. I knew very well I wasn't someone great or strong, neither exceptionally intelligent nor brave like extraordinary people. I wasn't powerful. The road ahead was foggy, the future of the Johnston family uncertain. I tread cautiously, yet in my heart I still hoped for a shoulder behind me to lean on some place to rest for a moment.
Mother's health was poor, Father weak, my elder brother only a frail scholar. I had to grit my teeth to protect everyone I loved, including him.
Nick froze. His sharp mind stalled for a moment. He stared at the top of my head, then a joy so intense it pained the heart slowly blossomed across his face.
"Judy… is worried about me?"
"Mm."
I lowered my head. Immediately, his beaming smile appeared before me. He crouched down, looking up at me, his smile like sunlight breaking through thick clouds. All the darkness vanished from his eyes, leaving only a clear, flowing spring.
"I'll listen to you. I won't risk my life. Don't worry… even if I must die, I must die after you. I won't let you be alone, alright?"
"No! Die what die! Don't say such nonsense!"
I kicked him hard in anger. Having died once already, those words were the last thing I could tolerate.