Chapter 380.1
Pered’s expression shifted, as if a sudden recollection had sparked within him. “If you could relay a message to the chief of the wanderers we encountered yesterday… No, if it’s not too much trouble, could you spare a moment? It’s a brief story.”
Kasser graciously led Pered out of the reception room to meet Aldrit. Left alone, Eugene sat in a daze, unable to gather herself to depart.
Her sentiments toward the Dark King were less than favorable. An encounter at a high-class club with Dana had unveiled Anika, coincidentally encountered in the restroom, as the Queen of the Dicus Kingdom. Though Eugene hadn’t divulged the incident to anyone, Anika’s demeanor left an indelibly negative impression.
A nagging suspicion crept into Eugene’s thoughts, suggesting it might be Anika’s husband driving her to such extremes. While physical violence was unimaginable, Eugene pondered the possibility of psychological abuse.
Rumors of the Dark King’s gambling addiction only deepened Eugene’s disdain. She mused bitterly, realizing their clandestine meeting merely unveiled the couple’s widespread unpopularity.
Exhaling heavily, Eugene buried her face in her hands, chastising herself for baseless judgments and unwarranted expectations.
Despite Pered’s demeanor not painting him as a doting husband, Eugene hesitated to assume violence in their relationship. The intricacies of marital dynamics remain known only to the involved parties.
Perhaps, Eugene speculated, the Dark King’s demeanor would have been different had past events unfolded differently, much like the disparity between the Kasser she glimpsed in future readings and the present one.
Tears, long suppressed, finally broke free from Eugene’s eyes, cascading down her cheeks in an unstoppable torrent. She found herself unable to pinpoint the exact trigger for her overwhelming emotions—whether it was sorrow, anger, or the merciless hand of fate at play.