Chapter 71
Chapter 71: Shadows (Last Part)
***
Lafayette did not know yet.
3 years ago, when Edward’s plan failed because of my escape, he didn’t inform anyone and withdrew with his men overnight. Later I was treated as missing, and no one in Shanter Castle knew what he had done, until yesterday when I told the Duke the truth, but the news hasn’t reached Lafayette yet.
Now listening to Edward’s words, he seemed to suddenly understand something. His face, which had always been cold and stern, unmoved even with blood splattered on it, lost its color in an instant.
“What does he mean, what does he mean—! Peipei…”
Bella turned her head and whispered in his ear. After that, Lafayette’s eyes quickly turned red.
“What did you… say!?”
Clang——
He instinctively drew the blood-stained sword at his waist and was about to walk towards Edward, but was stopped by Bella’s outstretched hand.
“Bella, you…”
Facing Lafayette’s angry glare, Bella’s expression remained undisturbed, only gesturing towards me with a glance: “Wait for now.”
With that look, Lafayette understood her meaning.
He hesitated for a moment, then grimly sheathed his sword, his hawk-like sharp eyes seeming to want to pierce through Edward: “Edward, you will die today.”
Edward seemed not to have heard Lafayette’s words, only the remaining bit of color drained from his face.
I saw his Adam’s apple move slightly, then he licked his dry, pale lips.
“…Peipei, don’t… you don’t… you’re just trying to scare me… right…” his eyes were trembling, his smile shaking, “You wouldn’t dare kill anyone… you wouldn’t dare kill me… you won’t kill me…”
I crouched down.
“…Who knows.”
The next moment, the short sickle in my hand swung down without hesitation.
“Ah——!!”
The blade, carrying freezing frost, pierced through Edward’s palm, nailing his right hand firmly to the ground. Edward’s body violently trembled, letting out an inhuman howl.
The blood was frozen just before it could gush out, a bluish-black color spread from his wound, covering his entire palm in an instant, slowly extending up his arm.
I released the sickle’s handle, calmly looking at his pained face, then stood up and walked towards his other side.
“Peipei, don’t——! Don’t do this… ah…”
Hiss hiss——
A new short sickle appeared in my hand.
“Hiss huff——, hiss huff——”
Edward was breathing heavily. He now understood what I was going to do. Pain, fear, nervousness and other negative emotions continuously struck his fragile nerves. He stretched his legs straight, desperately pressing his left hand under his body, constantly begging for mercy.
“Enough already, enough… I’m in so much pain, so uncomfortable… please stop… I beg you…”
I stared into his eyes, crouching down again.
“When I begged you. Where were you.”
Swoosh!
The short sickle stabbed into his right leg, the blade piercing through.
Edward’s whole body suddenly trembled, abruptly half sitting up, letting out a muffled groan, then his body went limp.
He had fainted.
But, what did that matter?
“Peipei…”
Seems like someone was calling me… nevermind that for now.
Grabbing Edward’s unconscious arm, I yanked his left palm out from under his body. A blue light flashed in my hand, and a third ice sickle appeared, swinging down without a moment’s pause.
Piercing through his left palm.
Edward’s body trembled again, his eyes suddenly opening wide, using all his strength to let out a hoarse bestial howl.
“Ah!”
“Ahhhhh——!!”
He turned his head, his eyes blood-red, his face like a madman.
“Peylo——!”
“No! Peylo wouldn’t do this to me, you’re not her!”
“You’re a devil——!!”
“You’re not her! You’re a devil——!”
I calmly looked into his eyes.
“This is what I’m returning to you.”
“It’s not paid back yet.”
Hearing this, Edward’s mouth trembled, and he actually started crying.
“Wuu wuu… don’t kill me… I still want to be emperor… don’t kill me…”
Fear had devoured his sanity, his hands were shaking, his legs too.
At several swollen and purple grotesque wounds, dark brown blood had frozen into ice crystals covering them. This way, a person shouldn’t die too easily… right? I wasn’t very sure either.
But his life was in my hands.
If I wanted to kill him, he would die. But he was so afraid of dying, so even though he had been tormented to such a state, he could only look at me with red eyes, then cry like a child.
He must be very scared in his heart, maybe also very angry, but he didn’t dare show any resistance… ah, or rather he couldn’t even if he wanted to.
Really…
I frowned.
The next moment, my lips curled into a smile.
“Hehe.”
How interesting.
Crack, crack.
A fourth short sickle appeared in my hand, and in the next instant, the blade flashed before my eyes.
Thud.
“Ugh——, cough… you… gu…”
Fresh blood spilled from Edward’s mouth, was swallowed back, then surged out again.
I looked at the short sickle still in my hand, then at the sword stuck in his chest, blankly raised my head to see Lafayette with a cold face, slowly pulling his sword out of Edward’s chest.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Edward started spitting blood.
He raised his head with all his strength, bulging eyes staring fixedly at Lafayette’s face, seemingly wanting to say something, but could no longer speak. The light in his pupils gradually faded, and with a “thud”, his head fell.
No more sound came from him.
I stared steadily at Lafayette’s face.
He still had blood stains on him from who knows who, and was now wiping away the gray sweat from his head. He raised his left hand that wasn’t holding the sword, seeming to want to pat my head, but seeing his hand was covered in dust and blood, he withdrew it, wiped it twice on his leather armor, and looked at me with a warm smile.
“This kind of thing doesn’t suit you, let me do it instead.”
“…Mm.”
I obediently nodded.
My heart felt like the first clear sky after heavy snow.
“Let’s go home.”
“Mm.”
Lafayette sheathed his sword, turned and pointed at Edward’s corpse, saying to the guards: “Take his body back.”
“Understood, Count.”
“Pah, this coward is finally dead, did you see his expression just now, hahaha——”
“Count, that was a beautiful thrust!”
“Hey hey, what are you all talking about, that’s not the point! The Count actually smiled, you all saw it right!”
The guards crowded around Lafayette, laughing and talking with him while making faces at me.
“We saw it——! Haha, who was it that said before, if they could see the Count’s smile before dying, they’d be satisfied…”
“Count, is that girl your fiancee?”
“Get out of here.” Lafayette laughed and punched the speaking guard, “Watch what you’re saying, that’s my sister.”
“Oh~”
“She’s so pretty—— and ruthless enough, I like it!”
“…Peipei, what are you standing there for, shall we go?”
“…Oh, coming.”
I looked down at Edward.
His eyes were wide open, the twisted expression on his face had frozen, his mouth slightly open, black hair covered in mud and snow, both hands and one leg nailed to the ground by short sickles.
Looking again at the ice sickle in my hand, it was still emitting thick white smoke.
I casually threw it on the ground, and as I lifted my feet, my brows furrowed tightly.
The next moment, the sound of rolling wheels came from afar.
I turned to look, a black horned carriage slowly approached, it was a very familiar style, with a crescent moon in clouds printed on the carriage, that was the Wintermoon family crest.
At the front of the horned carriage, Hoover held the reins with one hand, the other hand raised high, waving at us from afar. Behind him, dozens of hunters rode handsome black horned horses, advancing majestically.
I could recognize many faces among them, they were people from the third squad of the Shanter army.
“Caw——”
A raven’s cry came from the sky again, I raised my head.
Whoosh——
The black red-eyed big bird, flapping its wings, flew towards me.