Chapter 155: The Wicked Witch – 4

Vivian let out a smile in the silent, deserted square.

No one dared speak, overwhelmed by the eerie undertone in her laughter.

With her eyes shedding tears and her mouth smiling, it was an unnatural sight for a person, especially in the face of death.

Her laughter was undoubtedly a genuine reaction she could not suppress.

By giving up everything, her goal had never been clearer.

The end was for Kailo, for him.

“…A curse?”

The Archbishop asked, after a long silence, as though he hadn’t thought of such a word.

It seemed his plan wasn’t supposed to unfold like this.

Vivian took a small comfort in the confusion on his face and spoke.

“Yes, I placed a powerful curse.”

She continued, her voice cold.

The Archbishop asked, as if trying to reason.

“Don’t lie.”

“I hated Kailo Alan.”

Vivian confessed.

It wasn’t a complete lie.

“From the moment I first met him, I hated him so much that I thought death was a luxury for him.”

Vivian remembered the day she first met Kailo.

The day he was dragged into her mother’s room like a sinner, it was the first time she realized how much one could hate another.

Was it just frustration?

In a mean way, she hated Kailo Alan even more than Jade Alan, who was farther away.

Perhaps it was because he was closer, she could pour more hatred onto him.

“That’s why I thought long and hard about how to make him suffer. I even locked him in the punishment unit and tried to torment him… But he endured.”

For a lie to work, it needed to be mixed with truth.

Vivian continued her words, blending truth with falsehood.

“So… I thought the curse was perfect. It would be funny if someone I hated, someone who was supposed to despise me, ended up loving me, right?”

The more she was forced into this situation, the more her hatred for the world grew.

It would be great if everything burned away.

If everyone died and vanished, she would be happy.

But Kailo existed in that world.

She knew she couldn’t do that.

His existence alone sustained this hateful world.

The only one who reached out in this hateful world.

Although he must have had many fears like herself, he protected her with his small back at first.

His warmth was surely salvation.

At first, she didn’t understand that warmth, but the more they were together, the more she realized it was a definite warmth.

He was the only one who connected her world, which seemed over.

But even that had to be denied now.

“I wanted to drive him mad.”

Vivian said.

“I wanted him to keep not understanding his own feelings but never leave me. I wanted him to keep suffering by my side. I succeeded to some extent. He loved me.”

She steadied herself and continued.

The voice of resentment that Kailo had heard on the day he left her rang in her mind.

“How foolish must it have looked?”

She clenched her teeth and, as if answering him, shouted.

“How foolish it must have looked…!”

Thud…!

As she let those words out, the pain surged, and her tears wouldn’t stop.

Her mouth could lie all it wanted, but her eyes couldn’t.

The tears that hung on her chin kept dripping down like blood.

“How foolish he must have looked, thinking it was love and stumbling all the way.”

Now, she had to accept the words that had hurt her, the words she had denied.

She couldn’t forget even one of the words he had spoken.

Just thinking about them hurt so much.

But this was the right thing to do.

As the Las Order releases Kailo, he too would now let go of her.

Even though he had already let go, he would soon forget her more easily… and live a new life.

The pain was something she would have to bear alone.

She would feel unjust and resentful, but… death was coming anyway.

She loudly shouted, as though proclaiming a lie as the truth.

“The whole world hated me!! Even you commoners didn’t trust me, and others hoped for a different ruler!! Count Corrode, my uncle, and my vassals all led the way to betray me!! And that enemy of mine… the one who should have hated me the most… is the one who cherished me… It was…”

How loved she felt.

“…How disgusting and laughable.”

Vivian suppressed the sobs that escaped her, knowing only she could hear them.

But it still wasn’t enough.

To persuade the people and stop the Las Order, she had to act even more recklessly.

“…Do you have any idea how many times he almost crossed the line, not even knowing that his feelings for me were lies? Do you have any idea how many scars are left on his body? Do you know how many times he ran around like an idiot just to protect me?”

Vivian looked up at the Archbishop.

It seemed that even he, seeing the madness in her, was beginning to question his own judgment.

“If there’s one regret, I suppose it would be that he managed to escape in the end?”

She smiled again.

Her heart ached as if it would die, but she forced her lips into a grin.

“Though he figured out my true identity too late… it’s laughable. Maybe it was because of the curse, but in the end, he never revealed my identity to the Order.”

“…Is that enough, Archbishop? Are you satisfied now that I’ve repented like this?”

Gradually, whispers began to spread through the crowd.

Kailo was transforming into the victim of a wicked and ruthless witch.

Well, he was a victim of a wicked witch, and Vivian wasn’t about to deny it.

Kailo, who had said that she should die, left without saying a word.

As she had said, he did not report it to the Order.

What was going through his mind when he left at that time?

How much pain and betrayal must he have felt?

If he were to hear the words she was saying now… how much more would he suffer?

How much more would he come to hate her?

But suddenly, in her madness, she thought this:

Perhaps, instead of being vaguely left behind as ashes, a clear hatred would be better.

Though the remaining affection would never make him come back to her, if she could create a definite reason for him to hate her… maybe he would return to her grave someday, spit on it.

She might be happy just to see his face again.

Ah.

After all, she was a witch.

There was no such thing as a grave.

Vivian chuckled softly.

The Archbishop, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, glanced down at the crowd, alternating between the pyre and the guillotine.

She seemed to feel that death was approaching through his gaze.

Vivian suddenly looked up at the sky.

As death truly approached, all sorts of thoughts filled her mind.

Fear, indifference, detachment, and then frustration all burst out.

She had thought about it countless times, but… the world was such a filthy place.

It gives you happiness and then takes it away.

If that’s the case, why give hope in the first place… give hope and then take it away.

Vivian, who had fallen continuously due to the fall caused by the disparity, was already in tatters.

She had tried many times to rise again with that tattered body, but this was it.

It was a world so harsh and ugly to herself.

As if all the misfortunes of the world had been handed to her.

If she could be born again…

…If she could be born again…

She finally smiled faintly.

…If she could be born again, she would still want to be born as herself.

Because she wanted to be with Kailo again.

And when that time came, she would certainly treat him better.

She would say the hundreds of “I love you”s she never managed to say, every single day.

She would devote her whole body to him.

“…Archbishop.”

Vivian gathered her thoughts and called out to the Archbishop.

The Archbishop looked at her silently.

“You swore by the god, Las, that if I revealed the truth about Kailo, you would spare me from the pyre.”

“…Keep that promise.”

Then, she closed her eyes.

She was tired.

Perhaps it was because of the time she spent in prison, but her body felt heavy, and she had exhausted herself shouting just moments ago.

She felt as if she had cried all the tears she had left, and she was utterly drained.

It felt like sleep was coming.

Perhaps, if she naturally fell into sleep, she wouldn’t even notice when her head was chopped off, and she could die.

She had a small wish.

…The fear was still fear.

She couldn’t overcome human instincts.

Her tired body trembled, even with the little energy she had left.

The emptiness beyond death frightened her.

Even her wish for beheading showed that.

And maybe that’s why, once again, he came to mind.

Whenever her life was in danger, Kailo always showed up.

Selfishly, or habitually, she was thinking of him again.

Of course, now there was no reason for him to think well of her anymore.

She wouldn’t see his face either…

But it wasn’t a sin to desire such things.

Maybe because it was her last moments, she thought of him…

“…I want to see him.”

Just once, she wanted to see him again.

“…Kailo.”

Like a final will, she whispered the word she loved the most in the world.

Then, Vivian waited for her impending death, her head hanging low.

…However, after waiting for a long time, no one came to meet her.

Could it be that I’m already dead?

Or perhaps I’ve fainted?

As she faintly opened her eyes in doubt, she could still see the wooden podium in front of her, on which she was kneeling.

However, the world had become eerily silent.

Vivian blinked her eyes weakly, waiting for some sound, but this strange moment seemed to stretch on without end.

The crowd, gathered to witness her execution, was silent, and even the Archbishop, who had been shouting earlier, was quiet.

Yet, it was not Elena’s actions that caused this; instead, the sound of the wind could be heard.

At that moment, an familiar scent of body odor and dust wafted through the air.

“…It seems like I’m…”

Then came the unmistakable voice.

Vivian lifted her head.

“…Ah.”

At first, she thought it might be the scene Elena had shown her.

But the strength in his presence made it clear he was not an illusion.

It had been two months.

But it felt like a lifetime had passed.

At the same time, she couldn’t believe it.

“…Ah…ah…”

This couldn’t be happening.

He shouldn’t be here.

He was someone who had left, filled with regret.

And yet, her tears flowed endlessly at his presence.

The moment he came near her, it felt like the coldness in her body was melting, as if touched by warmth.

Is he really here, in front of me?

She tried to move her bound hand, but it was caught in the chains and rattled.

At the same time, she could feel how stiff her left hand had become.

And yet… despite her tears clouding her vision, a thought crossed her mind.

Even in the face of this unbelievable miracle, a thought formed.

It was a fleeting moment when her weak reason returned.

…No, this can’t happen.

The Las Order was right in front of her.

“Ah…ah…”

No, it can’t be.

This can’t happen.

This time, it really couldn’t.

She was the witch who was meant to be executed.

She had confessed with her own mouth for Kailo, and now death was inevitable.

Anyone trying to prevent it would meet the same fate.

But Kailo, as always, chose to be with her even in the face of death.

From Kailo’s perspective, it was a choice that could only be called a curse.

However, from Vivian’s point of view, it could only be called salvation.

And yet, no words left her mouth in this unbelievable situation.

The emotions brought by the fact that he had returned to her were too complicated to express.

“Ah…ah…”

She stammered, letting out only groans.

He was supposed to be happy with that woman.

Why had he come back to find someone like her?

There had been times when she wanted him to stay by her side.

She had even wished he would die with her.

But those were all dark desires, not things she truly wanted.

Everything in her world had turned to him, once again, coming to her.

The expression he was wearing, she probably had the same one on her face.

Full of pain, but still accepting that they couldn’t give each other up.

He spoke.

“…I guess I can’t leave you.”