Chapter 490
Yes, I love him.
“Isabel… do you like Eivass?”
Shafiya asked seriously.
For the first time, Shafiya did not address Isabel with the honorific “Your Highness.”
Because at this moment, she saw Isabel as her junior… even as her own child.
Isabel keenly sensed this.
She gently closed her eyes, caressed her chest, and softly replied, “Yes.”
The past flowed through Isabel’s heart, and just thinking about it warmed her.
“When… when did it start?”
Shafiya asked in a low voice.
Hearing this, Isabel paused slightly and her eyes widened.
…Yes.
When did I fall for Eivass…
Was it when he rescued me from the succubus’s control? Was it when he helped me through the difficult time of my grandmother’s passing?
Was it because he solved the Death Curse that had plagued the royal family for over a decade?
Or was it because he changed my personality, helping me make friends…
…No, none of that.
Isabel remembered the Magic Painting she had drawn for Eivass.
She had already fallen for him long before these events. She just hadn’t realized it herself then…
—Now that I think about it, when I deeply remembered his name and could never forget it… it was at the very beginning.
It was during the very first Ascension Ritual… when no one thought I could complete it safely, and even Teacher Janis just wanted to give me a failed experience.
He praised me from the bottom of his heart, saying, “Thanks to you” and “Admirable.”
He sincerely and resolutely said cool words like, “I will save Avalon and this World from danger.”
When I said, “You don’t have to save me,” he unhesitatingly refused.
He saved me and Sherlock. Then, holding a dagger, he died alone outside.
—It was only so that “Lulu wouldn’t be scared” if he died inside.
Perhaps it was at that very moment.
Isabel felt a powerful “warmth.”
It was like someone freezing in the cold wind basking in warm sunlight. She was close to tears.
She was so greedy for that warmth, yet she didn’t realize it at all. Because she subconsciously chose to hide, and only understood her heart much later.
Although she said things like “You don’t have to save me” and “I’d rather die,” she just wished someone would come and save her.
Her heart cried out, “Someone save me,” “Can someone keep me company?”
But after a long time without a response, these voices could only echo helplessly in her heart.
—Until she met Eivass.
So greedy for the warmth of the sun… once you’ve experienced it, you can never let go. It is the most poisonous and addictive thing in this World.
Hope.
If she had never had hope, she could have endured all of this. But once she felt that confidence, strength, gentleness, and brilliance, she could never return to that cold wind.
“From the very beginning.”
Isabel opened her eyes and answered firmly, “I fell in love with him.”
It wasn’t because of what he had done for her, nor because of how handsome and excellent he was.
It was because from the very beginning, his soul had attracted her—for no reason at all.
Perhaps there were many people suitable for him, but there was only one person suitable for her. Only Eivass could redeem her soul.
“…Do you know what love is?”
Shafiya couldn’t help but laugh when she heard this, “You’re still so young… you’ve never experienced anything.”
The moment she heard this, Isabel unhesitatingly uttered the words Eivass had only said once but she had firmly remembered: “Two hearts that are not the same, two souls that have not yet overlapped, are like two meticulously carved jewels. When they overlap and are angled towards the sun, turning slightly, they can project myriad different splendors on the wall…”
These were words Isabel would never dare to say in front of Eivass.
But now, in front of Shafiya—in front of this simulated Shafiya—she could speak her heart’s desires without reservation: “When two people shine upon each other, their radiance surpasses the brilliance of all the stars. I believe this is love.
“Yes, I love him.”
“…I see.”
Shafiya looked at her and nodded with some emotion, “Indeed… Love is harder to hide than a grave sin, like sunlight shining in the night.
“—I will help you, Princess Isabel. After I get you to the Church, I will go back to find him.”
“We’ve been gone for so long, will he be in danger?”
“Worry clouds judgment, Your Highness. It’s only been two days—”
Shafiya explained helplessly, “The main force is with us… we’ve defeated so many enemies in between, how many enemies could possibly go to Glass Island?”
Two days… They hadn’t taken the Gryphon, but had just arrived at the port and chosen a ferry… The enemy’s main force was gathered here… Eivass hadn’t made any moves on Glass Island yet…
Isabel heard the keywords she wanted to know. She hadn’t exposed her identity at all, and instead obtained more information.
So she bid farewell to Shafiya and sat back down on the bed, beginning to think seriously.
If that was the case, then two days had now passed, and it was the third night, or the early morning of the fourth day.
So many things had happened in between, and yet she hadn’t been exposed at all. This indicated that the ritual was likely still running normally, and they had just briefly lost control. If only she had lost control, and Eivass had retained his senses, he would surely have left her some contingency plan to explain.
Thinking of the dream she had…
It was likely not that she had lost her memory, but that something had gone wrong with the Ascension Ritual.
As an Extraordinary of The Path of Beauty, Isabel trusted her intuition implicitly.
…Oh no.
Isabel’s heart sank.
She and Eivass had agreed to reach the Church by dusk on the second day, and Eivass was to complete the Shadow of Avalon ritual before then.
If everyone had skipped the intervening two days, then half a day had already passed since the agreed-upon ritual time. Had Eivass actually performed the Shadow of Avalon ritual?
They had no way of communicating now. Not only was calling impossible on the ship, but she didn’t even know where Eivass was.
Although Sherlock was with him…
But that Sherlock was an enemy!
Just as Isabel was falling into a slight panic, she suddenly heard a sharp and hysterical laugh.
—Someone’s identity as an Ascender had been discovered by a “native”!
Isabel immediately grasped this.
But based on this, she quickly thought of something else.
Could this person be Sherlock?
No, that was impossible.
Mr. Advisor seemed very astute. If everyone had skipped the intervening two days, he might have been flustered at first, but he should have quickly regained his composure.
Given his personality, if he were with Eivass, he would not betray him. He was a rather rigid and proud person, and with Bishop Moriarty, who was a Priest, he should have acted as a protector. Because he would not allow himself to stand behind a healer.
Considering this, Eivass would not have killed him immediately.
Isabel’s mind raced, quickly analyzing everyone’s personality.
She wasn’t very clear on logical matters, but she could see through everyone’s essence. Her main task this time had been related to the trials of “acting.”
From this perspective, she could completely put herself in everyone’s position. To think about what the other person would do.
—What if I were Eivass?
This thought suddenly popped into Isabel’s mind.
If I were Eivass, what would I do?
She suddenly felt a surge of intense excitement—not even based on life or death crises, but on “understanding” and “love.”
Now she didn’t know Eivass’s position, and Eivass didn’t know her situation.
They couldn’t contact each other, and Isabel had to ensure she reached the Church as quickly as possible after Eivass completed the Shadow of Avalon ritual—quickly, but not too quickly. If she was too fast, it would just mean Eivass hadn’t completed the ritual; but if she was too slow, Eivass could be in mortal danger.
Given Isabel’s personality, she would definitely go to the Church as soon as possible. But since Eivass wanted to complete the ritual, she would choose to support him.
She had to understand Eivass well enough to guess his every move from afar; similarly, Eivass had to understand her well enough to realize that she could receive the information he was transmitting.
—Here’s the problem now.
Did she truly understand Eivass well enough?
In this situation, could she guess Eivass’s every move?
“If I were Eivass…”
Isabel’s gaze gradually cleared, “I would kill ‘Sherlock’ at the beginning of the ritual.
“Because he would also definitely realize that we have no means of communication. The only way to overcome all obstacles would be the ‘Funeral Bell’ and ‘Mockery.’ Therefore, he wouldn’t kill Sherlock beforehand.”
—But what if someone died midway, disrupting the information?
This thought crossed Isabel’s mind.
“If I were Eivass… when I realized someone had died, I would immediately kill Sherlock. Because there wouldn’t be a mutual death match in the Full Moon Ritual, so two consecutive deaths would be unreasonable. If I heard such a signal, I would know he wasn’t ready yet…”
She thought seriously in her heart, apprehensive, and expectant.
Waiting for the answer on the day of reckoning.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Eivass, hearing the sound of laughter while talking to Sherlock, felt a stir in his heart.
“…The laughter has begun. The number of people is now sufficient, with only six remaining. Now everyone just needs to complete their respective tasks; there’s no need for further conflict.
“Although I can’t contact Isabel… if she hears this laughter, she will probably realize something.”
Eivass believed that the current Isabel was completely different from the little princess he first met years ago.
She was not a burden, but a reliable teammate.
With absolutely no communication and the plan completely abandoned—how could the two achieve perfect communication?
Eivass looked at Sherlock, who was playing the role of the “Advisor,” and felt a flicker of an idea.
“After I prepare the Shadow of Avalon ritual… perhaps I can transmit information by killing the Advisor.”
If she realizes this death is completely unnecessary and abrupt, she will probably understand that this is the information I want to convey to her.
—But what if someone dies midway?
Eivass cautiously considered another scenario.
In that case, I would kill the Advisor beforehand to alert Isabel—
If that situation were to occur, the two Funeral Bells ringing simultaneously would signify “the second day,” and the time could be changed to dusk!
Could she figure this out?
The Shadow of Avalon ritual was extremely dangerous… If I mishandled it, I might die here. Without the assistance of teammates, it would be like bungee jumping without a safety rope, akin to suicide.
Should I really bet on Isabel understanding my intentions?
—No, it’s not a bet.
In the depths of Eivass’s eyes, deep crimson flames gradually ignited.
It was understanding… and trust.
Eivass knew that Isabel was good at sensing the nature of others and probing their inner thoughts. This was a characteristic of The Path of Beauty, and as a generalist, she excelled in this art.
If it’s you…
You must be able to guess what I’m thinking right now, Isabel.
Eivass thought in his heart.
“If I were Eivass…”
Isabel closed her eyes slightly, her confidence growing.
“—I would trust Isabel.”
She thought in her heart.
(End of this chapter)
