You Think I Won't Talk?-Chapter 683 — A Fake Life’s War

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’Around here...? Was it here??’ — I thought conflicted as I did not know if I remembered correctly Zel’s directions since I was too... uhm... well I had difficulty focusing on what he said back there. — "Sigh... that man... did I actually lose her track?"

"No." — She said appearing in the middle of the great hall I thought I saw empty a moment ago. — "You did not, Ninth... you were looking for me, am I right? You tracked me marvellously."

"... After what happened of course it is you I was looking for, Lady Karina."

"Hmph... You have strong manners, you still call myself a lady."

"Well... I could call you many names but I do not find that very tasteful lately."

"I see... You took a while to come. Were you fixing things with my love?"

"... Yes, we were. He’s quite energetic with me so it took me a while. Sorry to make you wait."

"Hah... energetic?"

"Yes, too loving and affectionate. You would not know about something like that. You only know his deathly side, right? How pitiful... I can tell you if you want. I have many stories about his naughty hands."

"... you love testing others’ limits ninth... every single one of you does." — With an expression that slowly became more distorted, Karina gritted her teeth. I couldn’t understand quite well what she meant but surely it was only a matter of time until I learned about it.

"It appears to be a hobby of mine... after getting back my sound it became an entertaining little thing to try."

Silence reigned when I expected a retort. Her visage had calmed too much in comparison and now her eyes stared deeply into mine. Slightly unsettling... menacing and disturbing.

"Marianne Elise Sylfinnier... you do not know who you are talking to do you?"

"... do you believe that if I knew I would not dare to talk back?" — I asked, aware that as menacing as she hoped to be I should become. — "I am the Ninth’s Calla’s Confidant, Pristina Pars... this name stands for my soul being the mouthpiece of a promise. Tell me. Who are thou for my mouthpiece to fear?"

The grin her corners lifted was as ominous as a deathly puppet. Darkness seemed to belong to her, Karina’s innocence and good essence now seemed nowhere to be found and difficult to ever believe it existed in the first place.

"Calla... that’s right..." — She muttered with murderous growls. Sending shivers down my spine as the ambience tensed up. — "She was such a nuisance... she still is even though I killed her."

"..."

"You are here for a promise, right? My existence is the reason for your being, Marianne... You should have died so many times... these gods at Izeneya did something they shouldn’t have. A foreign soul that is now part of this realm... it must have cost them many gods’ lives to achieve that."

"... so it’s not that you are just part of the god’s enemy... you—"

"To say I am their enemy... we used to be family. How cold." — Karina with entertained gestures said hypocritically, looking at me again with emotionless hues. — "Families are like that, aren’t they?"

"..."

"They betray you in ways one wouldn’t expect... mine calls me their enemy... yours... dances to the enemy’s wishes, haha~ except for Orland for his blood is thick... it would have been so much easier for you to die with that poison... Paul had too weak a mind that my curse made him obsessed but the women of your home were helpful. If you had died as supposed to Paul and the others would have finally tarnished Jørgen’s honour making his annoying blood disappear for good!"

"..." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Well, that does not matter now that we are here." — Changing her behaviour at my glare, she fixed her skirt as if dust had stained it. Returning the glare as she decided to declare more. — "You have annoyed me greatly, Marianne. So hard to kill... maybe you earned that luck as a soul that comes from two."

"I will take that as a compliment."

"Haha... how shameless you are. So sickening."

"I am not who goes around showing her breasts to get a reaction from a hard-to-kill girl. You are the sick one."

"Sick? Haha... It is fine, that will not happen again."

"Oh, really? I am glad. Why is that? Have you given up, Karina? They weren’t convincing at all after all... must have hurt our pride."

"No. It is because you will finally die." — Nonchalant, she answered, smiling again like the innocent lady any would care for. Ignoring my disses to let me know more of what I ignored. — "Also, Karina is not my name."

A strong rumble suddenly shook the Palace, making me stammer slightly as a strong light, unnatural during the night, was able to illuminate as if lightning went through the hall. — "What was that...?" — I asked, knowing that nothing good could come as an answer.

"It does resemble my name..." — She continued while I stared from my spot at the far light outside the big windows. — "But in reality, my name is Katrina for I love granting torture to subjects... oh, but since I was expelled from Izeneya... I no longer am recognised as god but instead I am a witch."

’... why... is there an ocean of torches outside...?’

"The broken bones witch... Katrina is my name and that army you see covering the horizon... is the one that will burn the empire of the man who refuses to come back to me into a crisp, Marianne."

"... what?"

"It is too late. This was not supposed to happen like this but Fehuh is here. I cannot keep this up for more days... everyone who stood in my way will disappear... and since it’s your fault. You need to suffer most... should we start?"

"No, thank you. I believe this isn’t my fault in the first place. Stop the nonsense."

"..." — Her silence froze me for a moment. I had the impulse to retort without much thought but her expression did not react to it at all... instead, it gave me the shivers for she slowly started to walk towards me. — "You wouldn’t know."

"... know what?"

"You... you never knew nor had a way to know..."

"... w-... that’s... that’s just idiotic, Karina."

"Katrina it is... You are fearless even after I’ve declared your death, huh. Annoying, so annoying you are Marianne... but never mind, your courage will melt. First... that Father of yours... how do you think he’s doing?" — As if satisfied, her expression looked too calm. Grinning at my quiet stare that tried to hide the fear behind that question. — "I bet he’s hating himself... because... see?"

Making me look at the ground I saw a circle open with a view I recognised... my chambers back home... dark with only a candle to help me see and dad’s face... buried in the journal I thought I had hidden well.

"You wrote many things in there didn’t you?"

"... no..."

"It’s alright... he’s not alone." — Then she said. — "It would be too lonely for the poor man... I sent your brother. He must be now... caring for your parents."