Chapter 208
Hearing those words, Irene realized that the creature not only bore Wilhelminaâs appearance but also had her memories.
âIâve hated looking at you all this time. Thatâs why I couldnât help but laugh when you came to the fortress. What good is a pretty face? In this place, purification power is everything.â
Wilhelminaâs face twisted as she spoke.
âSo⌠you should have been miserable here. Luxuries like a princessâs chamber were never meant for someone like you⌠I was supposed to be so much more superior to you here⌠but you, with your disgusting luck⌠So, I clung to the princess, hoping sheâd crush you⌠but whyâŚâ
As she spoke, Wilhelmina began trembling violently.
Grasping her head as if recalling something, her expression contorted with pain.
Seeing this, Irene opened her mouth to speak again.
âWhy did you⌠WhoâŚâ
Even with just those fragmented words, the meaning seemed to get through.
Wilhelmina, still clutching her head, slowly raised her gaze.
With a pained expression, she muttered.
âBut in the princessâs chamber⌠something red⌠the princess said⌠it served me rightâŚâ
As expected, it was the doing of Princess Cecilia.
Hearing Wilhelminaâs continued muttering, Irene swallowed her feelings of despair.
She had known Wilhelmina disliked her.
But to think that hatred had driven her to act with such murderous intent even as a monsterâŚ
Irene couldnât understand that level of hatred. Nor did she want to.
All she could feel was pity for someone so consumed by hatred that it bound them even in death.
Suddenly, Wilhelmina, still clutching her head, began to tremble violently again. Then, as if speaking to someone else, she answered aloud.
âYes, yes⌠I will⌠as you wishâŚâ
Wilhelmina lowered her hands from her head and glared at Irene.
âYouâre really lucky, Irene. Someone like you, daring to stay by his side.â
âHis? Who is that?â
âAre you seriously asking because you donât know? Your pair, Sir Michael. He isâŚâ
Wilhelmina tilted her head, as if something didnât seem right.
Irene, who had been stammering and unable to form coherent sentences earlier, had just spoken smoothly.
The moment Wilhelmina realized something was wrongâ
âIrene.â
Michaelâs voice came from directly behind Irene.
Wilhelmina, realizing this, opened her mouth again.
As she began to scream, Irene used the Stone of Silence again.
In fact, she had been using both the Stone of Silence and the pebble Luris had given her since the moment Wilhelmina first appeared.
After so much practice, there was no way she would foolishly miss the opportunity while staring blankly.
Having already experienced Wilhelminaâs attack once, it wasnât difficult to feign being struck and collapse convincingly.
Wilhelmina, believing her attack had worked, had approached leisurely.
Thanks to that, Irene was able to clearly hear everything Wilhelmina had said after the Stone of Silenceâs effect wore off.
Moreover, the moment Irene activated her artifacts, Michael arrived instantly, allowing her to calmly engage in conversation with Wilhelmina.
âWilhelmina, youâŚâ
With a sorrowful expression, Irene gripped the Stone of Silence again.
Monster or not, this creature was so unmistakably Wilhelmina.
Even the condescending gaze she cast toward Irene and the habit of blurting out everything she knew out of scorn were so characteristic of her.
It was impossible to think of her as merely a monster to be slain.
As soon as Irene activated the Stone of Silence, Wilhelmina opened her mouth, and Michael swung his sword.
Thud!
With a loud sound, Wilhelminaâs head was severed and rolled across the floor.
Blood sprayed out, splattering all over Michael.
Michael immediately checked on Irene, who was tightly shutting her eyes and couldnât hear anything due to the artifact.
At that moment, Wilhelminaâs severed head, lying far across the floor, opened its mouth and screamed at Michael.
âYou old man! You do not belong here! Your time in this place is almost up!â
