Chapter 389.2: Already Early Spring (Part 2)
Grey Dove looked at the goal she had fought for her entire life, and it was barely more than a meter away from her.
She blinked, and red tears of blood slid down her cheeks. In the end, even the strength to blink faded away.
Her final breath slipped away with regret, and even in death, her lifeless eyes still clung to the sight of her god.
“……”
Blue Sparrow let out a quiet sigh, placing her hand over Grey Dove’s eyes to close them.
“May you rest in peace, Killian.”
She knew well the weight of her own sins, so she couldn’t bless her with God’s favor or say she would be welcomed into heaven. Blue Sparrow knew that when she died, she would surely be thrown into hell as well.
But—
As her friend, as her family… she wanted, at the very end, to call her by name like a true “big sister” and speak a eulogy.
Even if this twisted “family” would drag them all into eternal damnation.
“…It’s about time to end this. Had enough fun yet, Red Crow? Was your little pretend game fun?”
While everyone else was lost in their own emotions, White Dove stepped forward to close the scene. He walked to Evelia’s side, deliberately making his footsteps heavy. But Evelia, who kept murmuring “Mr. Armand,” didn’t react at all.
To her, the light in her life had already gone out. Armand, her lover, her beacon, her entire world had collapsed along with the cooling of his body.
“Hmph…”
White Dove gave a small scoff. He crouched down in front of the broken, empty-eyed Evelia.
“Do you know why he ended up like this? Why your perfectly fine ‘Mr. Armand’ became so weak?”
“……”
Hearing him say Armand’s name, she lifted her head slightly. Her long pink hair, messy and tangled, hung over her eyes. Through the strands, her tear-filled, reddened golden eyes glared fiercely. Pitiful, yet burning with hate.
“…Was it you?”
Her throat was raw from crying, her hoarse voice sounding like tearing fragile paper.
“Yes… and no.”
White Dove smiled, his expression full of the enjoyment of watching a show.
“He only ended up this way thanks to your help, Red Crow.”
“…What?” Evelia’s eyes widened slightly in disbelief.
“Because Armand was looking for you, I took the chance to get some of his blood. After studying the unique qualities in it, I learned how to make a poison meant only for him. And then, through you, through the perfume lingering on you, that poison successfully reached your Mr. Armand.”
He continued, “Let me guess… you stick close to him every day, don’t you? Perfect. I was worried the poison wouldn’t be enough, but thanks to you being by his side all the time. As expected of you, Red Crow, you became the perfect assassin, flawlessly carrying out this ‘murder.’”
Revealing the truth was often the most satisfying part. White Dove spoke eagerly, spitting out truths that left Evelia unable to breathe. Each black, heavy word slammed into her heart, leaving her momentarily speechless.
“…Poison…?”
Hearing White Dove’s words, Evelia’s heart, already riddled with wounds, trembled again.
“You’re saying… the poison in Mr. Armand’s body… was brought to him… by me…?”
Impossible.
Unbelievable.
Evelia wanted Armand to live, she would have done anything for that. She had endured pain and suffering in silence, waiting and hoping for the arrival of spring—
But… was all of this because of her?
“Because of me… it was all me…?”
I’m the one who poisoned Mr. Armand…
I’m the one who made him this weak…
“You’ve been by Armand’s side for so long, don’t tell me you still didn’t know he’s been carrying a deadly poison in his body all this time, constantly suppressing it? In theory, he wouldn’t have lived past thirty. Looking at it now… hmm… he just lost two or three years earlier than expected.”
“What… how could I…?”
—How could I not know anything?
She was Armand’s lover, the one closest to him. And yet, it turned out she knew nothing. She didn’t know about his health condition, and even more, she didn’t know that she herself was the dangerous factor.
Evelia…
She was the one who had killed Armand, an accomplice in the entire scheme.
She had worked so hard so he could survive…
…But everything was because of her.
“Ah, that’s right, remember when the Second Prince invited you to the ballroom? You must have told Armand about it, right? Ah, perfect. That’s exactly the effect we wanted, Armand’s attention was all on you, and he didn’t even notice the problem with the fireworks storage… Truly, thanks to you, our Second Prince’s most trusted ‘Red Crow.’ Congratulations, you perfectly completed the task the Second Prince gave you.”
“No… no, I… I didn’t mean… I just…”
I just—
I just wanted a family.
I just wanted to feel love.
I just wanted to live with the person I liked forever.
I just… wanted my own happiness.
It’s not like this… no…
How is everything my fault?
I didn’t… I wasn’t…
I was only… I was only trying my best…
Everything was supposed to move toward happiness…
It was so close… so close…
I…
I…
I… ruined everything.
I ruined… everything I had…
Crack.
It was like the sound of her last hope shattering, or maybe the sound of her heart breaking into pieces.
The heart that had kept beating so desperately, at this moment, crumbled into dust.
She only clung tightly to Armand’s body in her arms. Her white long dress was now covered in dust and blood, and even her veil was torn and barely hanging from her head.
Armand had always wanted her to understand feelings. But after his death, those feelings became a flood that completely destroyed her.
In theory, it was already early spring. The weather was still bitterly cold, but by the calendar, spring had come. Only… in this cold spring, not a single flower had bloomed.
They were all buried under thick ice and snow, their buds pressed down so hard they couldn’t lift their heads.
White Dove stood up, looking down at Evelia, who hung her head, her will completely drained.
He had never seen her like this before. The former “favorite” of the Second Prince, now reduced to such a miserable state.
But now, she was no longer a “favorite”, she was a complete “discard.”
The Second Prince’s original order had been to execute Red Crow on the spot. But at the time, the prince seemed to have a trace of “reluctance” that shouldn’t have been there.
That “reluctance” had been noticed by White Dove. So, on his own, he decided to “retrieve” Red Crow.
After all, Evelia’s body was different from that of ordinary humans. If they couldn’t get Rachel’s experimental sample, using Evelia’s wouldn’t be impossible. And Armand, before leaving, they still needed to get some of his blood.
“Red Crow, you’ve done your job brilliantly. Now… it’s time to return to the House of Nightingales. Heh… what a harvest this is.”