Celebrity Lady - Chapter 156

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Celebrity Lady
Chapter 156
Under Wishit’s piercing gaze, Bilkin shrank back, tucking his neck in.
“Yes. Well then, do have a pleasant time. I’ll be taking my leave.”
“No! Don’t go! Someone, please stop him! This terrible spirit!”
Poze cried out in despair, but heartless Bilkin vanished in an instant.
“Tch, coward that you are…….”
“The fact that you still have the strength to talk suggests I haven’t beaten you enough yet.”
“That’s not it — my body’s just recovered a little, that’s all.”
“Then I arrived at just the right moment. I was planning to beat you again anyway, once you started to heal.”
“Ah, come on……! Ow, ow, it hurts.”
Poze whimpered, touching a split lip, while Wishit watched him dispassionately.
Catching his eye, Poze laughed sheepishly.
“……Will you really hit me?”
Wishit strode forward.
“Yikes!”
Poze flinched at his approach.
But contrary to his expectation of being struck, Wishit merely stared down at him.
“Have you repented?”
“I have, very much. Please release me now.”
“No, there’s no chance of that. Repentance or not, I intend to confine you here for a full thousand years.”
“How cruel. You’ll release me after a thousand years, won’t you?”
“We’ll see about that then.”
He hadn’t expected anything anyway. Poze pouted and grumbled.
After some time, as Wishit continued to stand without speaking, Poze glanced up uncertainly.
“……What? Why are you looking so frightening?”
For some reason, he was smiling.
“Your expectations didn’t miss the mark too badly, did they? How does it feel?”
“……? What—ah.”
Poze let out a hollow laugh.
Poze had been certain that Rubetria would never plead for Wishit’s freedom.
But Poze’s prediction was wrong, and the King obtained his freedom. And with it came the freedom of all spirits.
“That’s rather childish of you. Do you feel proud of winning the wager?”
The King, already delighted with how endearing his Contractor was, let his pride soar to the heavens.
Poze, irritated by this, deliberately needled him further.
“You didn’t annihilate me only because that human asked you to, didn’t you? When you were hitting me, you looked absolutely desperate to do it…….”
“No, keeping you alive was entirely my decision. I was angry, but I couldn’t bring myself to erase you — so I beat you instead. Some creatures only come to their senses after taking blows until death.”
Poze was surprised by this unexpected answer.
“You were willing to keep me alive? I tried to kill your Contractor.”
“You’re alive, so count yourself fortunate. If you weren’t, you’d be dead too.”
“Hmph.”
“And yet, once upon a time, you were the one I cherished most……. If I had to erase you with my own hands, I think tears might have fallen.”
Poze stilled at those words, quietly raising his eyes to meet Wishit’s.
“……What’s this? Suddenly so merciful?”
“Your ambitions were grand, certainly, but in the end the imperial family is safe, and my Contractor’s bloodline remains unharmed. For all your grand talk, you couldn’t kill even a single one — you’re just like the Second Prince in your sheer stupidity.”
“…….”
“Ah, and the First Princess, the Crown Prince’s half-sister, has also risen from her sickbed. The Duke used an illusion to trick that sorcerer — the one who lost his head — into creating an antidote and a cure for her chronic illness.”
Wishit shook his head slowly, adding:
“As a result, she’s actually become healthier than when she was merely maintaining her position due to her weak constitution.”
“…….”
“You goaded the Second Prince, who would have harbored treacherous thoughts anyway, into ruin; so the Crown Prince need never be troubled by him again. And everyone entangled with the Second Prince has been sent to the gallows, everything my Contractor wished for has come to pass.”
Wishit stroked his chin thoughtfully, then added:
“If you hadn’t driven Rubetria into a corner at the end, I’d still be bound by sealed power, with only one wish left…….”
Wait, now that he thought about it, something seemed off.
Poze tilted his head in confusion.
“Were you actually trying to help me with all your might?”
“Of course not.”
“In any case, all the foolish schemes you’ve concocted came to nothing.”
Both Wishit and Poze had obtained results satisfying to them.
“I’ll let you live. But I’ll only let you live. You attempted wicked things, so you must receive punishment for them — go and cool your head for about a thousand years until you develop some real sense.”
Wishit observed Poze, who had grown considerably, and moved to leave, adding:
“Though it does seem you’ve learned something, to some degree, in your growth.”
“Wait!”
Poze called out after the departing Wishit.
“What will the King do now? Will you just spend the rest of your days cleaning up after your Contractor? You’ve finally become free…….”
Wishit stopped in place, and fell silent, his head tilted back.
After a long time, he spoke:
“A human life is not so very long.”
At most.
“A mere few decades — what loss is there in that? I only find it regrettable.”
“…….”
“That she grows, loves, weeps, laughs. That she bears children who look just like me, grows old, and closes her eyes…….”
He turned back to Poze and smiled.
“I will witness it all.”
* * *
A spring day in May.
The Imperial Palace, where the State Wedding takes place.
Pink petals from the flowering trees in full bloom scattered in the breeze.
The outdoor wedding venue before the ornate Main Hall was filled with countless guests come to celebrate the State Wedding.
A fine day.
The Spirit King, Wishit, sat atop the tallest tree overlooking the entire venue.
“Fortunate that the weather is so good.”
A cloudless, clear blue sky.
A gentle spring breeze swept through, weaving fine gold threads through his golden hair.
* * *
Following Rubetria’s wish to walk an outdoor wedding aisle, today’s bride and groom had completed the ceremony inside the Main Hall and now prepared for their procession.
“Ruby.”
“Hmm?”
Lark glanced down at Rubetria beside him, his face tight with nervous tension.
Her rose-colored hair was elegantly styled up, contrasting with her pristine white wedding dress.
The bride was radiant.
“Wow.”
He felt like a twelve-year-old boy. Embarrassed, he couldn’t bear to look longer, and his eyes turned back to face forward.
“This is maddening.”
He admired her openly, then stole another glance.
He hadn’t been able to see her face hidden beneath the veil during the ceremony…….
If he’d known he wouldn’t be able to look away like this, he might have preferred not to see her until the ceremony was over.
The two stood facing each other,
“……I’m so grateful I’m the groom.”
“……I’m so glad I insisted we become husband and wife.”
They spoke at the same time and stopped short.
“What?”
Lark burst out laughing.
The bride was equally entranced by the groom’s beauty.
His well-proportioned frame in a fitted black tuxedo, his distinctive features shown to full advantage beneath swept-back silver hair — he shone more brilliantly than ever today.
In truth, Rubetria had been sneaking glances at the groom throughout the long ceremony, so bored that she’d barely noticed.
“You know, Ruby.”
“What?”
“……Love.”
Lark, bending his head slightly, whispered teasingly near her ear, and Rubetria let out a startled laugh.
“I love you. Don’t mumble it so I can’t hear — say it properly, would you?”
“I’m embarrassed.”
“But just the other day you said it hundreds of times on the bed.”
“Ah, sh—shush.”
Flustered, Lark quickly pressed a finger to his lips and glanced around nervously.
“If the Duke finds out, we’re done for. She can never know.”
That something that came after the kiss — conducted, contrary to plan, before the ceremony — was a secret he intended to take to his grave.
Rubetria laughed softly and tightened her grip on his arm.
“Let’s go.”
The doors opened.
Before them, beneath blooming flowering trees, stretched a long white wedding aisle.
On either side stood white tables laden with spring flowers, the guests’ seats.
On the left, the imperial family; on the right, the bride’s relatives and invited guests, all standing.
‘Oh my! Victor, what’s wrong?’
Rubetria spotted Victor weeping openly and was startled.
“Hiccup, hic…….”
“What’s gotten into you? Even I, your father, am composed — why are you making such a fuss?”
“Victor, stop it.”
Leonard scolded Victor, who was wiping his reddened eyes clumsily, while Biego spoke quietly to him.
Watching them, Rubetria could barely suppress her smile as she looked up at the clear sky.
‘Can you see this?’
Silently, she directed her thoughts toward someone.
‘I think I’ve almost completed the life you dreamed of for me.’
She turned back to her family with a bright smile and waved.
Leonard.
‘Father’s become so healthy. Sometimes I think of Mother, but now he doesn’t drink or smoke at all.’
And her brothers.
‘Now they’ve both become complete fools over their sister. It’s exhausting. As for my eldest brother — honestly, I harbored some resentment when I thought of you. But because you cared for him so deeply, I found myself softening toward him too.’
A watch that Rubetria had given him gleamed on Biego’s wrist.
‘Tch, I didn’t want to give it, but in the end, thinking of you, I bought him one anyway.’
Following Lark, who matched his pace to hers, Rubetria began to walk slowly.
“Rubetria, be happy!”
“Brother, brother! Look here!”
The Emperor and Empress, Mrs. Endleton, the Fifth Princess Lizbeth and Third Princess Aristana, and the First Princess Bella, who had recently risen from her sickbed…….
“Miss……sob, sob……. Perfection.”
And Becky, the top tailor of Blanc de Rubis.
‘Oh, there’s our Becky. What if you and Becky hadn’t become close? I can’t bear to imagine it. Thanks to Becky, who signed that contract trusting me, I was able to earn quite a bit of money. Thank you.’
Model Sera and Manager Isolde were there as well.
“Be happy, Miss!”
“Our CEO is so beautiful!”
And then.
“Sob, sob. Miss…….”
“Oh dear. Don’t cry, you fool.”
Rubetria paused and, spotting Rebecca, spoke softly to her.
The maid who had been the only one kind to the scolded young lady — in her previous life, she had met a terrible end…….
‘Rebecca’s safe too. This time, I made sure those wretches couldn’t lay a finger on her. I’ve paid back your debt in full, haven’t I?’
Satisfied, Rubetria walked on.
‘That’s right. I bought her that forest-view third-floor house she wanted, and she’s raising a tricolor cat. I was amazed at how perfectly it turned out to have tricolor fur, just as she wished — I think Wishit must have found and brought it to her.’
Smiling to herself, she soon reached the lush green arch erected at the end of the aisle.
Rubetria slowed to a stop, looking up at Lark, who had walked beside her.
‘And truly, thank you. Do you know who whined about becoming husband and wife when they were eight years old? You never could have imagined they’d be this much of a beauty. It truly was a gift from the gods.’
After gazing at Lark with an enchanted expression for some time, Rubetria received the kiss he now offered.
‘I’ll treasure it as your gift. Oh, and your and my closest friend! I mean Wishit…….’
“Oh my!”
Lark pulled his lips away briefly from hers and scooped her into his arms.
“Hehe. What’s this?”
In his embrace, with her arms around his neck, Rubetria smiled radiantly.
She called out to the guests:
“Sera, throw it?”
“Yes!”
Sera, who had been waiting in anticipation.
As the bouquet she threw landed safely in the hands of the bride-to-be, applause and cheers filled the venue.
“Kiss me again.”
“As many times as you’d like.”
Facing each other once more, Rubetria and Lark embraced and kissed, just as they were.
And at that same moment,
“Oh my, what’s this?”
“How beautiful. Truly.”
Pink petals rained down upon them like a shower.
With no wind to carry them, as if by magic.
“Wow.”
Watching the enchanting sight of falling petals, Lark was suddenly captivated by the sight of Rubetria waving to the guests.
Could the spring sunlight streaming down have set her alight?
For just a moment, her eyes seemed to shimmer with gold.
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
Turning back with a radiant smile, Rubetria made Lark smile in return.
“You’re more beautiful.”
One spring day.
A wedding blessed by petals that fell like magic, beautiful beyond measure.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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