The Eldest Daughter Walks Down The Flower Path - Chapter 152

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Eldest Daughter Walks the Path of Flowers Episode 152

Eight-year-old Eve Russel had long since lost the innocence typical of children her age.

After Noah’s death, only those who sought to use him remained around him.

When someone approached, rather than smiling naively or being cautiously childlike, he had to read their expressions and first figure out what they wanted.

While other children shared blind trust and affection with the world around them, he learned that the only way to protect himself was to close his heart.

The naturally precocious child had to cut away pieces of his childhood from his own body in order to survive.

As a result, he became a child who would never look up for help even when he needed it.

Just like now.

Eve Russel, who had ridden with the knights of the marquis to the forest near Luare, jumped down from a horse taller than himself without anyone’s help.

And as if accustomed to it, he gathered his belongings and shouldered them.

Gideon Russel approached him.

Gideon grabbed his young nephew’s shoulder with a strong hand, dragged him in front of a gloomy cave, and spoke.

“You walk at the front.”

Eve Russel’s lips trembled.

He stared at the cave entrance that gaped like the mouth of a giant beast with a somewhat fearful expression before slowly speaking.

“I… don’t know the way…”

Gideon cut off his words as coldly as a blade.

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

“…”

“It’s a single path, so just walk forward. Don’t think about acting like a child in front of the family’s important business.”

“…Yes.”

Gideon, who had been about to walk to the back, turned forward again and said.

“And fix that messy hair too.”

Eve silently combed back his overgrown hair with his fingers.

Through the curly black hair, a small pale face, downcast golden eyes, and a straight nose were revealed.

It was a face so lovely that one would instinctively want to caress his cheeks, but there was no one to do so for that child.

“Tsk.”

Gideon shuddered as he looked at his nephew who resembled the brother he had killed with his own hands.

“Disgusting brat.”

At that muttering filled with deep disgust, Eve had to shrink his already small, hunched shoulders even deeper.

With his body curled up small like that, the child had to gain another cold realization as sharp as a blade.

To him, inside and outside the cave were no different.

Both were terrifyingly dark and vast.

After passing through the long pitch-black tunnel that seemed like it would continue forever, the knights of the marquis finally reached the entrance to the Forbidden Zone.

They briefly reorganized in the wide clearing at the end of the passage, then opened the door and entered the Forbidden Zone.

Hailey and Ashton, exhausted from walking through the tunnel, constantly complained from the middle of the group.

“What on earth is this mist? It’s absolutely dreadful!”

“Mother, the smell is too terrible!”

“Here, try covering it with this handkerchief, dear.”

Listening to their bustling voices with half an ear, Eve continued walking forward with strength in his legs.

The bumpy roots of the Mabesu Tree were covered with moss dripping with poison, making them slippery, but there was nowhere to place his hands.

Eve, who had been repeatedly slipping and falling countless times, suddenly realized that something huge and white was visible in the pale mist.

Realizing that this was the destination of this arduous journey, Eve quickened his pace even more.

Soon he could see a single enormous tree that glowed white like the bones of a dead beast.

Eve instinctively realized.

‘That is death itself.’

Then suddenly someone’s strong hand grabbed his hair.

Exhausted Eve’s neck snapped back as if it would break.

His golden eyes widened in surprise as they stared into the void.

And the child saw a massive shadow hanging in the air.

“…!”

A nightmarish giant monster was looking down at them.

Eve realized that the head of a giant spider was staring intently at his two eyes.

At that horrific sight, Eve screamed.

“Ah, ahhhhh!”

Gideon’s hand covered his mouth.

He gripped Eve’s hair as if he would tear it out and whispered low.

“Shut up! Are you determined to ruin everything?”

“Un, Uncle…!”

“Open your eyes properly, Eve Russel!”

Eve struggled to open his eyes that had closed in terror and looked at the monster.

But at some point, the monster had disappeared.

Realizing the monster was gone, Gideon kicked the child’s thigh with his knee, knocking him down.

“Pathetic thing!”

“…”

“Get up!”

Eve staggered to his feet.

There was no particular expression left on his face and his eyes were completely empty.

The moment he saw that face, Gideon was involuntarily reminded of the dying Noah Russel.

‘Brother.’

His brother who always seemed to illuminate Gideon’s most sordid inner thoughts with those golden eyes.

Even while dying from an arrow wound, even knowing that it was Gideon who had shot that arrow, Noah wasn’t surprised.

‘Don’t… torment Eve too much.’

He had simply said that with a gentle face.

Gideon unconsciously grabbed his nephew’s slender neck.

“Ugh…”

Eve didn’t even resist.

He simply gazed at his uncle with clear eyes like a sacrifice on an altar.

Then a sharp clicking sound came from overhead.

Coming to his senses at that sound, Gideon set Eve down as if throwing him.

“Ahem.”

Gideon realized he had been overly excited due to the poison of the Forbidden Zone.

“Damn, this place is no different from hell.”

He had two knights support his nephew.

The knights held the child like a prisoner as they headed toward the center of the Forbidden Zone, to the cavern under the roots of the Demonic Tree.

The knights lowered rope ladders so they could descend into the cavern.

Eve went down first, followed by Gideon.

After Hailey and Ashton descended in turn, Gideon pointed to the center of the cavern and spoke.

“That is ‘Chronos.'”

In the middle of the cavern lay a fist-sized gem emitting a soft light.

Gideon spoke in a solemn voice.

“Watch carefully. Chronos must stay there.”

He looked at Eve and Ashton and asked.

“What did I tell you to do if changes occur to Chronos?”

He first directed his gaze to Ashton.

Ashton, who had two perfumed handkerchiefs layered over his nose and mouth, stared blankly at his father before hastily pretending to cough.

“Cough cough, the poison is too much…”

Gideon clicked his tongue and looked at Eve.

Eve opened his mouth with a gloomy expression.

“…We must assess the state of the Forbidden Zone and then respond accordingly. If something good is born, the House of Russel’s long mission will end, but if something evil is born, we must stop it even at the cost of our lives.”

Hailey’s face contorted as much as possible upon seeing the complex light that appeared on Gideon’s face.

Gideon continued speaking.

“Yes. That is our mission. We must engrave it in our bones and never forget it. If we complete our mission, our souls will be recognized for their merit and receive the gods’ calling, but if we fail, we will be held responsible and suffer eternally in the Underworld.”

Eve saw the ecstatic smile that appeared on Gideon’s face the moment he uttered the words “the gods’ calling.”

Eve wanted to ask.

Whether terrorizing a young nephew was of no consequence before the shining achievement of completing that mission.

Whether even Noah Russel’s horrible death could be justified for the sake of the Family.

However, Eve had to swallow those questions as always.

Having completed the ritual, Gideon spoke with a satisfied expression.

“Well then, let’s go back now. We’ll come here again in 5 years.”

When leaving the cavern, the order was reversed from when they entered.

Hailey and Ashton climbed up the ladder first, and Gideon quickly followed behind them.

Eve was last.

He barely managed to grab the ladder with hands that kept slipping due to his drained strength and climbed up to the surface.

Just as he pulled his body up over the ladder and was about to stand up, a large shadow blocked his way.

It was Hailey.

Her eyes were bloodshot red, and what was contained in her gaze filled with madness was pure killing intent.

Eve had never seen such terrifying eyes in his life.

Looking at Eve with those eyes, Hailey opened her mouth.

“I… can’t stand it anymore…!”

She grabbed Eve’s shoulders painfully and shouted in a low voice.

“The Russel Estate belongs to Gideon, and the heir who will succeed Gideon is my son Ashton. Eve Russel, you must disappear!”

Hailey’s two hands pushed his shoulders backward.

Eve, completely drained of strength, couldn’t even scream as he tumbled down into the sloped pit.

He seemed to lose consciousness for a moment.

What woke him was Gideon’s voice coming from far away.

“What have you done? We can’t get out of here without him!”

Eve painfully turned his head while his forehead was pressed against the ground.

He had rolled so far that he was now collapsed in the center of the cavern.

Right in front of his nose, Chronos was emitting light of five colors.

That beautiful light seemed to gently caress him in his loneliness.

Eve, who had been staring at that brilliant light with a face stained by anguish, slowly placed his hand on top of it.

‘Those people will kill me just like they used me over and over again and then murdered Noah.’

For the first time, a cruel light appeared in his golden eyes.

‘I don’t want to die like Noah. I want to live…!’

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