The Obsessive Male Lead Is Obsessed With Me! - Chapter 154

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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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Episode 154

‘That means, indeed, the Archduchess staying at the temple wasn’t because of illness…’

‘It seems there was an agreement between His Holiness the Pope and His Highness the Second Prince early on.’

The nobles clicked their tongues, thinking that not only the Pope who had kept his mouth shut about this momentous event was impressive, but Lionel was truly remarkable as well.

And then, under Belrose’s guidance, the unconscious Former Empress entered.

“F-Former Empress?”

“Surely they wouldn’t harm Her Majesty the Former Empress… Oh, my!”

People were shocked because Belrose had splashed cold water on the Former Empress who was seated unconsciously in a chair.

Everyone was either struck speechless with horror or screamed at the sight. At the same time, the Former Empress regained consciousness.

“Wh-where is this…? Emperor! Where is the Emperor… Mmph!”

How such energy arose from her previously limp body was a mystery, but Belrose gagged the Former Empress who was shouting and searching for the Emperor.

“Mmph, mph!”

Belrose looked down coldly at the Former Empress, who stared at her with shocked eyes as if asking how she dared do such a thing.

Then she told the Holy Knights standing nearby to hold the Former Empress securely and bowed toward the entrance of the Grand Banquet Hall.

Simultaneously, someone shouted loudly.

“His Holiness the Pope enters!”

At that resounding voice, some bowed respectfully, some stiffened their expressions nervously, and others busily looked around with faces full of unresolved questions.

And finally, the Pope ascended the high dais.

People looked at him and thought the same thing. From now on, the Pope would reveal the true owner of the oracle and raise objections to the legitimacy of the current Emperor who ascended to the throne for being ‘chosen by the one who would become Empress.’

But their expectations were wrong.

“From now on, I will announce the real will of His Late Majesty the Emperor.”

The real will of the Late Emperor?

While people froze in shock at the unimaginable words, someone stepped forward at the Pope’s gesture.

“Gasp, that person is…!”

“Isn’t that His Late Majesty’s Maid Manager?”

That’s right. The Late Emperor’s Maid Manager, who the Former Empress had definitely said ran away with the Late Emperor’s will and whose whereabouts became mysterious.

He stepped forward beside the Pope, holding a wooden box sealed with wax.

“Before announcing the will… In God’s name, on the honor of His Late Majesty the Emperor, I have something to tell you all using this opportunity.”

With a face extremely haggard and gaunt as if he had lived a long life in hiding, he clearly pointed to the Former Empress who was looking at him with a horrified expression as if she had seen a corpse.

“The Former Empress, no, that woman is the very murderer who killed His Late Majesty the Emperor!”

* * *

Like scattered puzzle pieces, fragmentary scenes flash and pass before my eyes.

“Spirit Familiar… Good, I’ve decided on you!”

“I became a bird! I’m flying in the sky!”

“Shall I go a little farther today?”

“Oh no. I’ve come too far… If my form scatters in such a distant place, I’ll lose fragments of my soul…!”

“…Magic power! I can feel magic power of the same nature as mine nearby!”

“What a surprise! …What? A blue bird?”

“You couldn’t have… taken my magic power? How could a bird take magic power?”

“Escape successful! Phew, thank goodness. They didn’t find out I’m not a real bird, right?”

“…Just in case, shall I go take another look?”

“What? What what what? That boy was His Highness the Prince? What a shock!”

“…But I’m a blue bird. Not a person… Chirp chirp chirp… I don’t know about high status like His Highness the Prince…”

“…But he’s handsome. Hehe.”

“Wait… Should I really just go see his face for a moment?”

“Blue bird… You came again? Ah, wait!”

“I won’t hurt you. There are delicious snacks here too. So come here… Ah.”

“It flew away… It’ll come again next time, right?”

“Hmph! Trying to tempt me with mere cookies! You’re 100 years too early!”

“…Ahem, but that thing from earlier was kind of delicious.”

“He’ll definitely prepare cookies again and wait for me, right? I can’t ignore his sincerity, so I’m going for his sake!”

“Liri? Your name is Liri? …How do you know letters that people use?”

“Since you have a name, you must have a separate owner.”

“…Huh? No? You don’t?”

“Then… want to be friends with me?”

“Asking a blue bird to be friends. His Highness the Prince must not have friends either?”

“Well, you have good eyes! I am magnificent enough to want as a friend!”

“Should I give you a gift to commemorate becoming friends?”

“…What? Why is he crying? Who bullied him!”

“Tsk, if I could use magic in this form, I would have scolded them all!”

“You’re comforting me? …Thank you. You always seem to read my heart.”

“A flower? Are you giving it to me?”

“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.”

“But where is your home? It doesn’t seem like you live in the Imperial Palace…”

“Here. It’s a cage I prepared for you. No, don’t be too surprised. I just prepared it for you to rest comfortably. I promise I’ll never lock the door.”

“Geez, do you think I’m a real bird just because I look like this? …Of course, I did act very well!”

“Should I just tell him I’m human… No, that won’t do. What if he tells our parents? At least until the Spirit Familiar is complete, it must remain a secret.”

“…Still, when the Spirit Familiar is complete, should I tell him my identity first?”

“He’ll be shocked, right? Hihi, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Your lullaby is really effective. You know what? I keep falling asleep while listening, so I’ve never heard your lullaby to the end.”

“You’re going to sing for me today too? Thank you.”

“Someday I’ll sing you a lullaby too.”

“Why does he fall asleep so quickly? He seems to study all day, isn’t he very tired?”

“…He looks so exhausted, I feel bad for always stealing his magic power… But without magic power, I’ll scatter…”

“That’s it! I can put my magic vessel into my soul fragment.”

“…Great! I really am a genius. Now I won’t have to steal Lionel’s magic power anymore, right?”

“It’s a gift. How is it? Do you like it?”

“…Your water-colored feathers and the purple ribbon really suit each other well.”

“Huh? You think so too?”

“Really, saying your eye color and my eye color go well together? You didn’t say that knowing my real appearance, did you?”

“…Anyway, you have good taste.”

“Should I beg Mother to take me to the Imperial Palace?”

“I want to meet you in my real form.”

“What a cute bird. I’ll take this one.”

“Not Liri!”

“Liri? Even the name is cute. I’ll take good care of it.”

“It was you! The bad guy who bullied Lionel!”

“Ah! …How dare it peck my hand? I’ll kill it!”

“Kyaaaah!”

Ah. That’s right.

I remembered everything.

‘I died once then.’

It wasn’t simply the destruction of a soul fragment.

My consciousness had dwelt in the small body I had directly created. Therefore, in Cayen’s hands, I actually met death.

To be precise, it was death yet not death.

My soul received a shock equivalent to death, but my main body was fine. Thanks to that, my consciousness wasn’t completely scattered and was maintained thinly.

At that time, I felt like I had become a speck of dust drifting through the universe. The feeling of wandering aimlessly, having completely forgotten and lost my existence as myself.

Consumed by endless floating sensation, that’s when I truly saw my life flash before my eyes.

I recalled memories of my previous life that I had completely forgotten, and glimpsed events that would happen in the distant future within the flow of pouring stars.

So this world wasn’t something like a world within a novel.

‘Because I recalled my past life as well, my memories got mixed up, so I mistook the future I saw for scenes from a novel.’

That was precisely why I couldn’t remember all the ‘novel’s content.’

Because I had mainly glimpsed the future related to me. That’s why I didn’t know that it was Nicole who treated the Emperor, or what happened when Lionel left for the Northern Region alone.

Crushed by memories of the past and future that my fragmented soul couldn’t handle, my consciousness completely scattered. I should have returned to ‘nothingness’ and disappeared like that.

However, the preservation magic on the ribbon Lionel had tied for me held onto the torn soul fragments, and my mana vessel, which contained vast magical power, helped restore the soul pieces.

Within the mana vessel, the soul fragments began to slowly, very slowly but steadily repair themselves.

What made that possible was.

“…I miss you, Liri.”

At first with tears. As days passed, with an increasingly dry voice. Eventually, it was thanks to Lionel’s mana that he poured in with just silent, warm touches.

“This ribbon has preservation magic on it. Since you might get hurt, next time I’ll give you a ribbon with protective magic.”

When he gave me the ribbon and said those words, he probably regretted not engraving protective magic on that ribbon.

But he was already protecting me. The mana he continuously poured in protected my soul.

Thanks to that, my soul fragments were able to return to their original state, and then.

“Ouch, that stings!”

“It seems like mana splashed. Are you hurt?”

“Oh, so that was mana splashing? It did sting, but I’m fine now.”

The moment my touch reached the mana vessel and soul fragments, the moment they reconnected with me, the Spirit Familiar was finally revived.

Certainly, my Spirit Familiar was in an incomplete state until I was killed by Cayen.

But why did just my touch complete its self-awareness without me even realizing it, allowing it to be born as ‘Ruda’?

The answer to that question was clear.

“I want to protect. This time, without fail.”

Ruda wasn’t my Spirit Familiar alone, but our Spirit Familiar created together by Lionel and me.

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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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