The Oracle of the Villainous Baby - Chapter 175
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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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Chapter 175
Bunny soared toward the Imperial Palace. It had simply been too long since she’d last seen Roel.
Cutting across the night sky, Bunny exhaled a long breath.
‘…He hasn’t come to hate me, has he?’
In truth, she hadn’t visited the Imperial Palace since then, nor had she seen Roel.
He hadn’t contacted her either. Bunny had been too preoccupied to reach out to him herself.
‘Even if he has come to hate me, I need to see his face and hear it from him.’
She didn’t want things to drift apart so suddenly like this.
Bunny descended onto the familiar terrace and quickly tucked away her horns and wings.
The curtains were drawn, obscuring the interior from view.
Tap, tap.
Bunny knocked cautiously on the window, her body tense.
There was no response.
Maybe he was dead—no, what was she thinking?
Bang, bang, bang!
Abandoning her gentle tapping, Bunny began pounding on the window with all her might.
How much time had passed?
Finally, she felt movement from within the silent room.
Whoosh!
The curtains were drawn back with urgent hands, and soon a familiar silhouette appeared.
It was Roel.
“Roel!”
As Bunny called out with a beaming smile, Roel’s eyes—set in a face that had grown noticeably thinner—widened in shock.
The boy stared at her in disbelief, frozen for a long moment.
“Roel?”
When Bunny knocked on the terrace door a couple more times, Roel finally snapped to attention and hurried to open it.
The lock clicked open, and the moment the door swung wide, Bunny rushed into his arms.
Roel instinctively lowered himself and pulled her into an embrace. He drew in a sharp breath.
“Bunny….”
“Yes!”
“Is it really you?”
“Mm-hmm….”
Wait!
Had I grown so much in that time?
Bunny’s eyes widened as she took a deep breath. She moved her hands carefully, pressing down on her own head repeatedly. It seemed a bit larger, but not so much that he wouldn’t recognize her.
“What happened?”
“Well, I said I’d come visit you, and Father locked me away. He said I was forbidden from going out for a while. Even Mother, who loved you so much, suddenly opposed it….”
“Ah….”
Bunny recalled the faces of the Empress and Emperor and nodded in understanding.
“I suppose that makes sense, since I’m a Demon Clan Member.”
I hadn’t yet proven that the Demon Clan was good. Perhaps they weren’t good at all. But I could prevent war from breaking out.
“That’s impossible. Just because it was revealed that you’re a Demon Clan Member, why does everyone treat you like some terrible criminal? You haven’t done anything yet.”
As Roel held me tightly and whispered near my ear, my eyes widened slightly before returning to their normal state.
Roel’s embrace was warm.
I liked how he held me without hesitation. Father’s arms were tremendously large and broad, which I adored, but Roel’s embrace was soft and ticklish in a way I found comforting.
“I heard you went to the Demon Realm. Did you come to see me?”
“Yes. I had something to tell you.”
Roel looked down at me and nodded with deliberate firmness, his expression grave as though he had made some momentous decision.
“What is it?”
“Well, I think I’m going to sleep for a long time. I came to tell you because I won’t be able to see you anymore. Probably for quite a while.”
At my words, Roel froze as if my answer had deviated sharply from his expectations, then slowly blinked.
After a moment of silence, Roel spoke.
“What are you saying?”
“Well. It’s a long story. Is that okay? Can you listen? Do you have time?”
At my question, Roel checked the locked door once before nodding.
“Yes.”
Roel sat on the bed and pulled me into his embrace.
I naturally settled onto his lap and told him everything that had happened. About Luriel, how precious she was to me, and what decision I had made because of it.
Everything—what I had done when meeting the High Priest, and how I wanted to change the world.
For me, Roel was someone I could tell anything to. Like Father, he listened to my entire story, and despite everything, he never despised me.
“…So you’re saying you’re going to enter a long sleep?”
“Yes.”
“And you can’t say for certain when you’ll wake up?”
“It could be as quick as a year, but I looked through old records extensively and found cases where it took thirty years. So…”
I wet my lips.
So our engagement could be broken off.
I didn’t understand why those words were so difficult to say.
I slowly swallowed and very gradually pressed my lips together.
“So it’s fine if you meet someone else, Roel. I was actually going to ask you to wait, but that’s an incredibly long time for a human. Of course, I’ll grow and become an adult while sleeping, but…”
As my words continued, Roel’s eyes grew increasingly narrow. His brow furrowed and displeasure flickered across his face.
Feeling that emotion, I couldn’t hide my bewilderment as I looked at him.
“Are you angry?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Because I’m suddenly going to sleep? But if I don’t do this, Luriel will die. Of course you’re important, and Father is important, but… Luriel will die without me, whereas you and Father…”
“I’ll die too.”
Roel held my waist more firmly as he spoke.
He set me down beside him and clasped both my hands together. Then he leaned forward, bringing his face close to mine.
“I’ll die too. Why do you think I’ll be fine?”
“…What? You’re healthy, Roel. Your soul is intact, and there’s no curse on you, so even without me…”
“I’ll die from loneliness without you. I’ll suffer from sorrow, ache from abandonment, and grow so weak that one day I’ll simply die from loneliness.”
Crimson eyes gazed at Bunny with unwavering resolve.
Bunny faltered under that gaze, her lips pressing shut as she struggled to find words, and then he smiled softly.
“I told you. From the day you saved my life, I became yours. Do you remember?”
“…Yes.”
“I’ve already decided to give you everything. So I’ll wait until you return. When I become Emperor and you come back, I’m going to marry you.”
Bunny’s eyes widened dramatically.
Roel grasped the necklace around his neck and tore it off, leaving only two finger-widths of the chain before snapping it.
The silver chain fell to the floor with a soft clatter.
“Right now… I don’t have anything proper to give you, so this is all I have.”
Roel slowly wound the chain around Bunny’s finger, his lips trembling slightly.
“Actually, I was planning to do this properly when I grew up, but….”
Roel, his neck flushed crimson, rambled incoherently as he rubbed his face.
“Bunny, listen. When you wake up from that long sleep and come back, will you marry me?”
“…Roel?”
“Not an engagement—marriage. Make me yours forever. I’ll be by your side eternally.”
At Roel’s words, Bunny’s eyes widened once more.
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
My heart races wildly.
I carefully raise my hand to clutch my chest tightly. I struggle to steady my breathing and slowly lower my gaze. I’m simply too shocked by this unexpected confession.
“But… I might not wake up for thirty years?”
“Yes. Even so, I’ll still be alive and well. I’ll wait.”
“…Why? In all that time, someone better than me might come along. And truthfully, since I’m the Demon King, being with a human might not be good for you either….”
It would be better that way….
I couldn’t finish my sentence.
Roel suddenly leaned in close and pressed his lips to my cheek.
A soft kiss.
At that embarrassing sound, my face exploded like a burst balloon. I had turned completely crimson.
“What, what, what….”
Flustered, I stared at Roel in bewilderment.
“I love you. From the day you saved my life, there’s been no one but you. So… don’t abandon me, Bunny.”
“I never abandoned you….”
Roel gripped my hand tightly.
I gazed at him, then burst into laughter. Roel froze.
“What is this? I’ve never met a human who refuses when a Demon Clan Member says they’ll let them go.”
“You’re not a Demon Clan Member. You’re just Bunny. There’s no need to divide between Demon and human. To me, you’re my savior….”
Roel pressed his lips to the back of my hand.
“My only true confidant….”
He kissed my palm.
“My one and only beloved.”
His lips touched above my eyes.
It was a tender kiss. The same gentle touch of Roel’s hands as always.
Bunny trembled slightly at the unfamiliar sensation, yet she grasped the hand Roel held out to her.
“Will you wait for me?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Forever.”
At Roel’s resolute words, Bunny’s face brightened and she smiled softly. The promise to wait felt impossibly sweet.
“But if I don’t wake up for a very, very long time, that’s okay. You don’t have to wait… then you should live happily too, Roel.”
Roel chuckled softly.
“Bunny, your existence is my happiness.”
My heart fluttered and tingled.
I exhaled slowly.
And so we talked through the night. Simple conversations. About what we’d been doing, what lay ahead, what we’d been thinking, what tasted good—small, precious moments.
As dawn approached, Roel cradled the exhausted Bunny in his arms, carefully drew the blanket over her, and lay down beside her.
When The Boy opened his eyes, the sun was already bright, and Bunny no longer existed in the room.
“…You must come back, Bunny.”
Roel rose and continued as he always did. Before Bunny returned, he had to inherit the Imperial Throne without fail.
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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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