Even the Devil Regrets it - Chapter 86

It was not easy to tell a frightening story that could capture the attention of Anita, a demon.
If Melanie had known Anita’s true identity, she would have felt proud. But since she had no idea, it was rather unfortunate.

“This story is about a legend tied to the fountain statue in Ringlef Square, right in the center of the capital,” Melanie began, her voice calm and slightly mysterious, drawing everyone’s attention. Her focused eyes and subtle gestures made the story even more engaging.

“Oh, I’ve read about that place in a book,” one girl said.
“I’ve actually been there when I used to live in the capital,” another added excitedly.

Lily and Rosie’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as they spoke. Melanie nodded at them with a warm smile and continued her story.

“Some say the statue in Ringlef Square existed even before the Empire was founded. It is quite unusual. The figure is carved with an angel on one side and a demon on the other. One historian even argued that it is not two different beings but a single being represented in two forms.”

Juliana remembered visiting Ringlef Square with Braeden early in their relationship. It had been part of a casual date. She recalled tossing a coin in front of the statue and thinking how strange it was.

Why did they sculpt the angel and the demon back to back as if they were one figure, when they could have simply made two separate statues? There had to be a reason behind that design.

“Anyway, scholars still have different opinions about the statue’s meaning. There is no clear answer yet. But that is not the most important part. Now comes the real highlight. You know that place in front of the statue where people throw coins? Isn’t it strange? Why do the coins never disappear?”

Melanie’s face turned serious, almost eerie, and the younger maids instinctively shrank back in fear.

“That is because the officials collect them regularly,” one of the girls said quietly.

Melanie’s eyes lit up as if she had been waiting for that exact answer.

“Sometimes people even throw silver or gold coins into the fountain. But no one takes them? Isn’t that even more suspicious?”

Now that she pointed it out, it did seem odd.
For the poor, even a single silver coin could provide food for an entire month. To them, the coins in the fountain must be a powerful temptation.

“Then why don’t the coins go missing?” Amber asked in a small voice, curling her shoulders as if bracing herself for something scary.

“Long ago, there was a man who stole coins from the fountain. He claimed the coins were just money lying on the ground and said anyone who picked them up could keep them. He acted like he had done nothing wrong. But ever since those coins went missing, strange things began to happen. Every night at midnight, people said they heard the sound of coins and someone whispering near the fountain.”

“What did they say?” asked one of the younger maids, her voice trembling.
Juliana found their frightened expressions oddly cute and smiled softly.
Melanie, completely immersed in the moment, continued in a hushed, intense voice.

“One, two, three, four… one hundred eighty four, one hundred eighty six…”
The counting would stop all of a sudden, followed by a voice saying,
‘Huh? Five coins are missing.’

Melanie widened her eyes dramatically as she delivered the line, and the girls let out a collective scream.

“Aaah!”

Clearly, the reason this story felt so scary was because Melanie was such a talented storyteller.

“More and more people said they heard the same thing. As for the man who took the coins, he eventually fell ill with a mysterious disease and slowly wasted away. After he died, people became uneasy about the coins he had taken. They threw them back into the fountain. After that, the whispering voices stopped. Ever since then, no one has dared to touch the coins thrown into the fountain.”

And with that, Melanie’s story came to an end.

“That was entertaining. Miss Melanie, I think you have a gift for storytelling.”
Juliana’s compliment made Melanie blush slightly as she answered politely.
“You’re too kind, Your Grace.”

Anita quietly nodded as she listened to the story. It made her think of a few suspicious low-ranking demons. In her opinion, the events Melanie described were entirely possible.
She was the type who rarely showed emotion on her face, so no one could really tell what she was thinking.

Juliana knew that staying too long might make others uncomfortable, so she left the lounge and went to visit Atlante.

Atlante had just started a long yawn but froze as soon as she saw Juliana.
“You seem to have a lot of free time these days.”

Juliana smiled as she spoke, but her words carried a teasing tone. Atlante let out an awkward laugh.
“Free time is a good thing, isn’t it? It’s cold outside and I don’t feel like going anywhere. What’s so wrong with spending winter peacefully?”

Her response carried a hint of complaint, as if she were asking why Juliana was bothered by someone else resting.
Juliana let out a soft laugh and took a seat.

For some reason, Melanie’s story kept nagging at her. More specifically, it was the statue in Ringlef Square with the angel and demon carved back to back.
When Juliana pictured the statue in her mind, she noticed a few strange similarities to the Grand Duke’s castle.

She could not quite explain it, but the stone used in the old statue looked similar to the castle’s walls.
And the energy she sensed from the statue felt oddly familiar, as if it matched the strange atmosphere of the castle.

“Have you noticed anything strange in the castle lately?”
That question was likely the real reason she had come to see Atlante.

“You want my honest answer?”
Atlante’s voice was calm but carried a deeper meaning that made Juliana smile as she nodded.

“This castle has always been strange. It was strange from the beginning, it still feels strange, and I have no doubt it will remain strange. So when you ask if I’ve felt anything unusual lately, the answer is yes. Of course I have. The castle is full of strange things by nature.”

Atlante seemed more agitated now and flapped her wings with frustration. It was clear that she had seen something again.

“What happened this time?”
Juliana asked with concern.

“Well, I was flying and suddenly something grabbed my foot. Can you believe that? And do you know what else happened?”

Juliana stayed for a while and listened to Atlante vent. After that, she returned to her room.
Braeden still had not returned, likely still dealing with official business.

Since she had some time, Juliana took out an old book she had kept in her drawer.
It was a book written in an ancient language that she had discovered in the underground part of the castle long ago.

She had read through it many times before and was not expecting to find anything new.
She only picked it up again out of a passing curiosity.

“Hmm? Why does this suddenly make sense?”
Juliana tilted her head in confusion.

She still could not read the entire book, but one word stood out to her as if it had been written in the Empire’s language.

“Belial.”
Was that not the name of a demon?

She remembered learning about the Great Demons during her history lessons.
“Could this be a book that records ancient legends?”

If only she could understand the rest, Melanie would probably love it.
Juliana chuckled to herself and flipped a few more pages. Then she heard footsteps.

She quickly slipped the book back into the drawer.
For some reason, she did not want Braeden to see it.
She also had no idea how to explain the strange feeling she had experienced when she first found the book.

“You’re still awake?”
“Yes. I was listening to Melanie tell ghost stories to the maids.”

Braeden laughed at Juliana’s unexpected choice of evening activity.
“I was held up because I got an urgent message from the palace.”
“From the palace?”
“There is an issue with one of the trade ships heading to the Western Continent.”

With just that one sentence, Juliana quickly grasped the situation.
There was no way the nobles, who had just lost significant assets overnight, would stay quiet.

Most likely, the Imperial Palace was now completely paralyzed, overwhelmed by petitions flooding in from every direction.
Even in her past life, she remembered the trade ship incident causing massive turmoil within noble society.
The chaos had been so severe that the Emperor, fearing rebellion, opened the national treasury to provide partial compensation.

“A message arrived urgently from the palace. I have been ordered to appear there first thing tomorrow,” Braeden said.

David never let Braeden near anything pleasant, but the moment something urgent or dangerous happened, he summoned him without hesitation.
From the moment Braeden heard that a trade ship had broken apart and sunk at sea, he had predicted the Emperor would call for him.

There was no doubt the palace must now be in complete disarray, too chaotic to look at directly.
In such a crisis, Braeden’s presence served as reassurance. With him, the Emperor could use force to keep the nobles in check.
The summons was a precaution, a form of insurance.

Just thinking about it gave Braeden a headache already.
Still, if the sinking of the ship brought any joy to Juliana, then perhaps that chaotic palace was worth enduring.

“What do you want to do?” he asked.
“If you want to come with me, we leave tomorrow. If you would rather not, you can stay here at the castle.”

Juliana did not need to think long. She had waited too long for this day to hesitate.

“I’ll go with you. I want to see their downfall with my own eyes.”

As she spoke, Juliana smiled brightly.
Braeden thought that smile was breathtakingly beautiful.

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