To the Man Destined to Kill Me - Chapter 44

Scarlett was not in a condition to be moved to a hospital. In the end, a doctor and a nurse were called to stay with her, and a healing mage was on the way.

Her brothers took turns visiting the villa. Noah thought that his presence would only cause trouble for the patient, so he packed a small bag and left the villa.

He slept at a cheap inn, catching naps whenever he could, and spent the rest of his time going between the Mage Association and the Parliament Library.

On the fourth day after Scarlett suddenly came down with a fever, Noah could no longer endure the situation.

‘I can’t take it anymore. I’ll sneak in at night.’

He missed Scarlett. He wanted to know more about her condition and stay by her side.

However, he couldn’t just walk into the villa carelessly. The gaze following him had grown more persistent over the past few days.

‘I can’t drag that guy all the way to the villa.’

He decided to set a trap and deal with it once and for all. If that person threatened Scarlett, he was even ready to stain his hands with blood.

‘If he won’t confess who he is, I’ll just kill him.’

Noah Ashford was a patient man, but he was not merciful.

He had a stubborn and cruel side, and he hid a strong power and a cold temper within him.

The only reason he acted differently in front of Scarlett was because he wanted to look good to her.

In truth, he was a cunning beast.

‘It’s him.’

After tossing his bag into a library shelf, he slipped out the back door and spotted the man following him.

Noah fiddled with the handle of the dagger he had hidden inside his coat.

If needed, he would use magic, but a blade was what truly made people fear.

Using magic to silence his footsteps, he approached the man from behind. He pressed the dagger against the man’s side and whispered.

“Turn sideways and walk into the garden.”

The man had been watching him so secretly that it had been a real headache. If he hadn’t been a mage, it would have been hard to notice him at all.

The man obediently followed Noah’s command. In fact, he even looked relaxed. When they reached the garden, the man spoke.

“Noah. You’ll regret it if you stab me.”

“Reveal who you are. Why are you following me?”

“First, you need to calm down. I have no intention of harming you.”

“I told you to reveal yourself.”

Although Noah was the one holding the blade, the man acted as if he was the one in control. It was Noah who was tense and nervous.

“Look at my face properly.”

The man slowly turned around. He also slowly raised his hands to show he meant no harm.

He was a dashing gentleman with neatly combed hair, thin lips, and a dignified mustache. His eyes were sharp and powerful like a tiger.

From his looks and accent, Noah realized he was from Natalia.

“…Why is a Natalia man involved with me?”

“My, how disappointing that you don’t know me.”

“Reveal yourself.”

“I expected better since you go to Iodes. Maybe you’re not as smart as I thought.”

At the calm mocking, Noah’s eyebrow twitched. The man said,

“You must have seen me before.”

“You?”

Noah narrowed his eyes. He struggled to recall the face of the man in front of him. Then the man said with a sly, slightly exasperated tone,

“My, you really don’t read the newspaper, do you?”

“…No way…”

“Oh, yes.”

“Victor… Lebedev?!”

Victor reached out his hand for a greeting.

“Nice to meet you, Noah. I am Victor Spolipin Lebedev, Prime Minister of the Great Natalia Empire.”

“First, tell me why you appeared before me.”

“You really don’t know anything, do you?”

“About what.”

“Well, when I saw you looking for your mother’s traces in the library, I had a rough guess. If you want to know about Julia, ask me. I’ll answer sincerely.”

“I asked why you approached me.”

“To explain that, I have to reveal everything Julia hid. Are you ready to hear the truth?”

Why had Victor Lebedev approached him? Noah wondered if this was another trick from someone.

But the way Victor seemed to know about his mother shook Noah’s heart. More than anything, he wanted to find the traces of his mother that he couldn’t find anywhere else.

“…What truth?”

“Your birth, your destiny, your parents, and the past you must know.”

“You know my father… Mr. White?”

“Ha! Alex White, your father?!”

Victor laughed as if he had heard something ridiculous.

“He might be your guardian, but he’s not your father.”

“How did you find me? Did you know my mother? If Mr. White isn’t my father, then who is?”

While Noah couldn’t hide his anxiety, Victor answered slowly.

“I’ve been searching for you for a very long time. As soon as I realized you existed, I searched all over Natalia and nearby countries. Yes, I knew your mother from long ago.”

“Don’t tell me… you’re trying to say you’re my biological father?”

“Do you think we look alike?”

Noah studied Victor carefully. Victor also looked closely at Noah, observing his forehead, eyebrows, nose, chin, and even the shape of his ears.

After the examination, Victor muttered with a strangely nostalgic look.

“You look a lot alike.”

“No, we don’t look alike.”

The man’s eyes and hair were dark brown. His features were thick and heavy like his large body. He had the thick muscles and blunt face typical of someone used to the cold climate of Natalia. In Noah’s eyes, they didn’t resemble each other much.

“I’ve never met Alex White, but he must be a good person.”

“What do you mean?”

“He took in you and Julia.”

“Just tell me the truth.”

“The truth? You want to know the truth about your birth? But great truths await you that you can’t handle all at once. Fine, today I’ll tell you just one thing.”

Though Victor spoke calmly, his voice was filled with excitement at seeing Noah.

Noah could not understand why Victor was so happy to meet him. In fact, he couldn’t even believe Victor Lebedev knew who he was.

“Check the newspaper from February 14, 1203. Julia’s real name is Maya Ivanov. She’s not from the Kingdom of Cersia. She’s a pure-blooded Natalian.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“My status and my life path prove me. Why would I lie to a nobody like you?”

“…”

“Then, I’ll come back in a week. Be strong.”

Victor hesitated a moment, then lightly tapped Noah’s shoulder and left. Noah could only stare blankly as Victor disappeared.

It made sense. Noah knew well what had happened on that date. February 14, 1203. How could he not know? The events of that day shook world history more than 20 years ago.

The guards of the Natalia Palace were overrun by mages demanding the abolition of the class system, leading to a night of slaughter. Countless nobles living in the palace were killed, and the blood of the soldiers who tried to stop them soaked the ground.

And that night, the last emperor of Natalia, Joseph Prekov III, was murdered.

“No… no way…”

Noah’s hands trembled violently. Victor telling him to look for Maya Ivanov in the newspapers meant that she had been one of the mages who participated in the night of slaughter.

That was not a simple crime. It was not something that could be compared to just killing a few people.

Even though Noah had vaguely sensed that his mother had committed a grave sin, the shock of confirmation made him stumble backward.

He wanted to run away from the truth he had learned. He felt like no matter how far he fell, the pain would never end.

“No…”

Noah turned his back on everything and started to walk away. His powerless steps quickly gained speed, and soon, he was running.

He ran toward the villa where Scarlett was. He ran until he was out of breath and covered in sweat. He was like a moth searching for comfort.

He needed Scarlett’s warmth, her presence, hotter than even her red hair. She was the only one who accepted him, the only one who made him feel he was worth something.

His patience had run out. He could no longer hold back his affection and worry for her. He had to see Scarlett and check on her condition right now. If he didn’t, his heart and head would explode into pieces.

“Huff, huff.”

When Noah arrived at the villa, he climbed over the back wall. He couldn’t enter through the front door. Scarlett’s brothers would never leave him alone, so he hid in the shadows.

He climbed the tree near Scarlett’s room. He moved quickly and skillfully. In one smooth move, he reached a branch leading to the balcony. Scarlett’s room was dark.

Noah carefully opened the glass door of the balcony. The wind coming through the gap made the thin curtains flutter.

Worried that the noise had woken Scarlett, he checked toward the bed, but only the soft sound of breathing could be heard.

Click.

The door closed. Noah stepped quietly over the soft carpet and approached Scarlett. Her scent filled the room. It had been four days since he had last seen her face. Four days since he had felt her presence.

Noah felt like crying out of joy from seeing her and from the fear he had tried so hard to suppress. He killed his emotions and quietly approached her.

Scarlett was in a deep sleep. He knelt by her bedside and looked at her sleeping face. Under the moonlight, her pale face looked heartbreaking.

She had lost so much weight. Even if her cheeks had been full of a rosy glow, it would have been pitiful, but now she looked pale like a corpse. It stabbed at Noah’s heart.

Scarlett.

It feels like when you wither, my soul withers with you.

Noah checked the fingers of her hand that were slightly showing from under the blanket. He pulled the blanket up to cover her hand. Her hair was stuck to her cheek, looking uncomfortable, and he wanted to brush it away. But he couldn’t.

He couldn’t even place his hand on her forehead to check for a fever.

She was too precious. So dear that it overwhelmed him. Her soul was too pure for his filthy hands to touch. She, unlike him, was not a sinner. She had never killed anyone, nor was she the child of a criminal with bad blood. The thought of it made him feel despair.

Why was he born this way?

Why was he born as a lowly beast who could not even approach her?

Scarlett. Scarlett. Scarlett…

My Scarlett.

I am your faithful servant, your devoted beast. You are my master.

You, who came into my heart as a traveler, who stole away everything from me.

Take me. Save me.

Oh God…

What will I do if you die? How could I endure a life without you? How could I bear the longing?

I wish for your health. If I could save you, I would give everything.

Maybe if he learned magic and became a skilled healing mage, he could make her life longer. If he did that, maybe he could stay by her side all day.

At that moment, Scarlett’s eyelids slowly opened in the darkness. Her drowsy eyes wandered through the dark. Her gaze, struggling to make sense of what she saw, finally met Noah’s eyes.

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