To the Man Destined to Kill Me - Chapter 57

When she woke up, Scarlett realized it.
It would be hard to go back to the way things were before she held hands with Noah.
How could she pretend that moment never happened?
How could she act like she didn’t know?

“I don’t know either.”

She couldn’t easily judge what she wanted, what she should do, or what her feelings really were.
Reality was heavy, and the truth was scary.

‘I wish this was all just a dream.’

She brushed back her falling hair and buried her face in her hands.
She wanted to go back to the time before she knew Noah, back to when she was happy because she didn’t know anything.

‘And then I got murdered.’

Scarlett laughed bitterly and got up to get ready to leave.

“Marie. Where’s Noah?”

Marie, who was brushing her hair, answered.

“He left early this morning.”

“Really? That’s actually good.”

She felt like she would get even more confused if she saw Noah’s face right now.

In the mirror, a pale Scarlett White was staring back at her.
Just by looking at her darkened eyes, she could tell how close she was to death.

‘There’s not much time left.’

Scarlett pressed around her eyes firmly.
She could clearly feel her body getting weaker every day.

“I’ll just go like this. I’m only going to hear a simple story and come back.”

Whatever truth Scott was about to tell her, she wondered if she could handle it.
She was scared. And it made her sad.

She didn’t even have time to sort out her own life, yet she had to worry about things that happened in her parents’ time too.
It made her angry.

Scarlett White’s life could only exist under the shadow of adults.
It felt like a life of dependence… and that hurt.

Outside, the carriage moved smoothly down the paved road, even though her heart was heavy.
There wasn’t enough time to prepare herself for the truth.

“Scarlett.”

Scott was waiting to greet her.
She grabbed his hand and stepped down from the carriage.

“What’s wrong with your face?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Nothing? Anyone can see you were hit.”

Scott felt relieved that Noah’s fight with her was still a secret.
He didn’t want to give Scarlett more to worry about.

“I got hit by John. Let’s not talk about it. Anyway, did you eat?”

“John? Why? Did you do something wrong?”

“You don’t need to know. I asked if you ate.”

Scarlett sighed heavily at Scott’s stubborn attitude.
Reluctantly, she answered.

“No. I don’t have an appetite.”

“You’re even skinnier. You have to eat, even if you don’t want to.
It’s bad to take medicine on an empty stomach.”

Scarlett didn’t tell him she wouldn’t be taking medicine anymore.
Any more treatment would be useless.
In her condition, everything now was just life support.

Natalia’s healing magician had told her to prepare for the end.
Scarlett had given a large amount of money to keep her brothers quiet about her condition.
No matter how good Scott’s information network was, he couldn’t know everything.

“Maybe it’s just because I didn’t sleep well. Anyway, let’s go in.”

Scarlett led the way into Scott’s office.
The marble and trendy decorations made Cravitz’s office look grand, just like Scott’s strong personality.

She sat down and sipped her tea.
She waited for the warm drink to help her calm down and get ready.

“I’m ready now. Tell me everything.”

“Alright. But first, Carly, you need to be clear about what you want from the truth.”

“I just want to know. I think I need to know.
Am I supposed to want revenge? Or forgiveness?
I’m my mother’s daughter. That alone is reason enough.”

She spoke calmly, but Scarlett’s heart dropped.

Her health collapsing wasn’t because of Noah.
So she couldn’t blame him for everything.

But Noah had still been the one who killed Scarlett White.
Feeling affection for someone like that made no sense.

Her feelings for Noah told her to forgive him.
But the hatred left in her heart when she died told her to take revenge.

Scarlett was confused.
She even wished someone would just give her the right answer.
Then maybe she could endure whatever feelings came.

“I…”

She struggled to deal with the part of her that still cared for Noah.
She couldn’t forgive herself.

“…I want to make him taste hell on earth.
You know I can’t help feeling that way.”

She still hated Noah.
She still resented him.

The more she cared about him, the angrier she got.
She wanted to ask him:

If you could look at me with those eyes, why did you kill me?
Why did you make me so miserable?

But as time passed, her feelings for him only grew bigger, like a snowball.

“Even so, I’m scared.
I’m scared of lies, not the truth.”

She was Scarlett White.
And she wanted to stay Scarlett White.
Untouched by Noah’s poison, she wanted to stay herself.

“Scarlett. It’s okay.”

Scott took her hand.
She hadn’t even realized her body was shaking.

‘Ignore it. Ignore the feelings for Noah.
My family is more important.
Yesterday was just a mistake.
It was just a dream for one night.’

Once she decided that, her trembling stopped.
With a determined face, she said,

“I’m okay now.”

She really was okay.
She was ready to face the truth.

Meanwhile, at that same time, Noah was meeting Victor.

“Why don’t you drink something warm first?”

“No, I’m fine. Please just tell me.
You know everything, don’t you?”

“You’re impatient.”

It wasn’t impatience.
He just wanted to stand proudly in front of Scarlett as soon as possible.
He needed the truth to love her fully.

“That look in your eyes…
You have your father’s eyes.”

“You knew my father?”

“Of course. I was his best friend.”

“I don’t care about anything else.
Please just tell me.
Who was my father?”

Victor opened his mouth.
It was the moment all lies were shattered.

“The important thing is, Julia Ashford—back then she was called Maya Ivanov—
was an extreme terrorist who fought for the end of the class system.
She was a First-Class Magician leading the Mage Tower, the Magic Union.
She didn’t even know whose child she was carrying when she and her group started a rebellion.”

The Night of Rebellion.
Or the Night of the Magician Revolution.

There were many names for February 14, 1203.
It marked the start of the Natalia Civil War and shook the world’s economy.

It was also remembered as one of the cruelest events in modern history.

The magicians who wanted to end the class system killed Joseph III, the last emperor of Natalia’s royal family.
The imperial guards protecting him were wiped out too.

That night, it was said that Alexander III was killed by Maya Ivanov, a First-Class Magician of Natalia.

“That woman… was a magician? Julia Ashford?”

“Yeah. When she realized she was pregnant, she caused an explosion, made it seem like she died without leaving a body, and ran away.”

Scott showed an old newspaper article.

[…The explosion at the research lab destroyed the magician’s laboratory. Thankfully, since it was a holiday and the lab was closed, there were no major casualties. One death was reported, believed to be the First-Class Magician Maya Ivanov, who was also the one who killed Joseph Prekov III.]

“For a killer who took so many lives, I guess she still wanted to protect her own child. She changed her face with illusion magic so her colleagues couldn’t chase her, and sealed all her magical powers. A magician always leaves behind a faint trace of magic, even if it’s tiny.”

“Why was the child in danger? I can’t follow what you’re saying. Nothing you’re telling me isn’t shocking.”

“Scarlett. You need to brace yourself.”

“I’m ready. Tell me.”

Scott paused, then answered.

“The child’s father was one of the men Maya Ivanov killed. That man was the last royal of Natalia, Joseph III.”

Scarlett froze, forgetting even to breathe. She couldn’t believe the name that had come up.

It was unbelievable. Just when she thought it might be some bad joke, Scott, as if reading her mind, continued.

“If people found out that the last royal child of Natalia was alive, what do you think would happen? At the very least, Maya Ivanov and the child would be hunted by magicians. At worst, it would throw Natalia, already in a civil war, into even greater chaos. But I don’t think that mattered much to her. I think she just wanted to live.”

“So… so? Tell me more.”

“She bought a fake identity, changed her looks and name, and hid in Wifland. Wifland was the perfect place—a powerful country with a large territory and population—where Natalia couldn’t easily interfere. That’s where she met your father and mother.”

Scott couldn’t hide his painful expression. His face was full of bitterness. His eyes, so much like Scarlett’s, were darkened with sorrow.

Speaking in a gloomy voice, he continued. Scarlett breathed heavily, trying to keep herself steady. Otherwise, it felt like her body would explode.

“From here on, it’s based on Mother’s letters and the situation we figured out. But… I think it’s accurate. When I visited John yesterday, he didn’t deny any of it.”

“Sp, sp, speak…”

“Take a deep breath.”

“I’m fine. Just tell me.”

Scarlett lifted her trembling hand and grabbed her teacup. The tea had gone lukewarm. She swallowed it like taking a calming medicine. Scott looked at her with pity.

“I searched the records in Cravitz. They were shoved so deep in the archives that no one had cleaned them up. In those records, it said Maya Ivanov had smuggled into Wifland with a fake ID. Mother must have approached her first. After inheriting Cravitz, she would have quickly learned the whole truth. Then, she planned everything together with Father.”

“‘Planned’?”

“Father’s affair.”

“…What? What are you talking about? Scotty, please explain it so I can understand. I’m not as smart as you.”

Her voice trembled. Scarlett blinked rapidly, stunned, and then frowned.

“The Wifland government couldn’t openly protect Maya Ivanov. Natalia was too dangerous, and if they got involved, it could cause big problems between the countries. So, to avoid international trouble, they chose to protect her quietly and privately. By creating a lie to cover up the truth.”

“And that lie was Father’s affair?”

“Yes. By making it seem like the child was Father’s son, both Wifland and Natalia would hesitate to touch them. And it would clear them from the suspicion of hiding Maya Ivanov.”

The White family was one of the richest and most powerful families in Wifland. Being protected by such a family would mean that even if people called them the product of an affair, no one could touch them easily.

Also, if they were seen as Wifland citizens, the government would be forced to protect them.

That’s why the Ashford mother and son had to become true Wiflanders, not Natalian refugees. By connecting with the White family, they secured a strong shield—one Wifland would have to move to defend if needed.

“How… how could they plan something like that… even without telling their own children… This is just your guess, right? It’s only your imagination. There must be another reason. I, I can’t believe it. I won’t. Then why was I born premature… If it was all planned…”

“Mother misunderstood the relationship between Julia Ashford and Father. She thought they really fell in love. And that misunderstanding was never cleared up, even until Father died. John, who inherited the will, knew all of this.”

Scarlett’s eyes widened. She stared blankly at Scott, frozen stiff. Yes. John knew everything. She had forgotten.

It took a long time before she could think again.

“I confirmed it with John. He didn’t deny it. He knew, but he kept it secret. He said it was Mother’s will.”

“Wi… will?”

Flames seemed to burn in Scarlett’s eyes. She bit her lower lip hard, twisting it painfully.

“Mother must have known how badly the civil war in Natalia shook the world’s economy and politics. She wanted the situation to settle down quietly by hiding the Ashfords.”

“They could have just killed them.”

“They had to keep an ace in the hole.”

“What ace?”

“A weapon for Wifland in case of conflict with Natalia. And a bargaining chip for the White family.”

If Wifland and Natalia ever clashed badly, the Ashfords could be secretly sold off in a deal. In that case, the White family, who hid them, would also profit.

Even if that didn’t happen, just having the last royal of Natalia hidden away gave the Whites a powerful advantage. A joker card they could use if needed. And that card was held by John, the politician.

“What is this… How could they… And me? What about me?”

“…”

“Mother chose Wifland. She chose the family over me, didn’t she?”

“…”

Scott couldn’t answer. If he confirmed it, Scarlett would completely shatter. Tears dripped down her cheeks as she wept quietly.

“Please tell me it’s a lie.”

Even as she said it, Scarlett knew Scott’s words were true. His story matched exactly what John had told her never to reveal.

“If I had known it would hurt this much, I wouldn’t have asked. I wanted to know because I hated dying without knowing. But I didn’t realize the truth would hurt more than lies. I feel so miserable. Scott, please, say it’s a lie.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“…”

Scarlett couldn’t speak. No words could describe the misery she felt.

Her eyes reddened. She fought to keep herself from breaking down, breathing in and out sharply. At the very end, she begged.

“Kill Noah Ashford right now.”

All of this happened because that child existed. More than anything, if there was a way to take revenge on the dead, it would be by destroying their purpose.

“Kill him.”

If she could break her mother’s wishes, she could take revenge for being abandoned.

She would gladly drive a knife into her own heart if it meant she could do it.

Support