Chapter 269
Rubens still wanted to hold onto Macy. He wanted to kneel at her feet and beg until she accepted him.
The thought of being nothing to her was worse than death. He wanted to cry and plead.
But to Macy, he was nothing but evil— a cruel weapon that trampled her like a white canvas that was slashed into rags.
This time, his sordid past nearly blocked Macy’s path forward.
If the truth had come out, since it was known Macy was Rubens’s Name master, she could have been branded an accomplice.
‘I almost dragged Macy into a dirty mess.’
Rubens realized only now that holding Arzena Krygen’s hand was a wrong step, but he had already come too far.
That’s why he couldn’t stop this harsh lie that swallowed even himself.
Until he died, he had no choice but to hide his true self, becoming one with the falsehood and living in loneliness…
A foolish choice born from the wounds of a young heart.
Though suspicion might have already sprouted in someone’s mind, he’d managed to smooth things over. That was enough.
“But I can’t just let it go like this without feeling wronged.”
At that moment, Kallen’s murmuring tone suddenly changed. Lost in gloomy thoughts, Rubens hadn’t noticed.
“Kuh!”
In an instant, Kallen Krygen closed the distance and drew a dagger from his side.
Rubens instinctively twisted away, but the sharp blade pierced his waist.
“Aaaah!”
A woman’s sharp scream echoed somewhere— a voice gripped by shock and terror.
“If the law does not properly judge evil, then evil must be judged with evil.”
Kallen whispered sinisterly as he pulled the blade upward, slicing past Rubens’s face.
Crimson blood sprayed into the air like thick droplets.
The cold pain gradually spread throughout his body, yet surprisingly, Eren was smiling.
‘This is it.’
He had found the answer he had long sought.
If he died by another’s hand, if his name were erased from Macy’s heart like this…
‘Macy won’t fall into guilt.’
If he could at least atone like this before she gets hurt because of him, it was fortunate. Macy was safe from harm because of Rubens.
Rubens let go of his weakening body, no longer holding onto his fading consciousness.
* * *
Dia stood before the elaborately decorated tombstone, offering prayers alongside white chrysanthemums.
A simple yet powerful phrase was inscribed on the tombstone:
<Radiant glory, eternal legacy>
It was the tombstone of Birente Krygen, Rubens Krygen’s grandfather.
Birente had instructed Dia to protect the family’s glory and legacy, no matter who became the next head.
He left a will to assist in spreading the influence of the Krygen family more brilliantly.
Dia, who had been saved from starvation while wandering the streets and made into a proper person by Birente, had no choice but to obey those words even after her unique lord passed away.
“I am Rubens Krygen, the rightful heir of Duchy Krygen.”
Fortunately, Rubens was meticulous enough that Dia didn’t need to worry, and he became the perfect head to illuminate the Krygen family’s name— at least until he met Macy Horton, his Name master.
“What will you do with Macy?”
“What do you mean? She’s just a child. Why worry?”
His calm smile suggested even the question was too much.
Though Dia felt uneasy the moment she saw Macy, she trusted Eren.
His actions so far had been trustworthy enough to quench even the faintest spark of doubt.
But her intuition proved right after all.
“Stop giving Macy birth control pills from now on.”
“Why?”
“Isn’t it said long-term use can cause infertility in women?”
Without realizing it, Eren was slowly becoming entwined with Macy.
He planned to keep Macy by his side for a long time, wanting not only her body but her heart.
For Rubens, with a wedding soon approaching, Macy was an obstacle.
Dia could clearly see that one day he would fail because he could no longer hide his feelings for her.
That’s why she had tolerated Macy’s meetings with Prince Benedict.
She thought that if Macy’s lies, filled with misunderstandings, were discovered, Rubens would finally turn away from her.
“What did you do with Macy?”
“I hid her away. Now only I can see her.”
But that was her misjudgment. Rubens had no intention of letting Macy go.
At the same time, he was falling apart, consumed by his own contradictions— the unprecedentedly great head meant to bring glory to the Krygen family.
Birente Krygen’s long-standing wish was about to crumble over just one woman.
‘This can’t continue.’
So Dia carried out Macy’s escape. During the process, she met Arzena Krygen and asked for help.
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