Resetting Lady

“Sir Zion, don’t you find this strange?”

“What do you mean, Isella?”

Isella held Zion’s arm as she gazed up at the cathedral’s towering ceiling. The grand Gothic-style cathedral seemed to stretch all the way to the heavens, embodying humanity’s desire to reach the skies. It was majestic and awe-inspiring, but still limited in space, as it was located in the capital city.

“If you were to live here, Sir Zion, how long would it take to explore every corner, including the lodgings and preparation rooms?”

“Well… at most, it would take about an hour.”

“Exactly. So, could someone live here for two or three weeks without ever crossing paths with anyone?”

“Unless they’re purposely avoiding people, it would be impossible.”

“Exactly.”

Isella nodded.

The moment Carynne had named Dullan as her husband, Isella had immediately sent a letter to Lord Hare to inquire about Dullan’s whereabouts.

But he wasn’t at the estate, nor was he at the abbey.

He was here, at the cathedral.

“Isella, when a man gets jilted, it’s common for him to hide out of shame. Sir Raymond did the same, didn’t he?”

Zion’s attempt to explain Dullan’s behavior made sense, but Isella shook her head.

“If it had been just two or three weeks, I wouldn’t make a fuss. But Lord Hare told me that it’s been months since Dullan left the estate.”

“Hmm… So the priest has been lying?”

“Yes.”

Isella rubbed her arms as a chill ran down her spine, quickening her pace.

“It’s been months, not weeks, that we’ve all been in the same space, and we didn’t even know he was here. Doesn’t that bother you? Can we really trust him to help Carynne?”

* * *

Carynne naming Dullan Roid as her husband was unexpected for everyone, including Isella, Zion, and especially Dullan himself.

“I’ll choose Dullan Roid as my husband.”

Left alone in the room, Dullan sat in a chair, resting his head in his hands. He couldn’t fathom what Carynne was thinking.

Zion Electra and Isella Evans had urged him to help Carynne, citing his familial ties to her. But the relationship between Dullan and Carynne was far from ordinary family ties—they were formerly engaged. Yet, to call it a typical romantic relationship didn’t seem right either, even to Dullan.

‘What is she thinking?’

Carynne was aware of the repeating lives and knew that Dullan had manipulated her memories and circumstances. That’s why she had broken off their engagement, telling him not to interfere with her memories anymore.

So why now, of all times, had she chosen him as her husband again, even if just a puppet husband?

Dullan recalled the many times Catherine had spoken to him about Crown Prince Gueuze. The prince had a cruel nature that even Catherine, after many lifetimes, couldn’t handle.

Why had Carynne become that man’s mistress?

The very fact that Carynne, Catherine’s daughter, had become Crown Prince Gueuze’s mistress was an unprecedented scandal.

Many still remembered Catherine’s brief romantic involvement with the crown prince. For him to now take her daughter as a mistress was certain to fuel countless, unmentionable rumors.

[ Father, there is a man I would like to introduce to you. ]

Could she have been referring to Crown Prince Gueuze all along?

Just the thought of it was grotesque. If such a thing became known, it wouldn’t just lead to ridicule—it would be considered deeply repulsive. To take as a lover the middle-aged man who had been romantically involved with her mother, and then introduce him to her father? That was far from a normal person’s thoughts.

But Carynne wasn’t a normal person, and Dullan knew that.

Was she chasing after the ultimate thrill?

He couldn’t be sure. But even amidst the chaos, Dullan knew what he had to do. He looked down at the paper on his desk.

He couldn’t understand Carynne’s thoughts. But he knew that he couldn’t refuse this proposal, no matter how absurd, no matter what ridicule or danger awaited. Whether it was a trap or not, he had no choice.

Dullan named the feeling rising within him.

Curiosity.

* * *

Raymond looked down at Carynne’s lifeless face. He let out a deep sigh. No tears came, as they had dried up long ago. This was reality.

It was over. In this life, where they had isolated themselves and spent their time together, the bond between Raymond and Carynne had come to an end. As long as he remained alive, he would never see her again.

Like with everyone else, death had separated the two of them.

“…Carynne.”

But Raymond was different from others. He didn’t have to spend the rest of his life longing for her. If he died, soon—very soon—he would see her again. He had no reason to fear death.

When he died, everything would start over again, and he could see her once more. All he had to do was pull the trigger.

But Raymond couldn’t bring himself to shoot himself in the head.

Because of this man.

“Reverend.”

Raymond looked down at the unconscious Dullan. He nudged him with his foot, but Dullan remained unconscious, likely due to the overwhelming pain. Raymond had already torn out all of Dullan’s toenails and crushed most of his lower body, but still, Dullan hadn’t died.

That was because Raymond had taken meticulous care in keeping him alive, making sure he didn’t stop breathing. If Dullan died too soon, Raymond would lose out. The information Dullan had revealed so far wasn’t enough.

“I’ve finally met you in this life. There should be some reward for that, don’t you think?”

Raymond had an idea of what Dullan had done, but he wasn’t sure how much Dullan really knew or what exactly he had done. In previous lives, Dullan had been killed by Carynne before Raymond even had the chance to confront him.

Carynne had died repeatedly, and only after the fifth time had she given up and sought other ways. Finally, Raymond met Carynne and managed to capture Dullan as well.

Dragging Dullan here after hitting him on the head during early morning mass preparation had been as routine for Raymond as tying his shoelaces.

The first thing he did was sever the tendons in Dullan’s legs. He had thought about cutting out Dullan’s tongue, but since that wouldn’t stop him from making noise, he settled for gagging him.

Both Raymond and Dullan knew that biting through one’s tongue wouldn’t lead to quick death. Still, Raymond had pulled a few of Dullan’s teeth for his amusement.

“Reverend.”

Raymond grabbed a handful of Dullan’s hair, lifting his head. The sight of Dullan missing some front teeth made him look foolish. His face was crusted with dried blood, making him look filthy.

“I’ve wanted to have a long conversation with you. You may not know me well now, but we’ve met several times before.”

“Just…”

Dullan managed to speak, though with difficulty. Ironically, his stammer seemed to have improved after losing a few teeth, but his speech was still slurred and hard to understand. Raymond clicked his tongue and pulled Dullan’s head up again, trying to hear him more clearly.

“…Kill me, please.”

“Why should I show you such mercy?”

Raymond twisted Dullan’s ear, squeezing it tightly. His words weren’t even worth listening to. He considered tearing it off but restrained himself, knowing that Dullan had already suffered enough damage.

“Carynne just passed away a little while ago. Your relative, your former fiancée, and my lover, Carynne.”

“…Uh, Why… me…”

Dullan stopped speaking. His face contorted in pain, though it was unclear if it was due to physical suffering or the shock of Carynne’s death. Raymond waited, but Dullan said nothing more, only looking up at him.

Why me?

What was Dullan trying to say? Why are you doing this to me, or perhaps, why didn’t you let me see her as a doctor?

But there was no way to know.

***

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