I Will Die for You, My Darling! - Chapter 61
Chapter 61
“…Was this all it was?”
Isaac looked at Arietta. Even in the darkness, her outline was distinct. Her usually smiling face was expressionless.
“Ha.” He exhaled a cold breath. “You’re bored, is that it?”
A wave of exhaustion washed over him. He’d wondered what her motive was for the long, rambling story, what secret she was trying to hide with those nonsensical tales of repeated deaths. But the ‘truth’ Arietta finally revealed was utterly banal. So banal, in fact, that it suddenly made everything clear. An intuitive sense that her trite words were actually true gripped him.
“You acted like you had some grand secret, but was that all?” Isaac pressed. Arietta didn’t answer.
The damp sheets were stained. Her silver-grey eyes, fixed on the ceiling, held only a bleak shadow. Arietta seemed resigned, unlike her usual self. She was always cunning, sharp, and spirited. He would find himself cornered before he knew it, caught in her relentless pursuit. Looking back, he’d see her triumphant, playful smile, her eyes sparkling with the satisfaction of having ‘caught’ him. In those moments, Isaac had believed Arietta would chase him forever.
“Just like you,” Isaac gritted his teeth, uttering words contrary to his thoughts. Even though it was a lie, once spoken, the next words came easily. “Making a big show of it, as if there was some profound reason, when it was nothing at all?”
If he’d known it was for such a trivial reason, he wouldn’t have been so frustrated. He’d assumed there was some grand scheme at play. Arietta had always been a terrible nightmare for him, a stain he couldn’t erase.
You’re only human, after all.
“Making a fool of people… you haven’t changed a bit in twenty years.” Isaac’s eyes were bloodshot. He turned away from the bed where Arietta lay and pressed his hand to his forehead. His head throbbed.
Was it the sleeping draught she gave me?
Arietta remained silent. The silence was stifling, and Isaac felt a strange urge to fill it. He was unusually talkative. “You know, that word you’re always so fond of—‘love’—it’s shallow. It’s just a game for the nobles of the Sky City.”
In a place like Downstream, the word ‘love’ was such a luxury. That’s why it sounded so insincere.
“Yes, you’re right,” Arietta finally replied, her voice dreadfully low. “If you want me to die a horrible death, now is the perfect time.”
“I’ll decide when.”
“I can’t take it anymore. Please, just let me die.”
Arietta’s words sounded almost like a plea. Powerless rather than aggressive, and for some reason, it pierced Isaac to the core.
“Do you think this is the end? I’ll keep trying.”
“.…”
“How long do you think you can watch me, stop me? There will be an opening.”
“.…”
“Isaac, I’m tired of you now. Aren’t you happy? You wanted to be free of me.”
Lying was one of Arietta’s natural talents. She had been lying without batting an eye for a long time. With her beautiful face and brazen attitude, she never got caught. So even now, she was relentless.
Isaac, who never believed a word of truth from her, was shaken by her lies.
She laughed. The situation was absurd. She had attempted death twice, and both times she had failed. Once by an unexpected accident, and the other time, caught by Isaac. In desperation, she had confessed the truth, but Isaac dismissed it as nonsense. He believed the carelessly strung-together lies were Arietta’s true feelings.
Isaac remained silent for a long time. Standing by the bed, he stared endlessly at the collectible that didn’t look at him.
