Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 119
The sky was overcast with clouds. In Irene’s mind, it felt no different from the outside world.
Burt glanced around briefly before slowly moving forward. The blurry scenery gradually became clearer, soon revealing an unfamiliar alley.
It was a place where the poor and unfortunate lived, where dilapidated houses were crammed together, and the surroundings were filthy.
In front of one such house, a small child was crying. The child stood barefoot on the dirty ground, sniffling.
Long hair, the child was hiding her face, but she was also smeared with filth. Yet, no one pitied the child.
‘Because she bears a cursed symbol.’
Even those living in the wretched backstreets shunned people with cursed symbols.
“Mom, I was wrong. I-I was wrong.”
She mumbled repeatedly, but there was no response from inside the house.
Peeking through a wooden window, she saw a woman passed out drunk.
Then, the scene changed. This time, the child was still crying.
The filthy alley had transformed into a grand mansion, and her hair was neatly combed. But her tears hadn’t stopped.
She cried and cried until the delicate skin around her eyes was raw. In the mansion, the maids tormented her, and the higher-ups ignored her pleas.
Among them were her father and her half-brother.
“I was wrong. Please forgive me.”
Once again, the child begged for forgiveness.
The child’s life was a mess. From a back-alley kid to the daughter of a duke’s family, the only thing that changed was her attire.
As she grew, she learned to swallow her tears. But not crying didn’t mean she wasn’t in pain.
To defend herself, she became sharp and withdrawn. Though she was scorned for her temperament, the maids’ bullying lessened a bit.
Then she became a candidate for the saintess. The child was thrilled.
“Father will be pleased.”
Though she couldn’t even call him ‘Father’ to his face.
News reached the Duke, but his reaction was as cold as ever.
“Must be a mistake.”
Denial.
“Does that little rat have what it takes to become a saintess?”
More denial. This continued until Irene, the child, was dragged to the tower on charges of attempted murder of another saintess candidate.
“N-No, it’s not me! I didn’t do it!”
Desperately struggling, Irene sought help.
She spotted the three kings. They usually disapproved of Irene, but they were still kings.
She believed in their sense of fairness and justice.
“You tried to harm Ramiel, didn’t you?”
“You’ve done something unforgivable.”
“How about reflecting on your actions in prison?”
However, the response was not what she had hoped for. Soon, the most horrific moment of Irene’s life arrived.
The torture chamber.
Dragged inside, Irene screamed incessantly. She cried and begged, but they remained indifferent.
At that point, Burt could no longer stand by and approached Irene.
For the first time, he wiped away her tears and held her hand.
“Who are you?”
Her trembling voice asked. In her pain-clouded eyes, Burt’s face was unrecognizable.
“I am the one who swore allegiance to you.”
Burt covered Irene’s exposed back with his shirt. Then, he began breaking the chains that bound her, one by one.
The powerful curse made it difficult, and his hands became bloodied, but it didn’t matter.
He wiped his bloody hands on his trousers and carefully lifted Irene into his arms.
“Who are you?”
Irene asked again. When no answer came, she stammered, speaking haltingly.
“H-Has my innocence been proven?”
“Yes, it has.”
“Oh, t-thank goodness.”
More tears flowed from her already swollen eyes. By now, one would think she had run out of tears.
Burt wanted to wipe them away, but both hands were occupied holding Irene.
So, he lowered his head and brushed her tears away with his lips. The tears tasted salty, but it wasn’t unpleasant.
Despite her pain, Irene managed a small smile.
“Thank you. No one has ever wiped my tears before. But what did you use to wipe them?”
Innocently, Irene asked. Burt clamped his mouth shut.
“Nothing of significance.”
With that, she quieted down again. Irene was afraid to engage in conversation.
Holding her still trembling body, Burt spoke with certainty.
“You won’t have to suffer anymore.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I will make sure of it.”
