The West Wind's Destination - Chapter 24
“Bea, there were circumstances. Truly, there were. I can explain everything.”
Why do his words irritate her so much?
“I know you feel resentful. But I have been looking for you too. But Bea, you also disappeared. Completely… so I couldn’t find you…. Ah.”
Aseph frustratingly brushed back his hair and sighed, realizing he had been speaking inappropriately.
“Bea, what I mean is, please give me a chance.”
“I don’t feel resentful towards you.”
“Then you must be angry with me.”
“…….”
“And I believe you have every right to be. I was wrong. Please allow me the chance to apologize and make amends.”
Bea tilted her head expressionlessly, not out of any deeper meaning, but genuinely not understanding his words.
Unsure why she suddenly raised her voice, Bea calmly responded,
“That’s not it either. I’m just talking about compensation…”
“Why do you maintain such a distance when speaking to me, Bea?”
The idea of maintaining a distance was confusing to Bea. She believed she was behaving appropriately, considering his status.
“Why… Why do you insist on resolving everything with compensation?”
That was explainable. Since he seemed not to understand that he was the cause of her ‘failure’, Bea explained methodically,
“It’s because of the trouble you caused, having to raise ‘this’ alone.”
Bea gestured towards the homunculus, emphasizing the cause.
But before she could finish her sentence, a butler swiftly covered the homunculus’s ears, as if shielding him from what was about to follow after referring to a child as ‘this’.
“Bea… I am truly ashamed. How hard it must have been for you to raise the child alone. I will take full responsibility, so please release your anger.”
As Bea remained silent, Aseph continued,
“Efficiency, right. Even in terms of the efficiency you value, joining this family would be more beneficial than leaving. Vilkanos will provide an ample background, not just in wealth, but in status and assets too.”
The servants in the room blushed, having missed the cue to leave.
Aseph’s proposal was stark, direct, and somewhat mercenary.
Such matters, which even families vying for the young, handsome archduke’s attention wouldn’t dare mention, were shockingly laid bare.
Thus, Aseph’s words would have astonished anyone who had ever cast a net for the youthful archduke or their associates.
Aseph himself seemed embarrassed by his crude manner of trying to hold onto her, far from making a refined proposal.
But Bea couldn’t understand the implications of Aseph’s words, nor what all his blushing actually meant.
“You don’t understand.”
Bea sighed in frustration, her sharp features accentuated by her emotionless expression, chilling those who faced her.
“Your body possesses strong anti-magic properties. It was the reason you broke through my barriers, why I couldn’t progress in my research, why my magically imbued alchemical ingredients were destroyed, and ultimately, why my final creation was a failure. All these are clearly because of you.”
After Aseph left, Bea moved her laboratory, including the damaged materials that were contaminated with his blood, causing a chemical reaction.
“It’s because your got blood mixed in.”
Bea’s simple explanation seemed to deepen Aseph’s seriousness.
“So it is. My bloodline.”
Bea sensed a disconnect in communication but concluded her point.
“The time and some resources I wasted cannot be quantified in money. Yet is it that hard to understand I am willing to settle for compensation?”
Bea intended to make things easier by asking for money. However, Aseph didn’t object until she finished talking, seemingly lost in her voice.
“Also, it’s impossible for ‘that’ to be your child due to the timing.”
“Children of the Vilkanos bloodline grow fast.”
Bea shook her head.
“Its physical age is about seven years. But it didn’t grow over time. I artificially accelerated its growth by removing its anti-magic properties and administering a growth potion. But as it grew, the anti-magic properties strengthened, making further growth impossible.”
“…….”
“If it stays with me, I’ll continue to fail in my research. I don’t want to waste more time.”
Silence lingered in the room for a while before Aseph Vilkanos spoke in a subdued voice.
“You removed the anti-magic properties…?”
“Yes. It was necessary to grow the body.”
“The anti-magic properties of the Vilkanos…”
Aseph’s eyes, which had been searching for a way to appease Bea, cooled slightly. It was the look of someone finding an escape route.
Aseph realized that neither apologies, persuasions, nor pleas would sway Bea. Even mentioning efficiency, which she valued, was futile.
It seemed impossible to change her mind, even with money, as she might just take it and disappear.
