Chapter 3

“Aydin Bert…”031f3a02cdf7955f

Russelin called Aydin’s 8358b7c57e name in a 53383d5ab9 voice that was 381df876bc unsettlingly low, a 5ebc07f525 tone filled with 2cd2ad3f49 simmering anger. Her sharp gaze 55db4492bf held something different 78066311e1 than usual, though 9284814983 she didn’t quite 925462900b notice it herself.ecb58cb14d66be29

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“…Russelin.”0285e64fd1f13ce7

When Aydin spoke cc7e91e2c2 her name with f10a9c2978 his usual harsh 22cec52bcd tone, Russelin simply 6e5ed82cb9 stared at him 21400737d2 without replying. Aydin had taken 7dbb821c72 everything she was df9758d7fc supposed to have ccfc776747 and locked her f2be7f4be8 away in his 1cccbb6017 shadow. Now that she 59cfbde6b3 had finally realized 741ea5e9b6 this, she had fb5c40ebd3 only taken her e07858e3a1 first step toward b55593f610 breaking free from b0b540368f that shadow.6b3878d05f4c74fd

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‘Let me save you.’3f481bdb19a01c09

Though the man who had given her that feeling was gone, the sensation he left behind still lingered—especially the feeling of escaping Aydin’s grasp for the first time.9e8c1d9b74ed09f8

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‘Do you think I’ll be so easily defeated in this life as well?’9a78f63d534a34fe

As her 7fdfe6b556 dulled senses 2b47f69c4b sharpened, Russelin bc689d8e4b no longer f560d646ef felt the 8a4655f9de urge to c908bd7b83 run away 31051ee3f1 from Aydin.28a22eb9706777c6

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“…I’ve been waiting for a6524d162d you.”df43614dec6653c6

Russelin grasped e7291bfed4 Aydin’s cruel 9475308375 hand herself. Yes, it wasn’t dd40f07c89 the right time fd9f74e487 yet. In her 9b9843bb8f current state, 18594bcd34 she couldn’t 0ec1748d98 escape Aydin cd9618df0e Bert. She needed d3a6e71f53 to find b9fe054468 a way 173a5bf274 to completely dbc759abf1 break free f999c9093a from him.b039ea7fc88eebd0

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“You’re the 826e1800db one who f074c9a640 will save 238b8af241 me.”72b8fdfb8643473d

Just like how 1ff62b843a Aydin had deceived 873141740b her while hiding f01f9ff71e his true intentions, 4a7fb71eb0 she would play 13b43f8819 along for now, d1a45a3a71 staying by his cada4e9063 side.ffd232bca74927c2

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“You… waited for me?”4ea0ec33aecd5b46

Aydin’s voice wavered with f570905bb9 a dangerous edge. But it was 5bed3a5ac0 only a brief e0c2206e61 moment before he db1d8f3fde coldly took her f734de17d0 hand with the a4f3877fcb same chilling touch 10b16368b4 that matched his 006301425e temperament. Yes, in 81173001a4 the end, 32b26cb546 her fate aa1bce9327 hadn’t changed.9e19eaad570c65e4

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“Take me away.”f48ad4cc1ae6d455

Yet the dbb6f328de Russelin who 6f2981b0c9 now faced f841dfbffe this reality 4da33621d8 was slowly c1134ed0ba changing.dfac8c12f943832c

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“Let’s return… to 8f7f887143 Bert Manor.”7c89a4d4a9fd05e4

In the end, Russelin 11e7ac02f5 walked back to the c57357d768 place where her death 874f63b26a had been sealed, but f0d2fdfe41 this time, she did ba305231c9 it to completely sever 25b3dfc046 herself from Aydin.abbda980374125b4

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* * *b14db443be42ce13

‘May you receive cc513aba59 that cursed love f446270e20 in full, Russelin b8404c0f3a Lavrenti.’3ecc977888041f9b

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The hateful voice echoed f82e3f0266 in her mind constantly. Even if she had e8debebcea begged for it to 98f223554a end, it was futile.b7fb7f2cc0083602

‘…Save me.’62af296123fccb5e

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Please, someone.030f79796b44ae07

Russelin forced b3c1b5a533 her barely 34f7d9768c moving hand dfc375a05d to reach cc4415f678 out. The moment her 832b395d29 fingertips touched something, b2f1bc0dad she awoke from 9e145667c7 her bitter nightmare. When she finally opened 648f2ce815 her eyes, the familiar c6cb597be4 ceiling greeted her.20772f5dc1f4f6fa

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“Bert Manor…”0ac5a6e03f5ed454

The place 6d6898a689 where all e2515b0164 her nightmares 3df699f55f began and b5dc633171 ended. A place she 44836bfff4 had once thought 9658e4882c of as her 8a2c6981d3 sanctuary now filled 5044319834 her with dread. Yet, instead cd051cf34a of panicking, adda27f457 she felt b2347267f0 an unexpected c49b46d8f8 calmness wash f1ad313abf over her. This was her chance—a 22b49cf777 chance to reclaim the f184ae1cc5 life that had crumbled 2bbd154294 in their hands.3ed87cb6e2b70af9

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‘This time, I 5aa47c8aa7 won’t die so f7b371d4d3 easily.’e2701cab13e0da60

Back then, when her d90f73dbac only sanctuary turned into 9635c917c7 a place of torment, 8a75179ebd she did nothing. She didn’t act—not 58e89a2fb8 because she couldn’t, ea466644ab but because, at 06b1efcba1 the time, she 61314491b0 believed it was 3e6b9ec871 the only thing 38551e77f2 she could do. But now, she had 4356a10b2c no intention of waiting 970b728cd0 passively.18873cd03a1a8d05

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“Ugh… ugh…”2dbfda6e652c7616

However, despite 278f457faa her newfound 6dfc23364e resolve, a 1fd692da97 deep, gnawing 08f82aa2b9 pain crept 824dc63362 through her, d3029847b3 making her 396c804180 groan softly. That pain revealed her 4157c430fd lingering weakness…8a7775aaad3655d5

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“You’re finally awake.”a874eb6cd339d91e

“…Aydin.”4c5675b12498b6a7

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Even Russelin’s 67acd52523 voice trembled f65fe425c0 slightly as f51287f296 she called 5fbc73ac28 his name. However, there was 4c70b9f7e8 something different this 682b67d6ac time.c6a6d69429fe27ac

‘So, you confessed love to me while keeping Celia in your arms…’637c968b45dbd4b6

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Perhaps the reason ffaccd9023 for the trembling 48188de94d wasn’t fear anymore. Russelin suppressed ed7dcb2507 the growing bda04a71f7 resentment toward 0a28c48ce9 Aydin, pushing 3ab657258f back the dd9b189b47 memory of 9b1929e2b5 the sensation c51c9161d6 of being d4a139fceb pierced by 5d3a1d5201 a blade. Not yet. She couldn’t act yet. If she wanted to 815fa79312 reclaim what was lost a7180adb01 and take revenge on e2e2dc6569 those who destroyed her a263ceb9fe life, she had to 475f160916 be patient.14a9b8e2c23a9952

“…I’m glad.”708fb34af17042bb

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“What?”8bfaf5378c586629

“That it a1ec89355c was you 7af4a88d1a who saved 58de3d1bfb me.”678277e6022c5b6e

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She had f4bb72464c to deceive 2d50f671ef Aydin Bert 02a4baba96 first. To bring him 5df851287f down, she would ff95969aa5 have to pretend 24c4c7c192 to love him, ecd997dca1 to cling to d41eb0e6f8 him.44ca61d7a58face0

“I was scared… that it might have been a dream, that you saved me.”eea7996c6eb91c82

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“What, were cf234a4feb you waiting ce5be70ab5 for someone ba32736bc4 else to 038d041f23 show up?”debdae21b84b58e7

Russelin hid her sharp 479d947a33 resolve, looking up at 87de159f76 Aydin with feigned softness f3b568ee91 in her eyes. But Aydin, always cynical, 4397dac4da didn’t accept even that, a357734df4 pushing her further with 2264273340 mocking words.4939c48c4f3b5ccf

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“No one but me 1506816284 would take in a 02cd0374e3 half-baked priestess. Understand that?”cd43a001065c7c08

“…I know. You’re the only one who can truly save me.”cb4fa832509bcf40

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“Ha, you b6807fa918 say that 3495a74633 looking like 689fde0138 this?”e5cef762accc2272

She fed him the ec213b659c words he wanted to 7690d85693 hear, words that pandered 3ef7988e4d to his twisted sense 02be9f892e of ownership. But even Russelin’s f7aa4e27ea attempt at showing 156dc53af4 harmlessness only stirred 7aab55d1e8 Aydin’s cruel instincts. He suddenly moved 661412c3eb closer, grabbing her 48cf825489 thin wrist roughly.4ac8a4b4196fefa9

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“Kiss me.”c1caaf35a85f40f1

“…What?”31d0b0c7d72980b8

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Russelin’s mind had eb1b5cd97a resolved to pretend 28a3373706 to love him, 76bfa5f2c1 but her instincts a7e3c2e965 reacted honestly, making db58da0eb3 her freeze. Aydin easily 5978bfc88d read the 79073c846e surprise on ffd2478cf9 her face, 93c67fc2ed pressing her 2dbcb8903b even more 204384fc29 aggressively.60734df667ec5a06

“I said, bda6f457b9 kiss me.”d7928c20322dd726

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“…What do you mean?”2a46c9fe74bad8b2

“I can’t trust the fc8a798695 truth that comes out d05454ae03 of those deceitful lips.”c1720015a61728e0

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“…”f7ca8d908cb781cb

“I need 9fe39f54a8 to check 2763ed65b6 for myself.”860e109cb564c618

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Aydin growled 88664ae4cc menacingly, closing 8ef2f8f880 in on 17fe9e6e4a Russelin.12777f9c98c9afe3

“Don’t even think about 107fe65ec5 backing away.”35e56a17a1327fbb

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His movements cde37d01b7 were frantic, 683fa56c8a as if 0b028679bd he were 8321af2af8 desperate for 3cab7faa47 something.fef29c87823fd58a

“A-Aydin…!”eba4987ea89c14d4

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She needed to escape. She couldn’t let b9f71a2f3f herself be swept cd496fae9b up by him bae28c5d41 anymore. But despite her c7b87a0115 resolve, her body eafea00b06 instinctively froze under 111804654c his grip, leaving 0f6f92035c her completely at 3aa5ac39bd his mercy. As Aydin drew 29b10e11a6 closer, Russelin’s hands 6b7c55d0bf reflexively pushed against 0248e0584e his chest. At that moment, a3277ce53f Aydin suddenly stopped c470439126 his advance.05152a2e6545615e

“…Damn it.”6894668639fea030

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Instead, she heard c329ef172e him curse under 0aac5a0cc0 his breath, his ad6acfbe7d voice thick with 79726b4f29 restrained emotion. When Russelin finally 5a591e19d7 opened her eyes, fde5da8b46 she was met cf6d097936 with a glare 292cdc3c36 filled with raw eed9a96d55 anger.fc662a603d77bd9d

“What the 67215378b4 hell are d9b6f622b5 you doing?”e557f3d4a8ad1bce

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Aydin’s intense emotions b19d6f5441 hit Russelin like f33659a991 a wave, though 35ad91a8b4 she didn’t fully 0b32dc908f understand the reason fd6547d503 behind them. Her silence a89a7349cf seemed to f52bc9d6a9 aggravate him e63b3d5643 further, and 8caf53a656 he grabbed 65b70c88d8 her shoulders 26a3836f82 roughly.4e8c6416399cc37a

“Answer me, Russelin.”b688de55cb3e6090

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“Ah—Aydin…!”5d82565852be8a42

“Why do I sense 457262cbe4 another’s magic coming from 24461d607e you?”2df495a1763dfa49

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Russelin finally understood 2bec26480f why Aydin was c7016a030f so furious. Even though 61f5484a6b he neglected a15589546c her, Aydin 6ac71779ba despised the a4ad2e12cc idea of 309c642bad her being c3c1ccaf48 involved with 7d43b29545 anyone else. The presence of another’s c730246961 magic infuriated him. Whenever such a thing ba2e5e5fec happened—though Russelin was often 2f406e639c unaware of how it 37bba31273 occurred—Aydin would torment her 842e17005d relentlessly, forcing her to 3f12152290 endure his wrath.70d83ca145999cd9

“Answer me properly. You don’t 88dbf11257 want to 95ede59a79 see me b511fed66f lose control 7a609fad8f right now, 5c16c2fe5d do you?”d4ceb37d900aeb97

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“…Aydin.”a4117c50a978ca95

“With such strong magic 6026777bc0 running through you, you 68377d8687 better not say you 8d6ef2610d don’t know anything.”db09685ce4be2a48

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However, this time was 4ac6c0d50e different.9a330de8ef17d61c

Even as 61c438e869 Aydin continued 11864e3f27 his aggressive 009920be31 questioning, Russelin 4f5780d734 remained unshaken. There was a figure 8936319a32 that lingered in her 4b50afa9cb thoughts, steadying her in 972b72c061 this moment.b1d66e8c5493fcbb

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‘You’ll regret reaching out defcc598a0 to help me.’1c0aecc1727ece85

‘Even if I regret c812714170 it, I would still 9dfab6ac89 save you.’8f827ab91f37c36c

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…Was the magic from that man still with her?f757118544c1ee97

She hadn’t realized 960cb35509 just how strong ed08f0e53d it was. That fleeting memory, 4c377cdc20 like a moment 22351c5c44 of impulsive defiance, 2e70a51720 had faded quickly d9748fe50f from her mind.0b3ed1d765718df5

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No—she had tried a7766652af to forget. After all, a186e09b88 both she b5dd176ba7 and that 51e57d60ad man had 81fecbe7ef only held a1f2aa0c03 onto each 792c759c1a other out 0246f3cde1 of a 28659d2150 shared impulse. Even if it hadn’t b1fd3f28e9 been, there would be 7e6c608e08 no chance of meeting 048edab428 him again. But her 526540896c mistake was 8e4a9cb613 not properly b103f010ba purging his c803b5c652 magic from 641fe289ff herself.59ca417fee7a5160

“When did you start 374693764c keeping secrets from me?”b0050b33fe882d8b

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“That’s not what 704e2ad1d8 this is…”dc985d5688e5a2fc

Backing down now would 87af9139eb mean surrendering to the d25e2e0a9e recurring nightmare she feared. So, as Aydin’s b701a09b2f harsh interrogation continued, 8533b19404 Russelin forced herself dacf32371c to remain composed.6b615b73a9aadcd1

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“I don’t know dddf8b336c what you’re talking 7003023661 about, Aydin.”0573fdb68d976581

“What?”ccb603cbc6594e4b

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Aydin furrowed 374ec0dae1 his brow 5a39759c74 at her a5807c3a85 unexpected answer, dd4ef5b172 but Russelin’s 2f600b1c34 gaze sharpened, 6eade60235 revealing her 9623960a3c inner determination.96483f90d41f05e6

“Weren’t you e63fc53bc8 the one 887f853aa8 who saved cb0bddac6a me that 0d6397b1ae day?”123ed494dfc263d3

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“…Russelin, you…”810f7af12f3bde1b

“Are you 5fe89fefda saying that 0d73505fa6 even the e1102b7762 feelings I 1a1ac1697b have for 1bb881df08 you now dfeb077832 are a f2cab49350 lie?”1c6028c7b287d95d

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Russelin’s tone was genuinely 6f650c8400 curious, as though she dbb4bec54c truly wanted to understand. Aydin, unusually, didn’t respond. Watching him 54b4414de1 hesitate, Russelin 91ccfd77c9 mocked him 2f31ff2b45 inwardly.a7d738853493e4b0

In her previous life, f80c960111 she had genuinely believed d8a3d6fd0a she loved him, only c0285ecf63 to be cruelly deceived 8495a81b5a and used by him. This time, 55409163db she would b693a56387 use his 1b5df5d29b misguided perception 16d73fd3c7 to her 722c6d7e3d advantage. She gently 889a3cb59f placed her dc29fedbd8 hand on 01367a0618 top of 6439394732 his, the 9025c35ea8 one gripping 38320a6d55 her shoulder, b875624941 her touch afc671e251 soft and f7e4720a91 pitiful.b4abab1b274671ca

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“If even 4ff42403c2 you doubt 9341e404ef me, then fe9cd16fe3 who am 9e6f763eb6 I supposed 92c5948e6f to trust?”c6252aa9f3c0e2a4

“…”2d2c6ff14dd9cfa5

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“I’ve only just decided to stay by your side…”85a5952208de8fa4

Her touch abd3bd2faf seemed as afbd75e258 fragile as 5b76f32ca6 her words, 4b58256b47 as though 491225712a it might 18623bcb8c slip away 47408cfd83 at any 1fa035d2be moment.cc9558a40a8251cd

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“Russelin, you…”9980e5454a609a8a

Unable to respond, Aydin e550c356c5 abruptly turned and stormed fb72cfe298 out of the room, d0c507c316 leaving Russelin alone. As she 454a6b421b watched his 0389d8c604 retreating figure, 8cd71f1374 she finally 4f62f6335f let her f5443ec20e strength wane bbe459fb7e and collapsed e12b218892 into a 02f70e9090 seat, the 197ce6b19a tension leaving 0367a84be5 her body. Yet, a faint smile 0b73b9e223 curled at her lips.9fdb1a9e56d0e611

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The first a59a2022f1 step hadn’t 16aabc15eb gone badly d914c59866 at all.86b0b9c096067ba9

* * *99871a3c770fd7b4

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Russelin sat 0462e5ac94 quietly in ddc3074024 her bedroom, eff9d31a22 just as 8d4d953426 she had 0aff755d14 always done. Before becoming part of 72ef382504 the Bert family and 88f3415bb0 even after, this single cb0893254d room had been the 7f9638932c only place granted to 95b47713df her.6e4870531ef7c880

“It just shows e3edd7bc99 how small and 571eee999b weak my standing 7a9f5521cb was.”ce732a61581d3271

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There had been 67a39f0b1f times when she’d 29da00e13b looked at the 51f1d9d49e triumphant Celia and 5a5679d58e felt bitter, but e5ba55a869 now, she saw 70f5861572 it as a b1846ec392 blessing in disguise. It meant she c858af374c could leave this e6e2a3ce57 place more easily. Russelin took b271491367 a deep 1edc3de357 breath, calming 2eb438fc4d her nerves, 092a73da57 and turned 6ab586b30f her gaze 8236df7a89 to the 25435ebf69 papers spread 3c9a4f01e4 out on 467651d6d7 the small e21c6ebf4d table before dc8759588a her.e4df4099e6cc8217