To My Gentle Villain

Chapter 22

'That was... . reverse guiding?'

Tears welled up in her eyes as she sank down. But tears never fell.

Dahlia got up bravely and wiped away her tears and looked out the wide open window. There were people gathering to see off the Archduke and his party.

Shortly thereafter, Jurgen left the building and joined them. Neatly tying up the cravat he had turned loose in her room, he gracefully shook hands with the Knights of Blenheim.

As she tried to close her window, he burst out into a false smile, took a step toward the lake in the forest and looked up.

He had precisely found Dahlia. And Dahlia did not avoid his gaze.

'Get lost.'

He licked his lips silently. Then he made a small smile, and then ran his thumb across his lips. Dahlia's cheeks flared up again at the insignificant act.

Nervously closing the window, she turned away and leaned against the wall with her eyes closed for a long time.

Without even realizing that the seal had become hot.

***

"Welcome, my lord. And young master."

The sky god Delis. A huge magic circle was drawn under the statue of Delis with its wings as wide as a house, with both hands on their chest. It was the Archduke of Leicester and Jurgen who walked out of the portal.

There were hundreds of columns on a sheer cliff. Those who came to meet the Archduke and his party at the stone-floored temple bowed their heads in respect.

"I'm glad you came back safely, Master."

At the words of the butler Lorenzo, the Archduke of Leicester laughed.

"You were worried for nothing."

"The older you get, the more you worry."

Jurgen took another step forward, facing a changed future. In his last lives due to the runaway of the Archduke of Leicester the whole Archduchy fell into mourning.

The imperial family and the temple tried to gain authority to intervene in their affairs and the sentinel's power had destroyed two buildings.

But this time it's different. It felt as if he was living a whole new life.

Walking down the high stairs, Jurgen looked down at Etna Castle, of the Archduke. Edelred possessed military power as well as lack of financial power comparable to that of the imperial family.

But there were only five years left to see this beautiful sight. No, since the future was changing, he didn't know what would happen, but if his past lives were any indication he was destined to die in five years time.

When an engraved guide died, the sentinel went into a rampage. In the past, he had imprinted with his fiancee, Princess Julia. Even without love, engraving was not difficult.

The matching rate with Julia was fairly stable, because he was doing anything for the sake of retribution for his runaway father.

It was at that time that he learned about the manastones at the gates.

However, Julia, who accompanied him in subjugation, lost her life, and induced his runaway. That was his first death.

Even in her second life, he was engaged to Julia and imprinted on her again. He thought he could save her. But Julia lost her life in the same spot and at the same time.

So in his third life Julia would guide him without imprinting. But this time the mad dog, Prince Raynan, killed his sister.

By the time it was his fourth life, things seemed clearer to Jurgen. Of course, he still couldn't stop his father's runaway, but he was getting pretty close to recovering Plum's true identity.

Interestingly, the memory of his last death was completely gone. He didn't even know if he had been attacked by a monster, lost his life to a runaway, or if he had been assassinated.

As if he had been forced asleep, when he opened his eyes he found his fifth life was beginning.

'I don't want to die.'

Dahlia Von Klose.

What are you, really? Who are you, to change my future?

Returning to his room through portals installed throughout the castle, Jurgen looked around with fresh eyes. Familiar yet unfamiliar

Surprisingly, there was no way of predicting what would happen tomorrow.

He sauntered around the room slowly, picking up the matchmaking portrait on his desk.

– Julia von Leonardo –

A woman with long golden hair was smiling brightly in her portrait. Looking down at her face, he didn't hesitate to tear her portrait in half. Then he lit it and threw it into his fireplace.

He stood silently, until the portrait's corner curled and burned, and finally turning into black ashes.