BXBX NOVEL Chapter 260: You are priceless [1/2]
Lilly killed her heart to fulfill her duty. As commander of the White Guard, she would have been at the forefront of most of the executions of rogue Reapers. Men, women, probably even children. Anyone with Reaper blood had the potential to become a Reaper.
This meant that the chances of Lilly having to kill the same person twice were quite high. Once to end their human life, and a second time for their Reaper life. Being given such a task by David must have made her despise herself.
Robyn knew nothing but war before today. She was coming to terms with the consequences of her actions and now had a new outlook on life that tormented her.
Josephine heard voices that drove her insane. The fear of losing control never left her heart. Zanardi also destroyed any semblance of happiness she might have had.
Bella, though not the perpetrator, pulled the trigger on countless atrocities. And it made her see herself as nothing but a monster, all for the sake of her vengeance.
Jasmine was deeply ashamed of her actions in the Syrian Civil War, but not only did she take pride in seeing her enemies suffer, she even took sexual pleasure in it.
Aki lived a life of murder, all for her brother Haru. With his apparent death, the weight of her despair broke her, leading to the purge of Miroku. Unwilling to have her 2nd life under the same circumstances, she decided to die by my hands.
Finally, Liv, carried the hope of an entire continent. She sought help because of her desperation and kindness. If she really was the reason for the fall of the continent, her guilt must have slowly eaten her alive.
Bella was right, these were all things most would not reveal. And they all wanted to hide it from me out of fear and shame. When I accepted their darkness and vowed to carry the burden with them, they all felt happiness and contentment.
Obviously, the same offer applies to my northern bride. Just like the princesses in the Isekai novels, this woman would sacrifice herself in exchange for saving her country. If that was the case, why was she alone? Why did no one help her?
Liv stopped eating and made a sad face. "My love, my true lineage is that of a daughter of Erick Odinson. The Revenant of the North."
'Well fuck, she really was a princess,' I couldn't help but exclaim in my mind.
"I... That is... Nine years ago, the same year the North was breached. I made a mistake. I.."
Hearing the emotional voice of my beloved, I stood up and went to her. Liv was trembling. A woman who created {Withstand} was trembling. Overwhelmed by the desire to protect this woman, I dropped to my knees and took her hands.
I kissed them as I solemnly told her.
"Liv. My love. Take your time. Whatever shadows you carry, we will face them together. The promise I made to Robyn applies to you as well."
When the Northerner heard my promise, the last pieces of her mask fell away. Liv began to sob as she continued her story. To see someone as powerful as her crying so pitifully, her heart must have been distraught to the point of shattering.
"Sniff. My mother was a powerful Specter, she was the commander of the honor guard. You remember I said I looked like a man, right? In the North, women are treated like cattle. To protect me, my mother cursed me to look like an Orc to men."
"But you are beautiful? I never saw you as an Orc, not even once?"
Liv chuckled as she continued to cry.
"Yes, my mother said that only men who cherish me would see my true face."
"Oh. Well, she is not wrong. I do love you."
Perhaps not used to such direct praise, Liv looked away as she continued her story.
"I was 21 at the time. Although I was technically a princess, my father had over two thousand wives, spouses, and lovers. With over two hundred siblings, being a princess didn't carry much weight.
"Among my father's wives, the more children a woman had, the higher her status. Although my father had a very large harem, he regularly spent his time loving only three women. My mother was one of them. My father's neglected wives hated her out of jealousy."
"Was?"
"Yes, was. My mother is gone. I killed her. On the day the dead broke out of hell, my siblings bullied me so much that I hid in my room. My mother left her post out of concern for me and spent the day trying to make me feel better."
Just from the details of Liv's story, I could imagine what happened next. But I remained silent, allowing my lover to finish her story.
"I...knew my mother was busy. So even though she tried to coax me out of my room. I didn't come out just to have her stay with me. I was lonely. My sisters thought I was a disgrace because I lacked femininity. My brothers, on the other hand, saw me as competition."
This meant that even in the midst of such a massive family, Liv remained alone. It seemed that every single one of my women had it extremely hard. My circumstances seemed blessed compared to theirs.
"Looking back, my stubbornness in wanting my mother's affection caused the North to fall. Because my mother was with me, the honor guard's response was delayed. The sudden onslaught of the undead invaded our cities and caused catastrophic casualties.
"The situation was finally resolved at the great cost of abandoning three cities. Luk, our head of wisdom, persuaded our council to lay the blame on my mother. As penance, she was sent to reclaim the fallen cities. She failed. And was pronounced dead a month later."