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Chapter 81 Part 1 – The rose blooming in the shadows. Countess Rosenthal is prepared to die a horrible death as a villain. Her heart-wrenching determination struck our hearts like moonlight.

…… Although she did not show it on her face, Countess Rosenthal was in extreme pain. She was also constantly feeling nauseous and dizzy. If she were to relax even a little, she would immediately sink down to the floor and be unable to move.

It’s something she’s been prepared for since she activated her evil eye. She is aware that her life will burn out at the end of tonight.

An eerie coldness permeated from the bottom of her body. Her life force is spilling out of her as fast as sand slipping through fingers. Her body heat is fading. But Countess Rosenthal, who saw a glimmer of hope in Cornelia, felt so warm in her heart that she did not care that her cold death was inching closer with every second. Compared to the 14 years of suffering from being hated by Wendell, the person whom she loved dearly, this was nothing.

「The evil eye is powerful, but it is an extremely dangerous ability. If you use it beyond your limits, it will suck out every last bit of your life force as compensation. Once that happens, it will not stop until you die. And it will be accompanied by pain so intense that it will cause you to go insane. Even more than the pain the mermaid princess had to endure when walking with her legs …… If you want to reconsider, now’s the time.」

Solomon advised her when he was about to give her the ability.

Countess Rosenthal did not hesitate. She was not so childish as to naively believe that great power could be given without a price.

「Mermaid princess? Fufu, I would say that I’m more like the wicked witch. So, if my voice is the price, I won’t do it. After all, the villain has to be able to say hateful lines …… But if it’s my life, I’ll give it up. Just give me a bit of time. Even if you are the devil and demand my soul instead of my life, I will gladly take your hand.」

She smiled charmingly as she accepted the evil eye. The power of the evil eye was the only way to make amends for the mistake she had made the night of the ball 14 years ago. She had always regretted that her failure to help Cornelia at that time had led to her downfall.

‘It’s such a small price to pay to get what I want with just my life.’

She wasn’t pretending to be strong, she truly thought so.

…… The true power of the evil eye is not simple illusion or hypnosis.

Its true power is that all the events that took place within the evil eye’s boundaries are remembered as real, even when the ability is removed. Even if it is a reenactment of the past. …… In other words, if Cornelia conducts herself with dignity in tonight’s ball, the memories of the red nobles will be overwritten to say that this was the real past event that happened 14 years ago. Even after the death of Countess Rosenthal, the owner of the evil eye. It is tantamount to a redo of the past.

Countess Rosenthal had a long-standing concern.

The dance ball held 14 years ago not only left a deep scar in Cornelia’s heart, but it also made the red nobles that had participated in the bullying have the memory of the scene when Cornelia was humiliated. Those people are sly and jealous. As Cornelia’s reputation grows, they will surely go around telling everyone that the real Cornelia is the one who was covered in filth while shivering and cowering. In fact, some people are already spreading that rumor. In the social world, the stronger the light, the deeper the darkness. That’s the bone stuck in Cornelia’s throat.

I will not let these insignificant people drag Cornelia down any further.

In order for Cornelia to lead a bright life with Wendell in the future, the memories of the nobles who are the source of the rumors have to be rewritten from contempt to surprise and admiration. That is the true aim of Countess Rosenthal and her parting gift.

However, if Cornelia herself was the kind of woman who would rather take revenge than regain her honor ……

That is why Countess Rosenthal asked Cornelia in the carriage.

Cornelia’s answer exceeded her expectations. Cornelia was a person who could say that she would rather live for the people she loved rather than seek revenge.

A feeling of joy and pride filled Countess Rosenthal’s heart. Her doubts were gone. Cornelia is indeed a suitable companion for Wendell. Cornelia was worthy of the remaining life she had put on the line.

After 14 years, Cornelia was a respectable woman with her own convictions. The shameful sight at the ball that night was simply the result of falling into the dirty trap of her parents-in-law, Marquis Vygod and his wife. Perhaps they could have been friends. What a useless detour it was. When she thought back on those memories, a sad and lonely wind blew in her heart. Wendell and Cornelia were not the only ones whose lives were turned upside down. So did Countess Rosenthal.

…… She recalled the past that has passed.

Countess Rosenthal lived the other half of her lifetime only for the sake of protecting Wendell. She gave up love, peace, and pride. With no status and no money, she used the beauty she was blessed with to move from man to man and finally became the favorite mistress of the late king because she had to go that far to gain the power to protect Wendell from the shadows. Along the way, she defeated several rivals. She once coldly abandoned a man who had given her all his fortune, even though he clung to her leg and begged her not to go.

Rona’s once pure heart had been completely worn down and vanished. But sometimes, when she was alone in the middle of the night, the girl’s kindness would suddenly come back to her. On such occasions, she was so appalled by the gravity of her sin that she could not endure it and vomited.

I’m sorry!! I’m sorry!! Please forgive me!!

Countess Rosenthal covered her face with her hands, tore her hair, and sobbed. No matter how much she screamed in apology, she couldn’t forget the resentment and sorrow in the eyes of the victims. They glared and cursed at her inside her mind. Countess Rosenthal clutched her chest while covered in vomit and writhed on the floor.

Even when Rona was young, many men passed by her body. Her body was defiled and she wanted to die. But it was forced upon her by her father. It never occurred to her to use her body to entice someone. Even though her body was dirty, her heart was pure. However, the current Countess Rosenthal was no longer a victim, but a perpetrator that has induced countless resentments.

She was in pain all the time. Even in the most glamorous social circles, her smile was a mask. She had not laughed heartily for many years. The gentle gaze of Wendell in her memory was replaced by his eyes filled with contempt and hatred. She can no longer remember the smile he had as a boy. There is no one she can rely on. She felt as if there was a hole in her chest from the loneliness. Clasping the faded rose hair ornament given to her by Wendell to her chest with both hands, Countess Rosenthal wept alone like a little girl as she thought of the lost past.

Nevertheless, the reason she survived in that hell of carnage was because she was proud that by working from behind the scenes as a powerful person, she was able to help with Wendell’s predicament, even if only slightly, as he had many enemies.

That tiny pride was the support of Countess Rosenthal’s life. And yet, on the night of the ball, she crushed it with her own hands.

‘In those days of power, I would have had no difficulty in rescuing Cornelia from the bullying of the red nobles. But I …… couldn’t forgive her unsightly behavior. I wondered why the woman whom Wendell-sama chose as his spouse would be daunted by these people. And I ended up thinking that it would be fine if she suffered a little pain. That led to an irreversible situation ……’

When I was Rona, I would have helped Cornelia without any hesitation. At that time, I couldn’t take the first step and turned my back on Cornelia because my heart was dirty. In the meantime, the situation had run to irreversible ruin.

Regret burned her heart.

Wendell suffered for more than a decade as his beloved wife Cornelia’s heart was broken and she was unable to come out.

‘For a long time, I …… have been secretly in love with my benefactor, Wendell-sama, and longed to be of help to him. And of all things …… I actually sent him to hell with my own hands.’