Chapter 130

“Chapter 130: Love, the Most Irrational Thing in the World”

In the dead of night, Milani gently pushed open Ivyst’s room door.

Looking at the silver-haired woman sitting by the desk, gazing out the window, she took a deep breath and suppressed many words she wanted to say.

To her, the reason the Princess called her over today was quite simple.

It was nothing but those memories Lynn had forgotten.

Although repeated searching would harm him in the short term, the Princess’s recent demeanor suggested she might disregard his well-being and force a search.

This was something she didn’t want to see.

When exactly did everything change?

Probably when the news of Lynn’s death spread throughout the manor, and the Princess lost her proud power.

From that moment on, everything became off-kilter.

The once vibrant and flamboyant woman in military attire was nowhere to be seen; in her place was a person consumed by obsession.

A double blow shattered her will, leaving her insecure, relying on sick and mad methods to maintain this twisted relationship.

Yet, twisted is still twisted.

No matter how beautifully one adorns it, there will eventually be a day of awakening.

When that day comes, she will face a crueler reality.

What should I do?

“Please sit.”

Milani, lost in thought, suddenly heard the Princess’s calm voice.

It wasn’t cold or indifferent; it even carried a hint of rare softness.

Milani blinked, thinking she must have misheard.

Wordlessly, she sat down in a nearby chair, awkwardly placing her hands on her lap, her slender legs dangling and swaying lightly.

Staring at the cold woman surrounded by moonlight, the atmosphere became somewhat silent.

After a long while, a voice suddenly broke the silence, “I’m sorry about what happened last time.”

Huh?

Milani looked up in surprise at the back of the Princess, her mouth opening and closing, but no words came out.

The Princess was actually apologizing to her?

This was something she had never encountered before.

For some reason, Milani felt a warmth in her eyes, a touch of emotion.

Though it might be her illusion, the Princess tonight seemed a bit different from the recent days.

Before Milani could respond, Ivyst spoke again, “Any progress on unlocking his missing memories from the lab?”

“If you want to probe his brain, I’ll assist you as much as possible without harming him,” Milani gently bit her lip.

“That’s not what I mean.” Ivyst shook her head lightly, “As far as I know, his memories of me should have been sealed by a powerful entity resembling a god. Do you have any way to unlock this seal?”

Milani paused for a few seconds and then shook her head, “Princess, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t even have noticed that seal’s existence.”

“However, there might not be no chance at all.”

“If the deity who sealed it isn’t powerful, or if they’re currently in a weak state, we could offer a price and request help from the major churches.”

“As far as I know, the Silent Church has a similar sealed item that works wonders for breaking negative effects on the mind.”

“If you need it, then I…”

Milani offered her a new idea.

Yet after a moment of silence, Ivyst gently shook her head, “No, let’s just forget it.”

This answer puzzled Milani once more.

From what she knew about Ivyst, due to that pathological possessiveness, she could never tolerate another entity having an impact on her possessions.

Moreover, it was about her memories.

Unless the potential outcomes of unlocking those memories were something the Princess could not accept.

With some concern, Milani glanced at Ivyst.

In a certain sense, her sixth sense was quite accurate.

Even Ivyst herself didn’t realize that the reason she rejected the proposal was rooted in some deep-seated fear.

What was happening right now could still be excused as a sealed memory.

But once those memories were unlocked, the last fig leaf would also vanish.

Ivyst was avoiding something.

She was afraid that Lynn, upon regaining his memories, would tell her that the Sorceress of the End was actually the one he valued most.

However, at that moment, the two present had forgotten one thing.

If that entity was so confident, why resort to sealing memories?

Unfortunately, neither Milani nor Ivyst realized this point.

“When will I gradually regain my lost power?”

After a moment, Ivyst again asked the one question that concerned her most.

Milani pursed her lips and softly replied, “According to the health check results, the core traits of the mixed Wishing Jars in your body have long been purified by your Annihilation Power. By rights, it should have begun to gradually awaken.”

“But strangely, no matter what stimulating method is used, the power within you remains completely silent.”

Ivyst fell silent for a moment, “Do you have any insights on this?”

Without power, she felt like a drifting leaf without roots.

After all, all the relationships around her were built upon her strong power.

Once that power disappeared, everything would crumble.

Perhaps it was not just Lynn’s insecurity that had changed Ivyst recently; the loss of power played a significant role too.

Having no money and being rich are two different concepts.

Hearing this, Milani shook her head gently.

She wanted to say that it might relate to her state of mind.

But as a researcher, she was reluctant to believe in such idealistic notions.

Moreover, she thought that the Princess was currently in a dead end that no one else could guide her out of.

Not even Lynn.

However, upon hearing Milani’s words, Ivyst didn’t get angry or feel disheartened; she suddenly changed the subject.

“I have a friend who’s been facing some things lately.”

This so-called friend must be you, Princess!

Milani instantly sensed something was off.

She stared blankly at Ivyst’s somewhat thin figure, momentarily speechless.

Was the Princess confiding in her?

But why?

Just like that, amidst Milani’s bewildered gaze, Ivyst softly began to recount.

She sought out Milani because she was probably the smartest person in the manor.

Bathed in the tranquil yet gentle night, she began to recount the most perplexing situations she’d faced recently, rephrasing and transforming them with a fresh perspective.

Yet no matter how she twisted the story, as one of Ivyst’s closest confidants, Milani instantly recognized the prototype of this tale.

The rich circle is truly chaotic.

What future self, what past self, two women competing over one dog. So this is the heart-pounding situation that Experiment 126 was facing lately?

Milani suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

But Ivyst wasn’t about to let her off the hook that easily.

“Do you have any thoughts about what I just said?”

“Just say whatever comes to mind, treat it as casual conversation.”

Her voice was soft, making it hard to discern her current emotions.

Hearing this, Milani fell silent for a moment, then bit her silver teeth and mustered the courage to say, “I think that little dog being fought over by two women is a bit pitiful.”

“You see, they seem to have never considered his thoughts, just imposing their own will on him, manipulating him at will.”

“Yet no matter how beautifully they dress up this relationship, he is still a person, an independent individual with free will.”

“And between people, there needs to be understanding and…”

Understanding and love.

Milani wanted to say this.

But she knew very well that her experiences growing up had led Ivyst not to understand what love truly was.

“Independent individual.”

Ivyst didn’t notice her hesitation; she merely repeated Milani’s viewpoint in her mouth, then fell silent. After a moment, she quietly said, “Let’s change the topic.”

As expected, the Princess’s pathological mindset couldn’t be easily turned around with just a few words.

But if she insisted on clinging to this wrong path, the distance between her and that little dog would only grow further.

Oh Princess, when will you realize this?

Milani sighed softly within her heart.

However, Ivyst was oblivious to her current thoughts.

“What do you think the past version of that woman could do to win against her future self?”

She said softly.

Milani hesitated for a moment, “In my view, there’s no possibility of that.”

As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere immediately grew cold.

Milani bit her lip and then began to explain.

“The past version of that woman is like an extremely uncontrollable Level 1 Sealed Item; she’s powerful but often brings unsatisfactory outcomes. People would rather destroy it after using it than keep it safely contained.”

This metaphor was striking, making Ivyst instantly think of herself.

“While the future version… is like a Level 0 Sealed Item, not only possessing all the abilities of that Level 1 Sealed Item but even stronger, with much simpler containment conditions.”

“Faced with such a clear distinction in advantages and disadvantages, if one had to choose between these two sealed items, I think no one would hesitate.”

“Because logically, it makes no sense to give up the better one for a flawed inferior product.”

Milani tried to explain using terms that wouldn’t hurt her feelings.

Ivyst instinctively clenched her fists, falling into silence.

“If we were to quantify the data of both, the future version of that woman would completely crush in all aspects, meaning there’s no chance for the past version to ever win.”

“That’s the most logical view.”

Milani softly replied.

After Milani left, Ivyst, now alone again, quietly stared out the window.

The most logical view, huh?

A glimmer of bewilderment surfaced in her crimson eyes.

Even Milani, who values logic and mathematics above all else, rationally told her there was no chance of winning.

Then it must truly be hopeless.

Ivyst even contemplated whether she should use her body as bait to keep the lustful little dog firmly by her side.

After all, based on their interactions so far, this body still held a certain allure for him.

Yet in an instant, she snuffed out that thought.

If she shared her bed with him, it would be tantamount to saying that the future despicable woman had also done the same.

In a sense, such an act would only draw her closer to him, breaking down the barriers between them.

And Ivyst would rather kill that woman than engage in such a vengeful act.

Or perhaps, continue imprisoning him as before?

If she simply denied him the chance to escape, even cutting off his hands and feet, would he then belong to her forever?

No, it’s not like that.

For some reason, a voice echoed deep within Ivyst’s heart.

Her mind subconsciously drifted to the calm yet indifferent gaze of Lynn during that time.

That kind of look seemed to see her only as a substitute for the future Sorceress of the End, and just thinking of that possibility sent a subtle pain through Ivyst’s heart.

Simply imprisoning him would never change that look in his eyes.

But apart from that method, what other means could bring him back to her side?

Or was Milani’s viewpoint the correct one?

Flawed inferior products can never win against the genuine article?

Ivyst stared blankly at the moon in the sky.

Just then, a gentle breeze blew in from outside the window.

With the rustling sound, a book on the desk suddenly flipped several pages, coming to rest at an unknown point.

In that instant, a feeling of enlightenment welled up within her.

Ivyst carefully lifted her wrist, pushing her wheelchair while slowly moving toward the desk.

After a moment, she saw which book it was.

“Chronicles of Sino.”

This was supposed to be her least favorite book, yet it was sitting in the corner of the desk and, by a stroke of luck, had flipped to a certain page in the breeze.

Ivyst instinctively wanted to close the book.

But an accidental glance had her seeing the content on that page.

It was the protagonist Sino’s response to a friend’s inquiry after rejecting the proposal of marriage from a duke’s family.

“Are you out of your mind?! You’d give up on the olive branch extended by Duke just for a country noble’s daughter? You even made Miss Lilia cry?!”

“Dear Gray, I did such a thing. But why do you seem so puzzled?”

“Of course it’s because you always do unreasonable things!”

“Unreasonable things?”

“You said you would someday become a great existence above all, and you’ve always inspired yourself and those around you with this goal, escaping death time and again, finally catching the eye of those great figures.”

“And this marriage proposal from the duke was an opportunity for you to make a grand leap.”

“Also, from what I know, this is not a political marriage; Miss Lilia herself is infatuated with you. And compared to your childhood sweetheart from that country noble family, she’s superior in every way.”

“By all accounts, you have no reason to refuse.”

“Yet I rejected.”

“That’s what makes it infuriating!”

“Calm down, dear Gray. Before answering your confusion, I have a few questions to ask you.”

“Logically, would a beautiful young woman kiss an ugly old man?”

“Of course not.”

“Logically, would a physically whole normal person marry a person missing limbs?”

“Definitely not.”

“Logically, would a prestigious noble give up their esteemed position and inheritance to pursue a prostitute from a slum?”

“That’s even less likely.”

“Indeed, logically, such things shouldn’t happen, yet they occur repeatedly in this world.”

“Dear Gray, do you have any idea why?”

“Because of money?”

“No, of course not.”

“Believing it’s about money shows you still haven’t escaped the mindset of a normal person, preferring to grade different people or things and thinking it’s most logical to choose the better one.”

“Yet something is left out of that equation.”

“What is it?”

“Love.”

“Love?”

“Yes.”

“It’s precisely because of love that a beautiful young lady can throw aside aesthetic and worldly views to passionately kiss an ugly old man.”

“It’s also because of love that a physically whole person can devote a lifetime to a person with missing limbs.”

“You all say ‘logically speaking, logically speaking.’”

“But love, after all, is the most irrational thing in the world.”

(P.S.: The Princess is about to evolve.)

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