Chapter 160 - One Last Try
It took me not even a minute to kill the rest of the Ice Elves' nobles, keeping only those who were tied up. However, instead of going to help them right away, I decided to check on Amelia.
I was worried that she might do something stupid since I had left her alone with the royal adviser. Still, I didn't want her to know that I was spying on her, so I didn't make the slightest noise. As I got closer to her room, I could hear literal shouts coming from there, and they were all coming from Amelia without a doubt.
"Why did you betray me?"
"Why didn't you tell me about those demons?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"WHY? JUST WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!"
She wanted answers. However, it was clear that the royal adviser wasn't giving her any. In fact, I couldn't hear what he was currently saying because he was practically whispering. I also didn't want to peek inside since there was a chance that Amelia could see me. I knew she wouldn't care, but I wanted this to be her moment, just like she had asked for it to be.
That's why I stayed on the other side of the wall, listening to her words with a lot of caution.
I was interested in what would happen. I wanted to make sure that nothing would happen to Amelia since there was a chance that the royal adviser would transform into a demon and threaten Amelia, which was the last thing that I wanted to happen. If she were to get hurt or, even worse, die, then I would blame myself so much… that's why I needed to be nearby if something went wrong.
"Calm down, Amelia… I never meant to hurt you."
I could only hear him, but that was what was being said on the other side of the door. Was he trying to make her pity him?
I honestly couldn't tell what his plan was. He should know very well that he wouldn't get out of here alive, and he knew that I was nearby. This was his only chance at getting out of here. I knew pretty well that he did not care for Amelia. There was no way he did since he had lied straight to her face for years.
This man was a manipulative and cruel person who would do anything to reach his goals. He had an idea in mind to get out of here.
"Hurt me?" She shouted. "You think what you did just hurt me? It fucking destroyed me…"
I could hear her crying from where I was standing.
"I promise that I'll stop… I'll stop helping the demons. I'll be on your side from now on."
As those words came out of his mouth, I could only hope that Amelia wouldn't accept and wouldn't get manipulated again, just like before. However, she was emotional at the moment. There was a good chance that it would happen no matter what.
I just waited patiently for her answer, hoping she wouldn't get fooled like before.
"Y-You would become my spy against them?" She suddenly uttered… clearly getting manipulated.
"Of course, just untie me, and we can continue to work together. We could rebuild the kingdom as a whole, you and I, against the rest of the world; what do you say?"
"I-I…"
I could only shake my head because of how naive Amelia was. It was a good thing that I was nearby. Otherwise, she might have made a grave mistake. She was too easy to manipulate, and even from the other side of the wall, I could tell that he was lying.
"I don't know… I'll go get Caedrel first. I need him to make this decision…"
However, as she pronounced my name, his fake personality crumbled in an instant.
"Again, with this stupid human… you don't need him, Amelia. You only need me. If you need a lover, then I could be yours; we've known each other since we were kids, and we were best friends for years. I'm much better than him in practically everything. You don't need him. You only need me."
I continued to listen. I wanted to see what Amelia's reaction would be. After all, it would show whether something as stupid as this would actually work. If it did, then I knew that Amelia wasn't someone that I could trust. It was obvious that he was manipulating her with his words, and if she didn't realize it at the moment, then there was something wrong with her. No one could be so naive.
"No. Caedrel isn't going anywhere. He's important to me, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping you as a spy. He's powerful. He could certainly be of help."
"Amelia, do you trust me?" The royal adviser suddenly uttered.
"No. I don't trust you, not yet. Not after everything you did to me. If anything, you're lucky that you aren't with Caedrel right now, or else, you would be dead by now. He told me how you betrayed me for all these years, acting like you were on my side. Do you really think a few words and a few promises can make me trust you? Do you really think that I'm so naive?" She shook her head. "Either I go and get Caedrel, or I will get rid of you right now."
"Is that so?" The man uttered, his voice cold and collected. "You no longer need me, is that it?"
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"W-What is happening to you?" Amelia suddenly shouted, and I could hear her footsteps getting closer to the door. "What are you even turning into?"
"You would have lived if you had accepted my deal. But you just had to bring that HUMAN INTO THE EQUATION!" The royal adviser's voice roared as it was becoming louder and louder.
He was turning into a demon right before her eyes. I didn't even need to watch to know about it. It was obvious.
I moved and finally opened the door. I felt Amelia falling into my arms as she had been against the door, scared out of her mind. It was probably the first time in her life that she was a demon since Zero still had a human-like appearance. It could be a shock to most, especially since it was someone she knew so well.
"Did I arrive too late?" I said with a smirk as I looked down at Amelia's panicked face.