KFBRV Pt 2 Ch 40

Odette sat on the railing of Merhen Bridge, facing Viktor. Her dress fluttered in the wind, and rain doused her hair. She pressed the barrel of a gun against her temple.

[Odette] "You know, I suffered quite a bit."

Her voice trembled, sounding like a confession held back for far too long.

[Odette] "I despise myself so much that the hatred of others barely stings anymore."

Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. A dam, held steady for years, finally burst.

[Odette] "The entire Empire, you, my family—everyone hated me. But no one hated me more than I did. I was my own most dedicated enemy."

Viktor stared at the empty space where she stood, his face deathly pale.

Darling, Darling. Put the gun down. Please......

Though he pleaded desperately in his mind, no sound left his throat.

She continued.

[Odette] "So, this is definitely bullying. These people hate me so much that they try to torture me with the word 'love'."

No. No, Odette. It's not like that—

He repeated the words internally as if screaming. Still, his voice remained trapped.

She met his eyes from the railing.

[Odette] "No? Viktor, are you sure?"

She studied him, questioning him. In that moment, she pulled the trigger.

BANG!

A sound like fireworks exploded in his ears.

Her body swayed like a marionette with cut strings before falling limply over the side.

Viktor lunged to catch her. Unlike the other time, his feet moved freely. He forgot the heavy weights of Johan and Zion on his shoulders.

Splash!

The river swallowed her. Only a small trail of smoke from the fireworks remained in the night sky.

---

Count Albrecht's head throbbed after he received Rolf's report.

This is...... unbelievable......

The knowledge that Odette lived caused him enough pain.

[Ulrich] "That girl, Odette, is Siegfried's daughter?"

He had sent subordinates to kill Siegfried and his wife years ago. He remembered the report clearly, but he never received word about a baby.

[Rolf] "I am double-checking with my sources, but the assassin confessed that a baby was present back then."

Rolf answered without a hint of shame. The Count had chosen him for his loyalty, yet the man betrayed him.

That cursed bloodline still exists?

The Count let out a hollow laugh. Fate played a cruel joke. To think the girl he adopted was actually Siegfried's daughter.

Before learning of her lineage, he planned to repair his relationship with her upon hearing of her resurrection.

He intended to tell her that he made mistakes because he had never raised a daughter before. He would tell her to forget the past and live well from now on. After all, the Albrecht family rescued her from the orphanage.

He believed he remained useful to her. He assumed the "orphan girl" would come crawling back for such small scraps of kindness.

But if she is Siegfried's daughter, making peace is impossible.

The Count ran a pharmaceutical company. He knew better than anyone how exhausting and persistent grieving families could be. Furthermore, he didn't want to reconcile. No sane man would treat his arch-enemy's daughter as his own.

I should have known this sooner.

If he had known, the joy of disowning her would have doubled. Crushing the last of the Albrecht bloodline would have thrilled him every single second.

He wanted to stand before their gravestones and brag. He wanted to show them that the title they loved, the company, and even their final heir all belonged to him.

After playing with her, he would have killed her with his own hands.

Yet the little brat survived.

She even had the nerve to declare war, claiming she would become the head of the house.

[Ulrich] "Pahaha!"

He burst into laughter.

Remembering the day she was first adopted, the idea of her stealing his title felt ridiculous.

However, he knew he couldn't just laugh it off. He guessed why things began to fail two years ago. Odette likely played a part, at least in the events on Athena Island.

Checking his pocket watch out of habit, he turned to Rolf.

[Ulrich] "Where does she stay now?"

[Rolf] "She stays at the Cathedral."

[Ulrich] "Is that so? Killing her immediately will be difficult then."

He never cared for humanity or the common good. He had happily turned Odette into a fake Purifier for profit, regardless of the risks posed by rampaging S-class Transcendents.

If Odette stood in his way, he would kill her, even if she was a real S-class Purifier.

The lack of spies in the Cathedral made things hard, but he could eventually stage a poisoning or an "accident."

Blinded by revenge, the Count had long forgotten the fear he felt when the three S-class Transcendents visited him.

She dares to take what is mine? I must make her death utterly miserable.

[Ulrich] "At least I kept Ferdinand alive."

He wore a sinister smile.

Ferdinand was a worthless heir, but without him, Odette would have inherited everything in the next generation.

[Rolf] "Master. I must add something I overheard at the Cathedral."

Rolf detailed the conversation between Charlotte and High Priest Raphael. He explained that she was an S-class and had performed miracles far greater than Odette's. He also mentioned that she learned through God that Odette was merely "pretending to be dead."

[Rolf] "Saintess Charlotte has accepted the adoption into the Albrecht family."

He reported this with an obvious desire to bring Charlotte in quickly. But the Count remained suspicious.

[Ulrich] "Why the sudden change of heart? She refused even our donations for two years."

[Rolf] "Based on the conversation, she seems to loathe Miss Odette deeply. In my opinion, she wants to enter the mansion to find Miss Odette's weaknesses."

For the last two years, the Count had been desperate to adopt Charlotte. He needed her to secure legal immunity for Ferdinand's future crimes, to fix the Albrecht reputation, and to collect the support money given to families of Purifiers.

He had begged to sponsor her, yet she refused.

Suddenly, she wants adoption?

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