His Breeding Obsession Chapter 81

 

Thud—

 

Leaning back against the softly closed door, Mirania glanced up at the sunlit sky.

 

She had instructed the servant to take his time, and it would be an hour before they finished the tea she had prepared.

 

“I wonder how long it takes to fall in love.”

 

“You can fall in love in three seconds,”

 

I muttered to myself, but the answer came unexpectedly.

 

Malandor was making a shade with his hands, looking like a cat basking in the sunshine.

 

Mirania softly rolled her eyes in disbelief.

 

“Three seconds? Impossible. That’s not even enough time to see what they looked like.”

 

“They say it’s love at first sight.”

 

It was a common enough phrase that it was an idiom, but Mirania still didn’t know what it meant.

 

Was it really possible to fall in love at first sight?

 

From what she knew of love, she didn’t think it was possible to fall in love so easily.

 

Mirania’s idea of love was to stop at nothing for the other person.

 

Just as Grecan and Leverianz from her past life had never given up on love, no matter how badly they tried to hurt her.

 

Like Alice, who worries about the Emperor’s illegitimate son when her condition worsens.

 

Like the Empress, tormented by her husband’s betrayal, even as she faces a life-or-death battle for the throne.

 

‘Though in this case, it’s not so much for the Emperor’s sake as for the sake of her love for him.’

 

In any case, the common thread remains the same: blindness.

 

It’s a sense of not caring when rational thought tells you that many things should be given more priority.

 

It’s as if your reasoning side has disappeared. Emotions are all that’s left.

 

All the people she had seen fall in love were like that, so intensely.

 

“Possibly.”

 

“?”

 

Malandor sounded confident in response to the long question.

 

When Mirania stared at him in doubt, he locked eyes with her earnestly.

 

“Because I said so.”

 

With those words, Malandor focused his full attention on Mirania.

 

It was impossible for Mirania not to notice the sincerity in his tone.  He didn’t say who, but the look in his eyes was unmistakably direct.

 

Mirania’s fine brows drew into a sharp line.

 

‘You’ve been acting weird before, but it’s getting worse…’

 

“Ha,” she said sharply as she turned to face Malandor with a wry smile.

 

“You, what is your intention with that?”

 

Malandor’s jaw dropped in response to her sharp tone.

 

“It’s not the first time you’ve dismissed me as a joke.”

 

“…”

 

A hint of annoyance flashed in her eyes.

 

Malandor couldn’t tear his gaze away from Mirania’s distrustful eyes.

 

His brows creased slightly, “What do you think, then?”

 

“You’re trying to tell me you fell in love with me at first sight, aren’t you?”

 

“Yes. But is that weird?”

 

“Is that what you call it?”

 

His red eyes darkened at her pathetic retort. The wounded pupils wavered slightly.

 

“I always wanted to be able to reach you, I waited for your call, I wanted to be with you until the end.” (Malandor)

 

“…”

 

“Which is why I’m here now, talking to you.” (Malandor)

 

Malandor snapped his head around.

 

“And what do you think?” (Malandor)

 

“You want to tell me you did it because you love me?”

 

Mirania felt so ridiculous that her annoyance escaped along with her anger.

 

She didn’t know much about love, so might not be able to make an accurate judgment, but Malandor’s claims of love were certainly ridiculous.

 

“You? And me?”

 

“Do you think love is a single kind? Do you think it’s only what you picture in your head?” (Malandor)

 

“…”

 

“Don’t think through such narrow-minded eyes. Stop being prejudiced.” (Malandor)

 

“…”

 

“You can love the same way I do.” (Malandor)

 

Malandor whispered in a stifled voice as if he was frustrated. Mirania’s impassive gaze did not change.

 

“You and I have known each other for hundreds of years.” (Mirania)

 

“…”

 

“What kind of love is that, seeing as I cannot keep track of the number of women you have had in your life? You say that love comes in many forms, perhaps it does, but is love only loving if it makes sense?” (Mirania)

 

Malandor’s face twisted.

 

“What kind of love is that, when you have so many slaves to serve you in bed?” (Mirania)

 

“…”

 

“Don’t tell me that body and soul are different. You have the dignity of a dark race, not the dignity of a human.” (Mirania)

 

At the sarcasm in her tone, Malandor hastily opened his lips.

 

“They mean nothing to me, just my entertainment.”

 

Mirania’s expression grew even harsher, as if she had heard something she shouldn’t have.

 

“How dare you utter such words in my presence. My clan wept for three days and three nights when they heard your words.” (Mirania)

 

“…But you didn’t even care.” (Malandor)

 

“I thought of it as an ungracious greeting.” (Mirania)

 

Malandor frowned in frustration.

 

“It’s not like it mattered to you.”

 

“Uh, not until you told me you loved me, and even then, I don’t care, so I wish you would keep your mouth shut.” (Mirania)

 

Confusion flashed across Malandor’s face at the hard boundaries.

 

“I assume that your feelings for me are those of a longtime friend and foe, and indeed they are.” (Mirania)

 

“You would dismiss my feelings as non-existent.” (Malandor)

 

Mirania furrows her brow in question at the bitter retort.

 

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this now. Have you forgotten that you threw me into an unquenchable flame, that you pushed me into a poisonous swamp to test the power of the Great Witch?” (Mirania)

 

“…”

 

“It was a deadly swamp to breathe, and unpleasant even to me, who was at odds with you.”

 

Looking at Malandor, who remained speechless, Mirania simply stated the facts.

 

She wasn’t about to bring up the past and blame Malandor for his dangerous mischief.

 

“A mortal would have been dead.” (Mirania)

 

Malandor stammered, embarrassed.

 

“I— I was just curious, Mirania, because no other witch I’ve ever met was as fascinating as you, and I thought it was interesting that you could tease and taunt me and just raise your eyebrows like you couldn’t be bothered.”

 

“Yes, it is interesting. I find you amusing, too.” (Mirania)

 

Mirania shrugged, and Malandor’s expression went blank.

 

“That means…”

 

“That it is not love. It’s just that something is interesting and fun, and you want to be with them, but it’s not something you desperately want.” (Mirania)

 

Mirania frowned, understanding the difference now.

 

“And are dark creatures even capable of loving others in the first place, not emotionless beings born of darkness?” (Mirania)

 

“Don’t you know why I’m called a freak?” (Malandor)

 

“For your eccentric tastes.” (Mirania)

 

“And?”

 

“Because you’re sentimental.” (Mirania)

 

It was easy to respond to the familiar barrage.

 

I looked at Malandor and realized what he was getting at.

 

An exasperated sigh escaped her lips.

 

“So, you’re in love.” (Mirania)

 

“…”

 

“I suppose so, for anything can happen in this world.” (Mirania)

 

Malandor’s eyes widened in anticipation at the positive response.

 

“But even so, it is impossible for you to love this body.” (Mirania)

 

“…”

 

“As you well know, the more we are bonded, the worse we are for each other. To love such a being is absurd. Especially after what you’ve done to me.” (Mirania)

 

“…”

 

“Do not mistake friendship for love. It does not please me to say this, either.” (Mirania)

 

Mirania lowered her gaze and sighed in defeat, and Malandor seemed to weep.

 

“Mirania, you are not only clueless, but…”

 

“…”

 

“You’re also truly inflexible.”

 

“Why the sudden argument,” Mirania said with a glare.

 

Malandor spat out a quick smile that showed his embarrassment and frustration.

 

His gaze was still intense, but Mirania couldn’t see it through the folds of his eyelids.

 

He spoke in a faintly cheerful voice.

 

“That’s my Mirania.”

 

“…”

 

“You’ve been acting so strange lately, I thought it was almost time for your death.” (Malandor)

 

“…”

 

“Then it’s still a long way from dying.”

 

Always the same.

 

“Yeah. I still have a long time to wait, given my appointed lifespan.” (Mirania)

 

It was a meaningful nuance.

 

“You do realize, Mirania, that everything in this world is set in stone, right? That the life span of a Great Witch is over a thousand years, that I, a being of the Dark Realm, and the Great Witch, the guardian of the Witch Forest, have the worst possible affinity, and that the presence of fairies is essential to the forest.” (Malandor)

 

“…”

 

“The truth is that all things are born with limits and are bound by them, and my efforts can do little more than alter their course.” (Malandor)

 

His voice trailed off in a wistful tone. Mirania, who had lived so long and seen so many cycles of endless regression, understood what Malandor was saying.

 

As a keen discerned of sequence, their gaze could not stop a river even if they wanted to.

 

They understand that even if they stop it for a moment, it eventually flows in its original direction.

 

‘It is right for Alice to live and for me to die.’

 

I didn’t understand it when I went through the first few bizarre regressions, but now I can vaguely feel it in my skin.

 

It was the way it was supposed to be.

 

Why life repeats itself rather than ending remains a mystery.

 

Just as Malandor seeks to prolong her life a little longer, she does not mean to defy fate.

 

She’s just trying to pause it, to divert it a little.

 

Instead of dying for Alice and having her heart ripped out, she chooses to find her own time of eternal rest and save her.

 

Same result, different method. That was the twist of fate she chose.

 

Even then, it would take decades.

 

“A creature that escapes its predetermined fate becomes a creature unconstrained by the web of the world…” Mirania chanted quietly.