Chapter 187 - The Emotion of Love

If she became a watchman after plucking out her heart, she would be a little different from the Azriel Esthera he knew so far, but he did not care. She would still be his perfect Azriel Esthera. It was a sweet prospect. Rhema fell into the daydream as if to escape. He tried making detailed plans. ‘How should I do it? Even though she has suffered a lot so far, Azriel still likes people, wants to help them, and trusts them. So, to make her hate people, I should make up more horrific memories than she has experienced, and…’

“What are you thinking?” Ofeq asked.

Rhema looked back. Ofeq, who had approached without a sound, was looking at him with a knitted brow. Rhema took his hand off the mirror. The glass turned opaque and returned to its former state. At last, he came out of the delusion he had fallen into. He rubbed his face with his hand. His skin had turned cold. Just now, he had a thought that was no different from Ofeq’s suggestion to break and raise her like a pet. No, it was a rather uglier delusion than that.

‘He said the crack on the egg worsened. Is this because of its influence?’

Rhema looked down at his pale hands silently. As if finding that strange, Ofeq asked, “What did you imagine that this kind of horrendously intense emotion is coming out? Is this because the crack became bigger?”

“…Is it bad enough to feel horrendous?” Rhema asked.

“It’s indeed horrendous. These days, you are outdoing the level of emotions you’ve had at once. It’s more severe now,” Ofeq replied.

Rhema wiped his face again and left the room, passing by the boy. Following him from behind, moving like a ghost, Ofeq asked, “It’s because of Azriel Esthera, isn’t it?” Rhema went downstairs without a response. Ofeq sarcastically whispered, “You can’t stand her being in love with another person, can you? The heavy emotions rose in you earlier because you now hate her, right?”

“Don’t assume what I think,” Rhema said with a voice that sounded like metal being scratched.

Ofeq suddenly turned around in the air and blocked Rhema. “Are you going to leave Azriel Esthera alone—now that she’s in love with another person?”

“I’m going to leave her alone. That’s for her good,” Rhema answered.

“Oh, like you’re really going to leave her alone. Aren’t you upset? Right? Just take it out on her! If you don’t want to kill her, break her now, and… Cough!”

Rhema grabbed Ofeq’s neck and threw him to the floor. When Rhema pressed on Ofeq’s neck with his foot, the familiar returned to his bird form. Rhema looked down at the bird that was gasping under his foot.

“Do what to whom?” Rhema asked.

“Cough, kek, kek… Hey! Kek… you also had a… similar thought! I know!” Ofeq yelled.

“A similar thought,” Rhema repeated.

Ofeq was right. Making a horrific memory and planting it was not very different from making her suffer a horrific experience. He could not possibly do such a thing to Azriel. He should not since he would eventually regret it, no matter how sweet that imagination was.

“…Even if I had such a thought.” Rhema moved his foot and trampled on Ofeq’s wing. The bird’s wing was crushed with a loud noise. The bird silently screamed. “…That can’t be a reason to allow your insolence.”

Rhema took off his foot only after one of Ofeq’s wings was completely crushed. Ofeq struggled, dropping his feathers.

“Ofeq,” Rhema called.

“Gasp, gasp, gasp…”

“Don’t try to make me do as you please. I’m not going to be fooled by your instigations,” Rhema warned.