A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Chapter 735 Choice and Price - III

"In such circumstances, to still ponder how to defy fate... Can you truly shoulder such a burden? I worry for you, Ansel, because lately, you seem..."

Ravenna hesitated briefly before sighing softly, "You seem to be... struggling, yet you refuse to confide in us."

Having voiced these thoughts, Ravenna appeared to gain resolve. She turned to face Ansel directly, gazing into those sea-blue eyes that seemed to have lost their clarity, growing ever more profound.

"You said we should learn together how to live for ourselves. Now, I'm learning how to move forward with you, but you seem entangled by something still."

Ravenna reflected on the time spent with Ansel, from their days at Dispute Fortress to the present. She recalled how he had disguised himself as Faust, leisurely fulfilling scattered commissions for commoners, to his current state of brooding melancholy, rarely sharing his thoughts with them.

For a time, Ravenna had been mired in self-doubt, wondering if Ansel truly wished to enact the salvation and benevolence they perceived, or if she and Seraphina's desires had coerced him, preventing him from making choices true to his heart.

Yet this seemed incongruous. Throughout their journey, Ravenna had clearly observed Ansel attempting to change. The kindness he extended couldn't solely be acquiescence to their wishes. Still, as Ravenna noted, he appeared to be... struggling more and more.

Beyond the machinations of fate, Ravenna could conceive of no other explanation.

"I... I don't wish for you to simply let go, Ansel. That's not my intention."

Though Ravenna sensed Ansel's predicament, her inability to aid him filled her with profound anguish.

The woman entwined her fingers with Ansel's, clutching tightly as she leaned against his shoulder, her eyes downcast as she whispered, "Just... even if it's only a little, try not to let Its existence torment you so. Can you do that for me?"

Ansel felt the soft, delicate touch against his palm, and for a fleeting moment... he yearned for solitude.

It wasn't that Ravenna's words irritated him, nor did he believe her to be mistaken. Rather... it was precisely because he harbored no ill will towards her, because she was right, that he longed for a moment alone.

[What I need isn't consolation, Venna. I want you to push me forward, to support me... in continuing this struggle against It.]

Ansel had intended to say these words, but upon seeing Ravenna's face, haggard from the recent hunts, he chose silence instead.

It wasn't that he feared her lack of support, but rather he wished to spare her unnecessary guilt. If he were to speak his mind, Ravenna would likely perceive herself as a burden – a notion Ansel couldn't bear.

In his past tribulations, Ansel of Hydral had already lost far too much. He would rather suppress the surging hatred within his heart than risk losing anything more.

Ansel gazed at the distant sun, realizing he had indeed changed, but not in the way he had hoped.

He hadn't become more resolute and powerful; instead, he had grown more... deceitful and weak.

Was this the price of not destroying them, not dominating them, but compromising with them instead?

How bittersweet it truly was.

*

*

"So after talking with Ansel, you're still uneasy?"

From her hospital bed, Seraphina, swathed in bandages, took a bite of fruit and remarked dismissively, "You're overthinking it. There's not that much to worry about."

"Be serious, Seraphina," Ravenna's expression was grave. "Ansel may be bearing a burden and pressure that we can't comprehend. After our talk, his mood didn't improve. It seemed more like a... a..."

The scholar rubbed her brow, sighing, "A compromise."

Seraphina, munching on her fruit, rolled her eyes. "You insist on pressing Ansel with questions. He's so good to you; what else could he do but compromise?"

"He could have confided in me!" Ravenna exclaimed.

"He didn't confide in me either," Seraphina retorted.

Ravenna chuckled, exasperated. "And yet you're not the least bit concerned?"

"What good would worrying do? If I could fathom Ansel's thoughts, Red Frost City wouldn't have lost so many lives."

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