บท 18: Saving The Queen
Neo didn't agree or refuse to her request.
He ignored her and focused on the tea.
Clara barely held herself back from killing him.
"What do I need to do?" she questioned again.
Neo answered this time.
"Save the Queen."
He added,
"I will remove the Death Mark from you and your brother if you do that."
If Clara removed the curse, the Queen could singlehandedly overturn the outcome of the rebellion.
However, if she refused Neo…
Clara did not care if she died, but she didn't want Paul to die along with her.
She had to make a choice.
The rebellion or her brother.
She bit her lips until they bled.
Suddenly, Paul called out to her.
"S-sis, save me, please. It hurts! It h-hurts so much I want to die!"
His face was covered in tears, snot and blood.
He continued to claw his face and worsen the injuries.
Clara's heart shook when she saw the miserable sight.
"Are you even human!? How can you do that and drink tea like nothing!?" She shouted at Neo.
"I wasn't the one who killed me." Neo placed the cup on the table. "Why should I be lenient to someone who killed me?"
"He did nothing! I was the one who killed you!"
"And you will die too if you don't accept the deal."
Clara abruptly closed her mouth.
She could see it.
Neo was calm.
Too calm.
He was used to Death.
Killing others was no different from breathing for him.
He didn't value life.
Still, Clara could not make a decision.
Was it correct to give up the rebellion for only her brother and herself?
No, that was too selfish.
"Before you refuse…"
Neo suddenly spoke.
"Don't think this is will end here."
"What do you mean….?"
"Remember what bloodline I have."
"….Monarch of Death."
Neo nodded.
"If you refuse me, I will make sure both of you go through something much worse for the eternity you will spend in the Underworld."
His words were like a bomb dropped on her head.
She wanted to say it was impossible.
The God of Death, the End's Jury, and the Grim Reapers were impartial.
But.
Neo was an exception.
He was the Death's inheritor and…
He came back to life, he did something impossible.
It was very likely he was capable of achieving what he just said.
Clara wanted to take time and think before answering, however, every second she wasted thinking was another second where his brother underwent unimaginable pain.
"…I will do it."
She bit her lips.
"I will do as you said. So please stop hurting my brother."
"Let him be for a few minutes. I want to hear him scream."
Neo looked at the time.
There were two hours left until the Immortal recharged.
If he let Paul go, what was he supposed to do?
Dance?
He had a reason to stall for time with his answer, even if he looked like a psychopath.
As minutes went by, Clara thought about killing Neo countless times.
However, she recalled his warning and stayed put.
She was far stronger than Neo, and still she was helpless.
Clara felt miserable.
It was 1 am when Neo finally moved.
"We should save the Queen, she has only a few hours left."
He picked Elizabeth up in a princess carry and made her lie on the bed.
Her body was hot and she was barely breathing.
The injury on his leg sent jolts of pain across his body when he moved.
However, he kept his face expressionless to maintain the façade of being the one in control.
He placed a chair next to bed and sat on it.
"Transfer her curse to me."
"Paul… remove the Death Mark on him first."
Neo snapped his fingers and Paul stopped screaming.
He frothed from his mouth and lost consciousness.
"The Death Mark has stopped devouring his life force 'violently' so he doesn't feel pain. But he is still losing it at a rapid pace."
Neo looked at her with a chilling gaze.
"Don't think about playing any stupid games with me, if you don't want to win stupid prizes."
He warned her.
Clara nodded.
"I… I'll start the transfer. You need to have physical contact with the Queen first."
He grabbed Elizabeth's palm.
Clara closed her eyes and focused.
Purple hues appeared around her.
They seeped into the Queen's body.
A few minutes passed but nothing happened.
Clara opened her eyes with a snap.
She was breathing heavily.
"It's not working. She isn't letting go of the curse."
Neo's face darkened.
"Try again."
Another five minutes passed after Clara's new attempt.
There was no change.
Now it was clear to Neo…
"She wants to die."
Clara stiffened when she heard him.
"I guess that makes sense after seeing someone she raised trying to kill her."
While he had a calm expression, his anxiety was slowly starting to increase.
If the Queen died, he was fucked.
There were more rebel members than just Clara and Paul.
When they returned and found out Neo tried to save the Queen, they wouldn't let him go.
Clara was listening to him because her brother was cursed, but others were not the same.
Saving Queen was the only way for him to survive.
'Dammit, why is she refusing to let go off the curse!'
Neo would simply die and revive since his Immortal was recharged.
He was not worried about it.
He should've not been worried.
The plan had gone without a hitch until the last stage.
However, the Queen's refusal was a major problem!
"Try again," he told Clara.
They attempted the ritual several times.
All of them ended in failures.
The time of Queen's death slowly approached.
Neo's burrows furrowed.
What should he do?
Was there a way to motivate the Queen?
"Tell her you don't want her to die and try again," Neo ordered.
Clara listened to his words.
Nothing changed.
"Put more sincerity into your request."
Again, her words made no difference.
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