Third Arc (Fallen Heart) - 38. The First Night VI

"A human cannot come back to life. Undead does not have the intelligence. Then what are you, Angelus Raizel?" She was quite irritated by his lies. The fact that he said it as if it was the truth made her even angrier. She was powerless against him and they were in his castle. Thousands of soldiers and his confidants were here. Yet why was he still telling her lies? Although he had already said he loved her and wanted a new start.

"I don't know either..." he replied in a gloomy tone. It was also bugging him a lot but he didn't have any idea about that either. What he knew he was alive...

A long breath of disappointment escaped Rose's mouth.
"Then, does that mean you're not a Reinheart from the start? Are the rumours saying that you're an imposter true? That you're not the real second prince of Asteria?" She paused a moment before continuing her final words that might offend him.
"That you... Is a dark magic user who wants to take over Asteria's throne? "That was the only conclusion she could draw from all his stories and all the information she got, including Angel's father's death, King Renart.

A bitter smile appeared on his lips. He knew it was always like this when he tried to open his heart and tell his past. No one believed him and assumed he had bad intentions from the start.
"I was born a Reinheart, Rose. The late King Renart is my real father. It was my father's killer who cursed me with dark powers and turned my life upside down." He took his hand out of the blanket and opened his palm. His dark aura came out of it and formed a dark crystal. Rose's eyes were fixed on the dark crystal with a strange aura in his hand. Even though she didn't know what it was and wasn't a magic user, she could feel the crystal had a strong dark power. It gave her goosebumps. It was her first time seeing something like that.

"This thing has taken a lot from me and turned me from a Holy Knight to a Dark Magic-User. I have lost so many things in my life because of it but I got great power in return," he said before closing his palm and turning the dark crystal into a dark aura.

"Is that thing inside your body?" said Rose as soon as she could get her voice out. Although she didn't know if it was a real thing or just a manifestation of his dark power, that power was too dense and strong. She was quite shocked Angel had that much power inside him. It explained the cold and overwhelming atmosphere around him.

"Yes. It was my father's killer who put him in me and it was the crystal's power that revived me."

Rose was silent for a moment. She tried to draw a connection from what he said and swallowed all the explanations even though it was hard for her.
"So you've had that dark power since the first time we met?" she concluded. That didn't mean she completely trusted what he said. But that crystal was something foreign for her and this world.

"I think. But I never knew I had this power before the crystal resurrected me five years ago," he replied.

Rose fell silent again. Her confusion filled her head. A dark crystal within a Holy Knight's body sounded more unreasonable than an undead who could think like a human.
"Is this another lie?" Her logic still rejected his reason. She was a doctor. Her family has extraordinary healing powers. But even with her strength, she couldn't resurrect the dead. Once the patient's breathing and heart stopped, there was nothing she could do even if she exerted all her strength.

"Then give me a good reason why I should lie?" he retorted. It was the first time he had clearly told someone everything, yet she still couldn't believe it. Even though he had expected it from the start, he couldn't contain the bitter feeling in his heart.

"I don't know. You tell me," Rose replied before she turned the other way out of disappointment.
"You started well. But, in the end, you lied to me." Even if he was a dark magic user or even a criminal, all Rose wanted was his sincerity. Is that too much?

His eyes stared at Rose with the same disappointment as hers before he turned his gaze the other way.
"If you don't believe me, why bother asking me? Aren't you afraid I'll tell another lie?"

His words made her return her gaze to him.
"Then tell me the truth." Her annoyance was clear from the tone of her voice.

"I have. But you don't believe me," he said in a firm tone, shifting his gaze at her. In contrast to his previous gentle gaze, his gaze was cold and his annoyance was clear from there. It was enough to make Rose pause in shock and realize how far she had made him angry.

"I will end our conversation here. Good night, Rose," he said without further ado and closed his eyes. He knew their relationship would get further apart if this conversation continued so he decided to end it prematurely.

Meanwhile Rose was still staring at him. She didn't understand what made him so adamant with all his words. Although she realized, her words had hurt him... What if what he said was the truth? Why did that sound like a fairy tale? She knew Angel had done many things beyond a human's capabilities, but... A dark crystal that could bring the dead back to life? How could she believe it?

The bitter feeling also pervaded her heart just like how he felt, but for a different reason. It was weird since they had the same feelings but they hurt each other with their words.

After she stared at him for a while in silence, she also decided to close her eyes and swallow everything in her heart.
"Good night, Angel..." she whispered. Then she turned her body to face the other way before she whispered in a much lower voice.
"I hope... Our new start will work someday..." She said it spontaneously and it came out of her heart.

Although it was faint, he could hear it. In the middle of disappointment and his bitter feeling, simple happiness emerged from his heart.
"I also hope the same..." he whispered without opening his eyes. And these words were enough to create a faint smile on Rose's face on this cold and strange night.