Chapter 132
Serin (1)
Serena smiled gently.
“Serena Marcano. It is an honor to meet you, Lady Staviana.”
Ilea did not respond. She merely stared silently at Serena.
Deliberate killing intent lurked within her smiling eyes.
Serena spoke calmly.
“Is there something you would like to say to me?”
No answer came.
A peculiar tension filled the air.
Out of habit, Serena activated the Mind-Reading Eye.
At that moment, she was engulfed by a sensation she had never experienced before.
The space surrounding her stretched taut like rubber.
It felt as though her soul were leaving her body.
Amid that dazed sensation, a sweet, melodious voice reached her ears.
“If you use that on me one more time, I will kill you.”
At the same moment, time rapidly wound forward.
The strange sensation abruptly vanished.
Ilea had already passed Serena and was walking out of the mansion.
Serena turned around to look at her.
“W-What just…”
Ilea smiled with her eyes.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Lady Serena. Let us have tea together sometime.”
Leaving only those words behind, she departed.
Johan, who had been watching the two of them, let out a troubled groan.
He nodded to Serena and guided her to the drawing room.
Serena and Johan sat across from each other with a table between them.
Johan spoke first.
“I owe you a great deal for what happened the other day. Things suddenly became so hectic that I never had the chance to properly thank you. I hope you can forgive me.”
Thanks to Serena, Johan had been able to expose the fake Haman’s identity.
That incident had brought him into contact with the King and ultimately allowed him to reap considerable benefits.
In effect, Serena had been the reason he obtained all those gains.
Johan was sincerely grateful to her.
Serena smiled gently.
“We made a transaction, and the Watcher of Narak paid House Marcano fair compensation. There is no need to thank me separately.”
In exchange for borrowing the Mind-Reading Eye, Johan had promised to allow the Marcano Trading Company to establish a branch in the city of Beldana.
That promise had now been fulfilled.
A branch of the Marcano Trading Company had opened in Beldana, a city under the direct control of House Staviana.
The profits it generated would likely reach astronomical heights.
House Marcano would be able to soar even higher than before.
Johan said,
“Hearing you say that puts my mind considerably more at ease.”
Serena’s expression softened.
“I am relieved that our first transaction was successfully concluded. House Marcano has gained another trustworthy business partner.”
Serena had consistently referred to Johan as a business partner.
It was hardly an appropriate term for two people discussing marriage.
Johan spoke calmly.
“I am certain we can become excellent partners.”
Serena smiled pleasantly.
“I agree. You are both capable and dependable, Sir Johan.”
Her way of speaking possessed the power to soften people’s hearts.
Because Serena had heard the innermost thoughts of others since birth, she knew exactly how to captivate people.
She was probably far more skilled at it than an ordinary demon.
Johan asked jokingly,
“And what do you think of me as a prospective husband?”
Serena’s eyes curved gently.
“You certainly pass. In truth, I may even be unworthy of you.”
Johan was pleased.
It appeared he would acquire the Mind-Reading Eye without any problems.
“Surely not. I am the one who would be honored to have a woman as beautiful as you for my wife.”
The smile vanished from Serena’s face the instant he finished speaking.
Her expression abruptly became somber.
“I am lacking in countless ways. I am not worthy of the seat beside you.”
Johan shook his head.
“Excessive humility can become a poison. No one is better suited than you to become a Grand Duchess.”
Serena had surely already heard everything about Johan’s plans from Horentz.
There was no reason he could not address her as a future Grand Duchess.
Serena spoke calmly.
“No. I am not confident that I can bear the responsibilities of that position. Therefore, House Marcano must respectfully decline your proposal.”
She bowed her head.
Johan was considerably taken aback.
‘She is actually refusing?’
House Myatro was currently the finest marriage prospect in the Kingdom.
House Marcano had no reason to reject Johan’s proposal.
Johan looked puzzled.
“…May I ask why?”
Serena hesitated briefly before answering.
“As I just said, it is because of my shortcomings.”
It was obviously nothing more than an excuse.
There had to be another reason.
Johan fell into thought.
From a logical perspective, the current situation made no sense.
‘Is there something I overlooked?’
As he racked his brain, he suddenly realized something.
“Could it be…?”
Johan stared intently at Serena.
After a brief pause, he opened his mouth.
“Is this perhaps because of your elder sister?”
The moment he mentioned her sister, Serena’s expression stiffened.
She could not conceal her agitation.
“M-My sister…?”
“Serin von Marcano. Your twin sister.”
Serena’s pupils dilated.
Her entire body began trembling.
“S-Sir Johan, what in the world are you talking about…?”
“You need not hide her from me. I already know of her existence.”
Serena swallowed dryly.
Almost no one in the world knew about her elder sister, Serin.
Her father, her mother, and Serena herself.
Those three were the only ones.
No—now there were only two.
Serena’s mother had passed away.
There was no possible route through which the information could have leaked.
Even the Watcher of Narak had no way of learning about Serin.
Yet reality said otherwise.
The Watcher of Narak had clearly spoken Serin’s name.
Serena was utterly bewildered.
In truth, she was closer to being horrified.
Serena pressed her lips tightly together.
She needed time to think.
Johan waited in silence.
The seconds ticked by.
Serena’s expression gradually regained its composure.
Her trembling body settled down.
She appeared to have calmed herself somewhat.
She slowly opened her mouth.
“Sir Johan, allow me to ask you one question. Please answer me. I beg you.”
“Ask whatever you wish.”
Serena steadied her breathing before speaking.
“How do you know my elder sister, Serin?”
Serena had decided to acknowledge her sister’s existence.
Now that Johan had even mentioned Serin by name, there was no point denying it.
“I apologize, but I cannot answer that. Please understand.”
Serena’s eyebrow twitched.
“I must hear your answer.”
Johan let out a troubled groan.
“That is impossible. The matter is bound by a taboo.”
“A taboo? Could it be…?”
Johan nodded.
“That is correct. There is a restriction upon me.”
Johan knew about Serin through the original story.
He could not speak of that aloud.
If he did, he would lose his mind and begin rambling again, just as he had before.
Serena’s eyes trembled.
Conflict clouded her jewel-like eyes.
“I truly do not know what I should do.”
She wanted to use the Mind-Reading Eye immediately.
But she did not act on that desire.
Johan’s warning stopped her.
He had declared that the moment she used the Mind-Reading Eye on him, he would regard the entire Marcano family as his enemy.
Serena could not ignore that warning.
The moment the Watcher of Narak became their enemy, House Marcano would undoubtedly suffer severe losses.
In the worst-case scenario, the family might truly fall into ruin.
Backed by the royal family and the Count, the Watcher of Narak possessed that much power.
While Serena remained trapped in indecision, Johan spoke.
“Do not gamble your family’s fate over a trivial matter. I am a man who keeps his word.”
It was a calm threat.
Serena could not use the Mind-Reading Eye.
The frustration was enough to drive her mad.
Serena raised her voice slightly.
“This is not a trivial matter to me.”
“That was a slip of the tongue. I apologize.”
Serena glared at Johan before speaking.
“…I find it difficult to remain here any longer. I need time to organize my thoughts.”
Johan understood her feelings to some extent.
Serena’s thoughts must have been so tangled that her head felt ready to burst.
Johan spoke in a tranquil tone.
“Then let us meet again tomorrow. I will see you out.”
Serena rose before he could.
“That will not be necessary. I will contact you again.”
Leaving only those words behind, she departed from the drawing room.
Left alone, Johan fell into thought.
Serena had a twin sister.
Serin von Marcano.
She was a person who did not exist in the world.
More precisely, she existed separately within a subspace.
Serin lived trapped inside an enormous full-length mirror.
Her daily life consisted of traveling between worlds within mirrors and observing reality.
That day, Serin appeared in the full-length mirror installed in Serena’s room.
Serena and Serin stared at each other.
Although they were twins, they looked different.
Serena was a fully grown young lady, while Serin appeared to be a girl of around ten.
Time did not flow within the world of mirrors.
Serin could not age.
She would spend eternity exactly as she had been when she first became trapped inside the mirror.
It was because of her existence that Serena could use the Mind-Reading Eye without suffering any side effects.
Serin bore every price incurred through its use in Serena’s place.
It was possible because of the magical connection between them.
Even Serin, who endured the side effects, remained unharmed.
Within the world of mirrors, she could neither age nor be injured.
She always maintained a cheerful demeanor.
Today was different.
From inside the mirror, Serin shouted at Serena.
“I told you not to meet that man!”
Serena shouted back just as loudly.
“Then tell me why! Do you have any idea what I heard today?!”
Serin refused to back down.
“How would I know?! I cannot know unless you tell me!”
“Sir Johan knew that you existed!”
Silence immediately descended.
Serin began to hiccup.
Fear filled her eyes.
“I-I knew it. That man knows everything. He is terrifying. No, he is a vicious monster. Serena, you have to run. Go as far away from him as possible—to somewhere he can never find you.”
Serin was trembling uncontrollably.
Serena found the situation unbearably frustrating.
“Then tell me why! Please, let me know too! Why does everyone keep hiding things from me?!”
Serin’s eyes shook.
Memories she desperately wished to forget began resurfacing one after another.
Several months ago, a new mirror had appeared in Serin’s world.
It was different from all the other mirrors.
Black, ominous energy clung to a pane of glass as clear as a lake.
Unable to suppress her curiosity, Serin entered the mirror.
That day, she witnessed a horrifying being.
She found herself staring into eyes as red as blood.
The mirror’s owner was none other than a demon.
Moreover, the mirror itself was a Prophetic Scripture.
It was the original copy of Chapter Thirteen of the Book of Calamity—the Book of Chaos and Deception.
Serin could never forget what she witnessed that day.
Before her very eyes, the demon had suddenly transformed into a human boy.
The mirror disappeared afterward.
It unfailingly reappeared within Serin’s world whenever the sun went down, but she never touched that ominous mirror again.
Until she heard the name Johan Myatro once more, she had deliberately erased that day from her thoughts.
But then the name Johan emerged from her younger sister Serena’s lips.
Serin was overcome by a terrible sense of foreboding.
Serena and Johan could never be allowed to meet.
Serin could never stand by and watch her sister marry that monster.
Serin squeezed her eyes shut and shouted,
“That man is a demon! No, he moves between being human and demon—”
She could not finish her sentence.
Serena’s pupils dilated.
“S-Sister!”
A black demonic hand emerged from beyond the mirror and covered Serin’s mouth.
Serin struggled in horror.
It was futile.
The enormous, monstrous hand snatched up Serin’s delicate body and disappeared with her to parts unknown.
Serena collapsed where she stood.
A moment later, she screamed.