Chapter 149 - Saemi's past

The following days proceeded peacefully. Of course, the fact that Elowin had been murdered did not go unnoticed. In fact, my plan from the beginning was to expose the identity of the murderer. When the guards entered Elowin's room, they managed to witness the murderer in the act.

However, even with the clear evidence, several days passed without any trace of the killer. The search became complicated as all they had was a walking shadow with spiral eyes. Moreover, it was discovered that Elowin had hired assassins to kill Sylvia, although Eldritch's involvement in the case was omitted.

Furthermore, when the news of Elowin's death reached Sylvia, she was shaken for a while but quickly recovered. This made me realize that Sylvia was truly a kind-hearted person. Even knowing he wanted to kill her, Sylvia still felt compassion for his death.

I, on the other hand, simply couldn't feel anything after killing Elowin. Overall, it was as if I were just killing an ant, I guess my transformation from human to Netherborne made me much less human than I initially thought.

Aside from that, there were also Saemi, Fujiwara, Ana, and Aoi. Of course, as soon as they heard the news, all their eyes fell on me. Actually, I didn't expect any less. The description of the murderer certainly made them all remember my true form. But still, I admit I was a little surprised that none of them asked me anything about this case.

With all this in mind, I was lying under a tree in Sylvia's palace, watching the clouds passing through the sky. Upon hearing footsteps, I turned my gaze in the direction of the sound and saw Saemi approaching with a small smile on her face.

"Can I join you?" 

Saemi asked as she approached.

"Of course" 

I had no reason to deny her request, so I simply accepted and continued to look at the sky. Saemi walked up to my side and sat down, but I noticed that she seemed uneasy about something, as she occasionally glanced at me as if she wanted to do something but wasn't sure if she could.

With a quick gesture, I grabbed Saemi by the waist and laid her on my chest, creating an improvised support for her. Although my gesture was somewhat abrupt, Saemi quickly nestled into my chest, and we stayed like that for some time before she began to speak.

"Could you listen to my story? I would like you to know who I really am... the real Saemi Yotsuba, and not just Shinji's girlfriend"

When Saemi began to speak, unexpectedly, the name I hated the most suddenly came up, causing my expression to harden. Inadvertently, my grip on Saemi became stronger, but it took me a while to realize it.

"Ouch"

Only after Saemi's pain-filled groan did I realize I was holding her too tightly. Quickly, I loosened my grip on her arm, but a red mark was still visible.

"I'm sorry... it wasn't my intention to hurt you" 

I said. Upon hearing my words, Saemi looked at my face, and then a smile appeared on her lips. In a gesture, Saemi shook her head.

"No, it's okay. I know you didn't mean to hurt me... besides, if it's you, I don't mind if my body bears the marks of your touch"

Although Saemi's words had several meanings and were somewhat embarrassing, I couldn't help but let an involuntary smile appear on my face. After all, her words made me happy. After that, she continued with her story.

"...I think you already know this, as I've told you before, but I've known Shinji since we were children... I guess you could say we're childhood friends" 

Saemi said as she nestled even closer to my chest. For some reason, she seemed sad as she said this. Not knowing what to say, I continued to listen to her story.

"You must know that Shinji's family is very wealthy, right? In fact, my parents worked as a butler and maid, respectively, for Shinji's parents. We weren't treated badly, and we earned enough, so we had a happy life..."

Saemi said this and fell silent for a moment. As I discreetly watched her face, it seemed like Saemi was recalling some memory, as if she were digging up the past. Of course, she could be feeling sad remembering her parents. Since I had no one waiting for me at home, it was hard to imagine exactly how she was feeling. All I could do for her was hold her, trying to provide as much comfort as possible. Saemi smiled at my gesture and continued her story.

"It was around that time that Shinji confessed to me. It was a long time ago, so I don't remember much, but... I remember being very scared. I didn't know what love was back then. All I wanted was to have fun with my friends" 

Saemi said, reflecting on the past. Hearing her words, I stayed silent for a few seconds.

"Couldn't you have just rejected him?"

As soon as I asked the question, Saemi let out a dry laugh.

"Well... that's exactly what I did, but... after that, I overheard a conversation between my parents; apparently, both of them were going to be fired. It was all because Shinji had told his parents that he wanted to go to another country. Since it was such a sudden decision, I began to think it was my fault that Shinji had made that decision. If he went to another country, there would be no reason to keep the mansion running since there would be no one there, and Shinji's family didn't usually keep staff"

Saemi said, her eyes closing softly.

"In the end, I agreed to go out with him because I was afraid my parents would be fired. After that, Shinji decided to stay, knowing how much I loved Japan... But in the end, I could never fall in love with Shinji, and I don't think I could now, after all" 

She said. Saying this, Saemi looked at my face, our eyes met, and a sincere smile formed on her lips.

"I ended up falling in love with you" 

She confessed softly.