Chapter 12; Asna's Unforseen Power
**Mellic/Asna POV**
I was just sitting by the lake, feeling the breeze. I thought I'd take a walk by the water. I stared at the lake, which served as a mirror for me to see Asna's reflection. I can't deny that she's a great beauty, but compared to Yna, Asna looks more angelic and beautiful.
You know she's very bright, so it's easy for anyone to get hooked by her beauty. If I hadn't possessed Asna's body, maybe I would have been one of those she deceived.
"The beauty can deceive the truth," which is why Eve was tempted to eat the apple—she was captivated by its beauty.
And that's not far from Yna's description. It feels like I'm trapped in this pile of sh*t, but I have no choice but to accept reality. Yet, my decision to lead a peaceful life won't change. I kept walking until I realized I had lost my way and found myself in front of the Emperor's palace.
I suddenly remembered that the Duke lives in the same residence as the Emperor, not far from our mansion. What an unlucky day for me to end up here.
I tried to find my way back, but I only got more lost. Then suddenly, someone called out to me. It was Prince Levi.
"What are you doing here, Asna?" His voice was laced with irritation.
I didn't answer and tried to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm.
"I thought we were done, but why are you here?" Oh sh*t! Here we go again. Another assumption... I glanced at the roses nearby.
"Yes? But you're not the reason I came here," I said, pulling my arm from his grip. It would be stupid to tell him I got lost here; he'd just think I was making excuses.
I walked over to the silver roses. I had never seen such beautiful flowers before. Why don't we have these in our mansion?
"Can you please leave me alone? I can't believe you've forgotten me. I know you're planning something to get me back—"
"Are you really that assuming to think that I'll be hopelessly in love with you forever? Are you kidding me?" I stared him straight in the eyes. I knew Asna was afraid to make eye contact with Prince Levi, but not me!
"Did you see this?" I showed him a thumbs-down sign.
"You're a loser and useless, just like the bugs in the tree, but at least the bugs are more useful than you! You're like a dog afraid to bark—what difference does that make?" I didn't mean to offend him; I was just stating facts. I noticed he was struggling to contain his anger.
"You look sh*t, Prince Levi. I don't know how the Emperor got so unlucky to have you as his son."
"How can you rule your people if you can't even correct yourself first?" I was really itching to trash talk Prince Levi. I almost shouted "YOU'RE SO STU*PID!"
"How dare you say that to me!" he exclaimed angrily.
"I don't know, maybe my tongue slipped, and I just said the truth? Sorry, did I offend you because I was telling the truth?"
"Because if it were up to me, 'You don't deserve the throne.' Your stupidity and ignorance are signs that you can't rule your people."
For the second time, he slapped me... Tsk! I laughed mockingly while looking at him with disdain.
"What a weak slap! I didn't feel any pain from that. Is that all you've got?" I slapped him back hard, and now I felt the sting in my palm. That je*rk has such a thick face!
He was speechless at my reaction, to the point where he couldn't move, probably because he couldn't believe Asna did that to him.
"Now tell me, Prince Levi, if I loved you, would I be able to slap you like that?" He still couldn't speak. I flipped my hair and walked away. I didn't care if I got lost; I had no more worries!
As I walked, I spotted Venom and Yna laughing together. Suddenly, I felt a pang in my heart seeing them.
Yeah... Violet is right. It seems I'm going crazy and need to see a doctor. Maybe something is blocking my heart because I suddenly felt pain there. This is impossible! I told myself I didn't feel anything for Venom. I hid behind a tree so they wouldn't see me, fearing it would be awkward if I ran into them, especially Venom.
After a while, Yna disappeared, leaving Venom alone.
Why was I watching them? What the f*ck! Mellic, do you need to be nosy? I thought I should just leave; I needed to get home.
"What are you doing here, Asna?" I froze at the sound of his voice. It felt like my heart was a loudspeaker.
But I didn't back down and faced him.
"I'm lost, okay? I don't know how to get back."
"Then I will escort you." He reached out his hand to me, but I just stared at it. Wait, when did a psycho like him become so polite?
"Why do I need to hold your hand? We can walk without doing that." He lowered his hand, so I followed him.
I looked at his back... Venom's shoulders were so broad; it looked so nice to hug him-----------
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH PAK! PAK! PAK!" I slapped myself suddenly for thinking that.
"What's wrong, Asna?" Venom asked, and I immediately noticed his almost perfect lips, wanting to kiss him so badly------
"F*ck, what's happening to me!? Did I get drugged?!!!" I pinched my thigh and endured the pain, thinking I might just be dreaming.
"No! Just continue walking; don't mind me!" I faked a smile at him. But I was shocked when he picked me up as if I were a bride.
"You have a cut on your foot," Venom said, and I realized my foot was bleeding.
I didn't protest while he carried me. He was so close that I worried he could hear my heartbeat-------
"Your heartbeat is so fast." I froze, feeling like a coward.
"Are you nervous? Do you want me to put you down?" he asked.
"Ah yeah! Maybe YES! That's right!" Da*mn, why did I panic?
"Maybe I can walk! How can I trust you, Psycho?" I didn't even notice we were in front of my mansion.
"Thank you for escorting me," I said and was about to leave when I paused and looked back at Venom, but he was already gone.
---
**Venom POV**
What's wrong with that girl? I thought as I noticed how weird she was acting. And I feel disgusted every time we meet; it makes me want to k*ill her, but I can't do that because I don't want Princess Yna to avoid me, and I don't want that to happen!
I quickly left to stop myself. I arrived at the palace and saw Prince Levi and Princess Yna together again.
'How dare you approach Yna! I felt an urge to kill everyone who gets close to the woman I love.
I decided to leave and walked out, arriving at the beer house. I saw various people, which shook my patience. I laughed loudly, drew my sword, and mercilessly slaughtered them all.
I felt my anger dissipate. I sat on the bodies of those I k*illed and smoked. How nice... I like it!!!!! I grinned as blo*od flowed inside the beer house, and I stepped outside. I wondered what Princess Asna's reaction would be if I brought this to her. If I couldn't ki*ll her because of Yna, why not scare her instead? I suddenly laughed at the thought.
I went back to the beer house, grabbed a severed head, and stuffed it in my bag.
'Princess Asna...'
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**Mellic/Asna POV**
"What happened? Why do you have a cut!?" Violet reacted dramatically when she saw my injury. I didn't look at it because I was scared of blo*od, so I just endured it and said thanks to that psycho.
I climbed up to my chamber because I was tired earlier. I massaged my temples.
'What has that ps*ycho eaten to suddenly be nice? Could it be that Yna saw me again and ordered him to escort me? Tsk! I can only describe that woman as a saint.
I sighed and lay down. I might as well just sleep this off. I woke up at 5:00 AM, realizing I had stayed here so long! Tsk! Is it a coincidence that I saw them flirting so early? And Levi was up too early; people should be asleep at this hour!
I wasn't even sleepy now, so I thought I'd go down again. But I felt a pain in my foot from my cut. I exited my chamber and decided to visit the Duke to check on his condition.
I stopped at his door and knocked. His butler opened the door and let me in. I saw the Duke lying down, but I felt relieved to see him recovering.
The Duke smiled when he saw me.
"How is your condition, Grand Duke?" I said seriously, not smiling.
"Thank you for visiting me, Asna. I'm feeling okay; I'm almost well."
"Good thing, so I can leave soon." I knew I was being rude to the Duke, but I didn't know how to treat him because, first, I wasn't familiar with the Grand Duke; second, he reminds me of my grandfather from the past, someone I want to forget. Third, I don't have a good impression of him.
"I understand you, Asna, and I have no right to stop you from making that decision." Then I saw the Duke's genuine smile. I couldn't understand it, but it was beautiful, reminiscent of my father's smile.
"Then I take my leave." I bowed and was about to leave when he spoke again.
"I know you can't forgive me, but if you need my help…" I noticed the Duke was crying.
"This time! I won't hesitate to help you. I'm not forcing you, child, but I will do everything to be forgiven by you. I am willing to wait for that day." I clenched my fist at the Duke's words.
"Give up. It's too late! I never wanted to receive help from anyone! Not anymore!" I left the Duke's room and ran quickly, not caring that I felt my wounds! I just needed to let out my frustrations.
I was gasping for breath when I finally stopped running. I thought I would just leave the mansion and go to the market… I missed the coolness of Segma.
I wandered around the market and saw various shops; somehow, my sadness eased. I stopped when our eyes met— the child I had given money to suddenly ran to me and hugged me.
He was so dirty. But why? I had given him money to buy decent things, yet he looked like this.
"What happened?" I asked the boy.
"Please help me! My mother is sick... Her condition is severe; she needs treatment." I saw the boy's eyes were swollen from crying.
"THAT'S HIM!!! CATCH THAT THIEF!" I heard a bald man shout and roughly dragged the child away, but I stopped him.
"It's not right to drag a child like that. You probably have a child; what if this was done to your own?"
"Huh? I don't care if that's a child! Give me back the money he stole!" he yelled angrily, and more people were starting to notice.
"I'll pay for it. Leave the child alone. How much?" A large grin appeared on his face.
"60 gold coins… But if you can't afford it, miss, you look like you can be of use…" I glanced at myself and noticed how poor I looked with no money; it was no wonder he belittled me. My demonic side surged at his words.
I took out the pocket I always carried. I was shocked to see a handful of gold coins. I only had 1000 gold coins, which was still less than what he was asking.
"Is this all? It seems I gave too much. Do you want to take that large amount?" He immediately nodded at my words.
I approached the counter and grabbed a knife from the shop.
"Then cut off your two arms! So I can give you whatever you want! And if you cut off your own feet, I will give you land in addition to the money you want."
"ARE YOU CRAZY!?! WHO WANTS TO CUT OFF THEIR ARMS AND LEGS FOR YOUR MONEY?" he yelled furiously. I smiled even more and walked closer to him.
"Are your arms and legs more important than the money I offer you? Nothing is more valuable than money, so I'll give you more if you do what I want—"
"You're a demon!!! That money belongs to you!!!!" he screamed and ran away, and everyone was frightened by what I did; not one person picked up the gold coins.
"Come on, child." We left that place.
"What about your money?" he asked.
"Don't mind it… I have plenty of that. Where is your mother? We might be able to take her to—"
I suddenly stopped when I realized there were no doctors here except for the royals. They were the only ones with doctors in case of emergencies.
"Don't tell me you need a Saint to heal your mother." He nodded. Yna really was needed for those who were sick… She was a Saint, but she couldn't even heal the people who needed her powers.
I can't believe this story is more trashy than I expected. I hesitated to go in, but I felt pity for the child as he begged me.
"Please! I know you know the Saint because you are also one of the Nobles. Help me take my mother there. I don't want my mother to die." he cried.
It was even harder to see his mother gasping for breath.
"Wait for me here! I'll just get something and I'll be back right away!" I ran quickly to find the store for care here. Luckily, I remembered that place quickly, but when I got there, it was a different store standing there. I checked just in case I was mistaken, but they told me the owner had left.
I ran quickly, but when I arrived, the mother was shaking. The child held his mother tightly while crying.
Why does it feel like it's trying to show me that I am helpless? Why do I feel like I'm being pulled down? If only I could do something...
I shouldn't be thinking like this!
I grabbed a basin and boiled it... I found some leaves that I didn't know but seemed herbal. I washed them and submerged them in the water.
When the water was warm, I wiped the mother's entire body. I didn't know what I was doing, but as long as I could do something, I needed to help.
I didn't know why, but I felt so sad seeing her suffer.
I heard a noise and was startled when a commotion broke out among the people.
"The illness is spreading in the town. We need the Saint right now!!" the people shouted.
Saint? I laughed because they didn't know that this was the doing of the Saint they were talking about.
"My mother is de*ad…" I turned to the boy, seeing myself in him. Lifeless. I was alarmed when he grabbed the knife from the table, intending to s*tab himself. I quickly seized the knife, causing him to cry. I held him tightly…
"I'm sorry if I can't do anything."
I released my hold on him and approached his mother. I held her cold hand. If only I could do something... If only I had worth! my mind screamed!
I was shocked when her hand suddenly glowed, and I noticed that the color was slowly returning to her skin. She opened her eyes and sat up.
"I'm alive! Child, I'm alive!" I watched as the mother and child happily embraced in front of me, but I still couldn't believe it.
What happened? Surely, I can't be the reason, right? Did I heal her? Did I do it?
I sat down in shock, my hands trembling. How— how did that happen?
"Thank you, Miss!" the boy hugged me.
"Thank you for saving my life!" It felt so good to experience this now. I looked at my hands. Was what was mentioned in the book true that Asna had no power at all?
How did that happen? I had said my goodbyes and was about to leave when I looked around and saw that the people were panicking. I felt more pity for the baby being held by its father, who was pleading at the nearby house.
Could I do that? I hesitated to approach him, but I steeled myself.
"Can I help?" The man turned to me and knelt in front of me. I noticed his missing hand.
"Help me! I need to see the Saint! My child needs treatment. They won't tell me where the Saint is!" The man sobbed.
"Give me the child! We need to find a place. I will help!" The man brought me to their small home. I placed the child on the bed as its skin began to turn purple.
I held it, and I saw my hand glow again, returning to its original color, and the child no longer looked pale.
"He's okay." The man immediately knelt before me.
"Thank you very much, Miss! I owe you so much. I'm poor, but I'm good at carving stone. If you want a statue made… I'll make it for you, no matter how many I can manage!"
"It's okay, I'm helping willingly, so don't worry about that." I was about to leave when I heard someone shout.
"THERE'S A SAINT HERE!! SHE HEALED THE CHILD; I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!!!" shouted the man who had witnessed what I did. I was swarmed by people, causing me to get trapped. Suddenly, I felt my anger rise as I saw their dark auras.
I tried to push them away, but I failed because there were too many of them.
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?" The people around me scattered, and I saw Princess Yna and Sir Leo… All her male leads were in front of me again!
"Why are you all causing a ruckus here?" Sir Leo asked as he approached me and reached out his hand, but I simply brushed it away.
"No need! I'm not lame." I said, trying to stand despite the large wound on my foot.
"Let me heal you, Princess Asna." Yna said, and it was obviously fake to my eyes; I could see the dark aura surrounding her. Before she could approach, I took the pin from my skirt and pointed it at her.
"I don't need your help! I'll k*ill you if you dare to touch me." My voice was as cold as death as I said this to her.
"How shamel*ess! You're being helped, and you're still angry? Yna! Let her suffer until she begs!"
I don't know why, but I laughed at what Levi said.
"Why are you laughing?" he said, annoyed.
"Because you're stup*id, and that's the reason I laugh. Thanks for being an idiot; you make me smile." I then turned and walked away from them, feeling as if my foot might give out, but I pushed through it.