Chapter 193 The Legacy of Death
Of course, Aiwass himself did not keep a diary.
This would make him feel insecure, as if his inner thoughts were being seen. Just writing it down would make him feel this way, even if in theory no one else would read his diary.
Under such circumstances, if Aiwass were asked to write a diary, he would not be able to write the truth.
It's like sharing your daily life on social media—of course, the content you share has been processed, refining the interesting parts, artificially removing the boring ones, and hiding the things that make you feel ashamed. You may even tell lies that you believe, repeating them over and over again in an attempt to modify your memory.
——But on the other hand, if he read other people's diaries, Aiwas would feel a sense of invasion.
Peeping is a kind of covert aggression, but accepting the other person's consent and looking under their gaze is different - it feels like peeling off the other person's inner layer in front of them. This feeling makes Aiwass more excited than peeling off clothes.
Even if not everything in the diary is true, at least one can get a glimpse of the writer’s mentality from it…just like folk tales usually have some connection to what actually happened at the time.
After all, lies are like dreams, psychedelic things that need the truth as mash to ferment.
Isabel said, "You don't have to watch that part," but she didn't explicitly refuse. She just wanted me to watch it.
From this perspective, perhaps the first layer to be peeled off was not Aiwass, but Isabel herself...
Aiwass vaguely felt that Isabel had been lonely for too long and desperately wanted someone to free her from the fear of the past. And that change had better be strong enough.
Because if it was too gentle, she might want to stay there, to remain motionless... Her heart was strong. Because just a little bit of gentleness was enough to heal the heartache caused by staying in the dark.
But that is only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution.
If you want to buy, buy permanent costumes; if you want to bring people, bring them through the game!
How can you do things halfway?
Unless it's intentional teasing...
This made Aiwas feel excited for the first time in a long time.
But he still suppressed his heart and started reading from the beginning - if he turned directly to the end, his purpose would be too obvious. Moreover, without the foreshadowing at the beginning, he would not be able to resonate with Isabel, and it would make her feel disrespected and uncomfortable.
However, Aiwass looked at this "Royal Diary" carefully and soon became immersed in it.
Because this diary does record a lot of things he doesn't know...
"July 3, 1887. Sunny."
"If you see these words, it means I am dead."
Transcribed in elegant and clean handwriting, it was a diary or perhaps a suicide note left by a seemingly calm man: "Whether it was poison, disease, or curse, eight members of this family have died in the past seven years. This cannot be a coincidence in any way.
"In other words, we must be prepared to die at any moment. We must live each day as if it were our last, and be prepared for the possibility that one day in the future, we will all die.
"When that time comes, no one will speak for us, and we will be speechless. The dead cannot speak. Before that, we must leave behind some evidence... to prove that we were here, to prove that we lived."
"My brothers and sisters, my elders, my children. I hope that when you read these words, you won't be too sad, and not too late... not so late that you've lost your sanity and dignity. In this sense, I actually hope I can die sooner rather than later.
"I will keep my diary until I die. After my death, it will be passed down through the du Lac family.
"I hope you will remember this—Lancelot's descendants are not cowards and are not afraid of death."
This is the first diary entry in the book, and it is obviously the reason why they kept a diary.
...leave any records or proof?
Aiwass thought thoughtfully.
Although he didn't know who this person was, he did admire his calmness.
The next article was still in his tone, but it skipped a lot of content. It was obvious that Isabel only copied the most important parts.
"September 1, 1887. Sunny."
"I may be dying, but I want you to live well."
And then, there was the tone of the second person.
He seemed a little anxious.
"September 4th, heavy rain"
"My eldest brother passed away too. It seems he died from a curse. Mom was also very sad... It rained for three days. Was it to bid him farewell?"
"I've read your diary, and I understand what you mean. A knight must have his dignity... but..."
"My Lord... My Lord. What are you thinking? Why do you let us suffer like this?"
And then, it jumped directly to a few months later.
"January 3rd, Rain"
"My Annie is finally gone... She was only eight years old! And this damn curse tormented her for so long!"
"If she really has to die, she might as well let me die in her place! If I could catch the person who cast the curse, I would skin him alive and roast him over the fire!"
"Master, what are you thinking? Is this your punishment for us?"
Seeing those words filled with despair, Aiwass's fingers moved slightly.
He pursed his dry lips.
This should mean that the child of the prince or princess who recorded the diary has died.
His excited mood gradually became heavy, and his brows were slightly furrowed.
Just from the diaries of two people, he could feel the resentment and obsession entangled in this book.
At the same time, he looked at the selection of content and realized another thing:
If Prince Andrew was the only one who was the traitor, he shouldn't have targeted the little girl. This is more like a traditional curse... According to traditional curses, the curse will attack the weakest person within the curse's range. In this case, it's more likely that a child would be cursed.
That means that when Andrew went to cooperate with the mastermind, the curse had actually been prevalent for some time?
He sat on the chair in front of Isabel's desk and looked at Isabel, who was standing behind him and also looking at the diary. "How old were you when you started copying this?"
"This is actually the third one. I was nine years old when I first copied it."
Isabel's hand gently rested on Aiwass's shoulder, just as Aiwass had rested on her shoulder before.
The princess with long golden hair said softly, "Anne is my sister, one year younger than me. I remember her very clearly because she was my first playmate who died from the curse.
"Before this, I didn't really feel much about curses. Even if it happened right next to me, I always felt like it was something far away from me.
"—Until my best friend collapsed on the hospital bed, coughing incessantly. The curse she suffered was chronic, and she was repeatedly cured by priests, only to have it flare up again and again... But she couldn't eat, and her body grew weaker and weaker. She eventually passed away in the middle of the night... She didn't call for help, probably because she was tired."
Isabel lowered her eyes and spoke softly.
Then Aiwass turned the diary to the back.
"January 7th, sunny"
"Today is a sunny day, a good day to die."
"January 8, 1889. Sunny."
"Yesterday, Princess Valeria committed suicide. Perhaps she was overwhelmed by grief over the death of little Princess Anne. This is the first member of the Du Lac family to die by suicide after the mysterious curse."
"Someone suggested going to war with Star Antimony or Iris, but Mother dismissed it. She seems to have her own plans, and I believe her."
"I don't actually want to start a war, because we don't know who our enemy is. The curse may not be permanent, but the damage caused by war to people is permanent..."
"I am Hercule du Lac. I will record all of this and tell people. I will do my best to record it until the end... The du Lac family persevered to the end and never fell."
"July 1, 1889. Sunny. But I hope it rains."
"Kreya is dead. My wife, Kreya, is dead."
"It turns out the curse isn't directed at the Du Lac family, but at the entire royal family."
"I wavered. I was angry, and I wanted to go to war. I knew it would only destroy myself and Avalon. But I would rather let everything be destroyed... but no. I can't do that. Kreya said I must uphold justice."
"…useless justice."
"I just want to protect my little Fili now. I hope he's okay."
Aiwass was silent.
Apparently, there is no one named "Philip" among the existing royal family members. For him, who already knew the outcome, this story was too heavy.
So he paused for a long time before turning another page.
"January 1, 1890. Rain."
"Dad is dead. I'm Fili, and now I'm here to continue writing for Dad."
"I want to survive, and so do we all. I want my own griffin, as majestic as Uncle Renekton. To destroy all evil and save us all."
"April 2, 1891. Sunny."
"Little Fili died. And another one. When will it be my turn? I don't know."
"Let's live one day at a time. The bluebells are beautiful today. Just like me."
"Haha, I hope I can die beautifully. If possible, I want to wear my most beautiful dress and die quietly among the bluebells. It would be best if it could be painted like a picture."
"Will anyone love me after death? Henghe, if I give myself to you, can I dance with you under the moon?"
"August 1, 1891. Sunny."
"Chris died today. I guess it's my turn soon."
"His Majesty advised us that those who wished to live could leave the Temple of Silver and Tin and abandon the name of Du Lac, and perhaps survive. But at this point, will that really work? For those who truly wish to kill us, can we survive even if we leave this place?"
"I think the only way to survive is to become a Star Antimony or Iris Person. But I choose to refuse such an ugly and humble way of living."
"I hope that you who read this diary will choose to reject it. But if you choose to accept it, I won't blame you."
"Everyone can choose life over death, children. You have the right to live. But I hope you will not betray your honor - betrayal is the worst sin, and losing your honor is worse than death."
"My Lord, I will fight to the bitter end and never surrender. I will hold my head high until the end of glory and life."
"My Lord, I will come to you."
Those are powerful words.
Aiwass took another deep breath, his fingertips trembling slightly.
The diaries of the royal family members end here, and the rest are Isabel's diary.
The first line opened was the diary from 1887.
"I'm so scared..."
"Dad said I could cry..."
Just two sentences.
This is the first diary entry left by Isabel.
But just by looking at it, Aiwass seemed to see the little girl who was only nine years old.
She was so alone, so scared… so vulnerable.
He turned around and looked at Isabel, who looked away shyly.
Despite this, she had a faint, barely perceptible smile on her face, the kind of expression you get when you're trying to smile but are deliberately keeping a straight face.
——She was no longer afraid.
Update completed!
(End of this chapter)
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