【Merka, that guy... Merka, that guy...】

【Hmph, hmph!】

【Just a mere Merka... Just a mere Merka...】

【He's only the person I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with, yet he's already under my skin so easily...】

【Do you really think I can't live without you?】

【Do you really think...】

【...】

Turing blindly walked down the street. Her aimless brisk pace fueled her ability to think irregularly.

Although dangerous, the distance from Merka gave Turing some breathing room to carefully reflect on her recent actions.

【Have I been too harsh on my future husband?】

【Yeah...】

【He used to be a Curseborn.】

【I, at least, had my mother to rely on...】

【But what about him?】

【Abandoned by his father at a young age, taken in by an orphanage, then tossed around among different nobles.】

【When we first met, he was only twelve.】

【That year, he was supposed to live in the deserted Westminster Cathedral, listening to the sins of others throughout the night.】

【He must have felt lonely, he must have been scared.】

【At such a young age... wouldn't he naturally have some psychological issues too?】

【But every time, I subconsciously overlooked this...】

【I never fulfilled my duties as a girlfriend...】

【I treated him as someone who could cater to my emotional needs at will...】

【Is it because I lack love?】

【Is it because I've never seen my father, and thus, I see him as a substitute father figure?】

With these thoughts, Turing painfully clutched her heart, the pain almost causing her to black out.

Realizing that fundamentally nothing had changed, she was still the same – presuming to control others, unknowingly harming her friends, failing to cherish those around her, solely focused on accomplishing her goals –

Even resembling her mother, unwittingly treating everyone associated with her as mere tools, caused her unbearable pain.

【Do I not deserve to have Merka?】

【Do I actually not deserve anything at all?】

As Turing walked through the bustling street, she gingerly rubbed the ring on her middle finger, as if radiating extreme heat.

How she wished that through these touches, she could summon some kind of spirit from the ring. It would earnestly assure her that she deserves, she always did, so that her burning heart could cool down a little.

【I can't even tolerate the slight excess empathy he displays.】

【How cruel I am...】

Turing was truly in too much pain, so much so that her mouth felt like an overturned bottle of mixed emotions – sour, bitter, spicy, salty, but definitely not sweet.

The excruciating pain raged through Turing's mind, to the point that she inadvertently unravelled the backdrop she always put up, revealing her true self.

"Turing, there you are."

"Just when I was getting comfortable."

Turing was startled by the sudden words and quickly returned from her mental palace to the real world.

She composed herself and looked at the person in front of her.

A young girl, about five or six years older than her, with four magical guards, stood before Turing. The five of them, all around 1.7 meters tall, towered over Turing, who was just over 1.5 meters tall, like five straight poplar trees blocking her path.

And in the middle, a girl she recognized.

It was Scarlett Montecristo, the rising star of the younger generation in Acadia.

"This is our first formal meeting, Turing," Scarlett said.

"Setting aside the family gatherings we attended as children and the brief glance during the last competition in Erisburg, this is our first proper meeting," Turing replied.

"Sadly, it seems that on our first meeting, I have to do something that might cause some unpleasantness."

Scarlett's expression turned cold as she waved her hand and loudly instructed her magical guards.

"Take her away!"