Chapter 34

"Yes."
Seeing her frown slightly, as if she wanted to say something, Olsen asked, "Do you have any questions?"

"Are we going to... kill him?"

"To be precise, it's purification. According to the ancient ritual recorded in the scriptures, we target the vampire part for purification. He will fall into a deep sleep, and then his soul will painlessly separate from that cursed body, thus being freed."

Once asleep, he will never wake up again... Sarah nodded, "I understand."

Olsen stared at her overly calm face and hesitated, "You must have noticed that I cast a surveillance spell in the ballroom, right?"

A blush swept across her pale cheeks, and she nodded.

"I haven't told anyone about what I saw, and I won't in the future. I just want to make sure of one thing: did you and Ivy capture him willingly, or were you forced by circumstances? I don't want you to have any regrets or psychological barriers that would prevent you from fulfilling your duties as a maid." After another hesitation, Olsen said what was probably the most derelict thing since Sarah had taken the position, "If your feelings for him outweigh your responsibilities to us, there's still time; I will let you both go."

May was shocked. She knew that the clan members were gossiping about Sarah possibly having feelings for Emile, but she was surprised that her sister, who always strictly adhered to clan rules, was actually willing to let him go for this?

Sarah was also stunned. After steadying herself, she shook her head almost without thinking, "This is my own will."

"Alright." Olsen didn't understand why she had so easily said those words. Feeling uneasy, she turned and walked towards the door, "I'll go check on the preparations for the ritual in the cabin. Come over once you've changed."

"Mom..."

Sarah's slightly hesitant call made Olsen shiver. She turned to look at her adopted daughter.

"I brought back the original artifact." Sarah took out the silver bracelet and the worn piece of wood.

"Keep them. After tonight, they will belong to you." Olsen left the study, went downstairs, and walked outside.

She had always believed that twenty years of companionship would outweigh a short few dozen days. So even though Sarah had been gone for several days, she hadn't been suspicious. Until she witnessed Sarah's interactions with Emile, she still believed that the girl she had raised would prioritize the family. The final ultimatum was merely to force her to end the matter quickly.

But after waiting for two days without seeing Sarah return home, she was no longer so sure. She realized that her words were a double-edged sword and might instead push her adopted daughter towards Emile. So she cast a spell on Ivy, calculating that Sarah wouldn't harm her cousin, thus finally bringing her back.

When she saw her adopted daughter bringing Emile back, a weight was lifted from her heart.

At that moment, she realized that what she cared about was not just some ancient responsibility but whether Sarah could come back to her. She had invested twenty years of time, every bit of it filled with care and expectations. If Sarah went off with that man, a piece of her heart would be torn away, leaving a permanent wound. She wanted the girl to be happy, but she couldn't bear to let her go.

Besides, if her adopted daughter truly had deep feelings for Emile, she should have sensed that they would take action sooner or later and escaped with him early. But she didn't do that. It seemed that her loyalty to the clan outweighed her romantic feelings.

Thinking of Sarah's first call of "Mom," Olsen was emotionally stirred, unable to calm down. Her tightly pressed lips rarely curved into a gratified smile.

She arrived at the small cabin where Emile was imprisoned. Outside the cabin, three layers of magical arrays were set up, making it impossible for the person inside to escape. Therefore, only two women were guarding it, and they respectfully saluted her.

She entered the cabin, which had only one room. On the table, the items needed for the ritual were already set up. A large silver pentagram was drawn on the wooden floor with incantations, and Emile sat cross-legged in the center, still bound by a silver net.

Seeing Olsen, he coldly curled his lips, "Have you figured out how to kill me?"

"I'm not the one presiding over the ritual; Sarah is."

"Her, huh." His eyes darkened, and he said bitterly, "Dying at the hands of a lovely girl is better than at the hands of an old woman. Let her in."

"You don't hate her?"

"Hate her?" he seemed to be talking to himself, "This life of mine originally belonged to you. Having her take it back is merely settling an old score. Why should I hate her? Because she abandoned my love, does that mean love is no longer love? No... I love her; I don't hate her."

He lowered his head in despair, "I once let someone down. Now that she has abandoned me, it can be considered delayed retribution."

"Perhaps. She wants to see you one last time, obviously not to start over with you, but to personally take revenge on you." Seeing his stunned confusion, Olsen decided to reveal everything, "The previous maid, Xiang Wan, couldn't rest in peace for centuries because of you. Twenty years ago, she appeared before the former maid and asked to be reincarnated into the Delin family to see you one more time. The former maid agreed, and in this life, she became Sarah. Only my sister and I know about this; even Sarah herself is unaware."

Emile was as shocked as if he had been slapped hard. She is her? She is her?

He croaked, "But she... she doesn't remember at all? About the past life, we—"

"That was her request. She had always felt guilty about those hundred-plus lives. If she remembered her past life, she wouldn't be able to face her feelings for you purely." Olsen paused, "She said she wanted to forget everything and meet you purely as a woman. This was her only act of selfishness."

She coldly watched the stunned man, "However, things obviously didn't turn out as she originally planned."

He was stunned, the faces of her past and Sarah's present self overlapping in his mind until they merged, breaking through his chest. A surge of intense pain burst forth, leaving a massive void in his chest, making him want to scream but rendering him speechless.

What was this? Some kind of cruel joke? He had longed countless times for a chance to make it up to her, only to be given a trap that deliberately turned them into enemies? If he had known earlier, if she had even a bit of memory of their past life, things would never have turned out this way! If she still remembered...

He was suddenly struck by a thought. She must have considered this possible outcome before her reincarnation and had willingly buried her memories because she was confident she wouldn't miss what she wanted. And even without any memories, her subconscious chose this outcome...
Emile's Kiss
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