Chapter 226
Ella’s eyes momentarily flashed with contempt at William’s words about needing to meet her sister.
It was a level of disdain far deeper and more significant than what she had felt originally.
What business could William, who chased after women every day, possibly have in finding Anastasia?
It was obvious.
The issue was Anastasia’s appearance.
She didn’t just look young; she was practically a child.
Even if you gave her a hard pass, her body was at the level of an elementary school student.
‘This trash.’
Ella shot a look filled with disgust at the beastly guy who had fallen into a realm no person should reach. But as soon as the thought of protecting her sister crossed her mind, she quickly composed her expression and put on a familiar face.
“What do you mean by ‘sister’?”
“Are there different kinds of sisters?”
“That’s a strange thing to say. I’m an only child.”
Ella pretended not to know about Anastasia, putting on an act so perfect that it would make anyone wonder, ‘Did I come to the wrong place?’
“Well, if you’re going to act like that, at least manage your expression better. I saw everything, those eyes.”
But William scoffed, finding Ella’s performance lacking.
“Hey, I understand your feelings. It must seem crazy that the guy who wants to be your stepdad would be interested in your sister too. Isn’t that right?”
William made this comment in a careless tone and pulled out a long beer bottle from the small bag he was carrying. With a practiced motion, he popped the cap and took large gulps from the bottle.
“Ahh—”
He sighed in exhilaration from the beer’s tang and turned his attention back to Ella.
“Well, yeah, your sister is pretty. She’s stunning.”
At those words, Ella looked at William with a gaze full of conviction.
This insane degenerate was finally starting to show interest in a child.
He was stepping onto the horrible path of pedophilia.
As this conviction grew, a sense of duty began to blossom in Ella’s heart.
She had to save Anastasia from the hands of this perverted scoundrel.
“But I don’t think Ness would like that very much. So I reluctantly gave up. Got it?”
However, William continued to drink his beer like water, oblivious to Ella’s feelings, just focusing on his own words.
“Is that so? But I….”
“Ugh, forget it, annoying brat. I already know. You think I’ve got nothing better to do than look into your growth-stunted big sister on this cramped little patch of land? You! You’ve got a sister who looks just like you.”
“Did you mix me up with someone?”
“Not a chance. You’re totally different!”
William gulped down the remaining beer as if irritated. After shaking it to see if there was any left, he slammed the empty bottle down on the table with a loud thud.
Watching William’s violent, beast-like demeanor, Ella felt her sense of duty solidifying even more.
She absolutely could not allow Anastasia to meet him.
She couldn’t allow that violent degenerate, who had awakened to such perverse tastes and lacked even a speck of refinement, to meet her sister.
She would definitely stop it.
She had resolved herself.
“There’s no way I could mistake a different chest, right?”
“What?”
But her resolve soon crumbled under William’s next words.
No, it dulled.
She felt a sense of absurdity wash over her, solid convictions wavering as reality seemed to vanish in an instant.
Ella looked at William in shock, and he interpreted her expression to suit his own agenda.
That kid was making that face because he hit the nail on the head.
“Why? Surprised I got it right?”
“No, wait, chest? What do you mean?”
“Do I need to spell it out for you? A chest so big it doesn’t even compare to yours.”
It was such vulgarity that it was hard to believe it was a comment in front of a lady.
However, instead of bursting with anger at his obscenity, Ella looked at William as if she couldn’t believe it.
“No…. Just a sec. Just a moment.”
Ella felt confused about William’s comment that Anastasia had a ‘big chest.’ But as if he felt he should hammer the nail in while she was flustered, he pulled out a palm-sized coated paper from his bag and tossed it to Ella.
“What’s ‘just a moment’?”
The paper that flew towards her had a drawing of a person.
The drawing of what seemed like a talented artist who poured their soul into it was so exquisite, it looked like a photograph, and the bright-toned image made the woman portrayed appear radiant, beautiful, and kind.
“This is….”
Ella was left speechless upon seeing the woman depicted in the drawing.
White hair.
Red eyes.
A beautiful smile that radiated a mature aura.
At a glance, she looked somewhat similar to Ella.
But there was a significant difference: it had an eroticism that clashed sharply with the pure appearance.
Even though she wore a floral dress with almost no exposure, the prominent chest was something Ella could not possess.
“That’s your sister, right?”
That was indeed Anastasia depicted in the drawing.
But….
“….”
It was certainly Anastasia, but… at least it wasn’t the ‘current’ version.
The real Anastasia had a body similar to that of an elementary school student.
Such a body had only existed in the world of dreams.
‘How does he know about this form?’
The only way to have seen Anastasia’s mature form was at the surface of dreams and the collective unconscious.
Aside from that, she had never ventured beyond her small body.
Ella gazed at the drawing with doubt and raised her head to look at William, whose face was arrogantly smiling as if to say, ‘Don’t try to deny it.’
“…How?”
“What do you mean how?”
He looked at Ella, who asked the succinct question as if implying she didn’t know anything.
“Don’t you know I’m a prophet?”
It was hard to accept.
She didn’t want to acknowledge that this trashy half-ass prophet had gained predictive abilities to connect with her.
But it was a story she couldn’t refuse to believe.
No matter how much of a piece of trash he was, it was clear that he was a prophet, and without prophetic abilities, there was no way he could know about Anastasia’s ‘dream form.’
So, Ella could only sigh.
This meant she was tangled up with that damned human.
Even if she wanted to cut ties from her end, that was now impossible!
“Can you explain in more detail?”
However, there was a point of confusion.
The visit was now, yet the Anastasia in the picture appeared as an adult.
Thus, in order to resolve the dissonance between reality and the photo, she had no choice but to question William.
“Not really.”
But William interrupted Ella’s question as if to tease her.
“What could a kid like you understand? This is a story for adults. So hurry up and call Ness.”
He dismissed little Ella, claiming she had no right to get involved in this, impatiently urging her to call Ness. Ella felt a surge of anger towards his arrogant and irritating demeanor but eventually took out her smartphone, resigned to the fact that there was no point in being angry at a beast, and dialed Agnes.
And when she did, astonishingly, the miracle occurred where Agnes, who had been unreachable no matter how many times William had called, connected on the very first try.
[Oh my, what’s going on?]
Hearing Agnes’s calm voice, Ella hesitated to speak, but she soon started to recount everything as if she had made up her mind.
That William had gotten in touch with her.
Ignoring the contact, he had been waiting near the shop she wanted to go to.
He had asked for a favor, and said he needed to meet her sister.
The reason was a prophecy, and as evidence, he’d shown her a drawing of her sister that could not have been seen without prophetic insight.
Finally, he had threatened to only discuss the detailed prophecy if she came.
After listening for a while, Agnes let out a small sigh and offered some comforting words to Ella.
[Well… it must have been tough.]
Agnes comforted Ella over her struggles and said she would be there soon, ending the call.
“Master will be here soon.”
“I know, I heard.”
William, upon hearing that Agnes was coming, began to move restlessly.
He straightened his clothes in front of the full-length mirror in the shop and combed his messy hair. But no matter how well he tidied himself, watching him drink beer like water didn’t inspire any confidence in his sanity.
Yet no matter what Ella thought, William preened himself carefully in his own way.
So that he could make a good impression when the woman he was trying to flirt with walked in.
As time went by, when Agnes finally entered….
“Fuck?”
His eyes bulged.
Because a young-looking man was following closely behind Agnes.
Very affectionately.
William twisted his face in pure disgust, grabbed the beer bottle that had been sitting on the table upside down, and….
“You bloody bastard! Bugger off! fucking arsehole!”
“Ah! Hair Park?! Get down!”
He hurled it right at the guy who dared to enter with Agnes.