Chapter 438: Substitute Bride of the Demon King (42)
"Get out... Get out of here!" Andre’s voice seemed to be filled with endless resentment.
Yue Ran raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Get out? Why should I get out? Even if one of us has to leave, you should be the one to go." The young woman frowned, looked him up and down, and said with a look of sudden realization, "Oh, sorry, I forgot again. I forgot that you are now a cripple. Let alone leave, it must be challenging for you to even get off the bed."
As the word "cripple" escaped her lips, it felt like a one-ton boulder striking his heart mercilessly.
Andre was so angry that his face turned pale. He felt a suffocating pressure building in his chest. Yet, he had no power to refute her, so he could only grip the quilt tightly with both hands, the fabric crumpling beneath his fingers as he fought to keep himself from completely losing control.
What Leila said was right.
Once a powerful magician, he had been reduced to a shell of his former self, his magic core stripped of mana, rendering him helpless. His legs, once the source of his strength and freedom, now lay useless beneath him. He felt as though he were trapped in a living nightmare, a life bereft of hope or purpose, one that felt far worse than death itself. In those dark moments, he couldn’t help but think that perhaps it would be better for him to die completely and fade away.
Yue Ran also saw Andre’s determination to face death in his eyes. She smiled as she watched his fingers gradually relax and said, "You want to commit suicide now, right?"
The other party remained silent; he had likely given up the struggle.
However, Yue Ran personally thought that the fire burning inside him was not strong enough, so she continued to stoke it. "Indeed, you are in such a dying state now, so you might as well just die early." Then she changed the subject and continued, "But you are so weak now that you can’t even lift a sword. It must be difficult for you to commit suicide. What a pity."
Andre felt a little choked in his chest.
Yue Ran flashed a sweet, almost innocent smile at him. But her words carried a venom that could elevate anyone’s blood pressure to perilous heights— dangerously close to death.
Andre could feel his temper flaring; the intensity of his gaze locked onto Yue Ran was akin to that of a wild animal ensnared, poised to spring at her and kill her in a fury. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to lash out, but just as the words began to form on his lips, he was abruptly interrupted.
Yue Ran continued, "Are you so cowardly? Your rival took away your sweetheart on your wedding day, and you were tortured into this state by the very same rival. Don’t you hate it?"
Andre clenched his fists. Hate... Of course, he hated it. How could he not? But in his current state, he was a cripple who could not even commit suicide, so how could he take revenge?
"Andre, are you not worried about how Silas will treat your sweetheart?" Yue Ran asked. "Are you not afraid that she will end up like you? Since you like her, why don’t you think about yourself first, then exact revenge before taking her back?"
Yue Ran said these words lightly.
Andre gave the young woman a sarcastic look. "You think I do not want to? But I am now a cripple. I have no magic and my legs—"
The man was interrupted before he could finish speaking. Yue Ran’s eyes were calm as she said, "But you are still alive now, aren’t you? Since you are alive and can’t die, then live well. Living has infinite possibilities, but if you die, there will be nothing. Even tiny ants still know how to survive. Yet, is it difficult for the high and mighty Lord Magician to live? You are not even as good as an ant."
Andre’s body trembled as he listened to Yue Ran’s words.
Yue Ran’s voice was calm but filled with conviction as she continued, "Consider this: in the vast realm of magic, there exists an abundance of elixirs designed to mend bones and heal even the most grievous injuries. Your legs just can’t stand up for a while, not for a lifetime. How can you truly dismiss the possibility that an elixir exists capable of restoring your damaged magic core?"
Is that possible? Andre’s heart raced at the implication, his pupils narrowing with a mixture of disbelief and flickering hope. Yet doubt lingered in his mind— how could such a thing be true?
Numerous magicians throughout history have faced the shattering loss of their magic cores, condemned to silence and despair, as their once-great powers were extinguished without a trace. In the end, they all meet the same fate: dying quietly, making no waves. He had heard no stories of anyone ever restoring their magic core to ascend to new heights.
Although Andre thought so in his heart, he could not suppress a glimmer of hope, a fragile spark ignited within him. He could feel his fingers trembling as they clutched the quilt tightly, the fabric crumpling under his grip.
"But... what if... There is really nothing at all...?" he whispered, his voice barely escaping his lips, laced with a blend of fear and longing.
Yue Ran let out a light, almost melodic chuckle, her voice drifting gently through the air, free of any tension or burden.
"Then you can just find other ways out," Yue Ran said. "There is more than one way to grow strong in this world. If magic is no longer your path, can you not simply change your method? After all, this world is a rich and vast tapestry, woven with countless threads, so there must be all kinds of strange things."