Damn, I Have to Marry the Strongest Antagonist at the Start? - Chapter 208

Chapter 208: Chapter208-Mary and Leslie
Within the Duke’s manor.

Madelyn, dressed in red, looked like a demon lord born from a bath of fresh blood. The waves of crimson energy radiating from her sliced through the void, leaving behind lingering black scars that didn’t fade for a long time.

Locked in the crimson ripples, Taylor felt as though he was staring death in the face, his scalp tingling with fear.

But just at that critical moment, Taylor was suddenly stunned.

The crimson energy surging toward him abruptly froze in the air, as if held in place.

Then, the space behind the blood-clad woman suddenly split open on both sides, like a door slowly opening.

A tall woman with a mask, her figure slender and curvaceous, her long lashes fluttering, and an expression of pride, stepped out.

Her movements were slow, but with her sudden appearance, time seemed to freeze in this part of the world.

After stepping out of the void, the proud and stunning beauty with a hint of a domineering presence lightly placed a hand on Madelyn’s head.

Madelyn, still in her red clothes, didn’t even have time to react before her eyes closed drowsily, and she fell into a deep sleep.

At the same time, the restless crimson energy radiating from Madelyn vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Taylor, who had been watching, was dumbfounded, his back cold with sweat. Even with his current cultivation, there was no way he could survive after Madelyn had awakened the Blood Eye.

Yet this mysterious masked woman had put Blood Eye to sleep with just one hand. Such terrifying power!

Even more shocking was that before this woman appeared, Taylor hadn’t sensed even a hint of her presence.

“May I ask, what is your name, senior?” He swallowed hard, hesitated for a moment, and then cautiously asked.

This woman was far too mysterious, her strength unfathomable, likely some long-renowned elder.

Moreover, with Madelyn having awakened the Blood Eye, the situation was critical. The masked woman seemed to have set her sights on Madelyn.

However, the masked woman didn’t respond to Taylor’s inquiry. Instead, she narrowed her bright eyes, smiling faintly as she glanced in Owen’s direction.

“I’ll be taking this young girl with me for now~” Her voice was light, but it sent a chill down Owen’s spine.

The people behind Owen, even more terrified, paled and recoiled in fear.

“We’re supposed to be observing through time. Could this masked woman actually see us?”

“Holy crap, she really seems to see us. Who is she?”

“Could she be a god-tier expert? Maybe the God King of Middle Earth?”

“No way, it can’t be the God King. The God King is a man, not a woman!”

As the group murmured in fear, Owen shook his head slightly and said,

“This person isn’t a god-tier expert, and she’s definitely not the God King. This is the Archdemon.”

Owen remembered from the anime that in the Demon Realm where John had fallen, there was a demon lord who ruled over an entire realm.

His elder sister was the Archdemon.

It was said that because of her extraordinary beauty, this woman always wore a mask when she appeared, and very few people had ever seen her true face.

The others, hearing the name “Archdemon,” looked bewildered, not fully understanding who Owen was referring to.

However, through this time-traveling experience, they at least learned Madelyn’s current situation.

With a wave of Owen’s hand, the surrounding scenery shifted, and everyone soon returned to reality, the surreal feeling replaced with the solid ground beneath their feet.

Back in reality, everyone’s expressions grew more solemn.

The masked woman, whom Owen had called the Archdemon, left a deep impression on them, her aura too terrifying to forget.

“Master Owen!” Suddenly, Charlotte hurried over, her expression serious. She bowed to Owen, hesitating before speaking.

“What is it?” Owen, still preoccupied with thoughts of the Archdemon, replied absentmindedly.

After a brief hesitation, Charlotte spoke softly,

“Master Owen, Mary is waiting for you outside the Duke’s manor.”

At these words, Owen’s body tensed, and he immediately snapped to attention.

Mary had come to see him?

That was definitely not a good sign.

After all, he and Leslie had worked together to overthrow the royal family of Azure Kingdom.

He had claimed the royal treasures, and even destroyed the Council of Elders, the royal family’s ultimate trump card.

Although the Azure Kingdom was rotten to its core, Mary herself had little connection to the royal family. She had left to study at the academy from a young age.

She had always treated Owen well before, which left Owen feeling a bit guilty toward her.

Seeing Owen’s brief silence, Charlotte cautiously suggested,

“Master Owen, maybe you shouldn’t meet with her today?”

After some thought, Owen shook his head.

“No, I’ll go and see her.”

Soon after, in the rear garden of the Duke’s manor, Owen sat in a wicker chair in the pavilion, with a few cups of fine tea steeping in front of him.

The mingling scents of tea and flowers filled the air, calming the senses.

He quietly watched as Mary approached step by step from the distance.

Mary was dressed in a white lace gown with a tight bodice, highlighting her graceful figure. The wide skirt cascaded down like a waterfall, resembling a blooming white lotus.

Her steps were slow, steady, and her gaze was calm and emotionless.

Having witnessed the fall of the Azure Kingdom, Mary had matured significantly.

The haughty arrogance of the spoiled princess was mostly replaced by steely determination, like a sword tempered through countless trials.

As she walked, there was a slight air of aggression about her.

As Owen observed Mary, she approached the pavilion, her breathing quickening slightly.

The calm on her delicate face gradually faded, replaced by flashes of anger, killing intent, affection, and gratitude—all these emotions uncontrollably flickered across her face.

In the end, these emotions were suppressed into a tense calm. She took a deep breath, gently smoothing her heaving chest, and sat down opposite Owen.

“I think it’s time we had a proper talk.” She stared straight at Owen, her gem-like eyes seemingly trying to peer into his very soul.

Owen, feeling uneasy under her gaze, cleared his throat and gently pushed a cup of tea toward her, speaking softly,

“Have some tea first. We can talk about anything you want, as long as you’re willing to talk to me.”

Mary didn’t refuse the tea, but neither did she drink it. She simply continued to look at Owen.

“Owen, we…we’re friends, aren’t we?”

Owen nodded, increasingly sensing that Mary’s visit was far from ordinary.

Seeing Owen nod, Mary’s expression grew more conflicted, her eyes reddening slightly.

“Owen, do you know? From the moment I first met you, I started to notice you. No one has ever shone as brightly as you, like a star in the sky. You were just like the one I dreamed of…”

As she spoke, memories of the many times Owen had helped her resurfaced, each rescue deepening her feelings for him.

But just as Owen was unsure of what to say, Mary suddenly changed the subject.

“King Aldric and the Council of Elders… it was you who killed them with TNT, wasn’t it? And the royal treasures—those were taken by you, right?”

Her voice carried a hint of accusation.

Though Owen had anticipated this day would come, he hadn’t expected it to arrive so soon.

After a brief pause, he nodded slightly, not intending to lie to Mary.

Hearing this, Mary gazed at him in a daze.

Although rumors and reports from Academy City had pointed to Owen as a key player in the royal family’s downfall, she still wanted to hear it from his own lips.

As Mary seemed lost in thought, Owen was about to offer some comfort, but Mary continued speaking.

“In truth, from the moment King Aldric and the royal family forced me to drink the Mindloss Potion for their own safety, my feelings for them disappeared.”

“From that moment on, I realized that to them, I was nothing more than a tool to be discarded for the greater good.”

Mary grew more agitated, and tears began to fall from her eyes like a broken kite string.