I Became A Side Character Fated To Suffer-Chapter 10:How Will I Make My Heart Understand

With a groan, my eyes snapped open in shock, and a scream echoed from my lips.

"KYAAA!"

I jumped up from the bed in deep fright, sweating profusely.

"Fuckkkkk.."

I cursed and looked around in panic.

Thankfully, it was just a dream.

A dream of the past.

Breathing heavily, I walked to the mirror. My reflection stared back with dark, gloomy eyes.

I unbuttoned my shirt, revealing the pale skin on my neck, underneath which a faint dark mark lingered that extended towards my right arm, exposing the necrotic-mingled skin beneath.

My brows furrowed, and I tapped on my right shoulder with the index finger of my left hand.

"Thank God, they hadn’t seen me."

The skin that mingled with necrosis was coated with a bright jade luster and returned to normal.

I then looked down at the table, over which lay an unfolded page of the newspaper.

[Sources have confirmed that the Blacksheep of Nova is entering the Academy. Can this Blacksheep survive in the den of wolves?]

[Not having another child despite such a weak heir... Does the Grand Duke have some problem?]

[What might be the reason behind Noel De Nova not inheriting the legacy? Is it possible that he is adopted?]

The articles...

By this time, it had become quite normal to publish these stupid things and attract the public.

Every time my name was mentioned, ripples were cast all around, reaching even my parents.

If they exerted their influence, they could stop all this, but that would showcase Nova’s insecurity.

That’s why I hated it.

I hated when people used me as a means to trample my father’s authority.

I hate them... I loathe them.

And I want to crush them.

For the past ten years, I have endured and endured, hiding in obscurity, but it’s over.

I will prove them wrong. More than that...

My eyes paused on my reflection in the mirror. My hands moved toward the center of my chest. Slowly, I pressed my fingers against my skin.

I dragged my nails down.

The skin split.

A thin red line appeared at first, then widened as I pushed my fingers deeper. Flesh parted under pressure. Warm blood welled out and trickled down my torso.

I dug in further.

With a steady pull, I forced the torn flesh aside. A dull cracking sound followed as I pressed against my sternum. The bone did not shatter violently—it separated with resistance, as if something inside allowed it.

A faint, wet tearing sound echoed in the quiet room.

I widened the opening.

Blood spurted out briefly, staining the floor, but the feeling of pain had become quite foreign to me.

Inside the exposed cavity, a crimson heart quite different from a human’s—was beating wildly. Its surface pulsed with unnatural veins, and beside it, embedded into the flesh, was a small circular glowing core.

Ignoring it, I extended my hand and reached deeper, towards the side of my lungs.

My fingers brushed against cold metal.

I pulled out the locket that had been pressed there.

Drawing it out carefully, I opened the locket like a sapling unfolding its leaves. It had two small circular chambers.

On one side was a picture of my small, innocent childhood self.

On the other was a cute, loving black-haired girl.

Seeing her, my eyes softened.

"Meena... Haa..." I grabbed her picture firmly, my blood-stained fingers trembling slightly.

"You don’t know how much I wish to delve into those forbidden rituals and bring you back, but..."

A hint of sadness flashed in my eyes. The exposed heart seemed to throb harder, tightening painfully inside my chest.

"But I know you won’t like to be revived like this..."

My grip loosened.

"Even after all this time, I know I should let it go, but this heart... how will I make it understand?"

The woman who even made a deal with known cause she wasn’t able to see me sad.

"If only I wasn’t useless.."

I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of sadness, letting it wash over me without resistance.

Slowly, I stuffed the locket back into my chest cavity, pressing it into its place beside my lungs.

As soon as it settled in, the torn flesh began to stitch itself.

The split edges of skin crawled toward each other. The sternum shifted back into place with a muted crack. Muscles reattached. Veins sealed. Even the blood splattered on the ground flowed backward, sliding across the floor and rising into the wound as if time itself had reversed.

Within moments, the opening disappeared.

Smooth skin replaced the horror.

After a moment, the wounds had healed completely, and all signs of the earlier monstrosity vanished.

Looking at my reflection, I whispered with a bitter expression.

"Noel..."

"You are really a pathetic piece of shit."

.....

Snif....Sniff...Sniff

On the day of departure, I was greeted by a scene of mass mourning.

As for the question, for whom are they mourning?

I didn’t know for sure.

"For God’s sake, I am going to the academy, not some gruesome battlefield from which I won’t be returning," I screamed.

"Is there any difference between the two?" my right-hand man, Jules, snickered but stopped upon getting my glare.

"Jules, don’t blabber too much in my absence."

As we bickered, Ela moved closer and extended her hand, holding my right palm softly.

"Lord, please take care of this hand. I know it might hurt and the synthetic ski... Ummm!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Jules stepped forward and closed her lips.

Looking around, he squeezed out a smile. "She has a habit of talking nonsense."

Frigid, I turned toward two heat-blast glares scorching my back.

In robotic motion, I walked toward my parents, who didn’t speak much.

They had stern looks, seeing which one might mistake them as strict parents, but I knew they were very sad at the moment.

My mother, who was quite emotional, was holding herself back, and once I left she might create a flood of tears.

Stepping forward, I opened my arms as wide as possible and hugged both of them.

"Father... Mother... Don’t worry about me."

"You two take care of yourselves. And Father, you don’t need to push yourself for the Demigod stage."

"Brat, you don’t need to worry about that," Eryk muttered, raising his hand to ruffle my hair along with my mother.

It was an emotional scene in which the servants of the entire estate started tearing up.

Elara took a step and gave me a hug while speaking softly with a warm smile, "One hundred forty-three thousand two hundred and fifty-nine."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

A gasp echoed from everyone’s lips. Unable to discern what she meant, everyone looked at Elara, who ignored them and locked her gaze on me.

"That’s the number of hair strands you have."

"If I find a hair less on my son, then I don’t care who it is, but I will flatten the academy and wipe it out from existence."

The moment she said this, everyone started to sweat profusely.

No one knew if she was joking or telling the truth; however, Father and I knew it.

She wasn’t lying.

However,

"Mom... Did you really count all the hair?" I asked, sweating profusely.

"Of course I did," Elara spoke, raising her chest proudly.

"Last night you lost two hairs."

"....."

My lips twitched, and I looked at Father for an answer.

Eryk, seeing his son’s gaze, looked around, admiring the pleasant scene.

"Mom, hair fall is common. Don’t hang up on small things. I am strong enough to take care of myself."

After a brief pause, I let go reluctantly.

My mother then squatted down and summoned a crimson gem necklace out of thin air and placed it around my neck.

"You already know what it does, so use it."

"I won’t hesitate," I answered with a smile.

"Noel,you really don’t want my recommendation letter."

I halted and refused firmly,"No."

"I will prove that I can enter and secure the top spot with my own merit."

With that, I took my leave from the place where I had been living since childhood.

The house was quite warm yet cold, blissful yet suffocating at the same time.

It had given me so much, yet it also made me feel underserved.

Haa!

Such a bittersweet feeling.