MTLNOVEL Chapter 82: Hatred
"What happened, Peri?!"
It was one of those days. Beatrice was buried in a stack of files in her office when the door creaked open.
Her little daughter stood there—eyes brimming with tears, dirt smeared across her porcelain skin, and a thin trail of blood on her lip.
Beatrice's heart clenched. She hurried to her, kneeling down so their eyes met.
She reached to wipe the blood away, but Peri suddenly lifted both hands and stopped her.
In a trembling voice, broken by sobs, the girl asked, "Where is my Father, mama? Why doesn't he come to save me?"
Beatrice's shoulders sank. "What happened, baby?" she whispered.
Tears spilled from Peri's big, watery eyes. "Dorothy's father came to save her when we were fighting. He glared at me, then hugged her until she stopped crying. Why didn't my father come, mama?"
"Oh, my poor child…" Beatrice wrapped her in a tight embrace, her own voice shaking.
But deep inside, her chest ached. How could she tell her little girl the truth? That her father had already crossed to the other side… and would never return. That the man she had never met would remain only a name, never a face.
With a heavy heart, Beatrice pulled back, cupping Peri's small hands in hers. "Who said only fathers can protect their children? Am I not strong enough?"
Peri's red, tearful eyes looked up at her.
Beatrice gently wiped her cheeks and whispered, "I promise you—whenever you're in danger, your mama will always come to your rescue."
…That was the promise she made to her daughter years ago.
But when Peri needed her the most… Beatrice wasn't there.
She failed her.
She couldn't save her.
"No!!" Beatrice collapsed to her knees, a raw cry tearing out of her as she buried her face in her hands.
Hades stood nearby, wanting to comfort her, but he knew words would be empty now.
He had only met Beatrice recently, but he could already see how deeply she loved her child.
And after finally clinging to the hope of saving her… they had found her lifeless body in the temple.
Beatrice's cries tore through the air, raw and unrestrained. It felt as though the ground beneath her had collapsed, dragging her world into a void. Everything she had sworn to protect had slipped through her fingers. The light of her life… was gone.
"Beatrice…" Hades' voice was soft, almost hesitant, as he knelt beside her.
Her tear-streaked face lifted toward him, eyes red and swollen. Her shoulders trembled as she asked, "Why…? What crime did my Peri commit? Why must she pay the price? What did she do to deserve such a cruel fate?"
Hades could only meet her gaze in silence. He didn't know why Samarella had chosen Peri of all people. Was it just the high mana count? Even if it was… why kill her?
Beatrice's voice broke into a whisper, each word heavy with anguish. "My Peri didn't deserve this… Then why? Why must she be punished? Why must she be killed?!"
"She isn't dead yet."
The sudden voice sliced through the air.
Both Beatrice and Hades jerked their heads toward its source.
They saw Peri's body, which has been floating until now, slowly lowering to the ground.
Her eyes were open now. But they were no longer golden. The warm light was gone, replaced by a cold, eerie blue, and her pupils had thinned into ominous slits.
A wave of mana surged from her, pressing against the two like an unseen weight.
"I have taken her as a hostage… for the time being," the voice continued—speaking through Peri's lips, but belonging to someone else entirely.
Beatrice scrambled to her feet, her voice fierce despite the fear twisting inside her. "Who are you… and why have you taken my Peri?"
The girl's gaze sharpened into a glare. "Such insolence… recognize your God—and kneel."
Beatrice felt a crushing weight settle over her shoulders, pressing down with divine force—yet she refused to kneel.
Her voice sharpened, thick with defiance. "Why did you take Peri as a hostage?! What did she do wrong?!"
The Goddess's expression darkened at the elf's insolence. But then, a slow, chilling grin spread across her lips.
"I can regrow her heart if you wish," she said. "She is still alive. I am keeping her so I can return her to you."
Beatrice's breath caught. Regrow… her heart? What game was this deity playing?
The Goddess raised a hand and pointed a slender finger at Hades. "Kill that man—and I will give your daughter back."
Hades froze. "...What?!"
Beatrice's glare sharpened. "You can't fool—"
"M-Mama…"
The voice stopped her cold.
Peri's expression shifted—the cold blue in her eyes melting back into their warm golden glow. Her face softened, and for the briefest moment, she looked like her daughter again.
Beatrice's chest ached as she whispered, "P-Peri…" She stepped forward, her hands trembling.
"Mama… help me… i-it hurts… s-save me—" Peri gasped sharply, and the light in her eyes was snuffed out. The pupils stretched back into those inhuman slits, and the oppressive aura surged once more.
The Goddess had reclaimed her.
Beatrice's teeth ground together. Rage took hold, and she charged forward. "Give my daughter back—!"
"Enough!"
The Goddess's roar cracked through the air as she thrust her hand forward. A violent wave of energy blasted into Beatrice, hurling her back with twice the force she'd rushed in with.
Hades moved instantly, catching her in midair before landing in a steady crouch, the ground beneath them cracking from the impact.
Beatrice groaned, forcing herself upright, her legs trembling but refusing to give out.
Hades stood beside her, his gaze locked on the girl—on Peri—who now looked at them with cold, detached eyes, as though they weren't even worth noticing.
[Hades,]
The voice echoed inside his mind.
[Samarella has fused completely with that girl's soul. Even if she promises to leave her, she won't. She can't.]
His eyes narrowed. So she's lying… she can't possibly leave Peri's body now.
[Correct. She's chosen the girl as her host. Without Samarella, the child won't survive—and the same applies the other way.]
Hades clenched his jaw. But she hates me… and you still haven't told me why. How am I supposed to stop her from killing me—and still get Beatrice's daughter back?
Even as he asked, the weight of the truth pressed on him.
It felt impossible.
That hatred he sensed from Samarella wasn't just dislike—it was something far deeper, sharper, and older. With that kind of venom, there was no way she would hand Peri back to her mother.
[There is a way through which she wouldn't be able to defy you, nor would she try to kill you.]
Hades hurriedly asked, 'Tell me what is it?'
There was a brief pause, before he heard an unexpected answer,
[...make her your mate.]
"...."
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A/N:- Thanks for reading.