Shade sat in the boat, tilting his head slightly as he looked at the woman's head ten meters away:
"Whether it was a commission target like Bennett, or those Apostles of Desire who followed you, they all harbored desires that seemed impossible to fill. Their desires were practically flames, ready to burn and devour everything around them.
"But Valentine Halonin is different. I admit that she also desires love, but rather than desire, it is more like obsession. She is not like your previous targets. And as for your claim that she defiled your power and that you therefore wanted revenge on her, I don't believe it."
The face in the water curled its lips into a smile. As it raised its head, those purple eyes looked at Shade from the surface:
"So you tore up our agreement, believing that I would still forgive you even so?"
Shade continued looking at it, even meeting those purple eyes directly:
"I should say that I feel as though I have seen through the truth behind this commission. Perhaps what you want is not Valentine Halonin. Her soul and destiny do not actually match the power you possess. What you want should be something on her person, or rather, certain knowledge in her head.
"I have a bold guess."
Shade took out the parchment scroll that had been given to him as thanks for carrying messages back and forth:
"The 'Love Curse' that Mr. Snake gave her, that most ancient destiny curse—you truly wanted this, didn't you? Though this curse does not seem to have much to do with your power either, I consider it the most valuable thing she possesses."
The smile on the beautiful face in the water became even more apparent. It neither confirmed nor denied it:
"If I said