episode_0262

***

An hour before Naru meets the two Ashleys.

The Queen’s barracks were quickly erected at the disaster site.

Queen Isabella sitting at a wooden table.

Ashley sitting across from her.

A heavy silence fell between the two.

“You were here too.”

The queen’s voice was cold.

“Is it natural for all the nobles to be here since the disaster has called them all?”

“I, I was hung up. The Archduke never looked for me first.”

“Okay. What’s the point of talking about that? That person is on the brink of life and death right now.”

The Queen looked at Ashley for a moment before continuing.

“Did he do well?”

“Yes… ”

“You got divorced?”

“Still, you did a good job.”

Ashley nodded slowly.

Then he muttered in a small voice.

“Told me that he loved and cared for me.”

At that moment, a wrinkle appeared between the Queen’s eyebrows.

Strangely enough, the Queen felt jealous of Ashley.

Because Ashley was Naru’s first woman and the only one who had ever experienced married life.

I felt a sense of wariness because I thought that the position I had established as my wife might be threatened.

“That’s what I say to any woman.”

“It didn’t feel like that. Because they thought of me as special.”

Ashley didn’t try to hide it.

The Queen’s presence was a mountain that had to be overcome in order to reunite.

“Even though we divorced, he still likes me. It’s not wrong for people who used to love each other to fall in love again. Can you suppress those feelings? We lived together for years. Just the two of us in the same room. Even though it was my fault that we broke up, I still love him. And he forgave me. Me… ”

“Will you accept me back?”

“Yes… We promised to get married again. The Queen loves him too, right? I won’t bother you. We’ll have a quiet wedding and live like dead rats. I’ll live as if I’m not his wife, so please forgive us… ”

The Queen’s eyes gradually became sharper.

It was like a lioness wanting to catch and eat the bold deer in front of her.

But she got older.

If she had been younger, she would have been in a fit of anger and immediately cut Ashley’s throat, but now in her mid-forties, she had the generosity to think it over again.

Moreover, it was a sin to have a young husband who was 20 years younger than me.

Because the groom’s wife was so energetic, I had to turn a blind eye to him as an older woman to ensure a smooth married life.

Because I don’t want to be separated from him.

As someone who loves him, it was something I had to endure, even though it was disappointing.

The queen took a deep breath and let it out loud.

“Hoo.”

I suppressed my anger like that.

“I understand your position. Now let’s work together to figure out a way to save Naru.”

“Hey, are you accepting me?”

Queen Isabella laughed evilly.

“If you come back alive.”

The Queen planned to send Ashley into Naru’s dream.

If Ashley failed in the process, she would lose her life just like Naru.

***

“The Archduke’s body was eaten up to the buttocks!”

“Oh no. If we delay any longer, we’ll all be eaten!”

A pit containing Naru and the ancient demon Muz.

People were looking down.

Until yesterday, Naru’s body, bitten by a monster, was visible up to her waist, but today, her buttocks were in the giant mouth.

It was being sucked into my mouth little by little.

“You’re here. Are you ready to enter the world of dreams?”

Queen Isabella and Ashley appeared at the scene where Electra had finished preparing for the ceremony.

Ashley’s eyes looked like someone prepared to die.

“I will go.”

“Okay, let’s get started right away.”

The Queen took Ashley’s hand.

“If you save Naru and bring her back, I will give you a reward.”

“What kind of… award?”

“Look forward to it.”

She said that and stepped aside.

Electra quickly began to feel the consciousness.

“On your way to the dream of Grand Duke Naru, all kinds of evil spirits will disturb you. They cannot harm you. Don’t be afraid and keep going.”

Soon, blue mana gushed out from Electra’s body as she recited an unknown spell.

The manas enveloped Ashley’s body, and soon blue butterflies suddenly appeared and fluttered around Ashley.

“Drink the smoke.”

Electra held out a lit candle.

The moment Ashley inhaled the smoke without thinking,

“Ah… … ”

The queen quickly supported him as he lost his senses and collapsed on the spot.

“It’s up to her now.”

Queens Electra and Isabella looked side by side toward the pit.

“… If you save Naru, I will let you into the palace.”

***

Ashley was walking alone in the pitch-black darkness.

I saw a bright light at the end.

‘Is that the entrance to my husband’s dream?’

I walked, looking only at the one light.

-Why did you come here?

I hear someone’s voice.

It was very sinister and dark.

-Are you here to save Kang Naru?

Ashley nodded quickly with a frightened expression and continued walking.

-He’s a playboy. He doesn’t care about you. Why are you saving him?

There was no answer.

-Do you want to get divorced again?

The guy kept saying hurtful things to Ashley, but Ashley didn’t say anything back and just walked away.

Then again, an evil spirit of unknown form flew close.

-You evil bitch! You hurt Naru! You were such a bad bitch! What kind of nerve did you have to come here! It’s not you who should save Naru, it’s another woman! Tell that woman to come! If you save her, it’ll be a negative blow!

Evil spirits came one after another.

-You’re the one who abandoned Naru!

-You’re going to get married again and then dump him when he breaks down?

-You parasitic bitch! It’s hard to make a living, so you’re trying to cling to me again!

Every word pierced my heart.

Ashley soon began to cry.

I continued to walk towards the light while crying.

The demons even changed their voices to appease her.

-Is it possible to save the warrior?

-You will die too. Run away now.

-Maybe you’ll die and Kangnaru will live. Aren’t you scared?

The light seemed close, but it wasn’t like that at all.

Ashley had been walking for 24 hours now.

Beside him, evil spirits continued to babble terrible words, alternating between carrots and sticks.

-You want to give up, right? Just give up. You’re going to be thrown away anyway, so throw it away first.

-There are more than a dozen women in Kangnaru. You are just one of them. You will be abandoned in no time.

-You may be okay now, but as you get older, you’ll be pushed out by the younger guys. Are you sure? Why would a warrior come looking for you, with all those wrinkles?

And so time passed again.

Two days, three days, four days.

I kept walking.

Now even my steps are unsteady.

I couldn’t even stand properly.

Blisters formed on my feet, burst, tore the flesh, and bled.

“Ahh… Ahh… ”

Ashley eventually crawled along the floor towards the light.

The evil spirits clicked their tongues at the sight of that tenacious will and vitality.

-She wasn’t like that originally, but she changed!

-She was a girl full of vanity!

The evil spirits cursed and disappeared.

And Ashley finally crawled to the light and passed through it.

“Huh… ?”

The place we soon arrived at was a disaster site filled with barracks.

It was exactly the same world she was in.

In addition, her exhausted physical strength quickly recovered and she was able to stand up again.

“I have to find my husband!”

She quickly regained her energy and ran hurriedly towards Naru’s barracks.

***

“Honey, I’m real!”

“That woman is fake! I am real! Listen to me!”

“What, what the heck… ”

Naru looked from side to side with a blank expression.

There were two Ashleys.

There was nothing different from face to toe.

Even the clothes were the same.

“Who is real…?”

“Because it’s my country!”

“It’s me!”

“This is a dream! You’re fighting an ancient demon called Muzu! That girl must be Muzu!”

“… Muse?”

ah.

Something… something, something.

I think I remember.

“That woman is Muzuya! Queen Isabella and her people are waiting outside the dream! They sent me here! To make you come to your senses!”

“Don’t lie! Those people sent me! You must be the one! You sly devil!”

“You’re the devil! You bitch! Stop pretending to be me!”

“Honey! I’ll hit this bitch! If I get hit, she’ll run away!”

“You know how to pull out all your hair!”

As the two were about to stick their claws together, Naru intervened and quickly stopped them.

“Wait! Everyone calm down!”

Naruhan had the warrior’s skill, ‘Chilgam’.

Ability to transcend the five senses.

However, the seven senses did not activate, perhaps because this was a dream world.

Because of that, it was difficult to tell which one was the real Ashley.

“Come here, you bitch! I’m going to tear out all your hair!”

“You bad girl! Don’t cheat on my husband! I’ll kill you!”

“Both of you be quiet!”

When Naru shouted, both of them shut their mouths at the same time.

I was glad that I listened to one thing.

“So this is a dream, and I’m fighting an ancient monster called Muzu in the real world?”

“I’m about to get eaten by Muz. The two are fighting.”

“He’s holding on tenaciously while losing consciousness! You have to escape from here with me quickly!”

“Why don’t I remember anything about Muse…?”

“He must have erased my memory!”

“I guess he was trying to trap me in a dream for the rest of my life!”

“But are you two Ashleys? Aren’t you both fake?”

“I’m real!”

“Honey, it’s Ashley!”

They insist that each other is real.

Naru had a headache.

‘Based on the information you gave me, one of the two might be real. Queen Isabella is here outside of the dream and people are watching… Did you send Ashley to save me? Hmm… ‘

After a while, Naru finished thinking and spoke to them.

“From now on, I’m going to give you a test to find out who the real Ashley is. If you refuse to do what I ask you to do or do something I didn’t ask you to do, I’ll definitely assume you’re a fake.”