episode_0046

“It hurts… .”

Julia suddenly stroked my stomach, which was starting to feel like it was stabbing me.

‘What did I eat wrong? Why on a day like today?’

Julia thought so and looked at herself in a pure white wedding dress reflected in the mirror.

“… … .”

She awkwardly fiddled with the wedding dress that was a symbol of her marriage on my body.

‘This day has come.’

A once in a lifetime, monumental day to bond with the man you love.

Today was her and Eugene’s wedding day.

‘I thought it would happen someday from the day we got engaged.’

Actually, when that moment came, I should say that I felt something different, but honestly, I couldn’t really feel it.

I was first introduced to him by my older brother Julian, and we became friends.

But as time passed, she became anxious that he might be stolen by another woman, so she stubbornly pushed for the engagement.

From then on, they remained more like friends, but less like lovers, and stood together on the front lines and subdued the demons.

We took the academy’s entrance exam and even lived together under the ceiling of a dormitory.

‘… Academy?’

What were you thinking just now? Eugene burned the invitation and didn’t go to the academy, and didn’t you follow him and refuse the invitation?

‘I guess it’s because I’m so nervous… but why does it feel like it really happened?’

A sense of discomfort washed over her again.

Ever since that humiliating day when she shed tears in front of Julian, she had often felt uncomfortable like this.

But today, that feeling of discomfort felt particularly unpleasant.

‘What the heck? What am I forgetting?’

Knock knock.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door of the bridal waiting room where she was waiting.

Yeah, just like every time Julia felt uneasy, there was always an interruption that prevented her from continuing her thoughts.

“Julia?”

“… Eugene?”

“Can I come in for a moment?”

“Ah, yeah. Come in.”

After her permission was granted, Eugene opened the door to the waiting room and came in.

Then he met her in the room and opened his eyes wide.

“… Today, I will be the happiest guy on this continent.”

“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden…?”

“Of course, I will be the husband of the most beautiful person in the world.”

Julia’s face turned red at the unexpected compliment. Her eyes then turned to Eugene’s northern-style suit.

“You, you look great too. Those clothes suit you well.”

“Ahem! Really? Then, Julia, you too are the happiest woman on the continent today.”

“That, is that so? Maybe, maybe not… .”

“What is that? Is it true or not?”

“I don’t know either, so don’t ask any more!”

Eugene smiled awkwardly at Julia, who was nervously answering with embarrassment.

Julia looked at Eugene with a slightly hateful glare and asked.

“Why did you come here? There’s still some time left until the meal starts.”

“Oh, I guess my parents won’t be able to come today.”

“His Highness the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess?”

“We talked about it when the wedding date was set, but… You know? My parents and I don’t get along very well.”

As a childhood friend and fiancée, this was something I naturally knew.

“It’s okay. I’m just grateful that you didn’t oppose our marriage.”

“I’m sorry, but you’ll get sick of it soon enough.”

That’s what it means to be a family, right?

“… Yeah, right.”

Julia nodded shyly at the embarrassing yet heartwarming words.

Rattling! Rattling! Rattling!

Just then, a loud noise was heard through the small glass window in the bride’s waiting room.

“Huh?”

Eugene said to Julia, who felt as if her mind was becoming clearer the moment she heard that sound.

“Stay seated. I’ll go and check.”

Eugene slowly walked towards the window, looked out the window for a moment, and smiled bitterly.

“It looks like the wind is blowing a little hard.”

“… Really? Was it that windy today?”

“So the window must have shaken? Well, I’ll go first. See you at the restaurant later.”

At those words, Julia’s mind turned back to her once-in-a-lifetime wedding.

“Okay, don’t be so nervous. You’re a novice in this regard, right?”

“Oh, you really worry about everything.”

Eugene chuckled at her playful words and turned to leave the room, but paused for a moment.

“You know, Julia.”

“Huh?”

“Are you happy now?”

Are you happy?

She tilted her head to the side at the incoherent question.

Not only did she get engaged to the boy she liked, but as they grew up, they fell in love with each other and got married.

The relationship between my family, including my parents and older brother, was so perfect that it was hard to describe it in words.

In this world, in her life, there was no reason for her to be unhappy.

That’s why.

“Yeah, I’m so happy right now.”

“… Really? That’s fortunate.”

After hearing that, Eugene left the room with a meaningful expression on his face.

So, only Julia was left in the secret room called the bride’s waiting room.

***

[Damn it! Do it in moderation!]

Julian summons the contaminated lower-level spirits and charges towards me with suicide bombing… no, the dark spirits that have taken over his body.

“It’s not the same.”

So I just walked forward calmly, slashing down every single low-level spirit that flew towards me.

[Are you a monster?]

As the distance grew closer, the creature hurriedly used the wings on its back to fly into the air.

“Don’t run away, fight fair and square.”

[Nonsense! Who do you think is desperate to die!?]

“I won’t die anyway.”

I put strength into my legs and jumped up lightly, then buried my knee into the dark ship flying through the air.

[What the heck!?]

I grabbed the darkness by the collar with one hand, forcing out all the breath from its lungs, and threw it toward the floor with all my might.

BANG-!!

As a bloody crash sounded and a cloud of dust rose up, I too landed lightly on the ground.

[Ugh… Rain, you’ve been hitting the same spot since a while ago.]

A guy who staggers up from his seat, covering his mouth as if to stifle nausea, and glares at me with tears in his eyes.

“If you don’t like it, then hurry up and bring Julian back.”

[How many times do I have to tell you that it’s useless! Are you saying that you’re living in a happy dream that you don’t want to wake up from?]

Darkness groaned, distorting his face in pain.

[If it were you, would you want to throw away that happiness and open your eyes again in this shitty reality? You have to wish for what you want!]

“I guess it hasn’t been fully applied yet.”

[Oh, no!? More importantly, since earlier, Julian, Julian. What right do you have to tell me to return it when you don’t even know its real name?]

“… … .”

[You didn’t even know she was a woman in the first place? Judging from the way she looked, it seems like you had a good idea that it wasn’t real.]

But then what do you do?

[You say we’re childhood friends, but in reality, you don’t know anything. But you pretend to help me and act friendly, you piece of shit!]

A guy who is very sarcastic.

[Who in the world wants to spend their whole life pretending to be someone else? If you thought they were a real friend, you should have approached them first. In the end, you’re just a hypocrite!]

One, I couldn’t understand that guy’s attitude.

“So what the hell do you want me to do? Is that a reason why I shouldn’t get my friend back?”

[Uh huh…?]

“I don’t know if you’re trying to make me understand or to break my heart… but I want to tell you that it’s no use.”

I will destroy you completely and bring back your friend who left home.

“That determination will not waver no matter what happens.”

I hardened my face expressionlessly and took steps towards the guy, closing the distance between us.

Then, the guy, who was flustered because it wasn’t what he had expected, made a hasty suggestion.

[Eek…!? Okay! Then, I’ll show you something special. This kid’s true feelings.]

When I stopped at those words out of the blue, the guy let out a sigh of relief.

[… Let’s see if that decision doesn’t change after seeing this!]

At that moment, the guy’s face was frozen expressionless. He looked like a doll with no emotions whatsoever.

“Waste of time.”

I don’t know what his intentions were, but at that moment, I was about to respond to it.

“Unhappy.”

From the mouth of darkness… no, from Julian’s mouth, those words came out.

“There’s no one who really looks at me.”

Well, I’m a bad kid who killed my brother and stole his life.

“I wish I could be included in the family fence too.”

I don’t have the shameless thought of wanting to live under my own name. But I’ve tried hard enough so far.

“I want to dress up nicely too.”

Let me do what other kids take for granted. In fact, I’m confident that I’ll be prettier than anyone else.

“I want to be loved too.”

If you just give it to me, I will repay you more diligently than anyone else in the world. If you just give me that, I don’t want anything else.

“… … .”

In the lamenting tone that continued.

Julian who died in the past, Julian who plays his dead friend, Julian who is controlled by darkness… None of them.

“But I can’t. So I.”

She poured out her heart to me in a natural way.

“Unhappy, unhappy, unhappy, unhappy, unhappy, unhappy, unhappy, unhappy, unhappy, unhappy, unhappy, unhappy, unhappy.”

I want to be happy too.

“If there is a place in this world where I can be myself… .”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Finally, I reluctantly let out a sigh, Julian… .

No, I took a step towards her.

“I’ll make it for you.”

A place where you can be yourself.

“Before that, let me make you come to your senses first.”