“Wow, what on earth is the problem? Why do I keep failing like this?”
After cruelly abandoning Thalia and running from the hellish mansion, Cecil walked down the street, clutching her hungry stomach.
No matter how hard she tried, her cooking skills never seemed to improve. In fact, they had only gotten worse since her revival.
‘I don’t think I can be a good wife like this. I need to get better at cooking quickly. If this continues, he’ll leave me.’
A cloudy energy surrounded her body. At a moment when her trembling became too much to bear, someone spoke to her.
“Huh? Julius’ wife! Good morning.”
Her shaking calmed at the booming voice of Finn, the bakery man.
‘Okay, let’s buy some delicious bread and eat it with him.’
“Can I buy some bread?”
“Of course, please come in.”
Finn’s store was a wonderful place, filled with bread and desserts that made anyone’s mouth water.
Now that she thought about it, Finn mentioned that Julius had been coming here since he was young.
“Do you know what he liked when he was young?” she asked.
“When he was a boy, he loved bread with a lot of cream.”
“Is that so…”
“He always held Thalia’s hand, bought some, and shared it with her. They looked like real siblings back then, hehehe.”
‘That cheeky girl… so that’s what she was like when she was younger.’
Feeling guilty, Cecil thought, ‘I should at least wash his hands today.’
“…Please wrap that up.” A creepy, dark-blue glow flashed in her eyes.
Finn, sensing his mistake, quickly wrapped the bread and added a small cake as a bonus.
“It’s clear that Julius loves his wife. Enjoy it with him and have a cozy time. Hahaha.”
Cecil, who had been debating how to dispose of Finn without leaving evidence, smiled and accepted his kindness.
‘Alright, I’ll let him live for now. With bread-making skills like his, it would be a waste to kill him before learning the craft.’
Holding the bag of bread close to her chest, she strolled slowly. The warm sunlight gently caressed Kente, and the fresh scent of grass tickled her nose.
But even under the sun, the city was gloomy and dark—a canvas of a beautiful dream that could never be awakened.
As if mocking her hopeful thoughts, the black bird she commanded whispered the latest news to her—Julius had met with Priestess Emily.
Fortunately, nothing serious happened, but Emily’s suspicions hadn’t disappeared.
Gathering her nerves, Cecil ran toward the beautiful tree.
‘There are too many distractions trying to wake Julius. I can’t leave him alone.’
When she arrived at the tree, neither Julius nor Priestess Emily were there. Fallen leaves blew past her, crumbling as they hit the ground.
After staring blankly at the scene for a moment, Cecil trudged back to the mansion.
‘I have to stay with him all day today. He won’t betray our love.’
She chanted this like a mantra as she stepped onto the trail.
When she looked up, she saw Julius speaking with Thalia.
“There you are!”
But Julius didn’t respond. He just looked away, denying her return.
‘I’m here, so where do you keep trying to go? Why won’t you answer me?’
Before she knew it, she had grabbed Julius’ hand, glaring at Thalia as she dragged him back to the mansion.
“…What are you doing, leaving so rudely?” She remarked.
“Do you think pretending to be Cecil will make you her? I warned you not to tarnish her reputation.”
“Shut up! Why… why are you saying that again?”
‘Don’t wake from the dream. Please don’t abandon me.’
“You really don’t think that your name is Cecil, do you? Or have you forgotten yourself? Your real name is —”
Julious couldn’t finish her sentence.
Cecil slumped by the mansion door, her body trembling uncontrollably. With great effort, she managed to utter a single plea.
“…Please, don’t.”
“…”
“Please don’t say other women’s names in front of me.”
But just like that day, there was no answer.
Was it the devil’s name she told him not to mention? Or was it Cecil’s?’
She didn’t know.
She couldn’t even tell who she was anymore.
***
A gray-haired man stood before the woman lying in her coffin. He stared at her for a moment, cigarette dangling from his lips, before walking out.
In the silence of the dark room, her eyes opened.
The clear and kind gaze she once had in life was gone, replaced by emptiness. A dull blend of desire for life and the relief of being free from worldly burdens clouded her mind.
‘At long last, I can enjoy some real fun again, hehehe.’
‘I can finally return to his side.’
‘This is my first time corrupting such a devoted servant of a god—it’ll be delightful.’
‘Julius must have kept his promise. He would still have eyes only for me. That’s how it should be.’
The devil fed on Cecil’s memories, weaving dreams from them.
Julius longed for her, and the devil dreamed that she was Cecil.
Existing only within a happy nightmare, she whispered to her husband.
“Let’s stay here, together, forever.”
The dream she so desperately wanted played out, a dream she never wished to wake from as a devil.
But cracks began to form in the perfect illusion.
The silver necklace Julius had once gifted her—a memento she had planned to give back—lingered in her thoughts.
The past clung to her like a chain, whispering in her ear.
‘You are fake. Julius will never betray me. I won’t forgive another woman standing by his side.’
Even if that woman… was herself.
Never.
It was unacceptable.
She swore that day, within the dream she refused to wake from, that she would never let him go.
Book Release: I recently listed a collection of my poems titled “Thought Blinks: A Collection of Poems” on Patreon and BuyMeaCoffee shop. You can buy it for only $7, if you like poetry.
***
Things are Not Looking Good:
Yes, things are not looking good. As you know, translation requires a lot of time and energy. I translate, edit and proofread the chapters on my own. I will be honest here, I started translating as a hobby, then it evolved to a hope of earning a living by doing something I enjoy.
However, I suffered a chain of misfortunes during and after the pandemic, and earnings from FSM and RTV helped me a lot. It became a significant part of my life. As long as my monthly income bordered around $200, I could make the time to translate in the middle of other works. Then RTV ended, and the earning decreased. Now, it has decreased to around $90-$100. And with PETTV nearing completion, that would decrease even more. A*dsence gets me about $ 0.50 per day, and you can’t get the payment until it reaches $100, so I can’t depend on that either.
It wouldn’t be an issue in normal circumstances, but it matters a lot to me since I am still dealing with a lot of financial troubles. I am currently looking for a job, and will have to invest my time and energy in it once I get it.
Long story short, if you enjoy reading this novel, support the translation if you can, either by becoming a Patron in Patreon, or sponsoring chapters at BuymeaCoffee. You can also take some time to watch a*ds to increase the revenue on A*dsence. Grains of sand together can form a desert.
FSM supporters has been supporting me from the start no matter what, so I would continue to translate FSM as long as I am alive. But for the other projects, I now desperately need your support so that I can spend the time and energy to serve them to you all. That’s all. Thank you.