A Korean Office Worker Who Became a Nuisance Villainess in a Zombie Story - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Cyprus will be pleased. Once he learns that you’ve been watching over him out of concern.”
“That’s not it.”
“Still, I won’t tell him.”
“….”
No, listen to me.
“I can’t stand seeing Cyprus happy.”
“I… beg your pardon?”
“I hope he trips on the way down.”
Praha, speaking in his usual flat tone, unfolded the blanket he’d brought. He’d carried a desk out of the caretaker’s room with one hand, and now spread the blanket across it to dry.
His expression and manner of speech were exactly as always, yet somehow they came across as sullen.
…Would it be self-absorbed of me to think he’s jealous of Cyprus?
“Aren’t you cold?”
“It is cold. The wind is strong.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to go downstairs? Unless you want to see Cyprus more.”
“….”
“Besides, soon you’ll be too far away to see him anyway.”
This man has quite the lingering resentment.
“It seems like you should be the one going downstairs, Praha. Your hands are completely frozen.”
Did you go out and wash the blanket? I asked this while helping Praha spread it out beside him.
“I thought we’d need clean blankets. We may be staying in this village for several more days.”
“But why only four of them?”
“For you, Yujein, Tangerine, and the children.”
“What about you and the Crown Prince?”
“We can sleep however we need to.”
So we get blankets and you two sleep on bare ground?
That’s not how this works.
“Let’s share. The blanket’s big. I think the two of us and the Crown Prince could use it together.”
“Are you sincere?”
“Of course I am.”
“You shouldn’t be sincere.”
“Why not?”
“Because I won’t be able to sleep at all.”
My heart would be in turmoil. Praha cut off the conversation decisively.
Ah.
Right….
I provoked him unnecessarily.
Pretending not to understand, I patted the blanket with my hands to spread it out. Praha said nothing more and placed a chair on top of the blanket to keep it from blowing away.
“It should dry quickly.”
“Yes.”
After that, silence.
Before long, Cyprus was nowhere to be seen in the distance.
How long had we stood there like that? Suddenly, Praha opened his mouth.
“What if I were to issue a statement?”
“A statement about what?”
“To correct the many false rumors circulating about you. We could verify the facts and make an announcement.”
“….”
“You said you’re criticized because you made mistakes, but eighty percent of it is exaggerated anyway. If we at least correct what isn’t true….”
“Have you been thinking about this all along?”
There was something endearing about it, so I laughed and turned to look at Praha.
I’m the one bearing the criticism, yet somehow Praha has been restless all day.
The normally composed Praha would never voice such a simple solution (a statement to the press, of all things!), and it makes me laugh—but what moves me is how desperately he wants to help.
“At this rate, you’ll end up threatening to sue the newspapers.”
“If necessary, I will.”
“…That’s genuinely touching.”
It’s been so long since I’ve known a man who doesn’t dismiss my troubles with a casual “Oh, is that so? That must have been hard. Come here, let me hold you,” but instead truly worries and gets angry on my behalf.
If this man had been in my house when I was young, the Prayer Room in our Mansion might have burned down long ago.
When I eventually return to Earth and disappear from this world, people will say it’s for the best. But this man—
Only Praha—
When I’m gone someday, he’ll be the one wandering through the Empire searching for me.
The man who actually did that once before.
That’s exactly why I can’t.
I don’t want you to be criticized because of me.
I gathered my hair fluttering in the wind and tied it back. Leaning against the pillar beside the Golden Bell, I spoke to Praha.
“If Your Majesty does that, people won’t think ‘Oh, I was mistaken.’ Instead, I’ll just be criticized more. They’ll say I seduced and manipulated the naive Crown Prince.”
“….”
“People don’t care about the truth, Your Majesty. They eagerly consume scandals but ignore the clarifications.”
No one will care about my transformation.
Unless something truly dramatic happens, they won’t care.
Unless I suddenly awaken divine power surpassing Yujein’s, or at the very least prove the Navier-Stokes equation and make a name for myself.
‘Has this world not proven the Navier-Stokes equation yet? I should go out and check.’
“Muffin said it to me earlier, didn’t she? That I’m a bad woman.”
“….”
“I’ll probably remain a bad woman for the rest of my life.”
So you should stop caring about me too.
Not being entangled with me is the secret to maintaining your reputation.
I need to sell chocolates, postcards, and calendars.
Even though I’d tied it back, my hair kept fluttering like a flag. I grabbed it and tucked it into my clothes. Praha, who had been staring at me intently, asked.
“But why.”
“Yes?”
“Why do you care about people and try to help them?”
“….”
“There’s nothing to gain here. You could have stayed in the Capital and been comfortable instead of going through all this trouble.”
“….”
“After all, you might as well let everyone who would hate you no matter what you do simply perish.”
“That’s the thing.”
I wanted to see if I could bring Consomme back to life.
If there was even the smallest glimmer of hope to revive her, I wanted to grasp at it.
Because when I’m in the same crisis, I hope others won’t give up on me.
Because I want to win the wager against the God of Light.
Because I want to return to my original world.
But most of all.
“You’re misunderstanding. I hate people.”
I shrugged and continued.
“But that’s separate from this. Just because I dislike someone, should I stand by and watch them die?”
It’s simply what I have to do.
That’s the reason.
“I really don’t care what other people say about me either.”
I emphasized this because Praha didn’t seem to believe me at all.
I really don’t care. Really, truly.
Even if I do care, I’ll try to ignore it.
There was a drama protagonist I saw before who said something like that.
‘I know my own worth, other people’s opinions don’t matter.’
1)
That’s exactly how I feel.
Seeing my face and ears freezing in the cold wind as I spoke, Praha approached me. He carefully raised his hand and draped his jacket over me.
I’d borrowed it so often that his jacket had become like my own clothes, and I descended the staircase wrapped snugly in it.
Praha murmured softly.
“Even a traitor who sold the nation during wartime probably wasn’t cursed as much as you.”
“That’s how it is. A villainess of high society is more hated than someone who handed over an entire nation. But what about the blanket?”
Shouldn’t we bring it down? When I tilted my head, Praha replied.
“I’ll go back and fetch it. First, let me get you settled by the fire.”
After that, Praha fell silent, and so did I.
Downstairs, Tangerine and Yujein had already prepared a clean room. Before Praha closed the door after placing me inside, he spoke.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“About what?”
“You keep telling me not to come near you, that there’s nothing good about being involved with you.”
“….”
“But the more you say that, the stronger my desire to hold you becomes.”
“….”
“My heart is truly in turmoil… and it’s a problem because I don’t particularly want to sort it out.”
Click.
Only after Praha closed the door and several minutes had passed did I realize I was still wearing his jacket.
* * *
The next morning.
My eyes snapped open.
“Unnie… why are you awake already…?”
Muffin, who had apparently rolled over to my side and fallen asleep despite being put to bed on the other side, whimpered.
“I’ve slept enough.”
You see, I underwent three years of training where even after working overtime until one in the morning, I would wake up like clockwork at six-thirty the next morning and head to work.
“Sleep more. The sun hasn’t risen yet.”
I glanced around at Pickle and Yujein, who were sleeping soundly beside me, and Tangerine, who appeared to be asleep but probably wasn’t, before getting out of bed.
By the way, Cyprus and Praha sleep in the room across from ours.
Muffin and Pickle were uncomfortable with the idea of sharing a room with grandfathers they didn’t know, so they volunteered to move out.
‘I should wash up and memorize some ancient language vocabulary.’
I planned to memorize about thirty words lightly and then exercise.
Making a mental plan, I headed toward the Bathroom at the end of the Corridor.
Even though the Village had become like a ghost town, the water and sewage systems were well-maintained, so water still flowed.
‘It’s like the Movie Theater at three in the morning.’
No one around, lights off, but the water runs fine in the restroom and cola still comes out of the self-serve Soda station.
“Yawn.”
I bumped into things here and there in the darkness and reached the Bathroom entrance. Assuming no one would be there, I gave only a perfunctory knock before yanking the door open.
“…Huh?”
And I came face to face with Cyprus, naked and drenched in water.
His plump lips, reddened even more by the water, turned toward me as I opened the door, parting slightly.
Water droplets traced down his chest and abs, and….
“Ah… um….”
I shut my eyes immediately.
This wouldn’t do.
If there are any minors present here, please leave immediately.
I won’t open my eyes until all minors have left.
=_=
[Inhabited Island]
– Yusara, Praha, Cyprus, Yujein, Tangerine, Muffin, Pickle (Alive)
– General (Deserted)
1) Marvel’s Agent Carter

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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