I Opened an Illegal Animal Hospital in Another World - Chapter 135

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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135

Chapter 27. The Sooner the Apology, the Better (2)

Why did Nathan have to be such a pathetic person?

Though he was born weak by nature, he could have been a slightly better person.

Even if he had been a good person, it wouldn’t have added any meaning to the victims’ deaths, but still… thinking that so many lives were lost because of such a worthless human being made me feel unbearably tormented.

He had a father who, though he didn’t give him power, expressed his love abundantly, and didn’t he have the most affluent environment of anyone?

“Brandon was excessively capable and excessively foolish. He loved a child born by his first love, even though it wasn’t his own child. That first love also died early after giving birth, so he would have wanted to keep the child alive no matter what.”

“…Nathan never even acknowledged it.”

“Matthias said that Brandon didn’t expect Nathan to understand either. That whatever it was, it was love. Matthias said he found that amusing. I didn’t find it amusing at all.”

I had no idea what that bastard Matthias found so amusing.

My heart, which had been sinking, instantly rose with the power of anger.

“Let’s go.”

It would be better to escape from the Imperial Palace entirely before any commotion broke out. Though I had quickly picked up and put my hat back on, the cognitive reduction magic had probably worn off, so anyone might recognize me.

If they recognized me, strange rumors would spread that a dead person had come back to life and was walking around. Even though my face wasn’t particularly well-known, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.

“Where should we go?”

“We’ll pick up Chloe later. First… let’s go to the hospital.”

“Not going home?”

“…I need to come up with a plan for how to apologize…”

“Isn’t it better to take the beating first?”

“That beating isn’t mine to take, it’s yours for what you caused.”

“Shana…”

Seth’s expression turned serious. What. Why.

“Isn’t blaming others a bad habit?”

“…”

“…Well, it is mostly my fault. Don’t hit me, won’t your fist just hurt?”

He wrapped around my hand that was clenched in a fist, pounding on him, and mocked me. As he said, I was only abusing my own fist, so I stopped. Tsk.

Still, I needed time to prepare mentally. Even if I didn’t write a script, I felt I should decide what excuse to make.

At the very least, I had to decide how to explain this axis of evil, this man who seemed like the personification of capriciousness. I couldn’t explain without telling the truth, but if I revealed to my parents and the beastfolk, who would be horrified at the mention of demons, that he was a demon, they probably wouldn’t allow me to keep him around.

What if I said he was an auxiliary battery that held my lifespan and would suck out my lifespan whenever needed…

“Sure, if that’s what you say.”

Seth, unusually, readily agreed. Then he placed his hand on my shoulder and said,

“It doesn’t seem like a good idea, but dealing with the consequences is your job!”

Should I kill him?

***

Should I die?

I naturally thought it would be empty.

Since my funeral was taking place, all my acquaintances were at the Wentworth Estate, and Lili… I couldn’t even be sure if she would come to the funeral.

The atmosphere was like that anyway. I hoped she didn’t hate me too much, but I couldn’t be sure of that either.

Only Lili, Evelyn, and the twins had keys to the hospital, so without them, no one could enter the hospital. So it would have been perfect for making plans…

But why Raven was here, someone to explain…

There was no way there would be.

Raven was sitting leisurely in my chair in the clinic as if it were his own place. The afternoon sunlight streaming through the gaps in the window curtains made his golden hair look like a crown, and with one arm supporting his chin, he looked even more relaxed.

Even seeing me suddenly appear, he wasn’t surprised at all and just stared at me with an expressionless face, making me break out in cold sweat.

What how did he know why is he here is he angry he looks angry he’s so scary damn should I kneel first would kneeling work.

‘Was this what Seth meant by dealing with the consequences?’

Right, let’s not die but kill instead.

When I, who had been frozen stiff, just rolled my eyes upward, I met eyes with Seth who was grinning down at me. He smiled even more deeply and pulled the shoulder he had been embracing, and aah, wait, don’t show off!

“Well then Shana, have a chat with your friend. I’ll go pick up Chloe!”

Saying that, he kissed my cheek with a loud smacking sound. Ack! I told you not to show off!

“Se…”

Before I could even finish calling his name, he disappeared.

“…”

“…”

You gave me shit. Seth, you shit-head…

“You two seem close?”

“Me? With him? Where do you see that?”

Raven looked at my shoulder with an expressionless face. Only then did I realize that I had teleported here with Seth’s arm around my shoulder, which would look to anyone else like I was being embraced by him.

Seth was so insignificant to me, like dust, that I hadn’t been conscious of it at all…!

“There are deep circumstances behind this…!”

“Really? Then let me hear them. Don’t just stand there, sit down, Shana.”

“Uh, ah, okay…”

Raven sat in my chair and gestured for me to take a seat like he was the owner. I nervously perched on the patient’s chair. What’s with this naturalness… Except for our positions being reversed, it was very peaceful.

‘Maybe he’s not that angry.’

He always had a ghostly side to him, so maybe he knew everything all along.

I stealthily glanced at Raven. Our eyes met the moment I raised my head, as if he hadn’t taken his gaze off me for even a second.

The moment I looked into those quietly sunken golden eyes, I realized how foolish my hope that Raven might not be angry was.

Kyaaang. Kyaaaaang. He’s completely furious, incredibly furious!

“Well, you see, Raven.”

It’s better to get beaten first, right. It’s best to confess before being interrogated…! I opened my mouth, hoping my voice would sound gentle.

I kept remembering the tears that had flowed down his cheek, and it was driving me crazy. Guilt was swelling up inside me.

“I didn’t intend any of it, really. I was being manipulated too, you know? This is all because of that bastard Seth.”

This isn’t blaming others, it’s stating facts.

“Is that thing a demon?”

“Ah, yeah. You can tell? Does it show? I couldn’t tell from the outside. That’s right.”

“…According to Evelyn and the twins, it’s the demon that was clinging to Lili.”

“…When did you meet them…?”

Seth, why didn’t you tell me?

“That bastard was spouting nonsense about making a deal to protect us.”

“…Huh?”

Huuuh?

“No, it wasn’t really like that.”

“Since Lili was targeting me back then, it must have been a condition that he wouldn’t touch me specifically.”

“That’s how it started, but I was deceived! Haha, foolishly deceived…”

“You were protecting me. And because of that, you got involved with that man.”

“…Well.”

It is true though. It’s correct. But partway through, I was fulfilling my own selfish desires…

I couldn’t tell him I wanted to see Mina.

Cold sweat poured down my back like a waterfall…

Raven just quietly stared at me. Silence was the most effective way to strangle my breath. You know your own sins, something like that.

If I hadn’t seen him crying, I might have tried to brazen it out, but every time I looked at his face, I felt so sorry that I couldn’t even think of doing that.

“This really isn’t an excuse. I really was confident I wouldn’t die. Since you heard everything from the children, I’m telling you – even after treating Nathan, it was difficult but I was fine, you know? Really. It’s true. You have to believe me.”

Even though I had 5 years left, the fact that I didn’t die was true, so it wasn’t a lie. Really.

…Raven didn’t look like he believed me at all. Even I could hear that my words lacked conviction. The children ultimately saw me collapse, and even I thought for a moment that I might actually die.

Moreover, what my parents and Raven saw as a result was my corpse. It’s understandable that he can’t believe me…

“I fell into a trap after that, but thanks to it, various things were resolved too… Ah, you can’t return to the Imperial Palace for a while. You might get falsely accused.”

“…”

How long had we been like that?

Raven rose from his chair. I nervously hunched my shoulders and squeezed my eyes shut. He’s going to get angry, right? He was finally going to explode with all the rage he’d been condensing.

My excuses sounded like crude lies even to me, and telling someone who saw my corpse that I was confident I wouldn’t die would sound like nonsense.

‘At least one slap.’

I can take that much…

Smooch.

Raven’s lips touched and left the cheek opposite to where Seth had kissed me. Huh.

“Rai…”

Before I could finish saying “ven,” Raven’s two arms pulled me into a strong embrace. Since I was sitting, for him to embrace me, he inevitably had to kneel.

I should be the one kneeling.

“Raven, get up…”

“…”

“…Raven…?”

I tried pushing against his chest to separate him, but he wouldn’t budge. He was holding me so tightly that my arms hurt.

Raven covered the back of my head with his large palm.

“…Shana.”

Even after calling my name, he said nothing else. He just called my name a few more times. I had to just stare blankly at the window across from us with my chin resting on Raven’s shoulder.

Fumbling, I grasped his broad back and gently stroked the head of Raven who was holding me tight.

Raven took one deep breath, then let it out long and thin. His breath was wet with moisture. I felt like I might cry a little too. I sniffled for no reason while earnestly stroking Raven’s hair.

His long breath made my heart flutter and resonate.

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