I’m Sick of the Kind Protagonist, so I Might as Well Just Die - Chapter 44

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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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#44
Silence descended upon the room.
More piercing than the fragments of the shattered teapot rolling across the floor was the overwhelming pressure emanating from the man standing in the doorway—a force that cut through the air with razor-sharp intensity. Leonas and I stood motionless, watching him as the tea-soaked fabric clinging to our skin grew cold, draining the warmth from our bodies.
No matter how many times I looked, it was unmistakably him. Perenustus—the Creator of this World.
“Perenustus….”
The moment his name escaped my lips, his gaze snapped toward me as though he had been waiting for precisely this moment.
-Why are you so startled? Did I not tell you I would intrude upon your stage?
-I never imagined you’d actually come like this!
-The Ancient Gods are likely watching this spectacle with bated breath. So pretend you know nothing and simply play along with my rhythm.
His voice resonated in my mind, brimming with excitement and anticipation—the gleeful energy of a mischievous child about to unleash a carefully orchestrated prank. Yet the Perenustus before my eyes appeared every inch the prince.
“Pardon me.”
Perenustus gently pushed past the bewildered Maids and stepped into the room. His movements were remarkably composed as he gracefully sidestepped the tea pooling across the floor.
“How presumptuous. I never granted you permission to enter.”
Bilateia was the first to regain her composure.
Still frozen in the posture of hurling the teapot, she furrowed her brow and blocked his path. Even as crude informality spilled from her lips, doubt flickered across her features—as though questioning whether such a tone was appropriate. Bilateia, who prided herself on her keen perception and sharp instincts, had clearly not anticipated the Creator’s sudden intrusion.
“I assumed permission was already granted through my appointment for a private audience with the Grand Duke.”
“….”
“If you wish to fault my rudeness, perhaps you should first blame your spouse for failing to appear at the appointed hour, and the circumstances that forced them to break that promise.”
The more I observed this situation, the more surreal it became. Whether it was me sitting upon Leonas’s lap or the Creator of this World responding with such gentle defiance, something felt profoundly wrong.
“As you can see, the promised time has long since passed without your appearance, so I took the liberty of seeking you out. And I thought it opportune to exchange greetings with someone I have missed for so long.”
Leonas remained rigid, his hand still cradling my cheek, unable to utter a word. The faint tremor at his fingertips transmitted itself clearly through my damp skin.
-Well, even if he is the top student, the sudden appearance of the World’s Creator would unsettle anyone.
So this prolonged silence was not Leonas’s fault—it was unmistakably Perenustus’s doing. Yet Leonas swiftly suppressed his instinctive fear and shock, gritting his teeth.
“You speak as though you are acquainted with my mistress.”
Leonas’s voice emerged low and fractured. At that forced question, Perenustus let out a laugh of utter incredulity.
“Good heavens, Grand Duke. Surely you have not forgotten?”
Perenustus—wearing an expression I had never witnessed before—took another step toward me. As his shadow stretched long across us, Leonas pulled me tightly against his chest.
“What could I have forgotten?”
“Heh.”
With that crooked smile, I found myself completely buried against Leonas’s chest. I struggled to free myself, but the forearms binding me like rope refused to budge.
As Perenustus drew closer still, his distinctive cool temperature and scent became unmistakably clear. When even his deliberate footsteps ceased entirely, the room fell once more into suffocating silence.
“I asked what I had forgotten. You did not answer.”
“The question was so difficult to believe that my mind momentarily ceased functioning.”
“What?”
“Grand Duke. Am I not the husband of this beautiful woman? The bond you yourself sealed through betrothal.”
A large hand descended upon my shoulder as I sat perched upon Leonas’s thigh. Those slightly cool fingers gently kneaded my shoulders before beginning to pat them with unexpected tenderness.
“It has been so long, my lady. I have missed you.”
Buried against Leonas’s chest and unable to move, I released a silent scream. Marriage? And here I was, sandwiched between Leonas before me and Perenustus behind me—a reality that defied all comprehension.
-What in the world is happening?!
I vaguely recalled reading about some bizarre concubinage system in a book. Apparently, because unmarried women could not be taken as mistresses, the nobility would arrange marriages between women they desired and men from insignificant families, treating the whole affair as a frivolous game.
‘It’s supposed to be gone? I was told it’s a custom that’s completely disappeared by now?’
The moment I grasped even a vague understanding of what was happening, a far greater confusion descended upon me.
‘Does this artificial world just conjure up customs that have already been abolished? No, but there’s never been such a setting until now!’
-Of course not. Until now, I had no intention of setting foot in this world at all.
‘Why now of all times? Why?’
-While observing Aurelia, I came to think: if you merely follow the script obediently, it’s just theater. But if you move as you wish regardless of whether the audience watches—isn’t that a life of sorts?
‘What are you talking about!’
-I thought I’d try making that thought a reality. Staking my own destiny on it.
As he continued spouting increasingly absurd nonsense, the hand that had been patting my shoulder wrapped around my neck instead. Neither Leonas’s scorching hand against my cheek nor Perenustus’s cold hand encircling my throat showed any sign of releasing me. That was when it happened.
“I can’t overlook this any longer.”
Bilateia, exhaling exasperation in a torrent, struck the backs of Leonas’s and Perenustus’s hands with a sharp crack, then seized the nape of my neck and yanked me away.
“The guests of the main palace may fall under my husband’s purview, but anyone who sets foot in my inner chambers must show me respect above all others.”
“….”
“Vices that words cannot correct are best disciplined with the rod.”
The moment I escaped from between those towering men, my eyes met those of the maids clustered together at the doorway, watching with rapt attention. As I hastily averted my gaze, two men with clenched fists and furrowed brows filled my vision instead.
“You mentioned having a prior engagement with my husband? Then while you’re here, you might as well accomplish your purpose.”
Perenustus lifted his chin slightly, his gaze piercing through both me and Bilateia. The tension in Bilateia’s firm grip on the back of my neck transmitted itself to me completely.
Perenustus’s eyes, fixed upon us, seemed more delighted than ever before. It was absurd, yet strangely my heart raced. Strangely indeed.
“Grand Duke. What shall you do? As for myself, whether there is one listener or a hundred, it matters not.”
Leonas clenched his teeth so hard the veins in his jaw stood out, his smile turning sinister.
“I have no intention of wasting time flitting about on meaningless matters.”
“A welcome sentiment to hear.”
The moment the two men reached accord, Bilateia’s eyes narrowed sharply as she glared toward the door. The maids, who had been dangling from the doorframe watching the situation unfold with fascination, startled violently and disappeared, closing the door behind them.
“Now it’s quiet.”
“Until now, it was essentially only he who was talking anyway.”
“…I would appreciate it if you would simply convey the essential points and take your leave. I arranged this meeting because there exists a regulation requiring that I hear the Nobility Assembly’s demands, but understand that there is no regulation requiring me to actually implement them.”
“As you command. I shall present only the essentials with precision.”
Along with Perenustus’s confident smile, a stage title that had never once appeared before tore through the air and forcibly materialized.
▶ [Special Stage] Title : The Imperial Palace’s Gilded Cage
This stage is a premium observation round optimized for maximum narrative energy harvesting. Enjoyable viewing and active intervention are encouraged.
▶ Narrative Operations Guidelines
Operational Purpose: Drive the keywords of ‘Taboo’ and ‘Possession’ to their extremes for high-purity energy harvesting.
Viewing Points: The meaning of marriage as a legal instrument and the ossification of relationships. A Grand Duke consumed by possessiveness, a nominal husband bound by law, a despised mistress, and the legitimate wife—endless emotional friction between them.
Stage Objective: Remain true to desire and provide the gods with the finest feast.
Rules: All created beings must remain faithful to their own ‘desires’.
▶ Role Information
1. Aurelia : A taxidermied doll
Status : The Empire’s last collateral royal bloodline / The Grand Duke’s mistress / Duchess
Role : The spoils of war at the center of all conflict
Special Notes : Self-awareness and resistance index: 0
2. Perenustus: Aurelia’s consort
Position: Representative of the Nobility Assembly / Duke
Role: Shares the most intimate secrets with Aurelia
Peculiarity: A dangerous element whose true intentions remain inscrutable
3. Leonas: A usurper blinded by love
Position: Grand Duke of the Empire (de facto Imperial Regent)
Role: A devoted man who orchestrated everything to possess Aurelia eternally
Peculiarity: Possessiveness takes precedence over morality and law
4. Bilateia: A ruthless Imperial Princess
Position: Core conspirator in the rebellion / Leonas’s consort
Role: An overseer who exerts physical and psychological pressure on all characters
Peculiarity: The embodiment of lust for power
▶ Character Relationship Diagram
Leonas ↔ Ren: [Cooperation and Restraint]
-A peculiar relationship where Leonas granted Ren a dukedom and commanded marriage to keep Aurelia as a mistress.
Leonas → Aurelia: [Forbidden Obsession]
-The pinnacle of a plunder narrative
Bilateia ↔ Aurelia: [Victim and Victim]
-A combination of victims manifesting in different forms
A status window filled with an unprecedentedly lengthy explanation stretched across the void.

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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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