Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 4

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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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Struggling to Pretend to Be Human Today Episode 004

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Emma, the head maid of the Separate Palace, instinctively sensed that the atmosphere in the Separate Palace had changed.

The faces of the servants, who usually showed lax behavior, were all somehow rigidly hardened.

Most of them were people dispatched from the Main Palace. Emma, who knew their true purpose, soon realized what was causing this atmosphere.

‘An assassination. Finally, someone has made up their mind.’

There were many who wanted to kill Deina.

The Emperor who called Deina a shameful stain, other siblings who valued the honor of the Imperial Family, or high-ranking nobles who wanted to use her death, and so on.

One of them had finally given the order, and some of the servants seemed to have begun carrying it out.

‘So this life is finally coming to an end.’

Emma was swept by a strange feeling.

She had once held special expectations for Deina, but those expectations had long since turned to disappointment.

Because Deina was a foolish member of the Imperial Family who lived waiting for death, contrary to her expectation that she would endure.

A loser who had given up even struggling and silently accepted poison.

To Emma, Deina was nothing more or less than a residence for comfortable activity in the Imperial Palace.

Therefore, even if the spies were to carry out an assassination, she had no intention of stopping it.

But when she actually sensed Deina’s death, she felt a strange emotion.

She couldn’t tell whether this was sympathy or self-reproach for something she couldn’t prevent.

At least she would place a flower on her grave after death—she was thinking such thoughts while preparing her final duties.

“Head Maid! The Princess is calling for you!”

The new maid, Liribel, came looking for her.

‘Could it be that the assassination failed?’

Could there be such an incompetent assassin who couldn’t kill Deina, who couldn’t even get out of bed by herself?

Her confusion was brief, and Emma headed to the bedroom following Liribel’s words.

She had some idea why Deina had called for her.

‘She must want to ask for help.’

Deina, who had discovered the assassin, was surely trying to request protection. Among the servants of the Separate Palace, she was the only one trustworthy.

While pondering how to refuse, Emma opened the door to the bedroom.

“Sit down, Head Maid Emma. I have something to say.”

And the moment she saw Deina, she froze.

Deina was sitting in a chair by the window in neat attire, looking this way.

Her atmosphere, with the brightening sunlight behind her, was quite different from yesterday.

Her emaciated limbs were still the same, but her bewitchingly glowing golden eyes and relaxed posture gave off a strange dignity.

“…Has your health recovered?”

“Something like that. This is the first time the Head Maid has seen me looking so well, isn’t it?”

When Emma first saw Deina, she was already in a state where movement was difficult, so this was the first time she had seen such a face with color.

Emma tried to hide her confusion and congratulated her on her recovery.

‘How on earth did she regain her health? She couldn’t have detoxified overnight. Could she have been acting for a long time? Or did she really use dark magic?’

Suddenly, the demon theory about Deina that had been circulating in the Imperial Palace came to mind.

That couldn’t be possible. Emma erased the foolish assumption from her mind.

‘Then, the purpose of calling me is…’

Just as she was trying to read Deina’s intentions, as if she had been waiting, Deina revealed her main point.

“Head Maid, actually, I almost got assassinated today.”

And the conversation she had expected followed.

Emma acted uninterested. When she gave off the nuance that she could call other people but couldn’t help herself, Deina nodded nonchalantly.

“That’s fine, pretend you didn’t hear what I said. I’ll find the evidence myself. Instead, I’d like you to go to the Main Palace.”

“What kind of business is it?”

Deina said it was simple letter delivery, but she clearly had some scheme. When Emma sent her a suspicious look, she smiled brightly and said.

“I’m trying to advertise for a fiancé. I don’t want to get married, but I’ve come to need a husband.”

“…?”

Her mind went completely blank at such an unexpected story.

But Emma was also someone well-versed in Imperial Palace politics. She immediately grasped Deina’s purpose.

“You mean to enter society?”

“Exactly. As expected of Emma.”

Deina tilted her head as if impressed.

At that leisurely appearance, Emma had the illusion that she was dealing with someone other than Princess Deina.

Clearly the voice and manner of speaking were definitely Deina’s, but something was different. As if she were facing someone who transcended power…

‘Unnecessary suspicion is forbidden. Rather, let me think about the purpose of entering society.’

First, the reason the topic of engagement came up would be related to her society debut.

In the Empire, regardless of family circumstances, it was considered an obligation to debut one’s children in society and have them engage in marriage activities. This was due to the stuffy tradition of viewing marriage as a noble’s duty.

And this tradition was naturally stronger the more one was part of the Imperial Family.

‘The Emperor also forcibly sent Princess Deina into society in the past. Her health was so poor and misfortune followed her, so it eventually fell through.’

She had even heard that major incidents occurred, such as a chandelier falling during her debutante ball. That was supposedly the biggest reason the Emperor gave up on Deina.

But now Deina, who had suddenly recovered her health, wanted to enter society under the pretext of engagement. The reason was obvious.

‘For freedom.’

It was the Emperor who had confined her to the Separate Palace, saying she had abandoned her duties as a member of the Imperial Family. So conversely, if she came forward saying she would fulfill her duties now that she had recovered, there would be no justification to stop her.

“…But isn’t that only possible if there’s someone on the other side…”

At the question that came out unconsciously, Deina nodded slightly.

“Don’t worry. Even if there’s no one suitable for engagement, they’ll arrange candidates for me.”

“By ‘they,’ you mean?”

“The Nobility Council. There are many who want to use my hair and eyes.”

‘…Indeed.’

It was a short but sufficient answer.

Deina was a mouth-watering ally for the Nobility Council, which opposed the Emperor. Because she had many elements to exploit: characteristics opposite to the Imperial Family, unclear origins, and a position opposing the Emperor.

In other words, it also meant that while she would request a return to society, she had no intention of joining hands with the Emperor.

‘Brilliant.’

Excessively so.

This was judgment that couldn’t be imagined from Deina, who had obediently accepted poison until yesterday.

As she pondered what was causing this change, a thought crossed Emma’s mind.

‘Wait, setting aside her recovered health, what happened with the assassination? An assassin must have come?’

She hurriedly looked around. There was no trace of an assassin to be seen. Instead, she saw a wrinkled carpet.

The assassination had clearly failed. Then the fate of the assassin was…

Cold sweat ran down her spine. At that moment, the Deina before her began to feel not like a sickly princess, but like a person of power with mysterious strength.

‘She definitely has some extraordinary secret.’

Emma unconsciously clenched her fists.

She thought that perhaps Deina might bring her the opportunity she had long hoped for.

And the first step might depend on this letter.

Gulp, Emma swallowed silently and said carefully.

“…I understand Your Highness’s intention. I will deliver the letter. Instead, may I ask one more thing?”

“I’ll listen.”

“What is Your Highness’s purpose? After gaining freedom and jumping into political strife, what do you want to do?”

As if it were an unexpected question, Deina hesitated to answer for a moment.

“…Why are you curious about that?”

“It’s a small curiosity.”

“Will your attitude change depending on my answer?”

“Probably so.”

After a long while, Deina opened her mouth again.

“Emma, do you know the joy of being able to move your legs?”

“What do you mean?”

“You see, Emma, I lost sensation in my lower body when I was young. As an adult, I became unable to even lift a heavy cup.”

She knew. No one in this palace would be unaware of Deina’s misfortunes and hardships.

Deina reached out and clasped Emma’s hand.

“That’s why this sensation brings me joy.”

“…?”

“Being able to feel human warmth, being able to walk on my own feet, being able to speak without my throat hurting—it brings me joy. I’m so happy that even now, tears are about to flow.”

Deina’s hands, which had always been cold, were warm today. Just as Emma was about to voice her sympathy at such heartfelt sincerity that even her firm composure was shaken.

“That’s why I don’t want this happiness taken away. I can do anything to protect this happiness.”

Deina’s atmosphere changed.

“Just surviving isn’t enough. I want a guaranteed future, safety, peace. For that… some degree of revenge will be necessary.”

At that moment, an ominous aura arose around Deina. Emma trembled at the presence that felt like killing intent.

It was like being in front of a massive beast. She felt the threat that her neck might be torn apart at any moment.

‘She is not Princess Deina.’

And she realized it instinctively.

At least the woman before her was a different being from the Deina of yesterday.

A change of heart, growth, or perhaps her true feelings that had been hidden until now… it didn’t matter. What was important to Emma now was the fact that Deina had changed.

She had become not a loser who would accept death, but an heir who would change everything.

That was exactly the ideal superior Emma had wanted.

Emma forcibly suppressed the corners of her mouth that were trying to rise and resolved.

‘Let me hear her request.’

To stay by the side of the changed Deina and watch over her.

She decided to place her hopes once more in the being who would fulfill her wish.

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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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