Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 49

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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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Pretending to Be Human: Episode 049

Ivan laughed heartily, apparently amused by my reaction.

“Finally, your expression loosened up a bit.”

“What?”

“Ever since Ruslara got hurt, your expression has been intense. I thought you’d rush off to capture that Asmo-rina person right then and there.”

‘Was I really like that?’

Without thinking, I reached up and touched my cheek. My jaw did indeed feel unusually tense, unlike my usual composure.

“Ruslara wouldn’t want you to fight either. After all, she was prepared to die to keep the Princess’s location hidden.”

“…You’re right.”

Memories of my days as a soldier came flooding back. There was nothing more troublesome than a commander who lost their composure. Though I wasn’t always rational and pragmatic in my past life, I couldn’t afford to repeat those mistakes now, even in this reincarnation.

I acknowledged my mistake and calmed my mind.

“Still, drinking blood didn’t feel like a joke.”

“It’s not a joke. I was just curious if it really tasted sweet.”

“…”

Without a word, I boarded the carriage waiting in the courtyard of the Separate Palace. I didn’t want to look at Ivan’s face.

* * *

The gates of the Imperial Palace opened, and several carriages departed.

As the ornate and massive carriages—fortified as if they could survive a war—rolled out in a line, the gatekeepers watched with curious eyes.

Many wondered if this was the rumored Princess they’d heard about.

In the office of the Imperial Guard commander who oversaw those gatekeepers.

Before a large window overlooking the castle gates, a man watched Deina’s departure.

Though his face was concealed beneath a voluminous robe, the platinum hair spilling from beneath it betrayed his identity.

“Finally, she leaves.”

It was none other than Emperor Bernhard, master of the Empire.

He observed the receding carriage with arms crossed, as though he himself had become the commander of the Imperial Guard.

Then, from the shadows in the corner of the room, a Masked Agent emerged.

“Confirmed: the Princess has boarded the carriage.”

“Any companions?”

“None, aside from the servants.”

“Begin tracking immediately. Ensure you remain undetected.”

The Emperor muttered that her senses had been unusually sharp of late, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

‘It’s been over a decade since that creature left the Capital. This should prove to be quite the interesting experiment.’

Indeed, one reason for assigning a tracker was to ascertain just how far she could truly go—the measure of her distance.

Deina believed the Emperor had given her an unusual mission, but the reality was far different.

The Emperor harbored no awareness of having assigned her a mission at all. To him, this was merely an experiment.

“The curse dwells within our shadow.”

This tedious phrase—how it manifested was an opportunity to observe through a rare specimen: the Princess herself.

Should Deina fail to complete the task and perish, it mattered little to him.

After all, he possessed a replacement for her: Jeina.

This was a trivial procedure with no risk of loss, even in failure.

‘But something feels off about this.’

The Emperor tightened his grip on his beard, a vague unease settling in his chest.

Every unexpected event that had unfolded thus far had benefited him. Deina’s recovery of health, her return to high society—all welcome coincidences for the Emperor.

Moreover, Deina harbored no hostility toward him, nor did she display the foolish defiance of disobeying his commands.

Yet his instincts rang a subtle alarm.

Like missing a step on a staircase—danger lurked beneath his feet.

But he could not fathom its source. For the Emperor, who knew every detail of the Imperial Palace, this was unprecedented.

‘No, it’s merely needless worry.’

The Emperor quickly dismissed his own emotions.

‘Whatever secrets that woman harbors, she cannot threaten us.’

This conviction remained unshaken, even if Deina had become someone entirely different.

As long as she remained of Imperial blood, as long as she lived within the Empire, she could never defy him, the Emperor.

The Emperor murmured as he watched the carriages below, now reduced to mere specks.

“How long will this curse take effect?”

With each step forward, Deina’s journey would transform into a path through hell.

He hoped that inferno would stretch on as long as possible.

* * *

“Your Highness, you seem quite comfortable.”

Three days into our encampment.

Ivan remarked with wonder as he observed my complexion growing steadily better.

“Is that so?”

I tilted my head and spooned the remaining soup into my mouth. Despite being preserved rations, it tasted remarkably good—a luxury far removed from my days as a soldier.

“Most nobles start looking sickly after just two days of camping. But Your Highness… your complexion keeps improving.”

“The world outside the Imperial Palace is more comfortable than within it.”

If Emma had heard that, she would have shot me a disapproving look about maintaining propriety. I shrugged awkwardly and set down my empty plate on the tray.

Just as Ivan said, I was noticing that the longer the journey continued, the more at ease my body and mind became.

It was natural that my mind would relax without anyone watching my every move, but strangely, my physical condition was improving as well. It felt almost as though I were taking some sort of potent tonic.

‘Is it the fresh air? Or is it because I’m far from the Temple?’

That much, I couldn’t discern.

“But Ivan, you seem to have plenty of time for casual conversation. Your guard duties must be quite relaxed?”

“Of course.”

Ivan’s expression brimmed with confidence.

“The people who came with us are the elite of our organization. Your Highness has nothing to worry about.”

“Hmm.”

I observed the unfamiliar servants working around the carriage. They were all Ivan’s fellow assassins in disguise.

‘They’re not without skill, at least.’

But that was by Ivan’s standards. From my perspective, there were considerable gaps in their abilities.

“Still, they seem to need more training.”

“What now? What’s the problem this time?”

“Well…”

I picked up the fork from the tray. Grasping it by the handle, I hurled it lightly toward the bushes.

The fork whistled through the air and struck true, embedding itself directly into the forehead of someone lurking in the darkness.

“Ahhhhh!”

‘Screaming like that? You’re disqualified.’

I clicked my tongue in disapproval and pointed at the fallen figure.

“A Spy. They’re not dead, so restrain them and interrogate.”

Ivan’s expression hardened as he rushed forward, subduing the person sprawled on the ground. His colleagues quickly gathered and escorted the captive away.

When Ivan returned, he furrowed his brow and asked.

“How did you know?”

His pride clearly wounded, I shrugged and answered.

“I sensed their presence.”

“That’s what I’m asking—how did you know? Even our patrol didn’t detect them.”

“You were only searching for those radiating killing intent. That’s why you missed them.”

The one in hiding emanated no emotion whatsoever. No killing intent, no curiosity toward an enemy, no vigilance. Their presence was as silent as a wild beast’s.

“Reconnaissance and protection are different disciplines. You’re not just identifying threats—you’re verifying the entire area is secure.”

“That….”

Ivan seemed to want to argue, his lips moving soundlessly for a moment before he exhaled deeply and scratched the back of his head.

“Damn it. I wanted to show you I don’t make mistakes in my specialty.”

“Your specialty is assassination.”

“What are you talking about? Right now, serving the Princess is my main profession.”

“….”

This fellow’s gift of gab only grows sharper with each passing day.

I told him to stop with the frivolous jests and offered him the tray. Ivan cleared it without complaint.

Mealtime was drawing to a close. By tomorrow, we would arrive at our first waypoint.

‘Then I’ll need to meet with the local nobility. I wonder if they’ll truly welcome a cursed princess.’

The thought of another battle of wits with the aristocracy made the back of my neck grow taut.

I rose from my seat with a stretch, and that’s when I saw Ivan rushing toward me.

“Your Highness! An uninvited guest—an uninvited guest has arrived!”

“Who is it? An assassin?”

“Someone far worse!”

‘Could it be Franz?’

Just as I was about to tell him to calm down and explain, a familiar figure emerged from the opposite direction.

That distinctive black hair, visible even from a distance….

“Loreil?”

It was Loreil, the heir to the Prime Minister’s Residence.

Loreil greeted me with utmost courtesy, despite my evident surprise.

“What a fortuitous encounter, Your Highness. Were you camping?”

“What do you—”

“Our carriage has broken down, and I wondered if I might impose upon you for assistance?”

I immediately glanced at Ivan. Disguised with his hat pulled low to conceal his face, he leaned close and whispered softly to me.

“The Carriage was definitely damaged. Whatever happened, it’s smashed to pieces down below that Cliff Road.”

“Any possibility it was sabotage?”

“I couldn’t say for certain.”

I exhaled sharply.

I didn’t believe for a moment this was mere coincidence, yet I had no grounds to refuse.

‘At least word of this won’t spread from here.’

It was fortunate I’d dealt with the Spy just before.

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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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