Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 67

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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 067

 

Chloe answered.

 

Please help her.

 

She couldn’t say what or how she wanted to be helped. She just felt like she could do anything if only she could escape this situation.

 

The deity of the lake responded to her voice.

 

[I understand. Then leave that prince behind and run to where the Duke is.]

 

She couldn’t understand why she was told to seek out the Duke, who was the leader of the rebel army, but in her panicked state, Chloe unconsciously moved her legs following the deity’s voice.

 

‘Don’t go! Don’t go! Save us, save us!’

 

She covered her ears to avoid hearing the prince’s anguished voice and just ran quickly.

 

Eventually she arrived before the Duke. The Duke looked at the tear-stained Chloe and spoke in a sympathetic voice.

 

‘Princess Chloe, is it? You too are a pitiful existence.’

 

Then the purple-haired woman standing beside him spoke mockingly.

 

‘Pitiful? Since when do dolls deserve sympathy?’

 

Doll.

 

She couldn’t deny this derogatory term used to refer to her.

 

Following the lake deity’s words and seeking out the Duke had been the right answer. The Duke knew that Chloe had nothing to do with this tragedy. In fact, several nobles on the rebel side said that she at least should be released.

 

The Duke granted their wish.

 

‘The King applied for asylum to the Empire in advance, didn’t he? Change the name on the application to the Princess’s name. I’ll spare your life at least.’

 

Thus Chloe was sent to the Empire along with a few knights and servants who hadn’t participated in the ceremony.

 

Of course, there were strong opposing voices. To the people who had lost their families, Chloe, who had lived without want as royalty, was an unforgivable existence.

 

The Wet Nurse, holding up a torch and calling for the burning of royalty, was one of them.

 

‘Liquidate them! The price of sin, the luxury, the happiness they stole from us, liquidate it all!’

 

However, Chloe never got the chance to apologize to them. Because several nobles who sympathized with her forcibly put her on a ship.

 

Having boarded the ship like that, she left Jins Kingdom in a daze.

 

‘Actually, aren’t I the real sinner, having lived a peaceful life without any interest in the people? I might be someone who deserves to die, just like they said.’

 

If her death could appease their anger and resentment.

 

Perhaps she should have chosen suicide rather than escape.

 

That was the responsibility a guilty royal should bear.

 

In the dark ship, trapped in her own world like that, she reached the worst conclusion.

 

And the lake deity granted her request this time as well.

 

[So now you want to die again? In a way that won’t trouble others and can satisfy the people’s desire for revenge? Hmm, yes. There happens to be a perfect candidate.]

 

Following the oracle, she sent a letter to the Empire.

 

Asking them to send Deina Ripeon as the guide for her asylum.

 

Because the lake deity said that Deina’s cursed power would guide Chloe to the most fitting form of death.

 

In other words, this wasn’t a journey to survive, but Chloe’s final reckoning to meet an appropriate death.

 

That’s why when she first set foot in Gilli Port and faced Deina.

 

‘I really, really wanted to meet you, Princess Deina.’

 

She was so happy and so afraid.

 

Because she had an intuition that this beautiful princess with golden eyes would be her death.

 

* * *

 

After hearing the entire story, the knight added a final explanation.

 

“I only heard this story after arriving at the Empire. We tried to dissuade her, but the Princess’s will was firm…”

 

So the knight said he had no choice but to participate in her plan.

 

‘That’s a lie. He helped because he had his own resentment too.’

 

If he were truly a loyal knight, it was a plan he wouldn’t have allowed even with a sword to his throat. He too must have developed some resentment toward the royal family during the process of fleeing to the Empire.

 

Ivan, having heard the entire story, spoke as if incredulous.

 

“I doubt whether deities really exist… but even if they do, does it make sense for them to give such oracles? What kind of deity is that!”

 

Surprisingly, he too seemed to harbor illusions that deities would be benevolent.

 

On the other hand, throughout hearing the story, I thought it was very much like an oracle from the lake deity.

 

Granting the wishes of those it favored, but always leading to cruel endings – it was exactly the kind of episode befitting the lake deity.

 

‘But it’s strange that oracles were given to all the royals. There can’t be that many humans who would appeal to that vicious creature.’

 

I wasn’t the only one with various doubts, as Liribel, who was interested in dark magic, carefully asked me.

 

“Princess, but does dark magic really require that many sacrifices?”

 

“No, there’s no magic anywhere that requires thousands of sacrifices.”

 

If there were magic that worked by just pouring magical power recklessly like that, it would have been used on the battlefields of the Demon Realm first, not in Jins Kingdom. I had never heard of such magic.

 

Then, the knight suddenly interjected.

 

“Ah, about that, our mage said something similar. He said this might not be the first time this dark magic was performed.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“He said they might have repeated the same act many times since the oracle came down. And kept failing, so only the sacrifices accumulated…”

 

That was a plausible story. Or perhaps the quantity increased through repeated failures.

 

‘Princess Chloe was older than me, right? Then this kidnapping and massacre has been going on for over 20 years.’

 

Having collected sacrifices for such a long time, getting caught was inevitable.

 

Anyway, now I could understand Princess Chloe’s reason for aiming for suicide.

 

I let out a deep sigh and brushed up my bangs.

 

‘I resolved so firmly not to interfere…’

 

The more I heard, the more I couldn’t ignore it.

 

Because it reminded me of my past self.

 

‘It’s to end the war. There’s no choice. There was no choice…’

 

The desperation from that time came back to me, making me feel unpleasant.

 

“Princess? Are you alright?”

 

Ruslara, who had been watching my complexion from beside me, approached carefully. I dismissed her saying I was fine, then asked the knight.

 

“Then do you have any idea who commissioned the mercenary groups?”

 

“Probably the Anti-King Faction Nobles. They’ve been continuously dissatisfied with the lenient punishment of the rebels.”

 

“Enough to spend such a huge amount?”

 

The commission amount revealed by the captured mercenary was beyond imagination even for me, a member of the Imperial Family. Did they want to kill Princess Chloe badly enough to spend such an amount?

 

“Well… among the Anti-King Faction, many had their children or spouses offered as sacrifices.”

 

People who lost family members wouldn’t have their anger appeased even if they spent their entire fortune to kill the perpetrator. Now I could understand the truth behind this absurd situation.

 

It was a troublesome situation. If it had been a case of someone being threatened, it would have been easier to resolve, but if the person involved did it out of a sense of duty, it would be difficult to persuade them.

 

‘As Liribel said, there’s the method of forcibly taking her to the capital… but then after arriving at the capital, she would…’

 

Try to choose death by her own hand.

 

After hearing all the circumstances, I didn’t want to let her meet such an ending.

 

‘There’s no need for the ending to be exactly the same as mine.’

 

Then what remained was persuasion.

 

I spoke quietly to the people in the room.

 

“Everyone, please step out for a moment. Instead.”

 

And I pointed to the door on the opposite side.

 

“Princess Chloe, please come inside.”

 

“Hic!”

 

Princess Chloe’s hiccup could be heard from outside the door. Did she think no one would notice if she hid like that? Not just me, but Ivan and Ruslara would have noticed her presence long ago.

 

After sending everyone including the knight out, I remained alone in the room with Princess Chloe.

 

“Sit down.”

 

She sat awkwardly in the chair across from me.

 

“I just heard all about your situation. Do you still think you need to die?”

 

“Of, of course.”

 

She straightened her posture for a moment, then continued with a firm expression.

 

“This is the only way I can atone to them. If my life can ease their resentment even a little, that’s enough.”

 

“There’s also the option of giving up being a princess.”

 

“I don’t want that. I was born a princess, and I’ll die as a princess. Having enjoyed all the happiness of being royalty, I don’t want to become a coward who runs away now.”

 

What an admirable thought. My evaluation of Princess Chloe in my heart went up a notch.

 

That’s why it was even more regrettable. Because I knew this small sense of responsibility wouldn’t be rewarded.

 

“Alright, I’ll grant your wish.”

 

“What? If you grant it…”

 

“I’ll kill you.”

 

Hic, she hiccupped once more.

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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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