Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 95

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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 095

I cannot trust the Empress.

Had I been in my right mind, I would never have heeded her words. It was abundantly clear that her proposal came not from benevolence, but from something far more sinister.

Yet I took her hand.

“What could you possibly offer me?”

After all, I had nothing left to lose.

With my will to live extinguished, what did the future matter? Nothing held any consequence for me anymore.

The Empress smiled and spoke.

“I’ve brought you a gift. Look into this mirror, and you shall dream the sweetest of dreams. But remember this, Lilith—enjoy the dream, yet do not lose yourself within it. Should you become a resident of that dream world…”

That is no concern of mine.

With those words, the Empress departed, leaving behind the mirror adorned with gold.

I shuffled forward and stood before it. Withered lips, tangled hair, eyes clouded with despair—I saw myself as I had become, stripped of all former glory.

But that vision lasted only a moment.

Beyond the glass, an impossible sight began to materialize.

“Husband? Children…?”

My lost family appeared within the mirror, moving as though alive once more.

The children, rendered young again, rushed toward me, while my husband extended his hand with a tender smile.

My chest tightened. Even knowing it was an illusion, I yearned for that warmth with every fiber of my being. I stumbled forward, trembling, and pressed my hand against the glass.

Then Biki, reflected in the mirror, spoke to me.

[Mother, come this way!]

“Ah…”

I embraced the mirror, tears streaming down my face.

Even if it was an Illusion, it didn’t matter. Even if it was a trap laid by someone, I didn’t care.

My world now existed beyond that mirror.

“Mother will come, just wait a little longer, just a little longer.”

I sent away all the Servants remaining in the Manor. Only I and the mirror were necessary here. I didn’t want to be disturbed by anyone.

I wished for this dream to continue forever. I wished for them never to leave my side.

With such longing, I sank into the dream.

The fact that the mirror would lead me to death no longer mattered to me.

“This is enough. This place is enough. Now no one…”

“Don’t wake me.”

The moment those words left my lips, I regained consciousness.

“Princess Deina, are you alright?”

The first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was Loreil’s face, rigid with concern. He gripped my shoulders, desperately trying to wake me.

“Can you see me? Are you awake?”

“Yes, I’m awake. So please don’t shout so loudly. My head hurts.”

At my words, he exhaled a long sigh.

“You warned me to be careful of the Countess’s memories, yet when Your Highness faints, what am I supposed to do?”

“I’m sorry. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be this intense.”

I rose from my seat with an awkward smile. I had become so immersed in the Countess’s memories that even now, I couldn’t quite tell if I was Deina or the Countess.

‘It’s not as though I haven’t experienced illusions like this before… Could it be because Asmo-rina came to mind?’

Now that I thought about it, Biki’s appearance did seem somewhat similar to Asmo-rina’s.

“How long have I been unconscious?”

“About an hour. I took a brief look around in the meantime, but…”

Loreil gestured behind him as he spoke.

“The situation is as you can see.”

Following his words, I surveyed my surroundings and exhaled slowly.

“…This is bewildering.”

The backdrop of Dream’s Inner Realm was not the endless corridor, but the Lobby of the Manor we had first entered.

The time period seemed to be when people still inhabited it, but the problem was the countless figures of the Countess of Adonia filling the space.

[Biki, come here!]

[You worked hard today. Come, let’s go to the Dining Hall.]

[Now, try to follow along. One, two—]

Dozens of versions of the Countess were scattered throughout the Manor, each living out their daily lives with family.

Some walked while holding children’s hands, others shared tea with their husbands, and still others read fairy tales to their youngest. Dozens of happy everyday moments unfolded here.

From the translucent figures of the Countess, I sensed they all shared the same soul. I spoke with a weary sigh.

“They’re all her. She’s fragmented her soul into dozens of pieces and is experiencing every moment of daily life.”

“That doesn’t sound like a healthy state.”

“That’s right. It’s more surprising that her mind didn’t shatter entirely.”

Which only proved how remarkably resilient the Countess’s mind was.

I stretched languidly and turned to Loreil with a question.

“You witnessed the memories as well, didn’t you, Loreil? What do you think? Is the Empress truly the culprit who reduced the Countess to this state?”

“I’m uncertain.”

He paused thoughtfully before shaking his head.

“She remains a viable suspect. However, there is no decisive evidence. Not even the House of Adonia’s influence could uncover the truth.”

Loreil added that the House of Adonia’s power in the Capital had been considerable at that time. If even such a powerful house couldn’t grasp a single thread of evidence, identifying the culprit now would be infinitely more difficult.

“However, that mirror is deeply suspicious. What sort of magic could it possibly contain? I’ve never heard of a spell that conjures illusions in such a manner…”

“Ah, so that’s what troubles you, Loreil?”

I widened my eyes in surprise.

In the Demon Realm, treasures that displayed illusions were commonplace. Moreover, if the Empress possessed them, it would be unremarkable for her to own one or two ancient artifacts.

“Then what aroused your suspicion, Your Highness the Princess?”

“Why, the unfortunate coincidence, of course. Because it resembled the misfortune I experienced.”

“That is…”

Loreil’s complexion hardened. He too seemed to belatedly recall my past suffering.

‘Inexplicable accidents of unknown origin, those around me cursed one by one, and finally death claiming even myself.’

Though no sage could divine human fate, my past and the Countess’s were eerily parallel.

“You believe that misfortune was deliberately orchestrated by someone, Your Highness.”

At Loreil’s words, I placed my hand on my hip and spoke with sharp conviction.

“Of course. Otherwise, how could I live with such injustice?”

“I see… you have a point.”

Loreil seemed momentarily at a loss for words, his speech faltering.

“Anyway, let’s go find the real Countess. I’ll wake her and escape this dream.”

“Do you know where the real Countess is?”

I shrugged as if to say he should have known that.

“Obviously in the Bedroom. People sleep in their bedrooms, after all.”

“…Ah.”

Having been pointed out obvious facts one after another, Loreil scratched his cheek awkwardly.

Given how abnormal the situation was, it was only natural that even someone as rational as he would become unmoored.

I led him toward the second floor of the Manor, where the Bedroom should be.

Even as we walked, the Countess’s happy daily life continued to unfold before me, but I deliberately turned away from it.

Being inside her dream, I found myself gradually absorbing her emotions. If I let my guard down, I might become assimilated into this dream entirely.

‘This must be how desperately the Countess yearned for this.’

Seeing how flawlessly she had constructed this dream world, her mental fortitude was far from ordinary.

“This should be it.”

We arrived at the second floor and opened what appeared to be the Bedroom door.

Upon seeing what lay within, we both held our breath simultaneously.

“A… Glass Box?”

The first thing that caught our eyes was an enormous Glass Box that filled nearly the entire room. Its transparent structure allowed us to see clearly inside, where the Countess lay.

[Now, the next fairy tale is….]

She lay upon the bed, reading fairy tales to her three daughters. The youngest sat upon her lap, while the eldest and second daughter sat demurely on either side.

A mother reading stories and children listening intently—it was a scene straight from a painting, a perfect family portrait.

That scene must be the happiest daily life the Countess could imagine.

If I awakened the Countess within that dream now, we could return to reality. Of course, the Countess would come with us.

But there was a problem.

‘This Glass Box. It’s an enormous mass of life force.’

First, there was the matter of how to enter inside this Glass Box—it seemed nearly impossible.

The Glass Box was likely the true form of the mirror the Empress had given us. And the force sustaining it was none other than the Countess’s own life force.

With that much life force, it would certainly not allow intruders to enter so easily.

And secondly….

[How shall we conduct today’s training?]

[Ugh, really! Don’t interfere so carelessly, Mother!]

[Wow—it’s the Commander!]

This cursed Glass Box had begun showing me illusions as well.

I ground my teeth and glared at the Glass Box with sharp intensity.

‘Prying into the memories of anyone who approaches—such a rude object.’

If the Glass Box hadn’t been connected to the Countess’s life force, I would have smashed it to pieces with my bare fists.

I spoke to Loreil beside me.

“Loreil, be careful not to be enchanted. What’s being shown right now….”

“Don’t be deceived by illusions. In my eyes, I see only a person with black hair.”

“…Pardon?”

I stared at Loreil with disbelief written across my face. Yet he merely tilted his head as if confused by my reaction.

“There’s no one inside that Loreil recognizes?”

“No. They’re all strangers to me.”

‘Good heavens, could this man possibly…’

This mirror’s effect was to reveal happy memories and beloved people.

Yet Loreil saw only my memories, unable to perceive his own.

Which meant.

‘Not a single happy memory from birth until now?’

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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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