The Obsessive Maniac Is Trying To Confine Me - Chapter 188

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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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Episode 188

The whole world is a complete mess.

That’s what Roji thought when her mother died.

It was when she had grown weary of a life where her body was stolen and she floated around like a formless ghost.

The culprit who caused her mother’s death was Herthas.

If she had teeth, she wanted to bite and tear; if she had hands, she wanted to rip him apart.

She resented him to death.

And that woman who stole my body. Why couldn’t you do anything?

She questioned Rose thousands of times, but no one could hear her words.

This place is damp and dark. She was slowly withering away. But she wouldn’t die.

Just kill me instead.

Someone, anyone, kill me.

Please, kill me.

She begged and pleaded like that.

Feeling trapped in a pit where no one would come.

【How pitiful.】

That’s when the ‘Benefactor’ appeared.

【Come here, child.】

The Benefactor saved her.

He pulled her out of the pit and created a ‘body’ for her.

【…Thank you. Thank you so much.】

At the time, she clung to the Benefactor while crying. He was the only one who recognized her and pulled her out.

【Tell me your name. I will definitely repay this kindness.】

【Sian? That’s an unusual name.】

There was a time when everything about him was special to her.

To a young girl who lost her body at the age of 10, he was an enormous presence.

The days spent with Sian in the cursed land were truly enjoyable.

However, happiness didn’t last long.

Not until she learned that Sian’s reason for existence was because of ‘Rose’.

That hateful Rose.

Their relationship began to fracture from that moment.

Roji betrayed Sian and became the ‘Benefactor’ herself.

When she disrupted all of Sian’s plans, it seemed to satisfy her somewhat.

However…

Can I really be satisfied with just this?

When my mother is dead?

When those culprits are living well?

I can’t forgive them…

Never…

“Yurta Herthas met a ‘fake’ impersonating you and ended up like this. Since they were alone together, I don’t know exactly what happened.”

Roji looked at Yurta lying there as if dead.

It had been quite amusing to see him clinging to her while mistaking her for Rose, but now she couldn’t see that anymore.

“The doctor came by. With consistent treatment here…”

“There’s no need for that.”

Roji stroked Yurta’s cheek. It was cold like a corpse.

“It doesn’t matter if you let him die, so handle it as you see fit.”

“…”

After all, Herthas dying was exactly what she had hoped for.

* * *

What on earth is this situation?

So Rihardt brought me to his house right now?

The woman he called ‘Mother’ went into the manor saying she would prepare a meal.

The ‘Mother’ I learned about through Rihardt seemed like a kind and caring woman to him, but when I actually faced her directly, clear fear showed on her face.

“…Was your surname Amalberga?”

I realized anew that I really knew nothing about him. Of course, there was no particular need to know.

“I used that surname a very long time ago, but I don’t use it now.”

“Then you’re just ‘Rihardt.'”

Certainly, his surname had never been mentioned even once.

It would have been reasonable to wonder about it, but I had so little interest…

According to my memory, in the original work he was briefly described as a bastard son of a frontier count family.

Wait, then the woman I met earlier isn’t his birth mother?

“There’s still some time left until we go to the Yuren Caravan, so it would be better to stay here during that time. This is my room.”

His room was at the end of the corridor.

Despite being called a room, the inside was quite empty.

A red curtain positioned awkwardly in the middle of the wall caught my eye, but the room with only the minimum necessary furniture seemed to be just adequately furnished.

My throat felt ticklish from the thick dust, showing how long the room had been vacant.

Rihardt opened the window as if to ventilate the room.

When I shrank back from the cold wind that seemed to penetrate to my bones, he took off his outer coat and covered me with it.

“Thank you.”

“I’ll light a fire for you.”

He immediately left the room and brought back firewood.

“Are there no servants in this manor?”

I found it strange that he was doing what servants would normally do.

“Hmm… There were three servants before I left this manor. I don’t know if they’re still working here.”

“When exactly was that?”

“I think it’s been about 8 years.”

“…”

If it was something from 8 years ago, it was rather meaningless information.

“So you came to this house for the first time in 8 years?”

Instead of answering, Rihardt nodded his head.

He seemed reluctant to talk about it in detail.

I felt strangely uncomfortable. Coming to a house he hadn’t visited for 8 years. Was it because of me?

I curled up on the sofa and watched his back as he lit the fire in the fireplace.

The outline of his firm muscles showed through his fitted shirt.

When the fire blazed up, Rihardt got up from his spot and began cleaning.

I ended up falling asleep while watching him move silently.

I had definitely fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position hugging my knees, but when I woke up, I was lying on the bed.

The blankets smelled pleasant, as if they had been washed recently.

‘Heavy.’

Feeling the weight pressing down on my stomach, I looked down to find Rihardt embracing me as he slept.

The room is warm now, so why is he still holding me?

When I tried to push him away, he pulled me even tighter.

“…Are you awake, Rose?”

“I’m awake, so let go now.”

He kissed my forehead reluctantly before pulling away.

As I fixed my disheveled hair and looked out the window, it was already dark outside. Hunger was setting in.

“Do we have to find dinner ourselves too?”

“Dinner is….”

As soon as dinner was mentioned, we heard a knock-knock at the door.

“I… I’ve prepared dinner….”

It was a timid voice, as if gauging our reaction.

The expression disappeared from Rihardt’s face. He opened the door with a terribly cold expression.

“…It’s been a while, brother.”

“Yes. It has been a while, Elena.”

“…My name is Helen, brother.”

What on earth are they doing?

“…Right. I might have gotten confused since it’s been so long. Dinner is ready, so what would you like to do?”

Rihardt’s gaze briefly met mine. Helen’s eyes naturally followed his gaze toward me. It was a look of curiosity.

“Go ahead first. I’ll follow down shortly.”

“Yes, yes…!”

The woman named Helen immediately nodded and turned to walk away.

It was quite a strange scene.

Both Rihardt, who couldn’t even remember his own sister’s name, and his sister, who offered dinner with a terrified expression.

“If you’re uncomfortable, we can eat here, Rose.”

He spoke as if the choice was mine to make.

I wanted to eat here, but it bothered me to visit someone’s house uninvited and not show my face even once.

“No. Let’s go down and eat.”

I straightened my appearance and stepped outside the room.

Once outside the room, I could clearly feel the difference in temperature.

Rihardt led me toward the dining room. Everyone was already seated at the table.

There was the woman I’d met in the morning, a man beside her who appeared to be Count Amalberga, and Helen whom I’d just met along with what seemed to be her brother.

Those four seemed to be all the family members.

Throughout the meal, no conversation took place.

The atmosphere was terribly bleak.

“Rose.”

Then Rihardt poured water into my empty glass.

I hadn’t even noticed when it had emptied as I kept drinking to ease the uncomfortable atmosphere.

But his family members looked at us with curious eyes.

“…Ahem, how have you been getting along?”

Breaking the silence, his father finally spoke.

“I asked out of joy at seeing you after so long, but you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

His father also seemed to be reading Rihardt’s mood as he lowered his eyes to the table.

Only Rihardt smiled as he responded.

“I’ve been doing well.”

“…Is that so? I’m also curious about what kind of work you do these days.”

“I do work protecting people.”

The person he protects—does he mean me? It was blatantly obvious.

“Work protecting people, you mean like a knight…?”

“Something like that.”

His family seemed completely unaware that their son was a war hero and Paladin Commander.

“You seem to be doing well. But the young lady beside you….”

The man looked at me cautiously, as if he’d been curious all along. The others quietly nodded in agreement.

“She’s my wife.”

Rihardt smiled shamelessly, showing no trace of guilt about lying in front of me.

How absurd.

…Actually, I expected as much.

I seem to have gotten somewhat used to his shamelessness.

‘This family is a mess too.’

I secretly let out a sigh.

Resolving to stay quiet as the dead until we could leave for the Yuren Caravan.

“…Um, Rihardt.”

Then, his mother, who had kept her mouth shut the entire time, cautiously spoke up.

“…Can’t you let us go now?”

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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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