The World Mistakes Me for Terminally Ill - Chapter 84

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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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The World Thinks I’m Terminally Ill Episode 084

Clatter, clatter.

A black carriage racing through the city streets came to a stop in front of an old theater.

Creak-

Seeing this, a street painter approached, trying to catch a customer somehow, but the coachman who was about to open the carriage door panicked and blocked the painter.

“Hey there, what are you doing? Step back!”

“Noble sir, please allow me to paint your portrait-“

Click.

The carriage door opened.

The painter, who had been struggling with the coachman, stared blankly at the sight of a black veil fluttering.

A face covered by a veil as if announcing mourning. A black dress where composure and melancholy coexisted.

Along with a rich fragrance, a single red petal fluttered past and fell before his eyes.

Flutter-

“Come down, child.”

A voice with a strange resonance came from beneath the veil.

The painter unconsciously thought it was beautiful.

Tap.

As the woman extended her gloved hand, a child who appeared to be about seven years old stepped down from the carriage.

A red-eyed boy wearing a cute beret and bow tie, the boy glanced at the painter once and then turned his head away with disinterest.

“Customer, I apologize for the disturbance.”

The coachman apologized frantically.

The woman spoke without even looking back at them.

“The fare has been left in place, so please check it.”

And she disappeared into the theater, holding hands with the child.

The coachman hurriedly checked the carriage compartment where the woman had been and gasped in admiration.

There lay gold coins worth far more than the original carriage fare and a single withered flower.

It was a red flower also called a funeral flower.

“Oh my, she looks young but must have lost her husband first. What a pitiful woman.”

The coachman, his pockets now heavy, even removed his hat to pay his own respects.

The painter, who had been watching all this, felt an eerie sensation.

‘Something… feels like I saw something I shouldn’t have.’

The woman’s chilling atmosphere seemed to linger nearby even now.

Though he knew she was a living person mourning the dead, somehow she seemed like a ghost – such was the illusion.

Though objectively cute, the child’s bright red eyes that had glanced at him somehow instilled fear for unknown reasons.

The painter shook his head to dispel the afterimage left by the woman and child, then unconsciously looked up. He could see images of dead swans fluttering on theater banners.

[BLACK SWAN]

‘It reminds me of that work that caused such a commotion 30 years ago…’

There’s that distinctive atmosphere that black and white printed pictures give off.

Perhaps because the culprit was called the ‘Saint with the Swan Mask’, images of dead swans or black swans could be easily found throughout the city after the House of Angels incident.

Whenever the painter saw those images, he wondered: Had this city truly forgotten that ‘curse’ from 30 years ago?

‘Divine punishment will come, divine punishment will come.’

The painter felt a chill and decided he should go home early today, hurriedly leaving the spot.

At that moment, the ‘Ophelia & Kai’ party had safely entered the theater.

‘We’ve made it this far smoothly.’

The darkened theater had an even more ominous atmosphere due to the posters and banners hung everywhere.

Instead of looking around suspiciously and drawing attention, I headed inside with slow steps.

Before long.

[Box Office]

As written on the invitation, an old box office with only its lights on appeared.

Light shining down on just that spot like a pinpoint spotlight.

I narrowed my eyes at the sight of something so strangely isolated from its surroundings, then slowly approached.

I slid in the invitation and recited the password Erban had told me.

“Two glasses of the swan’s broken wing feathers. Add a drop of regret, please.”

A quiet silence lingered in the theater for a moment.

Instead of rushing, I waited calmly according to the personality of ‘Ophelia’ I had set up.

After a few seconds of silence, an answer came back.

“A first-time guest, I see. I wonder if you’re not unsuitable for enjoying pleasures.”

A strange voice, I thought. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but… had they also modified theirs?

Since pointing out my attire was an expected question, I gave my prepared answer.

“This place brings back memories of watching plays here with him. I wish to retrace those steps and look back on the past – is there a problem with that?”

“Not at all. I pried too much into your past, customer. My apologies.”

The other party stopped probing and returned something under the box office window.

Two half-masks with black feathers.

“The entrance is at Performance Hall 5 at the end of the right corridor. Well then, have a pleasant time.”

I had successfully obtained the masks.

I calmly picked them up and headed with Kai toward the corridor the box office employee had indicated.

After confirming there were no people around, I sent the promised hand signal and Erban appeared smoothly.

“How is it?”

“No special measures. It’s ordinary.”

We were talking about the masks. Erban said they seemed safe to wear and glanced back.

“That box office employee has a gloomy feeling I don’t like – should I go follow them?”

It was strange hearing an assassin call someone gloomy, but I shook my head.

“Let’s not be too greedy. Since this is our first time here, safety is most important. It’s better to focus on the main stage.”

“Got it, master.”

Erban disappeared smoothly again.

I put on the mask under my veil and helped Kai with his too.

Just before entering the ballroom disguised as a performance hall, I reminded Kai.

“Try not to stray from my side. If anything dangerous happens, you must call for me. Understood?”

Instead of his usual sulky ‘I’m not scared at all!’, Kai stared up at me intently before answering.

“…Yeah.”

“Good, let’s go in.”

Having finished preparations, I opened the door leading to the ballroom.

Creak, clunk-

A dimly lit corridor spread out before my eyes.

Angel statues with broken wings lined up on both sides.

Faint violin music could be heard from up ahead.

Whine-

‘What terrible taste.’

By my standards, it was the worst aesthetic sense. I clicked my tongue inwardly and headed forward.

Click, click.

Then at some point, the violin music suddenly grew louder and I could hear bustling sounds as if I’d entered a completely different world.

I turned the corner.

The appearance of the old theater had completely vanished before my eyes, replaced by a splendid ballroom.

People dancing throughout the space, conversing, and tilting wine glasses.

Every single one wore masks of various colors and styles.

“Hmm? An unfamiliar face has appeared.”

“This damn masquerade ball is really strange. Is it because of the masks that weird people always show up?”

As I appeared there, people’s gazes immediately focused on me.

It seemed the mourner dressed entirely in black who had appeared among the splendidly adorned people had caught their attention.

You might think I was too conspicuous for a secret infiltration, but that’s speaking without knowledge.

‘If there’s a firm concept, people’s memories become biased. For example, the more people remember the black widow ‘Ophelia’ from the ball, the fewer will think of ‘Elisia,’ my true identity.’

It’s like casting hypnosis on them so the shadow grows large enough to block out the light.

I crossed the ballroom, paying no mind to the curious stares around me.

Just then, a young man who appeared to be the host turned to us with a welcoming gesture.

“Oh, you’re the lady I met before. I never thought you’d actually come!”

Seeing this crazy bastard’s eyes change the moment he saw me and Kai made me feel sick, but I endured it professionally.

I answered calmly, staying in character as Ophelia.

“Thank you for the invitation. Thanks to your kindness, I can revisit the space I once shared with him.”

“Haha, don’t mention such a thing. Of course I had to help. Ahem, but you said you’d tell me your name when we met again—”

The host’s sticky gaze swept over my black dress and the hand holding Kai.

Even though my face wouldn’t be visible behind the mask anyway, seeing him keep glancing as if he wanted to peek beneath the veil made me feel even sicker.

“Please call me Ophelia.”

“Even your name is beautiful. But, your family name…?”

“I buried it in my heart after sending him away. Everyone has at least one thing they want to keep quietly to themselves.”

“Ah, yes, of course.”

That bastard just licked his lips.

Crazy bastard.

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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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