29. What are you?
A blonde woman was seen smiling brightly among the yellow flowers. Bathed in sunlight, she looked so beautiful that it was hard to believe she was from this world.
"Mom!"
Daphne ran there, mouthing the words she longed for the most in the world. The world was dyed in gold with the appearance of her mother, Beatrice.
Yellow daffodils blooming in profusion in the blue sky, a languid time in spring. Daphne ran into her arms and hugged her.
“Come in, my cutie.”
Beatrice held Daphne tightly in her arms and kissed her round forehead. Daphne realized that she had returned to her childhood.
Her mother always had a soft, fragrant scent. She buried her face in her arms. Her delicate hands stroked Daphne's hair.
Daphne was no longer wearing her dull, worn-out maid's uniform. She was wearing the bright yellow forsythia dress she had once hated so much.
“I missed you.”
Daphne continued to rub her cheek against hers. Then her mother also put strength into her arms and hugged her tightly.
“I missed you, too, Daphne.”
“...Yeah. Mom.”
We won't break up anymore, right? We'll stay together forever? You won't succumb to illness, right? You won't leave me alone, right?
Can I die now?
Daphne sobbed in her arms. She cried because she knew that peace had now come.
"No."
But as if reading her mind, Daphne raised her head at her mother's cold words.
“You have to live. You have to live and be happy.”
Tears fell down her forehead.
Daphne tried to look up at her mother, but she couldn't move her head because her mother was holding her head so tightly.
“Why? I don’t feel like I can be happy right now.”
“...”
“Don’t tell me to live. We’re together. Please, Mom.”
We miss and love each other so much, why can't we be together?
“I’m sorry, Daphne.”
The tears falling on her forehead had a strangely bloody smell. The dripping water droplets soon turned into drops of blood. The red drops of blood soaked her mother's clothes. They stained Daphne's bright yellow clothes.
“Whoa, whaaaaah!”
Daphne looked up and saw her mother. She was already dead.
Blood was dripping from his gaping mouth. The smell of blood and rotten, crushed flowers stung her nostrils.
Daphne took a step back.
“You have to live.”
Her mother's voice, telling her that she had to survive somehow, rang in her ears.
"Ah!"
Daphne woke up in a cold sweat. The ceiling was as close as a coffin. The sweet and delicate time in her dream was fleeting.
Daphne remembered why she had not chosen death. It was because of her mother's last will.
The mother, who was dying of an illness, looked at her crying daughter with a sad face and said, “Please take me too.”
'Daphne, be happy you're alive. You should be happy.'
Why are you happy when you put me in this hell? Why are you happy to be alive? She gritted her teeth and sobbed. I hate you. I hate you, but I miss you. I miss you and love you.
Because the person who loved her the most in the world is already dead.
Her body seemed to have recovered, but Daphne sobbed in her cramped room. Life was so lonely, and she continued to cry.
Then Daphne realized that her empty room was somehow more cramped. It even had a familiar scent instead of the usual musty smell.
She turned her head to look around and saw someone sitting on the chair Sarah had brought.
In this filthy, filthy place, Asherad was sitting, looking at Daphne.
“Are you awake?”
It was such a sweet word. It was like the old days. Daphne stared blankly at Asherad. Why would he be here? Why at a time when her body was almost healed? Daphne's powerless gaze turned away from him.
Asherad's lips were dry, but Daphne couldn't see it. She turned away and looked at the wall as if she were ignoring Asherad.
Even though their bodies continued to mingle, Daphne felt a fundamental distance from Asherad. Then Asherad spoke.
“What a dirty room.”
It didn't bother her too much because it was true. When she glanced at him, Asherad was frowning and looking at the room where Daphne had stayed.
It was so poor, even though it was the same palace. The ceiling was low like a coffin, and it was a dust pit.
She tried to clean it as neatly as possible, but the place itself wasn't neat to begin with, so cleaning it was useless. The bed she had managed to get was old, and the sheets were also a grayish color that had lost their original luster.
“It smells too.”
Even though the sheets were clean, the smell was unavoidable. Her face was still expressionless, but for some reason, that was even more embarrassing.
“His Majesty has done his best to put you through hardship.”
That was what he said when he saw Daphne in pain. It's the same for you, too. Daphne bit her lip. As she bit her chapped lip, she tasted red blood.
It wasn't that she was particularly proud of Asherad. It was just that the words themselves bothered her for some reason.
Daphne decided to close her eyes without even answering, because she knew that he would think she was in pain.
“Would you like to change rooms?”
“...”
Asherad quietly. Daphne opened her closed eyes and looked at Asherad. Daphne stared blankly at his face and answered with the corners of her lips slightly raised.
"No."
What if I ask for a change and they change it for me?
There was nothing more ridiculous than that. Then it would be no different from the life of a prostitute who improved her life in exchange for physical relations.
It wasn't like she had to change it herself. She didn't want to go that far, but that was the correct answer.
This man seemed to want to use that as an excuse to make her bend. How much more would she pay for the favor of the man who had ruined her life so much?
On the subject of the cruel monster that killed Fabian.
Daphne's feelings towards Asherad were stained with so many different emotions. Hatred, sadness, resentment, and the sudden joy she felt when she saw the person approaching her while she was crying, even though she hated him so much that her teeth chattered.
Daphne tried to define her feelings as anger. Then Asherad spoke.
“Then why don’t you wake up?”
Daphne looked at Asherad with a puzzled face. Instead of answering, Asherad hugged Daphne and whispered.
“Because I can’t hold you in this dirty place.”
Daphne laughed in vain. A corner of her heart collapsed again.
Water dripped from Daphne's body after she washed up. A fragrant smell clung to her hair. It was a smell that did not suit Daphne.
Whenever she hugged Asherad, she always washed herself in the bathtub attached to Asherad's bedroom. Then, she was filled with that fragrant smell.
Askerad was smoking a cigarette. He put it out when Daphne came. The room was filled with the stale smell of cigarettes. Asherad's face was pale, and he looked tired.
Daphne knew it, but she, too, had been sick and was just recovering.
Daphne looked at Asherad indifferently. He didn't even offer her a seat as she stood there blankly. He didn't even smile.
It was a blank expression, like looking at a piece of furniture. A face that looked at a being that had no meaning to have any emotions.
Daphne realized that Asherad had that look on his face almost all the time.
Why did she only realize this now?
“What are you?”
Suddenly, Asherad asked. Daphne did not answer. Nothing mattered anymore. Daphne took off her gown. Drip drip drip.
“Come here.”
As he reached out, Daphne approached the chair he was sitting in as if she were used to it. Asherad looked at her and grabbed her chin, lifting her face up.
“It’s pretty.”
A woman with wet blonde hair. Her face was like a peach, having just been doused with hot water, and her lips were also red.
Her blue, glass-like eyes tried hard not to look at Asherad. Seeing her strange defiance, Asherad touched Daphne's cheek.
"Daphne."
“...”
“Tell me what you are.”
It was a gentle voice. Daphne answered without hesitation.
“Your dog.”
"Dog?"
“If you tell me to come, I should come, and if you tell me to go, I should go. You only love me when you want to love me, and I'm not really worth cherishing.”
"Ha."
Asherad chuckled.
“Did you realize that you were a dog? I didn’t realize it.”
Asherad seemed quite satisfied with the answer. He stood up and lifted Daphne up with his hands under her shoulders. She was lifted up without resistance.
Asherad looked down at Daphne and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. The tautness of Asherad's trousers could be felt against her bare skin, which was exposed when the robe’s strings were undone.
“Then what am I, sleeping with a dog?”
“...”
“You mean I'm an animal.”
A blonde woman was seen smiling brightly among the yellow flowers. Bathed in sunlight, she looked so beautiful that it was hard to believe she was from this world.
"Mom!"
Daphne ran there, mouthing the words she longed for the most in the world. The world was dyed in gold with the appearance of her mother, Beatrice.
Yellow daffodils blooming in profusion in the blue sky, a languid time in spring. Daphne ran into her arms and hugged her.
“Come in, my cutie.”
Beatrice held Daphne tightly in her arms and kissed her round forehead. Daphne realized that she had returned to her childhood.
Her mother always had a soft, fragrant scent. She buried her face in her arms. Her delicate hands stroked Daphne's hair.
Daphne was no longer wearing her dull, worn-out maid's uniform. She was wearing the bright yellow forsythia dress she had once hated so much.
“I missed you.”
Daphne continued to rub her cheek against hers. Then her mother also put strength into her arms and hugged her tightly.
“I missed you, too, Daphne.”
“...Yeah. Mom.”
We won't break up anymore, right? We'll stay together forever? You won't succumb to illness, right? You won't leave me alone, right?
Can I die now?
Daphne sobbed in her arms. She cried because she knew that peace had now come.
"No."
But as if reading her mind, Daphne raised her head at her mother's cold words.
“You have to live. You have to live and be happy.”
Tears fell down her forehead.
Daphne tried to look up at her mother, but she couldn't move her head because her mother was holding her head so tightly.
“Why? I don’t feel like I can be happy right now.”
“...”
“Don’t tell me to live. We’re together. Please, Mom.”
We miss and love each other so much, why can't we be together?
“I’m sorry, Daphne.”
The tears falling on her forehead had a strangely bloody smell. The dripping water droplets soon turned into drops of blood. The red drops of blood soaked her mother's clothes. They stained Daphne's bright yellow clothes.
“Whoa, whaaaaah!”
Daphne looked up and saw her mother. She was already dead.
Blood was dripping from his gaping mouth. The smell of blood and rotten, crushed flowers stung her nostrils.
Daphne took a step back.
“You have to live.”
Her mother's voice, telling her that she had to survive somehow, rang in her ears.
***
"Ah!"
Daphne woke up in a cold sweat. The ceiling was as close as a coffin. The sweet and delicate time in her dream was fleeting.
Daphne remembered why she had not chosen death. It was because of her mother's last will.
The mother, who was dying of an illness, looked at her crying daughter with a sad face and said, “Please take me too.”
'Daphne, be happy you're alive. You should be happy.'
Why are you happy when you put me in this hell? Why are you happy to be alive? She gritted her teeth and sobbed. I hate you. I hate you, but I miss you. I miss you and love you.
Because the person who loved her the most in the world is already dead.
Her body seemed to have recovered, but Daphne sobbed in her cramped room. Life was so lonely, and she continued to cry.
Then Daphne realized that her empty room was somehow more cramped. It even had a familiar scent instead of the usual musty smell.
She turned her head to look around and saw someone sitting on the chair Sarah had brought.
In this filthy, filthy place, Asherad was sitting, looking at Daphne.
“Are you awake?”
It was such a sweet word. It was like the old days. Daphne stared blankly at Asherad. Why would he be here? Why at a time when her body was almost healed? Daphne's powerless gaze turned away from him.
Asherad's lips were dry, but Daphne couldn't see it. She turned away and looked at the wall as if she were ignoring Asherad.
Even though their bodies continued to mingle, Daphne felt a fundamental distance from Asherad. Then Asherad spoke.
“What a dirty room.”
It didn't bother her too much because it was true. When she glanced at him, Asherad was frowning and looking at the room where Daphne had stayed.
It was so poor, even though it was the same palace. The ceiling was low like a coffin, and it was a dust pit.
She tried to clean it as neatly as possible, but the place itself wasn't neat to begin with, so cleaning it was useless. The bed she had managed to get was old, and the sheets were also a grayish color that had lost their original luster.
“It smells too.”
Even though the sheets were clean, the smell was unavoidable. Her face was still expressionless, but for some reason, that was even more embarrassing.
“His Majesty has done his best to put you through hardship.”
That was what he said when he saw Daphne in pain. It's the same for you, too. Daphne bit her lip. As she bit her chapped lip, she tasted red blood.
It wasn't that she was particularly proud of Asherad. It was just that the words themselves bothered her for some reason.
Daphne decided to close her eyes without even answering, because she knew that he would think she was in pain.
“Would you like to change rooms?”
“...”
Asherad quietly. Daphne opened her closed eyes and looked at Asherad. Daphne stared blankly at his face and answered with the corners of her lips slightly raised.
"No."
What if I ask for a change and they change it for me?
There was nothing more ridiculous than that. Then it would be no different from the life of a prostitute who improved her life in exchange for physical relations.
It wasn't like she had to change it herself. She didn't want to go that far, but that was the correct answer.
This man seemed to want to use that as an excuse to make her bend. How much more would she pay for the favor of the man who had ruined her life so much?
On the subject of the cruel monster that killed Fabian.
Daphne's feelings towards Asherad were stained with so many different emotions. Hatred, sadness, resentment, and the sudden joy she felt when she saw the person approaching her while she was crying, even though she hated him so much that her teeth chattered.
Daphne tried to define her feelings as anger. Then Asherad spoke.
“Then why don’t you wake up?”
Daphne looked at Asherad with a puzzled face. Instead of answering, Asherad hugged Daphne and whispered.
“Because I can’t hold you in this dirty place.”
Daphne laughed in vain. A corner of her heart collapsed again.
***
Water dripped from Daphne's body after she washed up. A fragrant smell clung to her hair. It was a smell that did not suit Daphne.
Whenever she hugged Asherad, she always washed herself in the bathtub attached to Asherad's bedroom. Then, she was filled with that fragrant smell.
Askerad was smoking a cigarette. He put it out when Daphne came. The room was filled with the stale smell of cigarettes. Asherad's face was pale, and he looked tired.
Daphne knew it, but she, too, had been sick and was just recovering.
Daphne looked at Asherad indifferently. He didn't even offer her a seat as she stood there blankly. He didn't even smile.
It was a blank expression, like looking at a piece of furniture. A face that looked at a being that had no meaning to have any emotions.
Daphne realized that Asherad had that look on his face almost all the time.
Why did she only realize this now?
“What are you?”
Suddenly, Asherad asked. Daphne did not answer. Nothing mattered anymore. Daphne took off her gown. Drip drip drip.
“Come here.”
As he reached out, Daphne approached the chair he was sitting in as if she were used to it. Asherad looked at her and grabbed her chin, lifting her face up.
“It’s pretty.”
A woman with wet blonde hair. Her face was like a peach, having just been doused with hot water, and her lips were also red.
Her blue, glass-like eyes tried hard not to look at Asherad. Seeing her strange defiance, Asherad touched Daphne's cheek.
"Daphne."
“...”
“Tell me what you are.”
It was a gentle voice. Daphne answered without hesitation.
“Your dog.”
"Dog?"
“If you tell me to come, I should come, and if you tell me to go, I should go. You only love me when you want to love me, and I'm not really worth cherishing.”
"Ha."
Asherad chuckled.
“Did you realize that you were a dog? I didn’t realize it.”
Asherad seemed quite satisfied with the answer. He stood up and lifted Daphne up with his hands under her shoulders. She was lifted up without resistance.
Asherad looked down at Daphne and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. The tautness of Asherad's trousers could be felt against her bare skin, which was exposed when the robe’s strings were undone.
“Then what am I, sleeping with a dog?”
“...”
“You mean I'm an animal.”
Asherad chuckled. When Daphne was about to say something, Asherad brought his lips to hers. As she opened her mouth, thinking that he was going to kiss her again, his thumb suddenly thrust in roughly.
“Ouch!”
A thick thumb stirred inside Daphne's mouth. As she groaned in pain, Asherad spoke.
“So, did you take the pills?”
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