99. Eternity
When Asherad woke up from his nightmare again, this time Daphne was sitting up. She was grumbling as she looked in the mirror at her dressing table.
“Why is it so long?”
The hand that combed her hair with the comb was extremely rough. Daphne grumbled as she combed her golden hair that reached down to her buttocks.
The lines of her profile, illuminated by the sunlight, were beautiful. Asherad, who had woken up, blankly observed the sight. Unlike the curses he had always heard in his dreams, there was peace between the two.
Daphne did not hate Asherad now and was quietly combing her hair next to the bed where he was sleeping soundly.
For over ten years, he had never seen Daphne like that. Before she knew everything, she was always watching Asherad's every move, and after that, she was afraid of him.
Asherad watched the dreamlike scene with a smile. If this is a dream, he wants to sleep forever. Here, not in that nightmare, forever...
Daphne's hand, which was combing her hair, stopped. She pulled hard at her hair, but it was tangled and wouldn't comb out.
"Ouch!"
At that scream, Asherad could no longer bear it and sat up on the bed.
“What are you doing?”
Daphne looked back at the bed in surprise at those words. Her face turned bright red. A comb dangled from her tangled hair.
“That, that...”
Asherad got up and stood beside Daphne. Daphne avoided his gaze.
“You can just let the maid comb your hair. Why are you doing this?”
Daphne lowered her head as if those kind words were a scolding. Asherad asked because he really wanted to know, but Daphne did not raise her head for a while.
"Daphne."
Daphne opened her mouth in surprise at those words.
“That’s the head..."
“What’s wrong with your head?”
“My hair is so tangled, it doesn’t look pretty...”
Then he lifted his head, looking at her every now and then. Asherad still couldn't understand Daphne's intentions. Daphne was still a child. He smiled as if trying to reassure her, relaxing his stiff face.
“Daphne. I’m not angry. What’s wrong with you? It’s pretty.”
“...My hair is so ugly. What if you wake up and see something like that and don’t like me?”
Then Daphne's face turned red and she started to sob. She kept trying to pull out the comb, but it was already firmly stuck in her hair and wouldn't come out.
Asherad, who was far from Daphne's shame, looked at Daphne with a blank expression.
Daphne wants his love.
His saliva dried. How many times must he feel this wonder, this happiness? Daphne, unable to pull the comb out of her hair, simply burst into tears. She was so embarrassed. She only wanted to show her pretty face, but what a pitiful sight this was.
“What’s not pretty?”
Asherad stroked Daphne's head. When Daphne, who had been sobbing, raised her head and opened her eyes wide, he snickered.
“There was never a moment when you weren’t pretty.”
“...”
“If you put it that way, my head is also pressed down.”
Daphne opened her eyes wide and looked at the place Asherad had pointed to. It really was. It had been pressed. The Emperor’s head, once so neat and tidy, had become like that. The strange thing was that even though his head had been pressed, his appearance had not changed at all. He was still handsome. Did Asherad think so too?
A delightful laugh burst out of Daphne's mouth.
“Still, you're handsome.”
Asherad put his hand on her head and stroked it with an awkward expression. This imperfection, this moment of smiling at it, was pleasing.
He ended up just chuckling.
The man's head was pressed down, and the woman's head had a comb hanging from it. It was so funny how they showed that appearance, and it wasn't considered a 'weakness'.
In the end, Asherad had no choice but to burst out in laughter. Without even a moment to feel happy, he just laughed.
He wishes this moment could last forever.
If Daphne hadn't regained her memories.
She wishes their relationship could last forever like this.
He wished that his imaginary love would last forever.
The foolish man reached out and touched the imaginary girl's hair.
“Oh, the comb is hanging too tightly.”
“...Uh, what should I do? So I have to live like this for the rest of my life?”
“No, I have to cut it off. Your head will be pulled out.”
Her hair is so long that even if it is cut, it will still reach her back. Asherad said to Daphne, who was lying down in the grass.
“I’ll cut it myself.”
Asherad pulled the rope to call the maid, order her the necessary tools, and sent her out. He sat Daphne down at the dressing table.
Asherad clumsily wrapped the hairdressing cape around Daphne's hair. Daphne looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Asherad, who is good at everything, can do something like that.
He picked up the scissors and very carefully cut the hair where the comb was hanging. Then the peculiar, heavy feeling of the comb hanging was gone.
Snip. Snip. She felt careful hands cutting her hair. Daphne looked at Asherad, who was concentrating on her hair.
The Emperor of this country, his a serious look on her head, was so funny. But her heart was also warm. Ah, even her hair is precious to this person. He puts so much effort into it.
Snip. Snip.
The hair was cut off. The sound brushed against her ears, the soft touch of her hair. Daphne's eyes began to close.
Soon, the hand that was cutting her hair stopped. Asherad smiled as he looked at Daphne’s straightened hair. When he looked in the mirror, Daphne’s eyes were closed.
Are you saying you sleep a lot these days?
Daphne, who had quietly surrendered her body to his hands, was lovely. Asherad smiled and enjoyed the moment.
Daphne was walking down the hallway in a good mood. Her hair was cut to a satisfactory length, and Asherad looked at her and said she was pretty, so he bought her a pearl necklace.
Daphne, wearing that necklace, walked down the hall with a light step. If her mother knew, she would scold her for being frivolous, but no one in this palace said anything about Daphne’s manners.
Besides, today is the time to draw!
He said she was a female teacher. Who could she be? Daphne went into the prepared studio. Then, she saw a canvas.
"Hello!"
As Daphne spoke in a cheerful voice, the woman standing by the window turned her head. She was a woman with impressive purple eyes. When she thought she was pretty, she opened her mouth.
"Daphne!"
Daphne tilted her head at the voice. Did this person know her? Artemisia grabbed both of her hands. Artemisia sighed at the puzzled look on her face.
“You really don’t know me.”
“Do you know me?”
Daphne asked cautiously. She was such a pretty art teacher. Did she know her before she lost her memory? Judging from how happy she was, she must have been close to her.
“Oh, I guess I should introduce myself again. My name is Artemisia.”
It was a name she had definitely heard. Daphne nodded. Artemisia looked at her with a pitiful face, but it was okay. She had lost her memory, so it was understandable to feel sorry for her. Daphne was already used to such gazes.
At that moment, Artemisia's face hardened seriously. She lowered her voice.
“What has His Majesty done?”
"Yes?"
“If you’re pretending to lose your memories, let me know.”
Why would she say such things in secret? Daphne wondered. It seemed as if Asherad had been secretly harassing her.
“Asherad do well.”
“...”
“Thank you for your concern.”
It must have been Daphne who was worried about her losing her memory. Daphne sat down in front of the canvas and looked at Artemisia. She must have been a good person. Even though she couldn't remember, she felt a sense of favor.
What kind of person does this person draw? What will he teach?
“Let’s do nothing today and play with colors.”
I thought she would draw lines and shapes! Playing with colors. Daphne's face brightened when she saw the bottle of paint that Artemisia had brought. It was when she was thinking about what to draw. When Artemisia opened the bottle of paint, a strong smell wafted out. When she thought that the smell of paint was familiar, Daphne's stomach twisted.
“Whew!”
Daphne covered her mouth with her hand and retched several times. It was strange. The smell of the paint was fine, but why did she feel so nauseous?
"Daphne!"
Daphne continued to feel nauseous. Was something wrong with her stomach? Did she eat something wrong? Daphne ended up having to throw up everything she had eaten for breakfast.
"No way..."
Artemisia looked at Daphne with a look of horror on her face. Daphne tilted her head and continued to retch.
Asherad looked at the sleeping Daphne. She had been vomiting continuously and had fainted, Artemisia said.
Come to think of it, Daphne has been sleeping a lot lately. He had a complicated expression as he watched her sleeping soundly. The female doctor who examined Daphne felt her pulse and was surprised, then quickly examined her with various equipment. Then, as if she had gained confidence, she spoke with a bright face.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”
“...”
“It’s been about two months now.”
“What the...”
“This lady is currently pregnant.”
When Asherad woke up from his nightmare again, this time Daphne was sitting up. She was grumbling as she looked in the mirror at her dressing table.
“Why is it so long?”
The hand that combed her hair with the comb was extremely rough. Daphne grumbled as she combed her golden hair that reached down to her buttocks.
The lines of her profile, illuminated by the sunlight, were beautiful. Asherad, who had woken up, blankly observed the sight. Unlike the curses he had always heard in his dreams, there was peace between the two.
Daphne did not hate Asherad now and was quietly combing her hair next to the bed where he was sleeping soundly.
For over ten years, he had never seen Daphne like that. Before she knew everything, she was always watching Asherad's every move, and after that, she was afraid of him.
Asherad watched the dreamlike scene with a smile. If this is a dream, he wants to sleep forever. Here, not in that nightmare, forever...
Daphne's hand, which was combing her hair, stopped. She pulled hard at her hair, but it was tangled and wouldn't comb out.
"Ouch!"
At that scream, Asherad could no longer bear it and sat up on the bed.
“What are you doing?”
Daphne looked back at the bed in surprise at those words. Her face turned bright red. A comb dangled from her tangled hair.
“That, that...”
Asherad got up and stood beside Daphne. Daphne avoided his gaze.
“You can just let the maid comb your hair. Why are you doing this?”
Daphne lowered her head as if those kind words were a scolding. Asherad asked because he really wanted to know, but Daphne did not raise her head for a while.
"Daphne."
Daphne opened her mouth in surprise at those words.
“That’s the head..."
“What’s wrong with your head?”
“My hair is so tangled, it doesn’t look pretty...”
Then he lifted his head, looking at her every now and then. Asherad still couldn't understand Daphne's intentions. Daphne was still a child. He smiled as if trying to reassure her, relaxing his stiff face.
“Daphne. I’m not angry. What’s wrong with you? It’s pretty.”
“...My hair is so ugly. What if you wake up and see something like that and don’t like me?”
Then Daphne's face turned red and she started to sob. She kept trying to pull out the comb, but it was already firmly stuck in her hair and wouldn't come out.
Asherad, who was far from Daphne's shame, looked at Daphne with a blank expression.
Daphne wants his love.
His saliva dried. How many times must he feel this wonder, this happiness? Daphne, unable to pull the comb out of her hair, simply burst into tears. She was so embarrassed. She only wanted to show her pretty face, but what a pitiful sight this was.
“What’s not pretty?”
Asherad stroked Daphne's head. When Daphne, who had been sobbing, raised her head and opened her eyes wide, he snickered.
“There was never a moment when you weren’t pretty.”
“...”
“If you put it that way, my head is also pressed down.”
Daphne opened her eyes wide and looked at the place Asherad had pointed to. It really was. It had been pressed. The Emperor’s head, once so neat and tidy, had become like that. The strange thing was that even though his head had been pressed, his appearance had not changed at all. He was still handsome. Did Asherad think so too?
A delightful laugh burst out of Daphne's mouth.
“Still, you're handsome.”
Asherad put his hand on her head and stroked it with an awkward expression. This imperfection, this moment of smiling at it, was pleasing.
He ended up just chuckling.
The man's head was pressed down, and the woman's head had a comb hanging from it. It was so funny how they showed that appearance, and it wasn't considered a 'weakness'.
In the end, Asherad had no choice but to burst out in laughter. Without even a moment to feel happy, he just laughed.
He wishes this moment could last forever.
If Daphne hadn't regained her memories.
She wishes their relationship could last forever like this.
He wished that his imaginary love would last forever.
The foolish man reached out and touched the imaginary girl's hair.
“Oh, the comb is hanging too tightly.”
“...Uh, what should I do? So I have to live like this for the rest of my life?”
“No, I have to cut it off. Your head will be pulled out.”
Her hair is so long that even if it is cut, it will still reach her back. Asherad said to Daphne, who was lying down in the grass.
“I’ll cut it myself.”
Asherad pulled the rope to call the maid, order her the necessary tools, and sent her out. He sat Daphne down at the dressing table.
Asherad clumsily wrapped the hairdressing cape around Daphne's hair. Daphne looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Asherad, who is good at everything, can do something like that.
He picked up the scissors and very carefully cut the hair where the comb was hanging. Then the peculiar, heavy feeling of the comb hanging was gone.
Snip. Snip. She felt careful hands cutting her hair. Daphne looked at Asherad, who was concentrating on her hair.
The Emperor of this country, his a serious look on her head, was so funny. But her heart was also warm. Ah, even her hair is precious to this person. He puts so much effort into it.
Snip. Snip.
The hair was cut off. The sound brushed against her ears, the soft touch of her hair. Daphne's eyes began to close.
Soon, the hand that was cutting her hair stopped. Asherad smiled as he looked at Daphne’s straightened hair. When he looked in the mirror, Daphne’s eyes were closed.
Are you saying you sleep a lot these days?
Daphne, who had quietly surrendered her body to his hands, was lovely. Asherad smiled and enjoyed the moment.
***
Daphne was walking down the hallway in a good mood. Her hair was cut to a satisfactory length, and Asherad looked at her and said she was pretty, so he bought her a pearl necklace.
Daphne, wearing that necklace, walked down the hall with a light step. If her mother knew, she would scold her for being frivolous, but no one in this palace said anything about Daphne’s manners.
Besides, today is the time to draw!
He said she was a female teacher. Who could she be? Daphne went into the prepared studio. Then, she saw a canvas.
"Hello!"
As Daphne spoke in a cheerful voice, the woman standing by the window turned her head. She was a woman with impressive purple eyes. When she thought she was pretty, she opened her mouth.
"Daphne!"
Daphne tilted her head at the voice. Did this person know her? Artemisia grabbed both of her hands. Artemisia sighed at the puzzled look on her face.
“You really don’t know me.”
“Do you know me?”
Daphne asked cautiously. She was such a pretty art teacher. Did she know her before she lost her memory? Judging from how happy she was, she must have been close to her.
“Oh, I guess I should introduce myself again. My name is Artemisia.”
It was a name she had definitely heard. Daphne nodded. Artemisia looked at her with a pitiful face, but it was okay. She had lost her memory, so it was understandable to feel sorry for her. Daphne was already used to such gazes.
At that moment, Artemisia's face hardened seriously. She lowered her voice.
“What has His Majesty done?”
"Yes?"
“If you’re pretending to lose your memories, let me know.”
Why would she say such things in secret? Daphne wondered. It seemed as if Asherad had been secretly harassing her.
“Asherad do well.”
“...”
“Thank you for your concern.”
It must have been Daphne who was worried about her losing her memory. Daphne sat down in front of the canvas and looked at Artemisia. She must have been a good person. Even though she couldn't remember, she felt a sense of favor.
What kind of person does this person draw? What will he teach?
“Let’s do nothing today and play with colors.”
I thought she would draw lines and shapes! Playing with colors. Daphne's face brightened when she saw the bottle of paint that Artemisia had brought. It was when she was thinking about what to draw. When Artemisia opened the bottle of paint, a strong smell wafted out. When she thought that the smell of paint was familiar, Daphne's stomach twisted.
“Whew!”
Daphne covered her mouth with her hand and retched several times. It was strange. The smell of the paint was fine, but why did she feel so nauseous?
"Daphne!"
Daphne continued to feel nauseous. Was something wrong with her stomach? Did she eat something wrong? Daphne ended up having to throw up everything she had eaten for breakfast.
"No way..."
Artemisia looked at Daphne with a look of horror on her face. Daphne tilted her head and continued to retch.
***
Asherad looked at the sleeping Daphne. She had been vomiting continuously and had fainted, Artemisia said.
Come to think of it, Daphne has been sleeping a lot lately. He had a complicated expression as he watched her sleeping soundly. The female doctor who examined Daphne felt her pulse and was surprised, then quickly examined her with various equipment. Then, as if she had gained confidence, she spoke with a bright face.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”
“...”
“It’s been about two months now.”
“What the...”
“This lady is currently pregnant.”
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