TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 236
-Kiddo.
Another nightmare unfolds today.
The nightmare that brought unbearable sorrow once again consumed the dream I had entered with a light heart.
Underneath the Dark Bridge.
The Rainy Sky.
Impossible Boy.
The nightmare, set in the harshest environment of life, reflected the small Young Girl.
The Boy walked toward the Girl, who sat with her legs drawn in. Wearing a bitter smile, he hesitated, unsure of how to start the conversation.
-The stars are really out tonight.
A Gentle Voice.
The Boy spoke to the Girl, who never said thank you for the food he brought, without a voice of reproach.
The Girl, as always, had no response. She simply hid her face between her knees in sorrow, waiting for comfort.
Beneath the sky where stars fell and the Milky Way unfolded, The Boy began his usual monologue toward the Girl.
-You know.
-…
-I don’t have a Mother.
-…
-Damn…
-Pfft.
-I don’t even know her face or who she is. I don’t have a Father either. What is this? I’m not Park Hyeokgeose or anything.
-Park Hyeokgeose?
-…
The Girl laughed.
She burst into laughter at The Boy’s joke.
And then.
The nightmare gradually began to take on a crimson hue.
-Run away.
-Ah… Ahhh…
-Don’t be reckless.
-I can’t.
-Don’t look back, just run.
The Boy who couldn’t leave.
The Girl who had no choice but to leave.
Once again, the dark nightmare brought both sweetness and terror, beginning to uncover faults.
Slowly.
-I’m someone who keeps promises.
And terrifyingly.
“Stop…!”
Mikhail opened his eyes, exhaling hot breaths as he rose from the Academy bed.
“Ha… Ha…”
A forehead drenched in Cold Sweat.
A shirt soaked with sweat.
Mikhail drew his knees in and buried his head.
“Please…”
Memories remained intact.
The Gentle Voice, too.
Even the breath that made his heart tremble.
The Heartbeat, aching with sorrow, remained so vivid it was hard to believe it was a dream.
“…”
As always, the face of The Boy, hidden in black, did not appear, and the desperate longing and the sticky Worry in his heart continued to torment Mikhail’s chest.
Even if he wanted to erase it, he couldn’t.
The memories of the past were so painful they felt like they would tear his chest apart, making it impossible to think about them carelessly.
Gripped by a sorrow he couldn’t share with anyone, Mikhail clenched his Fist.
“Please…”
Mikhail wanted to escape this Shackles. It was a selfish thought, but if he could sever it completely, he even wished he could erase the memories entirely because of the aching pain in his chest.
Hiding his head between his knees, Mikhail murmured softly.
“I want to stop now.”
The sense of disillusionment with the years he had lived under the name Mikhail did not disappear.
Because he wanted to live as the image The Boy remembered.
The desire to wear pretty clothes like ordinary women had long been erased.
He used to dream of such things in the past, but as time went by, those feelings had long faded.
Mikhail closed his eyes and held back his sorrow. Neither his trembling shoulders nor the wistful Night Air offered any solace.
‘Since That Day, the nightmares seem to have gotten worse.’
Since losing the Duel against Hanna, the frequency of the nightmares and the sorrow that brought both peace and despair seemed to have intensified.
Because after losing the opportunity he had desperately grasped, the memories he wanted to forget the most resurfaced.
The Survival of that child.
Deceived by the Blue Window’s Prank, which planted Hope in memories named Lee Minhyuk, Mikhail felt regret even though he knew it was a Lie.
It could have been a Hallucination.
Or perhaps it was a depiction of the wish he desired most.
“…”
His sweat-soaked Hair showed no signs of drying. His damp shirt, as if shouting at him not to fall asleep again, was too clammy for him to lie down.
“…”
Letting out a Deep Sigh, Mikhail rose from the Bed.
Under the Moonlight shining on his White Legs, his lower body, unclothed, began walking toward the Window.
-Plod.
Leaning against the Windowsill, Mikhail murmured with a wistful Smile.
“You know….”
“Don’t I seem really foolish?”
Looking at the moon, Mikhail spoke his unanswered monologue.
“Crying as I please, feeling disappointed as I please….”
“Wanting to show you a cool side of me, I spent all night tormenting a scarecrow.”
“I’m sure you’d call me a fool if you were here.”
Letting out a Deep Sigh, Mikhail lowered his head.
“What would you say if you saw me now?”
You’d probably think I’m pathetic.
If it were him, he’d surely say, ‘Why are you living such a hard life?’
Breathing in the Night Air, Mikhail parted his lips. Hoping the cold air would empty this suffocating heart.
“You know, I still can’t properly say your name.”
With a faint Smile, Mikhail carefully uttered the name from his memories.
“Lee… Minhyuk.”
As the clumsy pronunciation escaped Mikhail’s lips, his face flushed with Shame.
“It’s been over ten years, and I’m still a fool who can’t even say your name properly.”
No family.
No friends.
No one to rely on, yet he kept calling out to a friend who was resting, and for that, Mikhail felt sorry.
“I’m sorry for calling you again and again.”
Mikhail stood leaning against the Window for a long time.
-Whoosh.
In Mikhail’s room, where the wind blew, the White One-piece Dress swayed gently. A dress infused with the small Desire of wanting to show it to The Boy someday.
Hanging in the Wardrobe, it swayed gently.
***
“Damn!”
Today, the Young Lady’s Estate was peaceful as always.
Sitting on the bed, the Young Lady spat out harsh curses. With a furious expression, she glared at me and threw the pile of red candy wrappers on the bed to the floor in anger.
“Eeeek!”
“What’s the matter? I bought candy because we ran out of chocolate.”
“…”
The Young Lady frowned as she looked at the ominous illustration on the red wrapping paper.
“This isn’t candy.”
“It is.”
“Why is there grass drawn on the candy?”
“It must be candy made from grass.”
“…How do you even make candy out of grass?”
“Hmm… skillfully?”
The Young Lady clenched her fist and glared at me. She was threatening to throw all the candy on the bed out the window unless I told her the truth.
“…Sniff sniff.”
As expected, the Young Lady must be part dog.
Nodding, I confessed the truth to the Young Lady. That this wasn’t the chocolate I had bought as a snack.
“Actually, this is a product Mr. Malik and I developed.”
“Why is Ricardo making candy?”
“To give you something delicious, Young Lady.”
“Oh… impressive.”
“I know.”
“Annoying.”
Nodding lightly at her small rebellion, I continued speaking. After all, being called annoying was practically a compliment.
“Anyway, I brought it to ask for your taste evaluation.”
Holding the candy in her hand, the Young Lady glared at me fiercely.
“What’s it made of?”
“…That’s a secret.”
“Tell me.”
“It’s not something that will kill you.”
The Young Lady squinted her eyes and stared at the wrapping paper, doubting whether this was really candy.
I couldn’t tell the truth to the Young Lady.
“…”
Because I knew she would be absolutely furious if she ate it.
Glancing at me, the Young Lady began to tear open the candy wrapper. As the familiar scent of candy wafted faintly, I smiled softly and nodded at the skeptical Young Lady.
“It’s sweet and delicious.”
“…”
-Chomp!
“Probably.”
As soon as she put it in her mouth, I began to back away slowly from the bed where the Young Lady was sitting, creating a safe distance.
To avoid her attacks, I needed to stay clear of the bed filled with things she could throw.
The Young Lady’s complexion gradually turned pale.
“Ughhh!”
As if the candy’s newly developed effects were invigorating her, the Young Lady clenched her fist with a face that moved the heart of its developer.
“Eeeeeeek!!!!!!”
I told the Young Lady the truth.
“Actually, this candy is a ‘Mandrake’ candy we developed for an older demographic…”
“Eek?”
From her bizarre expression, as if she had eaten something that turned into a person, I could tell the Mandrake’s effects were indeed potent.
“How is it? Doesn’t it fill you with energy?”
“Eek?”
Letting out a guttural noise and spitting the candy out, the Young Lady looked at me with a Question Mark on her Head.
And then.
“Damn!”
I could hear the Young Lady’s scream filled with frustration.
“I’m going to report you to the Noble Abuse Committee!”
“That doesn’t exist.”
“Eeeek! Then I’ll create one!”
Glaring at the mountain of candy piled on the bed with resentful eyes, the Young Lady looked like she was about to explode.
I wondered what the problem was when I had created a mountain of candy for her.
At her cold critique of my masterpiece, which I had developed in my previous life inspired by Old Master’s red ginseng candy, I let out a bitter smile.
I carefully unwrapped a piece of candy and tossed it into the screaming Young Lady’s mouth, whistling as I did so.
“Eeeeeek!”
The Young Lady’s taste was resolute.
Taking notes on her reaction, I nodded.
[Not suitable for children’s tastes.]
‘Ah, but the Young Lady is an adult.’
I quickly underlined the note and rewrote the answer.
[It’s poison to a Villainess.]
It seemed that testing the product before its release was indeed helpful. Although Malik said it was delicious, it was necessary to test it on a variety of people.
We also needed to decide on the regions where the product would be launched.
I thought that attaching a premium price might yield a bit more profit.
Handing the teary-eyed Young Lady a rectangular object, I gave her the Compensation Fee. No matter how much of a Villainess she was, she deserved her due for her efforts.
“Eek?”
Suspicious, the Young Lady looked at me with a Question Mark on her Head, but I personally unwrapped the chocolate for her to reassure her.
“It’s chocolate.”
“It doesn’t have something weird in it, right?”
“I’m not that much of a Devil.”
“…Devil.”
“If you don’t want it, I’ll take it back.”
“Sorry.”
Holding the chocolate in both hands, the Young Lady nodded.
Looking at the Young Lady, I cautiously asked.
“Young Lady.”
“Mm.”
With chocolate smeared all over her mouth, the Young Lady turned her head to answer me.
“If the chocolate tasted like Mandrake, what would you do?”
“…Hmm.”
Furrowing her brows in thought, the Young Lady absentmindedly chewed on the chocolate before answering.
“I’d hit you.”
“Of course.”
“Mm.”
“Then, what if it was chocolate, but there was Mandrake inside it?”
“Huh?”
Looking at the cross-section of the chocolate, the Young Lady’s face crumpled in despair.
“Are you trying to assassinate me?”
“No. I’m just curious. Besides, chocolate is too expensive to make recklessly.”
“Phew.”
Nodding, the Young Lady replied.
“You see.”
-Crunch.
“I think it’s fine as long as it tastes good.”
“Is that so.”
“Yeah.”
“Young Lady.”
“Hm?”
Actually.
“Never mind.”
I swallowed the words rising in my throat and shook my head.
The Young Lady, who looked as if she had suffered the worst thing in the world, clenched her fist with a vacant expression.
“Eeeek!! What is it!”
“Well…”
“Yeah.”
“Have one more of these.”
“Chuckle…!”
The Young Lady liked chocolate.