There is a saying that time heals all wounds.
No matter how deep the injury,
even though it was unbearably painful back then,
as time passes, it gradually dulls.
“Yeah… slowly… I can start again.”
It’s different this time.
I no longer think of Hera as a mere possession.
My wife. My love. My everything.
I will devote all my effort to Hera.
And then,
if time passes like that,
maybe I can speak words of love to her again.
“For now… I should stay away…”
The image of Hera, who was in unimaginable pain upon meeting me, came to my mind.
Approaching her recklessly wouldn’t be good for her.
Athena squeezed her eyes shut, wishing fervently.
I hope time will solve this.
I hope it will heal the wounds I left on Hera.
But Athena didn’t know.
I was far greater to Hera than I thought.
And I had shattered her heart into pieces.
And,
that a once-broken vessel can never be repaired.
Athena, who had always been indifferent to human emotions, couldn’t possibly understand.
*
Lying on the bed, I stared blankly out the window.
Birds flew vibrantly through the sunny daylight.
Unlike myself, who had lost the will to fly, their cries sounded lively and full of freedom.
Three days had passed since that incident.
I didn’t even know how time had flown by.
All I could do was lie in bed helplessly, staring out the window.
I couldn’t sleep. Each time I fell asleep, terrible nightmares tormented me.
People, including Athena, were laughing at me, and I was powerless, dying in those nightmares.
After constantly having such nightmares, I found myself unable to fall asleep anymore.
Sometimes, the effects of the medicine Mari gave me allowed me to sleep for a while, but that too was short-lived.
“Miss… It’s time to eat…”
Turning my heavy body, Alina, holding a food-laden tray, looked at me with a sad expression.
“…Alina.”
“I made it with soft ingredients that go down easily this time. Please try some, Miss…”
The food in front of me looked delicious enough to make my mouth water.
But I didn’t feel like eating at all.
I had no appetite.
Well, if it was just a lack of appetite, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Even if it tasted bad, I could force it down.
The problem was that my body wouldn’t accept food.
For the past three days, I had tried various dishes, but
the moment food entered my stomach, it would come back up.
The only thing I could keep down was water.
I didn’t think this time would be any different.
But not wanting to ignore Alina’s dedication, I started putting a little food into my mouth.
“Are you okay, Miss?”
“Yeah… it’s delicious. Thank you, Alina.”
But just as Alina was about to show a relieved expression,
“Uuuck!”
“Miss!”
“Uweeeek… ugh…”
The food I had forced down burst forth again, accompanied by an unbearable sense of nausea.
Alina quickly handed me water.
Only after pushing down the nausea with water did I feel a little settled.
“Miss…”
Seeing her sorrowful face brought guilt and self-loathing back to the forefront of my mind.
“I’m sorry… you must have worked hard to prepare this…”
“Don’t say sorry. Never say that.”
She scolded me with a stern expression and wiped my mouth with a tissue, cleaning up after me.
Then, she bid me to rest well and quietly left the room.
Tears welled up in my eyes at her sincere care for me.
I’m sorry, Alina. For disappointing you again.
“Ugh…”
I don’t want to be like this.
My pitiful self must be a huge burden to Alina and Mari, who care for me.
I wanted to forget everything that happened with Athena and live confidently, easing their worries.
But how could I do that?
Athena was everything to me.
She was my salvation, my love, my world.
If she wanted, I would gladly give her everything, even my life.
I loved and trusted her that much.
Without her, I didn’t believe I could go on living.
I wondered who could love such a pitiful version of myself.
But that wasn’t true.
It was all a lie.
I was played by her.
The fact that Athena was the one who made me like this made me sick to my stomach.
The words of love she spoke to me, her gaze, her gestures.
It all felt like part of her scheme.
Now, I couldn’t tell which of her feelings for me were genuine and which were false.
Everything felt like hypocrisy, mocking me.
But the most disgusting and hateful thing was
that I still loved her, the foolish me.
Maybe it would have been better to live without knowing anything.
It sounds stupid, but at least I wouldn’t be in so much pain.
Now, I don’t want to trust anyone.
I was too fearful of the thorns hidden beneath warm words.
Alina and Mari. Though they were so precious to me,
I felt I couldn’t open my heart to them either.
No one, from now on, would I be able to open my heart to.
In fact, I might not have any heart left to give.
I felt empty inside.
A huge hole had opened in my chest, making me feel like I had lost everything.
Even now, every night the impulse to end my life tugged at me.
Except when I took the medicine Mari had given me, I was always suffering in agony.
‘Don’t you want to end it already?’
‘You don’t have to suffer anymore.’
‘You can rest peacefully.’
In a corner of my mind, sweet words lured me.
But each time that happened, I thought of Mari.
My daughter, for whom I had to take responsibility.
If I were to die, she would surely cry sadly.
I didn’t want to leave Mari with a huge scar in her heart like mine.
“Mom!! I’m home!”
As if she knew I was thinking of her,
Mari opened the door and ran towards me with a bright smile.
In her little hand was something small.
“Mari, what is that in your hand?”
“I made it for you, Mom!”
Then she held it out to me with sparkling eyes.
“This is…”
It was a beautiful crown woven with flowers of various colors.
“Mom, it will look great on you because you’re as pretty as a flower.”
“…..Mari…”
A tiny droplet formed in the corner of my eye at Mari’s sincerity.
As I hugged Mari tightly, she brushed her head against my shoulder, laughing joyfully.
I love you, Mari.
And I’m sorry.
For not being able to fully accept your heart.
This contradictory feeling within me felt so revolting.
*
The red moon was rising.
A bleak and cold land where not a hint of sunlight could be found.
This place, reminiscent of hell, was none other than the Demon Realm.
In the land stood a small castle.
Unlike the Demon Realm’s atmosphere, it emanated quite a lavish vibe.
And inside that space,
numerous beauties surrounded a woman, giving her a send-off.
“Huh? Are you really leaving?”
“Hehe. I’m getting bored of being a legion commander.”
At the woman’s words, the surroundings began to stir.
“Indeed, Lady Sephir!!”
“Of course. Not even the position of commander can satisfy Lady Sephir.”
“Wow! You’re so cool, Your Majesty!”
“Lady Sephir! Please take me with you!”
Seeing the tearful expressions of those who were once her subordinates made Sephir feel proud.
“Haha! If you all work hard, maybe one day you can become excellent succubi like me.”
Sephir laughed heartily, covering her mouth with one hand.
Perhaps due to the praise from her subordinates, her face was filled with pride.
One of the succubi looked at her with shimmering eyes.
“I heard you dealt a blow to that Athena woman?”
“Uh… yeah?”
“I heard it from my familiar! That she was looking for you with a very urgent expression! You definitely did something to her, right?”
Upon hearing the talk of Athena, Sephir felt a chill.
But in front of her subordinates, she tried to act as if nothing were wrong and spoke as confidently as she could.
“Y-yeah!! I totally showed that Athena… I mean, that woman who’s been getting too cocky…!”
As soon as her words reached their ears, the room began to buzz.
“Just like Lady Sephir!! You’re so amazing!”
“Even that monster has no choice in front of her majesty, huh..”
“I’m so proud of you, Your Majesty!!”
They cheered and praised her.
“Well… I’ll be on my way then.”
Though she felt uneasy about her lie, it mattered only if she wasn’t found out.
Sephir bid them farewell and tried to leave.
But,
“By the way, Lady Sephir, who is that human with black hair?”
“Eh?”
A succubus holding onto her foot asked the question.
“I heard she seems to be quite close to that woman?”
“Uh…? That… um…”
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Sephir’s neck.
The human her subordinates were talking about was surely Hera.
There was no way she could admit that she had become a familiar.
Becoming a human’s familiar was a disgrace for a demon.
Her subordinates’ admiration would surely turn to contempt in an instant.
‘W-what should I do?’
Though she racked her brain for a solution, nothing came to mind.
But was it fortunate?
Another succubus spoke up.
“Is she a pet by any chance?”
“Huh…?”
“These days, it’s popular to raise humans as pets, right?”
While it was actually the other way around,
in a state of panic, Sephir ended up lying.
“Y-yeah! She’s cute and pretty… perfect to keep as a pet…!”
Her words brought another round of cheers from her subordinates.
“Just like Lady Sephir!”
“To be Lady Sephir’s pet… I’m so jealous… I want to see her!”
“Please introduce her to us later!”
They looked at her with expectations shining in their eyes.
“U-um…”
Unable to disappoint their sparkling gazes, Sephir said,
“I… I’ll bring her along later.”
She blurted out an irreversible statement.
‘This… this should be okay, right?’
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