79

There is a saying that time is the best medicine.

No matter how deep the wound.

Even though it was so painful back then that I wanted to die.

As time passes, it gradually dulls.

"Yeah… slowly… I can start over."

It's different now.

I no longer think of Hera as some possession.

My wife. My love. My everything.

I will pour all my heart and soul into Hera.

And then.

As time passes.

Maybe I'll be able to speak words of love to her again.

"For now… I must stay away…"

The image of Hera, in agony, desperately struggling when she encountered me, came to mind.

Approaching her recklessly wouldn't be good for her.

Athena tightly shut her eyes and silently wished with all her heart.

Please, let time heal it.

Let it heal the wounds I left on Hera.

But Athena didn't know.

Far more than she had thought, she had been a huge presence in Hera's life.

And that, in turn, meant she had shattered Hera's heart into a million pieces.

And.

Once something is broken, it can never be put back together.

Athena, who had always been indifferent to human hearts, had no way of knowing that.

***

Lying in bed, she stared blankly out the window.

Birds flew through the bright sunshine.

Unlike herself, whose will had been crushed and no longer had the strength to fly, their cries sounded lively and free.

It had been three days since the incident.

She didn't even know how the time had passed.

All she could do was lie in bed, powerless, and stare out the window.

She couldn't sleep. Every time she fell asleep, dreadful nightmares tormented her.

Athena and countless others were laughing at her, and she was helplessly dying in the middle of it all.

After continuing to have nightmares like that, she had reached a point where she could no longer sleep.

Sometimes, she could manage a deep sleep from the medicine that Maria gave her, but that would break almost immediately.

"Miss… please eat…"

Turning her heavy body, Alina stood before her, holding a meal with a sad expression.

"…Alina."

"I made it with soft ingredients that should go down easily. Please try it, Miss…"

The food placed before her looked delicious enough to make her mouth water.

But she didn't feel like eating it at all.

She had no appetite.

No, actually, it wouldn't be a problem if it was just that she had no appetite.

Even if it didn't taste good, she could just force herself to eat.

The problem was that her body wouldn't accept the food.

Over the past three days, she had tried many different dishes.

But as soon as food entered her body, she started to vomit it back up.

The only thing she could manage to keep down was water.

I didn't think it would be any different this time either.

But not wanting to disregard Alina's sincere efforts, I slowly put the food into my mouth.

"Are you okay, miss?"

"Yeah… it's delicious. Thank you, Alina."

But just as Alina showed a relieved expression, it quickly faded.

"Ugh…!"

"Miss!"

"Uweck… ek… heek…"

The food I had forced down came rushing back out of my mouth, accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of nausea.

Alina quickly handed me some water.

Once I suppressed the nausea with the water, I felt a bit calmer.

"Miss…"

Seeing her sad face, guilt and self-loathing began to torment my heart once again.

"I'm sorry… you must've prepared so hard…"

"Don't say you're sorry. Never say that."

She gave me a reproachful look as she wiped my mouth with a tissue and cleaned up after me.

Then, with a quiet farewell telling me to rest, she left the room.

Her caring presence brought tears to my eyes.

I'm sorry, Alina. I disappointed you again.

"Ugh…"

I don't want to be like this.

This pathetic side of me must be a huge burden on Alina and Mari, who care for me.

I wanted to forget everything that happened with Athena and live confidently, to ease their worries.

But how could I do that?

Athena was my everything.

She was my salvation, my love, my world.

If she wanted it, I would gladly give her everything—my life included.

I trusted her and loved her that much.

Without her, I couldn't see myself living.

I thought, who else would love someone as pathetic as me, if not her?

But it wasn't like that.

It was all a lie.

I was just a pawn in her hands.

The fact that Athena made me like this filled me with a deep hatred.

The words, the gaze, the gestures she gave me, all seemed like actions made under her calculations.

Now, I don't know what part of Athena's heart is true and what is false.

It only feels like everything about her was hypocritical and mocking me.

But the most disgusting, nauseating thing of all was that, despite everything, I still loved her.

I thought maybe it would have been better if I had lived without knowing anything.

It sounds foolish, but at least I wouldn't have to feel this pain.

I don't want to trust anyone anymore.

The thorns hidden beneath warm words terrified me.

Alina and Mari. They were both so precious to me.

But I don't think I can open my heart to them either.

No. I probably won't be able to open my heart to anyone in the future.

I'm not even sure if there's any heart left inside me to give.

It felt as if my insides were completely empty.

A large hole had opened in my chest, and I felt as though I had lost everything.

Even now, every night, the urge to end my life continues to stir inside me.

Except when I took the medicine Mari gave me, I was always suffering in agony.

'Don't you want to end this now?'

'You don't have to suffer anymore.'

'You can rest peacefully.'

From the corner of my mind, sweet words tempted me.

But every time that happened, I thought of Mari.

My daughter, for whom I was responsible.

If I were to die, she would surely cry sorrowfully.

I didn't want to leave Mari with a deep wound in her heart like the one I had.

"Mom!! I'm here!"

As if she knew I was thinking of her, Mari opened the door and ran toward me with a bright smile.

In her little hand, she was holding something small.

"Mari… what's that in your hand?"

"I made it for you, Mom!"

She then held it out to me with sparkling eyes.

"This is…"

It was a beautiful flower crown made by weaving colorful flowers together.

"You're as pretty as flowers, Mom. It'll suit you well."

"Mari…"

Tears welled up in my eyes at her sincerity.

As I pulled Mari into my arms, she gave a joyful laugh and rubbed her head against my shoulder.

I love you, Mari.

And I'm sorry.

For not being able to fully accept your love.

This contradictory feeling I had for myself felt utterly disgusting.

***

The red moon was rising.

The land, cold and dark, with not a trace of sunlight.

It looked like hell.

This was the Demon Realm.

A small castle stood amidst the land.

Contrary to the gloomy atmosphere of the Demon Realm, the castle exuded a rather luxurious aura.

Inside, a group of beautiful women surrounded one woman, seeing her off.

"Hee-ing. Are you really leaving?"

"Heh. The position of commander has gotten boring, you know?"

At her words, the surroundings began to stir.

"Of course, Sephir!!"

"As expected, even the position of commander can't satisfy Sephir."

"Kyaa!! You're so amazing, Queen!"

"Sephir-nim!! Take me with you!"

Seeing the women, once her subordinates, trying to hold onto her in sadness, Sephir felt a sense of satisfaction.

"Heh heh! You all can become outstanding succubi like me if you try hard enough."

Sephir laughed loudly, covering her mouth with one hand.

Her face was filled with confidence, likely from all the praise she was receiving.

Among them, one succubus gazed at her with bright, eager eyes.

"I heard you gave Athena a proper blow?"

"Huh…?"

"My familiar told me! That woman was looking for you with a very desperate expression! You definitely did something to her, right?"

At the mention of Athena, Sephir felt a chill down her spine. However, not wanting to show weakness in front of her subordinates, she stood tall and replied confidently.

"Y-Yes!! I gave that woman a proper blow…!"

The surroundings started buzzing at her words.

"As expected, Sephir!! So amazing!"

"Even that monster had no choice in front of the Queen, huh…"

"Queen!! I'm so proud of you!"

The women cheered and praised her.

"Well… then I'll be leaving now?"

Sephir felt an uneasy feeling in her chest, but since she couldn't let anyone know, she decided to lie and quickly make her exit.

"But, Sephir-nim, who is that human with black hair?"

"Eh?"

A succubus holding onto Sephir's foot asked the question.

"I heard that she seems to be quite close to that woman."

"Uh…? Th-that…?"

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Sephir's neck.

The human her subordinate was referring to must be Hera.

There was no way she could say she had become a familiar.

Becoming a human's familiar… She would likely think it was a disgrace to the demon race.

The admiration her subordinates had for her would certainly turn into contempt in an instant.

'Wh…what should I do?'

Sephir racked her brain, but no good solution came to mind.

But perhaps it was a good thing…

Another succubus looked at her and spoke.

"Is it a pet?"

"Eh…?"

"You know, it's trendy these days to keep humans as pets!"

If anything, she was the one who was the pet.

In her flustered state, Sephir ended up lying.

"Y-yeah, they're pretty and cute… perfect for raising…!"

Her subordinates cheered again at her words.

"Sephir-nim!"

"Sephir-nim's pet… Ah, how envious… I really want to see it."

"Please introduce me later!"

They looked at her with expectant eyes.

"Th…th…"

Sephir couldn't bring herself to disappoint their sparkling eyes.

"Th…I'll bring it later…"

She had made an irreversible statement.

'Is… is this okay?'