Chapter 92 – Daphne (2)

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“Who… died?”

It was while I was in the middle of reading the documents of the incoming students at the military academy that I heard that news.

Plato, who had clearly run in a hurry, was unable to speak further and was catching his steep breath.

Whether it was because he had run until he was out of breath, or because the news he had to deliver was the news of her death.

The corners of Plato’s eyes were swollen red.

Plato, who finally caught his breath, spoke in a low voice toward me.

“They say Lady Daphne… has passed away.”

What on earth was this about?

Since possessing a body in this world, I had never been this flustered.

Even when Lieutenant General Radu handed me the poisoned chocolate stained with a sinister violet hue not long ago, I hadn’t been that surprised.

‘Daphne… is dead?’

The first thing that came to mind was the possibility that someone else had tried to poison Daphne.

The next thing that came to mind was.

“Meursault.”

“Pardon? Ah, yes, they are at Lady Daphne’s residence right now, but since Major General Meursault is also out of his mind, I…”

Perhaps thinking I was asking what Meursault was doing now, Plato began to talk about Meursault, but it did not enter my ears.

Because I remembered Daphne’s status window that I had seen before.

[Name: Meursault’s Wife

Target Route: Merry Bad Ending (Hayden)

Affiliated Zone: Cola

Equipped Item: Violet Eye of Fascination

*A player using a different version of the system; friend requests are not possible.]

Clearly, ‘Merry Bad Ending (Hayden)’ was written under the target route.

I had passed it off as nothing important.

But at the story of this sudden death, I couldn’t help but think of the player who had passed away similarly in the past.

I had to think of SafetyZone8’s case.

‘Don’t tell me, it’s because she didn’t follow the strategy and married Meursault…?’

Of course, there was a time when I thought my mother had also been deleted for failing the strategy.

But since it seemed she had enough time to take care of the sick in the slums even after giving up on marrying Hayden and coming out of the zone, I thought dating sim possessors would be different.

I hoped they were different.

Because I wished she wouldn’t spend her life in this world in a marriage she didn’t want, living a life of Daphne she didn’t want, after undergoing a possession she didn’t want either.

Because I hoped she would be happy, unlike my mother.

At that moment, the words Daphne had spoken to me in the past flashed through my mind.

“—Although I married Hayden because of a quest… I soon regretted it. So I asked you to help me divorce Hayden, since I would rather live with Meursault even if it means dying.”

‘Don’t tell me.’

Did Daphne choose Meursault instead of Hayden despite knowing all of this?

But since Daphne was already dead, I couldn’t even ask.

“Are you alright, Lord Haydam?”

Even though he himself was wearing a face that wasn’t alright, Plato asked me that.

I snapped to my senses and spoke.

“Where is Anton?”

“Pardon? My father must also be shocked, of course, but—”

“You, go to Anton.”

“To my… father?”

“Go right now!”

When I stood up and even yelled, Plato shrank back in embarrassment, then hurriedly left with a face that couldn’t understand the reason.

The reason I looked after Anton while checking the authenticity of Daphne’s death news was not for any other reason.

‘In the game, if Daphne was poisoned, Anton always committed suicide as well.’

I had to prevent Anton from dying too in this situation.

Hoping Plato would arrive in time, I headed to Daphne’s residence.

* * *

When I arrived at Daphne’s residence, the weeping of the servants could be heard.

The servants, who usually would have put me through a strict entry procedure at the entrance, were nowhere to be seen, perhaps having all gone to Daphne’s side.

As I ran into the lobby, Daphne lay with her eyes closed, her face pale.

And Meursault came into view, wailing while holding such a Daphne in his arms.

‘Character View.’

I reflexively tried to open Daphne’s Character View, but the system did not respond at all.

Strangely, Daphne wore a smile on her lips.

As soon as I saw that smile, I felt an unknown sense of emptiness.

‘Did you really… know?’

Perhaps the reason she hesitated to confess her feelings to Meursault until the end

was because she knew it would turn out like this?

Did I urge her and cause her death?

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine, and it was hard to breathe.

I felt dizzy, but a familiar voice calling me was heard.

“Lord Haydam.”

Meursault, who was shedding tears while holding Daphne, was looking at me as if he had suddenly snapped to his senses.

“Meursault.”

I took a step closer to comfort him, but a smile drifted onto Meursault’s lips.

I stopped in my tracks without realizing it.

“You came. That is a relief.”

A relief…?

“Lord Haydam, something is wrong with this.”

Meursault carefully laid Daphne down, then approached me, almost crawling on the floor.

“If it is Lord Haydam, you will surely be able to save Daphne in an unexpected way. Isn’t that right? Lord Haydam…”

Meursault crawled on the floor and reached out toward my collar,

and just before his hand grabbed my collar, a hand suddenly popped out from behind and caught Meursault’s hand.

It was Commander Hayden.

“Calm down, Meursault.”

The commander held Meursault’s hand and lowered his posture to lock eyes with him.

“Explain what happened first.”

“Commander-in-Chief…”

“I must know what happened to be able to help.”

“……”

At those words, Meursault hung his head.

“…It is my fault.”

“Your fault?”

“I dared to covet Lady Daphne… and that is why this happened.”

At a glance, it sounded as if he was just blaming himself for not saving Daphne.

But to my ears, knowing that a player who failed to clear the game would be deleted, it sounded as if Meursault also knew something.

The commander would also know that Daphne, a player, couldn’t die so suddenly.

“One moment. There are too many ears listening here.”

Sure enough, the commander stood up and spoke to the servants.

“The family will be alone for a moment, so please all withdraw.”

Family.

Thinking about it, they were a couple before, and I was the child between them.

Daphne and I were indeed family.

She was a person who had smiled brightly, believing the words that my mother had thought of her as a friend.

‘Even my mother yielded Hayden to this person.’

Did I ruin that?

Although the servants looked at him resentfully at the order to leave their master and go out, they had no choice but to obey the commander’s command and all withdrew.

Only after confirming that no one remained in the lobby did the commander speak to Meursault.

“Now speak. What happened.”

* * *

After Daphne accepted the proposal.

Meursault was staying at Daphne’s residence.

Although the servants were wary of Meursault, perhaps because Daphne looked so happy, they only grumbled a bit and did not oppose the remarriage with Meursault itself.

Because as the ones who served Daphne closest, they knew better than anyone else that the commander and Daphne had no feelings for each other.

There were even servants who thought it was rather fortunate that, even now, their master was staying with a man who cherished and loved only her.

Daphne and Meursault sat leaning against each other, sharing quiet conversations.

In fact, because there hadn’t been much contact with Daphne in the meantime.

Meursault thought there would be many things they needed to learn about each other.

However, Daphne knew surprisingly much about him, and Meursault even felt as if Daphne had looked down on his life from high in the sky.

Daphne looked up at Meursault with her hazy violet eyes and spoke.

“Why haven’t we talked until now? If I had known it was this easy, I wouldn’t have hesitated.”

“Sharing a time talking with you like this feels like a dream to me, Lady Daphne.”

“Just call me Daphne now.”

“Pardon? How could I dare…”

When Meursault stammered in embarrassment, Daphne held Meursault’s hand tightly and spoke.

“Meursault. The divorce papers will arrive soon. Once we sign them, I will be your wife. A married couple is equal.”

“Even so…”

“Are you saying you won’t listen to my order right now?”

“Pardon? You just said a couple is an equal relationship… No, never mind.”

Daphne softened the expression she had feigned as angry and laughed softly.

“Now, try calling me.”

“Uh… Daphne…”

“Again. Louder.”

“Da, Daphne!”

“Good job.”

He wondered if this was really what a married couple was like, feeling a bit like a puppy being trained, but Meursault felt it would be fine even if he became Daphne’s dog.

“Meursault, you have been smiling the whole time.”

“Because the conversation with Lady Daphne… no, with Daphne is so enjoyable. How do you know so much about me like that?”

“It is because I have been watching you. From a very long time ago.”

“Is… is that really true?”

Those words sounded as if Daphne had also kept him in her heart since a long time ago, making Meursault’s heart throb.

But as what kind of person he had been flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern,

Meursault began to make excuses.

“Th-the rumors that I am crazy are false. It is nonsense made up by those who envied and jealously hated me. Among the many things I have done until now, there are very few that I really wanted to do. The matter of Lieutenant General Bartom was really because the commander-in-chief ordered it, so I had no choice…”

“Meursault.”

Daphne calmed Meursault down and spoke.

“I told you. I know Meursault well.”

When she spoke like that, Daphne’s gaze seemed to truly pierce through his everything, making Meursault feel as if he would be sucked into those violet eyes.

“I accepted the proposal while knowing all of that. So do not lie. Because I liked Meursault’s honest side.”

“…Then I will speak honestly. I am probably not the kind of person Daphne thinks I am.”

“That kind of person?”

“The honest, simple, and diligent young man, Meursault.”

“Uh, well…”

For some reason, Daphne wore a troubled expression for a moment, and then spoke with an awkward smile.

“Well… I have never once thought of Meursault in that way, but… it is fine even if it is different from my thoughts.”

“Is it fine even if it is different from what you thought?”

“Because I, too, am a different person from what Meursault thinks.”

Having spoken so, Daphne fell silent for a moment and then carefully opened her mouth.

“It might sound like a crazy story, but… what would Meursault do if I am actually not Daphne?”

“If you are not Daphne, I wonder who the woman I will marry would be.”

“The words I will say from now on… if you can listen and forget them, I will tell you.”

Meursault felt that Daphne was somewhat strange, but he had an unknown premonition that he absolutely had to listen to that story at this moment, so he nodded.

“Please tell me. Who you are.”

At Meursault’s consent, Daphne breathed in a few times as if she was nervous, and spoke.

“Actually, the place I was born is not this zone.”

“Did you come after staying in another zone?”

“My parents were not a commander, but businesspeople. By any chance, do you know what a chaebol is?”

“Chaebol?”

“It is a concept that has long disappeared from this world.”

Meursault, who felt intrigued that Daphne knew a concept that had long disappeared from this world, focused on the story, and the next words flowed from Daphne’s mouth.

“And I have a younger brother with a weak body.”