Episode 58”
“Am I going crazy? Or have I been crazy all along?” Lucian bit his lips until they bled. His breath became shallow, choking him, and he tightened his grip around his neck. Concerned about Lucian’s alarming condition, Eren approached him in shock.
“Your Majesty, why… why are you doing this?”
“Eren.”
Even though it was the second time she was called by that nickname, his wife was surprised as if she heard it for the first time. Lucian, speaking as he did, found it amusing how pale her face looked, like fragile autumn leaves, with her brown eyes fixed on him.
I was such a whimsical man.
“Eren, don’t worry about Countess Yuliana’s affairs.”
“Yes, yes?”
“It’s a warning not to involve yourself in that woman’s trial.”
“How… how do you know about that? …Ah, never mind, more importantly, please lie down quickly.”
Eren supported the staggering Lucian. Even though he seemed to cling to her, she held onto his waist firmly.
As she held onto her husband, who seemed to be clinging to her, Lucian impulsively pulled her into his arms.
“If you get involved in that woman’s affairs, you’ll be in danger.”
“Why… why shouldn’t I go to the trial? I’m… I’m the empress. Your Majesty can’t control me.”
The two weakened individuals sat on the floor like children, facing each other.
Though their breathing had returned, Lucian’s cheeks were still pale. Ignoring her own weakness, Eren reached out and touched her husband’s cheek.
“It’s cold…”
“Even if I dry it, do you plan to go out?”
Lucian grabbed Eren’s hand, which was soothing his cheek. Her husband’s golden ring, which shone brighter than anyone else’s, caught her eye as it soaked up her tears. Eren, unable to tear her gaze away from his beautiful eyes, nervously bit her lip. Finally, she poured out the words she had been holding back.
“…Is it because of that woman? Pretending to be noble for the saint, disregarding the temple’s position, and obeying Your Majesty’s stubbornness. Now even Your Majesty’s friends are embarrassed. Your Majesty knows it too. That woman is not a saint. But why do you… Why do you protect her? I don’t understand. What… What are you doing this for?”
Tears welled up in Eren’s eyes. Only terrifying answers flooded her mind.
Do you love me? Have you fallen for me? Are you loving me in a way that can ignore all criticism? When did it happen? Why didn’t I know? Why, why only me? Always.
“Don’t make me a fool. Don’t do this to me anymore…”
If she revealed her boiling jealousy, it would be even more despicable. However, Eren couldn’t bring herself to do that. She was still a fool who only wanted to show him her good side. Eren sobbed as she clung to his hand.
“Please don’t…”
Why is it that when she pleads, only these words come out? She could have said smarter words, more impressive words. Why does she only…
Eren leaned her forehead against his hand, which had stopped trembling. When the trembling stopped, Lucian uttered unbelievably heavy words. They were words that burst out heavily because they were sincere.
“Eren. My Eren, my sun goddess.”
“Your Majesty?”
Eren looked up with tear-stained cheeks. Lucian gently stroked her wet cheek with his hand that had stopped trembling.
“Do you know how my mother died?”
“…Yes?”
“Because no one protected her.”
“Your Majesty…”
“I won’t do that. Eren, I won’t leave you alone. Like my mother, who endlessly brushed her hair in front of the vanity, chose clothes, and died bedridden. So that it won’t happen to you…”
Lucian softly whispered as he wiped her cheeks wet with tears. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and Lucian cried as he wiped them away. Yoon’s voice echoed in his ears again.
[Well done…]
It was praise he had never heard before. Lucian murmured in rebellion, but that was all.
“Shut up… Shut up…”
[Well done…]
“No. Stop it, stop it…”
Lucian plugged his ears and buried himself in his sleeping wife’s embrace. Despite that, the unpleasant sound continued to creep closer to him, even next to the sound of her heartbeat.
[Cute Lucian. You need to understand me a little more.]
This time, Yoon was smiling.
It was an ominous sign.
“I am the god who created this world.”
“…A god? Did you just say that?”
In a world where novels became reality, the emergence of a “god” wouldn’t be surprising, but…
“Even so, seriously? A sparrow as a god? How does this world even function?”
As Yuliana laughed incredulously, the sparrow, apparently irritated, spoke quickly.
“Disappointed as it may seem, it’s futile even if you express it like that! It’s a fact that I, the writer who created and nurtured this world, am a god.”
The chubby sparrow’s face lit up with excitement. Then, in its excited state, it quickly spun around Yuliana’s spacious room and eventually hopped onto the bed, puffing up its chest feathers.
“I worked so hard to create this world. If you knew how diligently I created it, you wouldn’t dare to mock me. After all, it’s thanks to my great storytelling that I was able to reincarnate you here…”
“Wait a moment! Could you please calm down a bit?”
Yuliana frowned and sat heavily on the bed. Her head was spinning.
“Did I damage my already broken mind by failing to undergo therapy?”
No, that wasn’t it. Yuliana had been gradually getting tired even before that. Closing her eyes tightly, struggling, she let out a heavy sigh.
The sparrow, watching her with concern, approached her hand quietly.
“…Sorry. I knew that you were recalling memories from your past life and diligently crafting your own story here. But I had no choice but to watch.”
“…So, why did you keep fluttering around my window?”
Once again dumbfounded, Yuliana pushed the sparrow away from her.
Fluttering its wings in excitement, the sparrow spoke again.
“I’ve been watching over you all along. Although I could only appear as a sparrow in this world because I used up all my remaining strength to reincarnate you, and because I exhausted all the power of faith I gained in your world to dimensionally shift Yoon and reincarnate you…”
“Speak straight! What’s your ulterior motive? Aren’t you in cahoots with Yoon?”
Yuliana grabbed the sparrow’s face with her hands, her expression turning fierce. Then, glaring at the chubby sparrow, she shook it, still looking down at herself.
“Chirp!”
“If you’re a god, then a whimpering god like you isn’t believable at all!”
“Sob… It’s because I’ve been a sparrow for too long. And, originally, my power was weak, and the power of faith I gained in your world, which allowed me to dimensionally shift Yoon and reincarnate you, was all used up… Oh, no. I won’t go into my circumstances. So please, let me go…”
“Chirp?”
The sparrow squeaked as if seeking forgiveness. Despite feeling uncomfortable, Yuliana eventually let go of the sparrow. In response, the sparrow flapped its wings—thud!—and perched near the window again.
After calming down and letting go of her frustration at being caught off guard, the sparrow spoke softly, a few “chirps” escaping with each word.
“Anyway, I was determined to reveal my true identity to you. The story was getting too tangled, and I didn’t know where to start fixing it… Plus, I had become so weak that I couldn’t hide my inner feelings from you anymore, so this… unfortunate incident happened…”
“Stop. Enough explanations.”
Yuliana warned firmly. Then, she threw a cold remark.
“The story is tangled? What nonsense is this? I was part of your plan? No, I can’t believe that you’re a god.”
“Oh, if the term ‘god’ is too burdensome, you can call me a writer. After all, this is a novel I created.”
Yuliana glared suspiciously at the sparrow, which had become lively again. Then, as if threatening with flame in her hand, she spoke.
“…Still, I can’t believe it. Being Yoon’s spy seems more credible. Think about it. The sparrow that fluttered around my room from the day I recovered my memories of my past life, might actually be Yoon’s spy…”
“Chirp! Stop, stop with those dangerous thoughts! I-I’m really the writer who created this novel!”
“Hmm. I wonder what a talking sparrow would taste like if roasted…”
“Eek! You brute!”
“Chirp, chirp!”
As the sparrow screamed in panic, flapping around the room as if mad, it was in that moment that Yuliana pretended to throw flames at it.
“Your… your ID! ‘007Sparrow’!”
“Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp!”
Sitting firmly on the tapestry rod, the sparrow began to speak in a rapid-fire manner.
“Your first comment! ‘The female lead is cute.’ Second comment! ‘I’m having a hard time these days, so I’m here for healing.’ Third! ‘Writer, cheer up.’ Your departure point is Episode 134Aaack!”
“Chirp, chirp, chirp!”
While the voice being projected was clear to the ears, the sparrow’s screeching bird cries were faint. Still, with each word it uttered, the room quickly became bustling with the intermittent “chirps.”
