She Became The Devil’s Stepmother Who’s About To Be Killed - Chapter 22

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Chapter 22 – I’ll Be Mad If You Lose Me Again

Silent calm.

The movement of the monster crocodiles that were rushing to eat me from all directions stopped. The vibration of the ice water touching my skin and the commotion that had been terrifyingly beating my eardrums also subsided.

‘Did it suddenly evaporate?’ Of course, that was just my earnest wish because I’m afraid of pain! I was intensely experiencing with my whole body that my possessed life was really, truly, frankly, so nauseatingly dangerous that it was incomparable to my previous life.

‘What a piece of—’

In this stillness, a large monster crocodile that no man could overcome, cutting through the current, was approaching quickly over the top of my head.

‘Crazy. Isn’t it more fierce than other monsters?’

‘But I won’t die now, right?’

Right? Right?

‘Theodor kills me in five years, right?’

Of course. There must be some kind of original immutable law, Right? Eishh. I just can’t. Originally, possessed and reincarnated creatures are supposed to change the original. Isn’t it unpredictable how will I die? The monster birds who were chasing Theodor and me earlier were demon beasts that didn’t exist in the Empire until devil Theodor came in the original.

Yes. I had to stop deceiving myself with hasty reassurances. Open your eyes, Kang Joo-hee. Figure out the situation. Then, with a small fist, you can aim at the vital points of your opponent, right? Escape the crisis with one shot, punch!

I put my spirits up, but my eyes didn’t open. No movement, as if someone had tightly glued my eyelids together. Fear was chewing my whole body.

“Get up, Kang Joo-hee! Run like crazy, Kang Joo-hee!” It was the voice of my mother, stamping and clapping for me after I fell down during the sports day. It was embarrassing. My mother was cheering me on without mercy. I thought everyone was looking at me. Even the old man selling cotton candy might have been watching me.

The scene of a true tragedy. Even then, I kept my eyes closed, embarrassed. Due to voting for the relay race, I had to take the baton for first place, and sprained my ankle, falling forward. I could hear competitors running next to me. I might have given up if it wasn’t for my mother’s support, but there was no way that could happen. Because of my mother’s cheering, my name suddenly became a roar.

Damn it.

Stand up.

Run!

Although I didn’t get 1st place, I didn’t end up last either. After crossing the finish line, I noticed that both my knees were bleeding. Only then did I collapse on the ground from the pain, and my friends rushed in and hugged me.

“It’s okay. You did well.”

‘Right, it’s okay. You’re doing well.’

[tl/n: I’m sorry but, am I too sensitive or did you guys tear up in this part too?]

There are things in the world that are impossible, but you should have no regrets. No matter how fast the monster moves, I’ll use that speed to target their vital points.

‘5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Now!’

I clasped my hands and raised them towards the place that was supposed to be the face of the monster. By all means, I hoped to pierce its thin chin hard. But it was one blown in vain. I opened my eyes with the desire to win and tried to attack again.

However, it was unexpectedly agile. It grabbed me by my waist. I twisted my back and turned around to get out of that grip. There, in front of me was a man’s large chest, not a monster. Under the damp cloth, his strong pectoral muscles and six-packs were shining beautifully. My mouth opened involuntarily.

“Cough, cough, cough!!”

Water poured relentlessly into my nose and mouth, and I coughed hard. Strong, solid arms pulled the back of my head and hugged me wide in his chest. My cheeks hit those tight pectoral muscles.

I looked up to check the face.

Oh my goodness, it was Gerard.

‘Didn’t you throw me away?’

Though it was about to explode, I held back my admiration for Gerard’s handsome appearance. I didn’t want to embarrass myself again. I stared at the pure white, slender jawline just above my head. Neatly closed red lips and a sharp nose cut the current and headed towards the water. An iridescent aura emanated from his body.

‘The greatness of magic worlds!’

I reached out and touched the waves of light around his black hair, strands waving like seaweed. Over his shoulder, an immobile flock of alligators could be seen. Those who opened their snout wide to eat me whole. The white, sharp teeth were unbelievably large, almost as large as my thighs. It was horrific.

‘Would my body have recovered if those terrifying teeth pierced my flesh and crushed my bones?’

My body shivered. Fortunately or not, Sinclair’s family had never tried that far, so it was unknown. I hugged his neck tightly to keep myself from falling.

‘How did he find me?’ Even in this situation, without hesitation, you jumped in and saved me…

A soft feeling enveloped my whole body.

‘Ahk!’ Through the veil of water, we headed rapidly toward the firmament.

“Woah!”

My admiration was overshadowed by Gerard’s expressionless face. But it was still good. I burrowed more into his chest.

‘My husband is like this. It’s cheeky, but when you need him, he’ll come out of nowhere like this and save you from a crisis. Yeah, when it comes to regression and possession, sweet romance is expected. Could it be that the moment I possessed this body it became not crap, but romance? Am I having the sweet romance that I couldn’t achieve before being possessed?’ Thanks to the excitement that gave me those thoughts, words that I would never be able to say came out spontaneously.

“I’ll get mad if you lose me again.”

“…!”

I looked up at him, making Sinclair’s pretty cheeks plump as much as I could. Gerard frowned, looking at me.

“Well, I should not lose you, right?”

I was still not relieved, so I hugged him tightly with both legs around his waist as if in a fight. And suddenly,

“Hiiiiaaaak!!” I couldn’t help but scream. As he leaned towards me, we rushed down to the ground in a perfectly round circle.

Oh. My. God. The sunset red sky was unrealistically moving away. Suddenly, a cold wind hit my back and the back of my head. I grabbed his neck and waist tightly, and Gerard held me tightly in his arms. We stopped just before falling into the forest and getting caught in a tree. Phew…

“Quiet.”

“Yep.”

At his complaints, I answered calmly like a good Shlezen kindergarten student and closed my mouth tightly.

‘Yeah, let’s not provoke him further. Safe driving is the best driving.’

I think my actions a while ago had distracted him a bit? I reflected on my behavior and took a deep breath. It was somewhat refreshing. Seeing that he was worried about me like this, I guess he didn’t leave me behind on purpose earlier.

‘But why was I the only one left behind?’

Well, I had doubts, but I was glad to be alive. By the way, did Theodor arrive well? He must have been very surprised by the attack. I was worried.

‘Shall I ask if he’s okay?’

I looked up at Gerard. No. I shouldn’t bother him for anything. Maybe the monster birds won’t appear again, right? Worried, I looked around.

“Stay still.”

“Yep.”

Gerard will probably take care of our safety. Besides, isn’t he the Lord of the Demon Realm and the swordmaster who conquered the Demon Realm in the past? I glanced sideways and looked up at his strong shoulders. I was reassured. A strong sense of hope that I wouldn’t vainly die as long as I have those strong shoulders near me. I tightened the hand holding him and checked his tight muscles. But strangely surprising, Gerard’s body was already dry.

‘It looks like you can even cast your own drying system magic. So cheap. You dry yourself only, and I still shiver from the cold.’

When I placed my face on his shoulder again, it felt warm as if it was soaked in sunlight.

‘Is that why?’ My eyes were trying to close.

‘Wake up. You’ll catch a cold.’ The first thing to do in the castle would be to take a bath. If I soak my body in warm water, will I feel better, right? No. You should roughly wipe your body with a warm towel, and make Theodor’s dinner first.

My eyes automatically turned to the ground. The scenery below us was quite romantic. In the distance, the ships along the Therion River swayed and hurried to anchor. The villagers who were farming rushed home on their horses, while the shepherds who drove their flocks were leisurely going down the hill, blowing their flutes. Smoke rose from the chimneys of the small houses as if announcing dinner. The delicious smell seemed to reach the tip of my nose.

I was hungry.

“Husband, hurry up.”

“…?”

Gerard rolled his eyes slightly and looked at me.

“I have to make Theodor’s dinner.”

Gerard shut his mouth without anything to say. After dinner, we should read a picture book before going to bed… Shall we make a picture book with today’s story?

Drawing and moving hands are good for children’s emotions. Putting our brains together and making today’s event a memory to talk about later. Theodor is brave, so he’ll fall asleep peacefully after drawing, right? In any case, this would be enough medicine. Curse, medicine. In fact, compared to the horror experiences of the future, today was nothing.

I calmly decided to admire the scenery over Gerard’s shoulder like a child. Before long, the sun hid its face beneath the surface of the water and finally stretched its red light to the horizon. Finally, in the distance, I saw Shlezen Castle preparing for the night with torches lit. It was magnificent. As expected of the landmark of Karikas Estate.

The castle stretched out sharply as if it was about to attack the Demon Realm and was lit brightly in the darkness. I tried to loosen my leg from Gerard’s body. I needed to get ready to land. I was about to relax but,

“Tightly.”

“Ah… Yes.”

Like a model student, I continued to hold onto his waist as directed. ‘You can’t just move while flying and fall like before.’

My eyes were looking for Theodor’s room. The light in his room still shone. A smile spread unknowingly.

‘You must be well.’

I recognized the ramparts. ‘I’ll be there soon.’ But Gerard didn’t go in that direction.

‘Huh? Are you looking for a space that is comfortable to land?’ I looked around. ‘Oh, do you want to land on the open grass next to the rose garden in the castle?’

It was a very open space. ‘Is it okay for the Grand Duchess to look so wet and ugly to the servants? Besides, my underpants are wet so you can see all of my legs.’

I looked anxiously at Gerard for a moment.

‘Should I ask him to get me off somewhere else? Oh?’ But Gerard passed by that place too.

‘Ah… Then will he go straight to the room? That’s good.’ I sought a glimpse of our bedroom. Are the windows closed? Well, he can stop in mid-air, though, so can I hold him with one hand and open the window with the other. Nope, he can open the window with magic… Pheeew… finally over.

But he boldly passed by our room. I looked up at him in surprise.

“Gerard?”

“…”

“Aren’t we stopping?”

“Isn’t there still a problem to solve between us?”

A chill emanated from his voice.

The Shlezen Castle was already behind us.

At that moment, I was afraid that I might be a slender butterfly caught in a spider web.

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