Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 27

That woman smiled, as if there was nothing more delightful than inflicting pain.

She danced, unable to contain her glee, as she watched Emily’s suffering.

Emily was terrified of her.

It wasn’t just the fact that the woman brought death.

It was the fear that this never-ending pain would continue.

That perhaps dying would be preferable.

But even in death, she would return to the morning and relive the day again.

More than the pain of her flesh being torn apart, more than the fear of the grotesque woman pursuing her...

The unknown terror of how long this might last.

The fear of not being able to escape that endless cycle pushed Emily into despair.

No matter how much she sought help, if others couldn’t see her pursuer, their strength was meaningless.

She never imagined that Adrian, too, would die so swiftly.

If even Adrian couldn’t stand against that woman, then who in this academy could possibly face her?

'...Someone, please... help me.'

Emily, weeping at her desk, prayed silently.

And in her mind, she recalled the one person who had saved her from danger in the forest not too long ago.

Ken Feinstein.

Emily raised her head to gaze at his empty seat.

She remembered the strength he showed when he cut down a giant in a single stroke.

Surely, Ken was as strong as Adrian, a formidable figure in the academy.

If it were him, he could defeat that woman.

But if he couldn’t see her, then a fight wouldn’t even be possible.

If she asked for his help, she’d only put him in danger.

'...And besides... there's no way he would help me.'

Emily remembered two days ago.

Though it felt like days of repetition with six deaths behind her, she recalled that day all too well.

The look of disgust Ken had given her.

The resentment in his voice.

His words, telling her that he never wanted to see her again.

'Someone like me... He’ll never help me...'

Now, Emily understood.

She realized what she had done to Ken.

Just like that grotesque woman took pleasure in tormenting her...

Emily had inflicted suffering on Ken for her own selfish desires.

She found joy in his pain and tormented him endlessly.

Now she fully understood how he must see her.

To Ken, she was a monster.

A monster who brought him pain and took pleasure in it.

A monster that clung to him relentlessly, unwilling to let go.

'...An apology won’t fix this.'

The day after Ken had expressed his anger...

She had foolishly thought that a simple apology would be enough, that she could be forgiven.

But she knew now how absurd and shameless that thought was.

Someone like her had no right to ask for help.

Emily lay her head on her desk and wept.

There was no one who could save her.

In this painful, endless day, she was alone.

Alone to endure the constant cycle of death.

The pain of being torn apart by that woman.

'...Please... someone help me.'

But there was no one who could come to her aid.

Emily slumped down at the base of a tree.

This was the beginning of the path from the academy to the dormitories.

'...Soon... it will be time.'

Emily looked up at the sky.

Through the trembling leaves, she saw the clear blue sky.

Soon, that sky would be painted orange as the sun set.

And when that happened, she would face her seventh death.

The thought of it brought tears to her dazed eyes.

'I don’t want to... I don’t want to hurt anymore.'

But there was no escape.

No one was on her side now.

Not her friends, not the academy, not even time itself.

Everything had abandoned her, leaving her in despair.

She lowered her gaze from the sky and buried her face in her knees.

She just wanted to close her eyes and disappear into darkness.

To die without pain and never wake up again.

'...This is my punishment.'

This was the punishment for her sins.

For tormenting the boy who had once saved her, simply to satisfy her own desires.

It was a punishment sent down from the heavens.

That’s why she was suffering like this.

Emily buried her face in her knees and cried.

All she could do was pray for the pain to end quickly.

"...Emily?"

At that moment, a familiar voice called out to her.

Emily slowly raised her head at the sound of that voice.

It was the voice she had longed to hear, the one she had been searching for.

When she looked up, she saw...

Ken Feinstein.

"Whoa! Are... are you okay?! What happened?!"

Ken ran over in a panic when he saw her tear-streaked face.

He hurriedly checked her over, clearly unsure of what to do.

Emily stared at him blankly.

Despite being the same person she had angered just two days ago, here he was, worrying over her.

His kindness made her feel an overwhelming sense of guilt.

"...Is this... because of what I said the other day?"

Ken asked, guessing the reason for her tears.

"I'm sorry about that. I think I was a bit too harsh. I shouldn’t have said those things..."

Even though it was Emily who had wronged him, Ken was the one apologizing to her.

He genuinely seemed to regret it, looking troubled.

'...Ken, you're so kind.'

Moved by his kindness, Emily wiped away her tears and stood up.

She couldn’t keep crying like this while he was apologizing.

She knew what she had done wrong.

And now, there was something she had to say to him.

"...Ken, I need to tell you something."

"Huh? What is it?"

"...You see, I..."

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Emily was about to apologize to him.

She knew an apology wouldn’t fix everything, but she couldn’t avoid it either.

Just as she was about to speak—

'...But even if I apologize... when I die this time...'

She remembered that soon, death would come for her, and with it, the memory of her apology would disappear, and the day would reset.

'I don’t want to make such an important apology disappear like that.'

If she apologized, Ken would surely forgive her. He was kind like that.

But if she died afterward, the apology would be erased, and only her guilt would remain.

She didn’t want to make such a cowardly apology.

"...Ken, you know...!"

So instead, she decided to say something else.

Something she wanted to say, but that wouldn’t trouble him if he forgot it later.

It might just be another selfish desire.

But if she was going to die anyway, she wanted to express her true feelings.

Emily clenched her fists tightly.

"I...!"

She looked at Ken earnestly, not wanting him to misunderstand.

With trembling lips, she finally spoke.

"I like you!"

If this was all going to disappear after she died, then she might as well confess her true feelings.

"...Huh?"

Ken, who had been anxiously waiting for her to speak, was left dumbfounded by her words.

He looked as if he hadn’t heard her properly.

Seeing his reaction, Emily, blushing, spoke again, suppressing her embarrassment.

"I really like you. I like you as a man. I’ve always liked you... which is why I hurt you."

"...What? I... wait, what?"

"It’s childish, right? But it’s the truth. Please believe me. I hurt you because I liked you so much, but I was trying to deny it, so I did something so stupid..."

Ken's face showed pure bewilderment.

Seeing him so flustered, Emily forced a smile, trying to ease the tension.

"...I’m sorry for suddenly saying something like this."

To the man who had told her he never wanted to see her again just two days ago, she was now confessing her feelings.

It must be such a burden for him.

But since he wouldn’t remember after today, she felt like it was okay.

"Uh... Emily..."

Ken's face flushed red as he fumbled for words.

Even without the events of two days ago, this sudden confession would have left anyone in shock.

Ken seemed to be searching for the right response.

But before he could answer, Emily raised her hand, stopping him.

"I’m sorry, Ken. I know this is all so sudden. But... it’s okay! After today, it will all be forgotten."

"...What?"

Of course, her words made no sense to him.

How could something she had said simply be forgotten?

But because that was her reality, Emily continued without hesitation.

"So please, just let this one go. After today ends, and today comes again, I won’t..."

"......"

"I won’t trouble you anymore..."

She knew Ken would reject her feelings.

It was only natural.

There was no way he could accept the feelings of someone who had tormented him like she had.

That’s why she didn’t let him answer.

But even though she knew her love couldn’t be returned, Emily couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.

She had been forcing herself to smile to avoid causing him trouble.

But the pain of rejection still brought tears to her eyes.

"Sob... I’m sorry... I’m so sorry, Ken..."

Once the tears started, she couldn’t hold them back.

"......"

Ken stared at her in silence.

Her sudden confession.

Her incomprehensible explanation.

After hearing it all, the redness in Ken's face faded.

"...Emily."

At the sound of his voice, Emily trembled and opened her tear-filled eyes.

Whatever response he gave, she was prepared to hear it, even if it meant more tears.

He looked at her with a serious expression.

And then he spoke.

"How many times have you died...?"