95 [95]

"So I'm going to be put to death. We can start again. Next time, Prince Louis will be the rightful king. Donna's going to come back.”

"People don't come back to life."

"I know you don't believe me, but at least pretend you do.”

It's not him who has to imitate at least. It is you who should. Raymond clenched his fist.

"I'm trying to save you now. Don't you know?"

"I'm trying, too. I want to give you a better future. I'm being polite.”

She never loved anyone from the beginning. I asked for love, but I didn't Even yourself. But I thought it would be okay.

We'll have plenty of time.

"Carran, there's no such thing as a book. Your life ends when you die."

No, we don't have time.

"I have sent all your records to four professors to check. You don't have any new knowledge. You always said you'd go out of the book, but there's no place like that."

Karen looked at Raymond silently. Raymond felt like something was going on inside.

"Dulan said he had lied to cure you. You're not living again."

"You... don't believe... The truth doesn't change."

Karen groaned in answer. To the end, she doesn't want to see the situation properly. Raymond got up.

"Nothing is right about you. My brother died five days ago. I'm at work. It was an accident. I couldn't go because I was with the Marquis of Pancake. You didn't know it at all. He didn't tell me."

"Something like that... you've never said that before....”

"Your Highness Prince Gwiz and Prince Louis are brothers. The Baron Ain wasn't the criminal......there's nothing you know, Karen."

"Wait...wait."

Karen gasped for breath. It seemed unbearable to hear what I didn't want to hear.

"At least don't go to the death row yourself, saying that it' a confession. About me."

Raymond thought.

Karen doesn't love herself. I don't respect them either. She wouldn't do this to him if she had any such thoughts. I wouldn't talk like I didn't care so much to anyone who wanted to save her.

"As a courtesy."

Raymond got up. Karen was bowing her head.

The guard talked to Raymond, but he didn't feel like mixing his words.

“…….”

Raymond came out of the building. It was midnight.

Let's get a lawyer to persuade her once again. At least keep your silence. Raymond had a hard time dealing with Karen.

My brother died. It was a meaningless death. Prince Louis died. It was too early to die. Donna is dead. It was a death that no one remembered.

Raymond hated such death.

"But the trial didn't even start.”

It is not without possibility at all.

Let's have hope. The night sky was full of stars. Like the day he confessed to her. It hasn't been long, but why does it seem so long ago? Raymond leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. I was at a loss.

***

So far, Karen knows she has turned her eyes away from reality. He repeatedly tried to concentrate on reality, but all of it was just escapism. Didn't you realize from the beginning? But I turned my eyes to another place because I was scared.

"There's nothing you know."

It's you who don't know anything. That's not the truth Karen has. That's not what Raymond doesn't know. No matter how the world works, it has nothing to do with Karen.

But what difference does that make?

"You have to tell me everything honestly."

"Who sent you?”

"The Marquis of Pancake."

The lawyer, wearing glasses in front of him, looked sick. There were wrinkles on the face, and the eyes were sly. But his voice was young. a man of long standing full of strength A man who went through years Karen didn't have.

"Yes…, but I'm a little tired of saying the same thing so far. Can I have some tea?”

"Of course."

The lawyer called the guard. The guard came out of the car with familiarity. It was a little different from Raymond's stiff attitude. He seemed to know his lawyer well.

"I guess the Marquis chose the lawyer with his own care.’

Karen thought so when she saw the hot tea in front of her. I can't believe you're drinking tea after killing people. It's a matter of killing a big man. If Karen had been known to have killed Donna, Karen would not have left her clothes by now. Did you say killing one person makes you a murderer, a hero, and killing 10,000 makes you a god? He may not be a hero, but he is quite luxurious among murderers.

"Miss Karen, please look here."

"I'm sorry. I've been out of my mind lately."

"That's what happens when you prepare for the trial. It makes me say the same thing over and over again. It makes people tired."

Moderate consolation. But as expected, his voice is slippery and his eyes are cold.

It doesn't matter.’

He'll be his cash cow now. Karen put the teacup down and looked at him.

"Can I be acquitted?”

"…if Miss Karen is innocent, she should come out innocent."

The lawyer looked at Karen. A commercial smile comes to his face.

"Are you innocent, Miss Karen?"

Karen wanted to die.

The death penalty seemed to be interesting.

If you die like this, it's also a blessing to her.

"I killed them all. Take me."

"I've killed my lord the crown prince, my lord the crown prince, my lord the crown prince, and Donna."

"Oh, she's my maid."

What Karen repeated over and over again.

a falsehood mixed with truth The purpose of the death penalty is to make random remarks. Words that people want.

"I didn't kill Prince Louis."

Karen began to recount the situation in the room.

It was to be polite to Raymond.

The more Karen spoke, the less the lawyer's expression began to change.

"…Let's look forward to tomorrow's trial. Since the Marquis said he would announce the conduct of Crown Prince Gwiz, Ms. Karen could serve as a substitute for imprisonment."

"How many years will it be?"

"It doesn't matter now. Ms. Karen, you can't say that tomorrow as you've done. There's plenty of evidence, so with your cooperation, we'll avoid the death penalty."

"Is that so?"

Karen glanced down at the teacup in front of herself. Before I knew it, the glass was empty. After the trial, whether it be death penalty or imprisonment, the end will eventually be the same.

"There's no such thing as a life starting over."

No, it's not. But I can't convince him. It's something that only Karen goes through. He doesn't know. We will never know. Karen didn't know how hard Raymond lived. Karen didn't know what kind of king Prince Louis would be. And they don't know Karen either. There is a wall between Karen and everyone in the world. About a book. It is thin but it never breaks. The ink can't stick out of the paper.

"I want to make a confession before the trial begins."

"…Miss Karen, you should be more honest with me than with your new bride."

"I told you everything I could tell you. But it's a confession that has nothing to do with that."

“…….”

"Maybe it's a death penalty, because I'm scared."

The lawyer nodded at Karen's words. Again, he wasn't sure either. Even if there is grounds for interpretation of the law, the opponent is the royal family. The dead are royalty. Even if the new king is close to Raymond, the current king is still the same, and he has lost his children. It is the king of this country who considers Karen an enemy. There is nothing to know.

"Okay."

Karen added the most important thing to the nodding lawyer.

"Dulan Lloyd, please. I don't know where he is now."

"…I see."

Duran is here.

It was a day before the trial.

***

"It's inside."

Karen straightened up when she heard him come. The trial is now one day away. And now there's not much time left. Maybe he'll be sentenced to death tomorrow and locked up in a place where no one can meet. He may be alone until the day he dies and be executed. So you have to meet him before that. He came.

“…….”

Duran is here.

It's time for the referee. Karen saw him. His black eyes did not know what he was thinking as usual.

"I'm going out."

"Go, go, thank you.”

"…Ha."

All the guards are out. Such was the right of the new building. Karen smiled in vain when she saw them all leaving, who had not moved at Raymond's request. Raymond wanted them to go out, but Duran didn't want to face Karen.

"Don't you have anything to say to me?”

"Guys… I wonder if the Prince is that much… I didn't know....”

"Oh, honestly, I wanted to kill you."

Karen said, glaring at Duran. He said he didn't know what would happen, but he didn't even think about it. You don't have to experience the unpleasant experience of getting your mother's secondhand goods.

“…….”

Duran sat down and held his black priest's uniform. It looked like he was waiting for someone to do something wrong and get in trouble. But it's not him who wants to cry now. Karen also clasped her skirt.

"Not that."

Karen closed her eyes. I don't even get angry anymore. Before I met Raymond, I thought I'd never let him go when I met Dulan.

"To me... What does it mean to me to live a life of repetition? Yeah, it's never been as unpleasant as this time.”

"…me…."

"I don't want to get an apology from you. That's not what's important right now...You know."

What does that have to do with Karen?

Karen was already prepared to untie her necklace. Again, Raymond was no different from his previous life, and he was tired and unsure. I was thinking about the next life after abandoning it this time. with little pleasure waiting for the death penalty

"To be honest, I don't think I can live any longer this time."

“…….”

"Is it true love or what it is? It's just nonsense. The lawyer and Raymond said they didn't know, but... I won't be able to live this time. Even if I didn't get the death penalty, I'd been tried."

"…uh, when?"

"That doesn't matter. It doesn't matter at all the time. I slept with a married man and his wife killed herself. So I was locked up in prison and the jailer was your brother. I got rat poison in my rice...Raymond didn't give up on me then. Isn't that funny?”

So Karen didn't know. But because of Raymond's words, she decided not to run anymore. Karen looked at Duran's face. a cadaver of pale, squishy-eyed But Karen knows his face when he was younger.

"Why does she say that to me?"

On the swing. There is a boy with a grimace behind him.

"I've already given up hearing about true love from you.”

"…why…."

"A trial, more than that… Whether it's the death penalty or not so much more than that. I have something to check. It's not your nonsense, really.”

Duran sees her. Karen sees him. It's time for the referee. It's not a man's trial. It's a trifle.

"I said it's comforting to be out of the book. Yes... I needed comfort. Not here... I have a place to go back. So... there must be a real family, a real friend....”

"So what's your original name?"

"I don't remember. It's more than a hundred years ago."

"You can't remember. I was Karen Haier from the start. I've known her since I went to see Mrs. Dare. There's no way they won't notice. Nancy was just giving me hope."

"It's okay, it's okay."

"That's all in the book."

Remember that a gypsy woman whispered every night. For the upcoming loss, the voice can be heard struggling with fear.

I can no longer stop the memory of being sunk to the other side.