175 - Evil Husband (15th Anniversary Edition) Chapter 175
175
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Cesare had been trying to kill Illusory Eileen. But even with a firm resolve, he couldn't easily bring himself to do it. He tried several times, but in the end, he couldn't clench his hand around her neck and could only lower it.
Did Aileen sense something strange in his actions? Otherwise, there was no reason for her to suddenly say such a thing.
The rain pouring outside the window was fierce. It was an unprecedented downpour in the dream, where only mild weather had always prevailed. The relentless rain shook everything, so strongly that no one in the world could escape it.
Listening to the sound of the rain, Cesare looked at Aileen. Aileen also looked at Cesare. Their eyes, in stark contrast, met for a long time.
As if she was deeply saddened, tears like beads constantly rolled down from her sparkling eyes. Seeing her crying face, Cesare couldn't do anything.
"...How can I kill you?"
The answer that flowed out without him realizing was both sincere and a lie. He had already killed Aileen countless times. He had broken the neck of the child who shone with absolute trust towards him with his own hands, many times.
For some reason, Aileen's crying intensified. Cesare exhaled lowly and quietly embraced Aileen. He could skillfully soothe the young Aileen, but as she grew into an adult, it became difficult to stop her tears.
Unlike when she was a simple child who filled her world only with The Prince, plants, and her parents, the grown-up Aileen had become more complex. Despite watching and observing her throughout her life, Aileen was still an incomprehensible being to Cesare, just as he was to her.
"Cesare..."
A small hand grasped Cesare's wrist. It was a hand that could be easily shaken off without any effort, but Cesare couldn't move, as if bound by chains.
Her hand reached above Aileen's neck. Aileen pressed down on her own neck with a hand that had no strength at all, crying and crying. A pleading whisper seeped into Cesare's ears through the sound of the rain.
"I miss you."
It was a strange thing to say, as she was right in front of him, yet she said she missed him. But Cesare didn't ask why. He simply answered honestly.
"I miss you too, Aileen."
Now, he could no longer be satisfied with her as an illusory being. He missed Aileen. He longed for the child he had first met in the Lily flower garden, the child he had cherished and raised within his fence. He was curious about the future where she would have blossomed like a flower and grown as an adult.
Aileen's future that was not broken by him...
Instead of strangling Aileen's neck, Cesare slowly caressed her tear-stained cheeks. Aileen accepted Cesare's touch and closed her eyes. Then, she opened her eyes again and met his gaze.
"I love you."
The sudden words were completely unexpected. The moment he heard the confession that came without any warning, Cesare unknowingly stopped breathing. He even felt as if time had stopped for a moment.
It was a word he had never heard before.
Aileen had never recklessly written the word "love" even in her diary, where she had written down all her innermost thoughts.
Even while spending countless hours together in the Brick house, she had not been able to confess her complete feelings to Cesare.
But it didn't matter. Her gold-green eyes, sparkling with affection and trust, always expressed her feelings more than enough. Because Cesare was well aware of Aileen's love, he didn't think it was necessary to hear the expression of it. However, the moment it was conveyed in words was completely different.
Aileen repeatedly pressed Cesare's hand onto her neck. Then, she confessed countless times.
"I love you, Cesare. I love you..."
As if washing away the sorrow she had been unable to express, she cried while confessing countless times. At that moment, Cesare intuitively knew. Now was truly the time to escape from the dream. That this might be the last chance.
The Aileen in the dream also knew how to return Cesare to reality. Even knowing that it was her own death, she unhesitatingly gave her life for Cesare.
Aileen climbing onto the Guillotine overlapped in his mind. That figure of her facing any fear and terror for his sake.
Cesare felt a crushing pain in his chest. He couldn't breathe as if his own neck was being strangled. Nevertheless, he opened his lips.
"...Me too."
Even though he knew it was a confession no different from deception, he conveyed his feelings.
"I love you too, Aileen..."
Aileen smiled more brightly than ever, even with her eyes full of tears. She smiled brightly like she did in her innocent childhood and kissed Cesare first.
She gently pressed her tear-soaked lips against his, then pulled away and looked at Cesare for the last time. She gazed into his eyes for a long time before slowly closing her eyes.
Cesare belatedly realized that he was trembling. He was trembling terribly, like someone committing murder for the first time in his life. His faintly convulsing hand gripped her pure white neck.
The longer it took, the more intense the pain became. So, he had to end it in a single moment. The moment he finally gripped with force, a gruesome sensation pierced through his palm.
Cesare killed Aileen for the seventh time.
The sensation of life leaving her small body was miserably vivid. The body that had been alive and breathing with will just moments ago limply drooped its limbs like a toy doll.
Cesare very slowly released the hand that had been strangling her neck. Then, he called her name.
"Aileen."
There was no reply. Raindrops beat against the window. Engulfed in the loud noise, Cesare quietly held Aileen in his arms. Flash, the dim surroundings brightened. Then, thunder roared like an explosion.
At the sound of thunder that seemed to collapse everything, a strange thought suddenly occurred to him. The thought that perhaps this was reality. Not a dream or illusion.
Cesare rose to his feet. He staggered as he walked, holding Aileen, who was gradually losing warmth.
He almost tripped several times while going down the stairs, but he forced himself to endure because he couldn't drop Aileen in his arms.
Thunder struck again. Cesare buried Aileen's face in his chest and whispered that it was okay. He kissed her round forehead and neatly brushed back her disheveled hair.
Reaching the room with the piano, Cesare carefully sat Aileen on the piano chair. He grabbed her body, which was about to collapse, and sat down on the chair as well. And he leaned Aileen against him. As he had done for the young Aileen in the past, he sat side by side and began to press the piano keys.
It was a performance for Aileen. Because she was very afraid of thunder, so that the sound of the piano could hide it even a little.
But strangely, the keys were not pressed properly. His fingers kept slipping, and he couldn't step on the pedal in time. He repeated mistakes that he had never made even when he first learned to play the piano.
The terribly tangled sound stopped for a moment. It was because of the raindrops. Had the rain that had been beating against the window finally found its way into the house? The raindrops that were wetting the back of his hand and the piano keys were annoying.
Even while feeling the damp sensation, Cesare moved his hands. It was a performance that was not made up of proper notes, but it was able to hide the sound of rain and thunder even a little.
The world began to collapse. The Brick house turned into fragments of light, as if old paper was crumbling.
The bedroom where he had spent the night with Aileen, the kitchen where they had made and shared food, and the orange tree in the garden where they had napped together in the shade all scattered as illusions.
In the moment of collapse where everything was disappearing, Cesare continued to play. Waiting for the constantly falling raindrops to stop.
