Why Do You Obsess Even After Death (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
Nothing is being read.
Even though I clearly took off my gloves, and unless that face is fake, I touched the skin.
No memories were read at all.
‘What in the world is going on here?’
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment at this unprecedented situation.
Could it be that I only touched too lightly, so the memories aren’t being read?
I pressed my palm tightly against the cold cheek without any gap. But nothing changed.
‘Why? Why!’
To me, this ability was a curse.
A curse that prevents me from comfortably touching the people I love. A curse that stops me from even shaking hands with close acquaintances.
I had wished countless times for it to just disappear.
But now, that’s not the case!
‘Read it! Please read it! Read the memories, I beg you!’
It was despair.
Focusing intently, I kneaded the skin in front of me with both hands as if roughly handling bread dough.
Forgetting entirely that what I was touching was someone’s face.
“My face is starting to hurt a bit.”
“Kyaa!”
The smooth bread dough suddenly spoke, startling me so much that I pushed the face I was touching away. The recoil caused my body to tilt backward.
Thud.
“You should be careful.”
Laches supported my waist with one hand and held my hand with the other.
If Laches hadn’t caught me, I would have fallen headfirst onto the stone floor.
“This is such a classic seduction method.”
“……!”
Laches leaned forward and whispered softly in my ear with warm breath.
The unfamiliar tickling sensation made me forget the cold, and my whole body grew hot in an instant.
“I-I didn’t do it on purpose. Thank you.”
I put strength into the hand he was holding and straightened my body. We were still holding hands, but no memories were read.
‘Could my ability have disappeared?’
Or is it that my ability just doesn’t work on this man in front of me?
Or perhaps I’ve overused it on too many people recently?
I had never used it before because I was too busy hiding it, so I didn’t know.
“Did you wipe off whatever was on my face?”
“Huh?”
“You were touching my face so diligently, saying something was on it.”
Laches pointed to his own face. Thanks to that, I looked at his face again.
Thick eyebrows and clear, deep eyes. A face with a straight nose stood out.
For a moment, how could I have thought those distinct features were smooth bread dough?
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
“No one has touched my face so roughly since I was a child.”
“……I’m truly sorry.”
“If you want to touch my face, just say you want to. Kneading it like laundry hurts.”
Laches let out a light chuckle. With the low laugh, white breath spread hazily.
Is there anyone who suits the cold north as well as this man?
Unknowingly entranced, I stared at Laches, and he tilted his head with a smile.
“You’re not denying it. So you really did want to touch my face?”
“……No, that’s not it.”
I hurriedly lowered my gaze from him.
Laches’s memories aren’t being read.
That means I can’t figure out whether this man is the one who will kill me.
‘Was coming to the north a mistake?’
Instead of facing it head-on, should I have just run away when I suspected him? Should I hide somewhere out of this man’s sight even now?
Would I survive this time?
No. I wouldn’t. There were times I fled in a hurry right after opening my eyes without telling anyone.
Times I ran desperately with no destination, leaving no trace, just wanting to live.
But in the end, I didn’t survive those either. So hiding out of this man’s sight would lead to the same result.
“I heard the capital is in an uproar. There’s a lot of talk about Count Deberti and Lady Palo committing adultery.”
As if waking me from my thoughts, Laches lightly shifted the conversation.
‘I was wondering when it would get out, and it finally has.’
I’ve been so busy with work lately that I couldn’t keep up with news from the capital. I almost missed such an important matter.
I suppressed my joy and nodded nonchalantly, as if it were someone else’s business.
“There’s a lot of talk about them toying with Lady Niriel and cheating. Do you know anything about it?”
“……Me? What would a maid like me know?”
“You came with a letter of introduction from the personal physician who worked for the Niriel family. I thought the Niriel family’s physician would have seen Lady Niriel’s final moments, so there might be a connection.”
Laches didn’t seem to expect my answer and continued lightly.
“Lady Palo has been confined by the duke, and I hear Count Deberti is struggling because all the investment funds for his recent business venture have been withdrawn.”
“I see.”
Right now, I’m not Referentia Niriel but just the maid Lea.
I had no reason to smile openly in front of Laches.
At least after my death, those two received some punishment, even if not enough for their crimes.
I forced my twitching lips down and struggled to manage my expression.
“I hear Count Niriel is planning to formally raise this issue. He’s demanding an investigation to inform His Majesty of his daughter’s grievances…….”
“Huh?”
My emotions, unmoved by talk of Detor and Delia, surged the moment my father was mentioned.
Laches paused and narrowed his eyes.
“Why? Do you know something?”
“……No. I was just surprised because the Count Niriel I heard about seems different. I didn’t think he was someone who cherished his deceased daughter.”
“Really?”
Laches brushed it off and grabbed my wrist. Then he pulled me toward him without hesitation.
The spot where his hand touched burned without warning.
“Suddenly……”
“Your lips were turning pale, so I thought you were cold.”
Laches said that, released my wrist without regret, and buttoned up the thin robe I was wearing.
That weightless attitude, light as a sheet of paper, strangely made people tense.
My head, which had cooled in an instant, grew hot again.
“Well, if Count Niriel had cherished his daughter, he would have known long ago that those two scoundrels were toying with her.”
As if comforting me… or the deceased Referentia Niriel, Laches murmured softly in a low voice.
It was strange to hear the words I wanted to say flow from his lips.
‘Come to think of it, even the first time…….’
At the memorial service when we first met, Laches had said the exact thoughts I had.
Someone who understands me well.
Does that mean he knows me well?
“Enough of this. Go inside and sleep.”
Laches cut off my endless train of thought at the perfect moment. He grabbed my shoulders, turned me around, and gently pushed me toward the annex.
“What about you, Duke…….”
“You need to sleep well to work when you wake up. It’s already late even if you sleep now.”
Laches cut me off, turned his body first, and started walking toward the main castle where he was staying.
I bowed and greeted the departing Laches, closing my eyes tightly.
Thump, thump. The rough footsteps fading at a steady pace. An upright gait.
There was nothing to learn from just footsteps, yet I clung to them desperately.
Hoping this night of trembling anxiety would end.
‘Laches might not be the murderer trying to kill me, so I need to keep checking the capital’s news. I need to know what happens in the capital after my death.’
After confirming Laches’s footsteps had completely faded, I returned to the bedroom.
The maids sharing the room were still sound asleep. I took off my robe and approached the bed of the maid next to mine.
Carefully, so as not to wake her, I gently held her hand with an apology.
This was the only way to confirm.
“……!”
The maid’s memories poured in like a flood.
Memories are being read.
I quickly let go of her hand and then held another maid’s hand.
“……”
This time, too, the memories were read without issue.
Having confirmed there was nothing wrong with my ability, I stopped reading others’ memories.
Then why.
‘Why can’t I read Laches’s memories alone?’
Out of so many people, why is it limited to just that one person?
[This is the timeline separator]“Yaaawn, it’s already morning…… Kyaa!”
The maid who opened her eyes screamed the moment she saw me.
“Wh-what!”
To be precise, at me sitting on the floor, hugging my knees.
I greeted the awakened maid with hollow eyes and a sleepy nod.
“……Hello. Good morning.”
“Why, why are you doing this here?! Your bed is over there! You scared me so much I almost fainted!”
“……Mm.”
“……What’s wrong with her? Your eyes are all dark under them. Are you okay?”
The maid who always looked at me with pity saw my state and hurriedly got out of bed.
I must look impossibly awful.
“I couldn’t sleep, that’s all. I’m fine.”
“You didn’t sleep?”
“……Yeah.”
Going outside yesterday in just a thin robe was the problem.
Even when I tried to sleep under a blanket, my body shivered and I was too cold to fall asleep.
“My spot was too cold…….”
I hugged my knees tighter to keep my body heat from escaping. I pointed with my chin at the fireplace in front of me.
“This spot is close to the fireplace, so I was going to sleep here. But it’s already morning…….”
“Cold? In this weather?”
The maid, with a refreshed face from a good sleep, looked out the window.
“It’s the season when the weather is warming up, getting nicer every day?”
“This is my first time in the north, so even this feels cold to me. But don’t worry, I won’t inconvenience you.”
The maid let out a small sigh, as if she hadn’t thought of it. She alternated looking at my spot by the window and me.
“S-sorry. I gave you the spare spot, but I didn’t think it’d be cold.”
The maid said why didn’t I say something sooner and draped her blanket over my shoulders.
Would that change anything? She can’t even help me because she’s watching the head maid’s mood.
“You said your name is Lea, right?”
“……Yeah.”
“I’m Celly. We share a room, so we should at least introduce ourselves. How are your symptoms? Most people get really sick when they first come to the north. I should’ve told you earlier. I was too busy watching the head maid to look after you.”
The maid blushed with embarrassment.
If you fall out of favor with the head maid, maids lose their jobs. Getting fired without reason makes it hard to find new work, and your livelihood is threatened.
So it was only natural. I didn’t think badly of the maids either.
“The head maid doesn’t like anyone taking a break from work, no matter the reason. Can you still work? Or should I help you today?”
The maid, Celly, reached out to me. She held my hand to check my temperature.
“……!”
At the same time, unexpectedly, Celly’s memories flowed in.
In Celly’s memories, I could confirm Laches’s memory.
[‘Find Demaloxin.’]It was an unexpected gain.
‘Why… is Laches looking for Demaloxin?’
The memory was short.
Laches had called a knight and ordered him to find “Demaloxin,” a deadly poison currently banned in the empire. That was all.
Celly had been cleaning at the time, but Laches ordered her to leave, so she didn’t know the rest of the conversation.
But just knowing Laches was looking for Demaloxin made my lips tremble.
Facing endless fear, my face turned pale as if buried in a blizzard.
“Oh no. Are you very sick? You should take some medicine.”
Celly let go of my hand and hurriedly woke the other maids who were still asleep.
Demaloxin.
A deadly poison banned in the empire, and one of the causes of the many deaths I’ve experienced.
I don’t know which life it was.
There was a day I was drunk with joy after brutally taking revenge on Detor and Delia.
I drank the alcohol a servant brought, then writhed in pain and was poisoned to death.
When I came back to life and checked, I found that the alcohol I drank contained the deadly poison Demaloxin.
Of course, there was a time I avoided the poisoned alcohol but died trapped in a fire in my bedroom.
From then on, I tried desperately to avoid alcohol and Demaloxin.
I tried to find sellers and buyers but couldn’t find any…….
‘Laches was looking for that poison?’
All the questions and evidence kept pointing to one person.
The most suspicious person.
“She really looks very sick! She’s sweating coldly?”
“Does anyone have any hidden medicine?”
“Leila in the next room might have some. I’ll go get it!”
Listening to the noisy maids’ conversation, I tried to calm my rapid breathing.
‘If I was going to tremble in fear over something like this, I should’ve just jumped off the cliff back then.’
I scolded myself harshly and wiped my face several times with trembling hands.
‘Is that man really going to?’
Of course, just looking for Demaloxin doesn’t mean everything is certain. It doesn’t mean he’s the murderer who killed me.
But I was betrayed by my trusted fiancé and friend. The people I spent years with betrayed me in an instant.
Who could I trust?
I had to doubt everything. I had to always push myself to the extreme and constantly distrust small pieces of evidence and inexplicable kindness.
“I have to go to work, so move aside.”
With the maids’ help, I stood up with my trembling body. It felt like my body was rejecting the instinctive fear.
I can’t read Laches’s memories. Then I just need to read the memories of people around him to confirm the situation.
Fortunately, I’m a maid with a reason to work, free to roam inside the castle.
‘The blond knight who received Laches’s order. I need to meet that knight and confirm.’
I hurriedly left the bedroom and quickened my steps.
“She’s amazing…… If it were me, I’d just say I’m sick and rest.”
“I heard she passed the head maid’s interview without one, so I thought she came with amazing connections. Guess not.”
“If she wanted an easy job, why come to the cold, harsh north? She seemed weak to the cold…….”
And so I remained unaware of the misunderstandings growing behind me.
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Huh????? This dude might be dummer than she is, sigh
Literally where are you getting this from girly pop?
Omg she’s such a loser, I bet detour will end up embarrassing her