Chapter 61: chaptar 62 : do not buy this - . because its free.

Chapter 61: chaptar 62 : do not buy this Chapter. because its free.

In the draft of the half-written novel, Himanshu had noted down the things he needed to change. Put simply, what was going to happen next, how the character was going to think... Himanshu was the one deciding all of it now.

​Himanshu gritted his teeth in frustration.

Shit.

​Turning the page, the demon slowly turned her neck toward Himanshu. Her eyes were wide with fear, and her pupils were trembling badly.

​Himanshu had seen these exact eyes the day she read her manga for the first time. But back then, it felt like she was going to handle it, like she believed going back would fix everything. But... who knows why, now there was just a terrifying hollowness visible in her eyes. Because the place she wanted to go back to was just a hollow world. Written by some stranger.

​Himanshu took a slight step forward.

He slowly opened his mouth.

"Valoria."

​It looked like she could see Himanshu, but the fact that he was standing right there... her brain just couldn’t process it. Her mind had drowned in a dark, deep ocean of truth. Like chains of countless questions had tied her down tight.

​"Valoria," Himanshu called out a bit louder.

​That one word pulled the demon out of that terrifying ocean and brought her back right in front of Himanshu.

She quickly snapped the novel shut in one motion.

And narrowed her tense eyebrows a bit, just like she always did.

​"What kind of trash novel are you writing?"

​Her words and shaky voice made it crystal clear that she just didn’t want to show her terrifying fear on the outside. She was trying to wrap herself in her old pride all over again.

​"Nobody is going to read this."

​Saying this, she stood up and walked toward the door. That same wide, proud walk again... which now looked completely hollow.

The moment she walked past Himanshu and stepped out of the room...

​"I found out something about the manga," Himanshu said from behind.

​The demon’s steps stopped right there for a second. But without turning around, she said,

"I’m hungry right now."

And Himanshu heard the sound of her heavy footsteps walking away.

​Himanshu just stood there frozen.

​That demon... who was willing to forgive a disgusting guy just so she could go back, a guy who did that awful stuff to her. Who let humans she didn’t even like touch her so many times. Who had read that manga God knows how many times.

She crushed her self-respect to wash dishes in a cafe for her survival... For what? Just to go back!

​Then what suddenly changed, that she was ignoring the manga like this now? Running away from listening to him?

The answer was really simple—facing the truth.

​Finding out everything was a lie... her world, her relationships, her body... even her thoughts, her emotions, everything was just fake words given by someone else.

The truth was, she wanted to live like a real human, with the truth. But the truth was killing her on the inside.

​Himanshu was starting to understand that he had thrown her into the pain of a truth... that was brutally breaking even a Queen from the inside out.

He could only free her from this painful swamp by sending her back.

​After standing there and thinking for a while, Himanshu decided he wasn’t going to hurt her more by telling her the rest. He decided he would do the research alone.

But before that... he wanted to tell the demon something.

​Sitting on the dining chair, the demon was quietly eating, her eyes fixed on one spot.

After watching her look so lost for a few moments, Himanshu pulled up the chair opposite her and sat down.

A weird silence hung between them for a few moments, until Himanshu broke it.

​"I’ve decided that we’re looking for another job."

​The demon’s spoon stopped mid-air. After pausing for a second, she went back to eating.

"We can look into a library assistant job," Himanshu tried again.

​Himanshu had hoped she would say something, but without a word, she got up from her chair and started taking her dirty plate to the kitchen sink.

Himanshu just couldn’t tolerate this scary silence of hers anymore.

​Suddenly came the loud screech of a chair sliding back, and right with it, Himanshu slammed both his hands hard on the dining table.

"I don’t want you to take any more insults! We’re quitting this job, that’s it."

​The demon’s steps stopped at the kitchen door.

Without turning around, she paused for a second and said in a very low, quiet voice,

"What kind of job can you even find for a Queen where she won’t feel insulted?

​Himanshu couldn’t keep staring at her back long enough to answer that question. Clenching his fists, he just stood right there.

And the demon quietly walked forward into the kitchen.

​Time slowly passed. The house that used to be full of yelling and fights had now turned into a terrifying silence.

It was time for the cafe shift. The demon stepped out of the room.

​Himanshu was sitting on the sofa, drowning in the guilt of his mistake, just staring blankly at something on the table.

The sound of the demon’s footsteps broke his focus.

​She was wearing the cafe uniform. From no angle did she look like a ’Demon Queen’ right now. She looked like a normal girl. For a split second, Himanshu saw the reflection of those helpless girls in her, the ones who work jobs just out of sheer desperation. If they didn’t have those compulsions, they wouldn’t even think of doing it.

​Passing right by Himanshu, the demon headed for the main door.

She had barely taken two steps when Himanshu’s broken voice came from behind.

"S... sorry. I didn’t know things would get this messed up."

​Himanshu squeezed his eyes shut. He was completely ready to hear her yell or get slapped, and he had even tensed his body up for it.

​The demon stopped and turned her neck... but only halfway.

She turned halfway, paused for a second, and then walked out without saying a word. The door closed behind her. The sound of the door made Himanshu shiver. His eyes just stayed locked on that closed door.

​Until now, Himanshu had thought he was the reason for the demon’s condition. And that the demon would take her anger out on him to lighten the load.

But no... she was starting to blame herself now. For her own reality. Because for her, that manga had just become a fake history, and she herself, a joke.

​Before Himanshu could think much more... a loud phone ring came from the room. For a few moments, he didn’t even notice the ringing. He was that lost. But as soon as the second ring came, it caught his attention.

​The first thought that popped into his head was Priya’s call. Without wasting a second, he jerked up from the sofa and started taking huge steps toward the room. But just as he reached the bedroom door, his steps slowed down a bit, as another thought gripped him.

​The demon had left her phone in the room!

Himanshu was still worried that she might get lost again. And honestly, this thought of his was totally stupid because the demon knew the way now, but still...

He picked up the phone from the bed, and his guess was right. It was Priya calling.

​Without delaying, he answered the call. But even without wanting to, his feet started moving fast toward the main door to go outside.

Because... it hadn’t been long since the demon left. He could catch her near the elevator.

​[Hello...]

Hearing Priya’s voice from the phone, Himanshu’s steps slowed down in the hall.

Because... he could just keep the phone at home and talk comfortably.

Right in the middle of the hall, Himanshu came to a dead stop.

​"Hello..." was all that came out of Himanshu’s mouth.

​[What are you doing?]

That sweet, comforting voice came from the phone.

​For a second, he just froze right there. Nothing came out of his mouth. His brain had gone numb. He couldn’t decide what to do.

He had to choose something soon. Talk to Priya... or run and give the demon her phone.

​[Hello... Hello?]

​"I’m sorry. But can we talk at 10 PM tonight?"

Finally, he chose the demon. The reason was clear, he didn’t want to delay and let that guilt grow any bigger inside him. The demon’s condition was already bad.

He quickly opened the main door.

​There was a slight hesitation on the line, and then she said in a sad voice, "Alright, I’ll wait."

​"Thank you, thank you so much!"

The moment he cut the call, he ran outside like a madman.

And yelled at the top of his lungs.

​"Valoria...."

​Hearing his loud yell, everyone around instantly snapped their necks toward Himanshu.

But he didn’t give a damn about these people anymore.

​About to step inside the elevator, the demon’s feet stopped right there hearing that voice.

Holding the phone up in the air in his hands, he sprinted toward her with fast steps.

​"Your phone..." Himanshu said, panting.

​Seeing Himanshu running like this and panting just for her, the demon’s eyes went wide instantly. And right with it... her breath hitched for a split second.