“…”
In the darkness, a woman crouched, glaring somewhere. The look in her eyes did not match her clear pink hair.
“It’s the land where seasons come anew, and it needs the light of the goddess.”
Life always busted around her master, who was called a goddess. Flowers, trees, the sea, the sky, and all living beings were born in her love.
“Come with us.”
The winds of heaven were sweet, and the ground they tread upon was soft because the owner of this land was peace and love itself. However,
“It was supposed to be mine.”
The more it was like that, the less room there was for her to squeeze in beside the goddess. The more the goddess’s light spread evenly, the less warmth she could claim for herself.
“If those things were gone, I could have it all.”
That’s when cracks started forming in her pure heart.
“Foolish.” A black bird that approached the woman standing dumbfounded whispered. “Aren’t those insignificant things stealing your light?”
She knew she had to shake it off, but the murky voice was too enticing.
“Be greedy. Do whatever it takes to reclaim your place.”
“No, greed brings obsession, anger, hatred,”
“That’s a lie. The order of this heavenly realm is all a lie.” Then the black bird sneered and muttered, “Outside this heavenly realm, even greed and obsession are called love.”
“You love her, don’t you?” The black bird whispered incessantly, circling around her. “Drive the goddess into darkness and take away what she loved.”
Eventually, that day, in the darkness, the woman strangled Archangel Ananke, who guarded the goddess.
“The goddess told me to do it.” And she whispered. “She told me to kill you.”
If those attached to the goddess left, she alone could monopolize her light. A myriad of emotions surged through the crack in her once-divided heart. Hatred, resentment, envy, desire. However,
“Inanna.”
“…!”
“Even you have abandoned me.”
What appeared through the gradually brightening vision wasn’t Ananke.
“Goddess!”
“My love has led you to corruption…”
“No, that’s not it!”
“Perhaps I should erase everything and leave.”
Suddenly, her vision went dark, and then,
“Gasp!”
Luna clutched her throat and bolted upright in bed.
“…Definitely.”
It was the familiar dream she had been having since she was a child.
Red eyes, shimmering blonde hair.
But it was the first time the face hidden in the darkness appeared.
“It was definitely my sister.”
Regaining her senses, Luna hurriedly looked outside the window.
Perhaps… I should erase everything and leave?
Until a few months ago, the grand duchy’s main gate was bustling day and night, but now, only a chilling wind has blown through. Thus, the forest beyond seemed all the more vivid.
Was it because of the remnants of the dream?
“Could it be.”
Even as dawn was breaking, the forest submerged in darkness…
“Is something happening to sister?”
It seemed to have swallowed Siani.
* * *
“That’s… Your Royal Highness.”
Lisfeld never hesitated to speak. He knew too well how meticulous and cold Redian Hyu Rixon, the Crown Prince of Meteora, was. That he wouldn’t entertain any poor excuses.
“It’s been exactly 6 days.”
Redian, facing the desk, drew a line over the calendar with his pen soaked in ink. From the day Siani left to today, meaningless dates blurred and disappeared instantly.
“Do I need more explanation?”
“That’s…”
Redian’s expression as he asked again was one of boredom. It was as if Siani, who had set out that day to arrive today, must do so without fail.
“Just answer my questions.”
“…”
“Where is master staying? What’s her first schedule in Benega?” His gaze, calm to the point of eeriness, felt like madness due to its intensity, allowing no room for exceptions.
“Your Royal Highness, there have been no carriages entering Benega from the capital in the past six days,” Lisfeld answered again.
“…”
Despite the shocking news, Redian’s hand continued to twirl the pen softly and leisurely. It was news that had left even Lisfeld, who had prepared for countless variables, stunned for a long time.
“Tsk, the coachman must have done something stupid—either missed the record or wrote the wrong departure location,” Redian murmured with his dark blue eyes gazing beyond the window.
“Anyway, they must have entered Benega by now, so we should hear from the territory lord soon.”
It was still the early dawn before morning had broken. There was no emotion on Redian’s face, shrouded in faint darkness.
“Report to me as soon as you hear any news. And throw that foolish coachman into the underground prison.”
Lisfeld felt as if his breath was caught in his throat at Redian’s consistently calm tone.
Where does this blind faith that Siani Felicite would never break a promise with him come from? Is it loyalty to his savior? Love for that woman? Or perhaps… is there something he believes in?
“Greetings, Your Royal Highness. May the goddess’s blessing upon you.”
But then.
“I brought news as you seemed to be waiting for the princess’s update.” Francis entered the room. “There have been no records of carriages entering Benega for the past six days, so I traced the coachman’s whereabouts.”
Lisfeld looked at Francis with surprised eyes.
“Since they’re private contractors who work for money, they’re often involved in illicit activities like smuggling or drugs.”
Even Lisfeld, who frequently checked the news, only learned yesterday that no carriages had entered Benega. And yet, during that time, Francis had already tracked the coachman and the company’s trail.
“So, because they’ve been implicitly covering up ‘that incident,’ the report was delayed…”
Francis’s calm gaze was fixed on Redian. The innocent boy with a bright smile was nowhere to be found.
“They claimed carriages have been disappearing consecutively near Wenis Hill for months. It’s likely that the carriage driven by that coachman also disappeared in that area.”
“What do you mean? Does that mean the princess has gone missing too?” Lisfeld’s face hardened reflexively at Francis’s words.
“Missing?” But Redian merely chuckled softly.
“According to a witness, only two people were seen near a lakeshore in that area—a woman and the coachman. Based on the descriptions, it seems the woman was the princess’s personal maid, Daisy.”
Even Francis, who was usually composed, delivered the news calmly.
“It seems that the carriage failed to make it over Wenis Hill and has since disappeared.”
The disappearance of both the carriage and Siani Felicite was as if they had vanished into thin air. Their faces didn’t reflect the shock of dealing with the accident of their master, who they once followed like dogs.
“If that’s true, not only is the carriage gone, but we have no idea where the princess is.” Meanwhile, Lisfeld’s face remained stiff. “Could the coachman and the maid have conspired to harm the princess…?”
“That’s ridiculous,” Francis chuckled lightly, his response seemingly prompted by his deep understanding of who Siani Felicite truly was.
“Most likely, the princess managed to ditch them midway and went somewhere else on her own, Your Royal Highness.”
As soon as Francis finished his report, Redian spoke in a low tone, “She went somewhere alone…”
With a sound like tearing paper, the pen in Redian’s hand snapped.
“Why would master do that?”
The blank ink leaking from the broken spot stained Redian’s hand.
“She clearly told me she was going to Benega.”
The ink, spilling from the broken pen, soaked into the scars on his palm and dripped down like dark, crimson blood. It was the same hand that had been injured just so Siani would touch it and the same hand that had once been scented sweetly to touch her hair—until just recently.
“Milord.”
“…”
“Give us the order, Milord.”
But now, a dense and dark power resembling black ink was surging from that hand.
“We’re still moving for you, Milord. Wherever we are, we follow your command.”
It had been since that day, the day Mephisto’s blood splattered across his face, that Redian began to hear these voices, growing clearer each time. He smiled, lowering his head as he recalled them.
“Now that you’ve finally awakened from your long slumber, call us and command us, Milord.”
It was only then that Redian realized why he had been spiraling into rampages all this time and why those persistent nightmares haunted him—he finally understood what this damp power gathering at his fingertips meant. But still…
“Why would the master do that?”
She couldn’t deceive him. There was no way she would betray him.
Siani never lied to him.
“I guess I have to hear the reason directly from master.”
Their promise, after all, was meant to be eternal.
“Let’s head to Wenis Hill.”
One way or another, she would have no choice but to return to him.
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