“Episode 30”
***
The next day.
Diana, as usual, woke up and had her meal, staring blankly out the window. Despite recent difficulties sleeping, today seemed even harder due to her restless night. Despite resolving to think positively about the future, Diana had a terrible nightmare.
It was as if the nightmare was showing her a dreadful future if she didn’t follow the will of the deity. The unborn child accused her, asking if she would kill him again. Lysio left her, distancing himself with another woman.
Even the deity didn’t reach out to Diana. In a life where death loomed at every turn, Diana couldn’t overcome the loneliness that engulfed her.
“Sigh….”
Just yesterday, she had felt happy, thinking she had found answers. From Bethany and the head priest’s words, to her resolve not to be manipulated like a puppet. Surely, there must be another way. But her dream showed her a harsh reality, proving her wrong.
“What… What should I do? Do I really have to kill?”
Diana’s mind was more tangled than ever. Could she really do it? Kill someone to survive. Was that really the path she was meant to walk, or was her dream a prophetic warning of the future that awaited her if she didn’t comply?
“But… It’s impossible. There’s no way.”
No matter how many times she thought about it, she couldn’t bring herself to believe it was possible.
“Would it really bring happiness to the child if I survived?”
Diana brushed her hand over her face with a lonely expression.
“Does Briana’s deity truly wish for that? Or could there be another meaning? Directly killing… Could it be true?”
Despite saying so, she couldn’t shake off the unease of making such a superficial assumption. At that moment, Beta, who had gone out to fetch the carriage, came back inside.
“Mama, I’ve prepared the carriage.”
“Okay. You can leave it there.”
Slightly puzzled by Diana’s words, Beta nodded and began pouring tea.
“Mama. We’re going to the orphanage next week, as I mentioned before.”
“Is that so?”
“The children especially liked the items you chose last time. Should I prepare the same things again? Or will you choose again?”
Diana simply nodded without emotion to Beta’s words.
“Mama?”
“What?”
“What about afterwards?”
“Right.”
Seeing Diana’s demeanor, which was markedly different from usual, Beta finished pouring tea and approached her. Diana, who had always been sensitive to someone approaching her, was unaware of Beta’s presence beside her.
“Mama.”
With a different demeanor than usual, Beta finally lowered herself and made eye contact with Diana. Only then did Diana hastily move away.
“Oh. Beta, why are you like this?”
“I’ve been trying to tell you since earlier, but it seems like you’re not listening. Is something wrong?”
“Oh.”
Diana was startled by Beta’s words.
“Do I look like something’s wrong?”
***
The next day.
Diana woke up as usual, had her meal, and stared blankly out the window. Despite recent difficulties sleeping, today seemed even harder due to her restless night. Despite resolving to think positively about the future, Diana had a terrible nightmare.
It was as if the nightmare was showing her a dreadful future if she didn’t follow the will of the deity. The unborn child accused her, asking if she would kill him again. Lysio left her, distancing himself with another woman.
Even the deity didn’t reach out to Diana. In a life where death loomed at every turn, Diana couldn’t overcome the loneliness that engulfed her.
“Sigh….”
Just yesterday, she had felt happy, thinking she had found answers. From Bethany and the head priest’s words, to her resolve not to be manipulated like a puppet. Surely, there must be another way. But her dream showed her a harsh reality, proving her wrong.
“What… What should I do? Do I really have to kill?”
Diana’s mind was more tangled than ever. Could she really do it? Kill someone to survive. Was that really the path she was meant to walk, or was her dream a prophetic warning of the future that awaited her if she didn’t comply?
“But… It’s impossible. There’s no way.”
No matter how many times she thought about it, she couldn’t bring herself to believe it was possible.
“Would it really bring happiness to the child if I survived?”
Diana brushed her hand over her face with a lonely expression.
“Does Briana’s deity truly wish for that? Or could there be another meaning? Directly killing… Could it be true?”
Despite saying so, she couldn’t shake off the unease of making such a superficial assumption. At that moment, Beta, who had gone out to fetch the carriage, came back inside.
“Mama, I’ve prepared the carriage.”
“Okay. You can leave it there.”
Slightly puzzled by Diana’s words, Beta nodded and began pouring tea.
“Mama. We’re going to the orphanage next week, as I mentioned before.”
“Is that so?”
“The children especially liked the items you chose last time. Should I prepare the same things again? Or will you choose again?”
Diana simply nodded without emotion to Beta’s words.
“Mama?”
“What?”
“What about afterwards?”
“Right.”
Seeing Diana’s demeanor, which was markedly different from usual, Beta finished pouring tea and approached her. Diana, who had always been sensitive to someone approaching her, was unaware of Beta’s presence beside her.
“Mama.”
With a different demeanor than usual, Beta finally lowered herself and made eye contact with Diana. Only then did Diana hastily move away.
“Oh. Beta, why are you like this?”
“I’ve been trying to tell you since earlier, but it seems like you’re not listening. Is something wrong?”
“Oh.”
Diana was startled by Beta’s words.
“Do I look like something’s wrong?”
