NMRJKM Chapter 112

 

It was similar to the wound left on Dorothea by the curse, but it was a bit more severe.

My hands trembled. I stared and stared at the wound reflected in the mirror. Then I hurriedly grasped the pendant hanging around my neck.

Even without singing, I can use divine power. So, so it will come back soon.

I held the pendant as if in prayer and began to draw up the divine power within me.

I didn’t take my eyes off the wound in the mirror. The divine power was forcibly drawn out, and my hair began to flutter.

A blue light enveloped me. Just like when my divine power surged with excitement, the curtains fluttered.

However, even with the relic in my hand and my divine power, the wound did not heal.

It didn’t change. Not even a little.

Why? What is this? I couldn’t comprehend the situation.

At that moment, Carlothian approached and embraced my shoulders from behind.

“Dorothea will be here soon. So calm down and lie down.”

At those words, I thought blankly. Yes, with the relic, my divine power, and Dorothea’s divine power, it will work somehow.

Dorothea.

Dorothea!

I silently shouted her name. She had to come quickly. It was hard to endure my current state, where I couldn’t make a sound at all.

Just then, a knock was heard.

“His Highness Prince Luciano and Her Highness Princess Dorothea are…”

Before the sentence finished, I pushed away Carlothian’s arm and flung open the door.

“Miss Ariadeline, you’ve awakened…!”

The butler spoke, but there was no time to listen. I pushed past him, gripping the hem of my dress, and began to run. I couldn’t even tell if my feet were moving properly.

My feet tangled. I fell onto the soft carpet. But I couldn’t stop.

I pushed myself off the floor with my hands and ran again.

As I hurried down the stairs to the first floor, I caught sight of her.

Dorothea. Dorothea.

I rushed over to her and grabbed her shoulders. My ankle throbbed painfully. I must have twisted it when I fell.

But it didn’t matter right now. I slowly sank down and clutched at the hem of Dorothea’s dress.

Princess Dorothea, please use your divine power.

My lips could only tremble without making a sound.

“Ariadeline…!”

Dorothea looked visibly startled, but she quickly knelt down to meet my gaze.

Please, please.

I fervently offered a prayer I didn’t even know to whom.

Did she hear my prayer? Dorothea examined the wound on my neck and said with a serious expression,

“Ariadeline, focus on the divine power within you.”

I nodded frantically. Then Dorothea immediately began to sing. I once again grasped the relic and concentrated on the divine power inside me.

And I violently scraped and pulled out the divine power. It must heal. It must get better. I have to be able to sing.

I heard the beautiful sound of Dorothea’s singing. But I felt a sense of unease. Something was wrong.

She was singing. So everything should be resolved. But why do I feel this anxious?

A blue light flickered from my body, and Dorothea was singing. Yet the black magic’s presence from the wound on my neck did not diminish at all.

No, it can’t be. No.

This isn’t right.

Dorothea suddenly stopped singing.

No.

I looked at Dorothea desperately.

“Ariadeline, please calm down and listen to me.”

Don’t say that.

“There must be a way. Yes, yes. When the high priest arrives…”

No.

“Ariadeline. Please, don’t despair.”

I raked my fingers through my hair. The wound isn’t healing. My voice won’t come out.

“Is it not healing?”

I heard Carlothian’s voice following me.

Ah, ahaha. Ahahahahaha.

Thud.

“-!!”

I screamed. I strained my throat, trying to force out a voice that wouldn’t come. But no sound, nothing came out.

Tears began to flow from my eyes. Bowing my head and clutching my hair, I continued to scream.

Then suddenly, something came to mind.

Ah.

There’s a way.

I got up from my seat. Then I turned around and started to run back up the stairs.

“Ariadeline, where are you going…!”

I brushed past Carlothian. He tried to grab me, but I dodged his hand and ran.

I climbed one floor.

Then another floor.

And again, one more floor.

Finally, I reached the topmost floor.

As I arrived at the highest level, I saw the blue sky. I smiled widely, tears streaming down my face.

Let’s go back.

I can return.

Carlothian said I wouldn’t be able to go back anymore, but I can.

‘I have to.’

I threw open the large window in front of the stairs.

And then.

I stepped onto the window frame.

The wind blew.

My hair flew in the air.

The ground was right before me.

Thud!

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

Carlothian swallowed his confusion as he watched Ariadeline rush past him. Why was she in such despair and screaming like that?

Turning his head, he saw the still-open front door and two startled figures.

First, he opened his mouth to address the situation.

“First, we need to calm Ariadeline.”

“Ah, understood.”

Dorothea nodded.

He needed to let the two in and immediately chase after Ariadeline. That’s what Carlothian thought.

But what Carlothian overlooked was that he didn’t understand at all what her voice, her song, meant to her.

Right. Not at all, until something fell from the top floor.

Thud!

What pierced his ears in that moment was the sound of something hard colliding with something soft.

It was the sound of something crumpling and breaking.

Something fell in front of Carlothian. So then.

“Ah…!”

Ariadeline. She…

“Gasp…!”

His eyes widened in shock. Not even a scream escaped his open mouth.

Dorothea and Luciano, who were standing with their backs to the door, turned their heads at Carlothian’s expression.

The floor was stained with blood. Dorothea’s mouth fell open.

A scream erupted. Luciano hurriedly covered Dorothea’s eyes.

Blood crawled across the floor, and shining blonde hair was stained brown.

The blue eyes were nowhere to be seen.

What was most horrifying there was.

Twitch.

It was the fact that her fingers were twitching.

Carlothian gasped for breath. He felt suffocated, as if someone had pinched his nose and mouth shut.

“Ah, ahh…!”

He rushed towards her in desperation. She needed treatment; she needed help. He turned his head to call for Dorothea, but…

“Dorothea…!”

“Yes, what is it?”

In the blink of an eye, he found himself back in the place where he had initially stood.

With wide eyes, Carlothian turned around once more. He saw Dorothea and Luciano with their backs to the door. And then again.

Thud!

The smell of blood exploded. Drops of blood splattered on his face. Dorothea, turning around, screamed again, and Luciano hugged her tightly once more.

If Carlothian lost his senses again, once again…

Twitch.

And before his eyes, her body disappeared, and once more.

Thud!

Once again.

And again.

Continuously.

“Ari, a-del, line.”

Stop. Stop. Ariadeline, stop.

Carlothian realized the truth. Ariadeline was regressing.

He regresses along with her. So he understood.

She was regressing just before the fall.

She did not stop, continually throwing herself.

“Ariadeline, stop…!”

“Carlothian? What’s wrong?”

Dorothea’s oblivious face appeared. Carlothian grabbed her shoulders and pushed her aside, rushing out the door.

Ariadeline, he had to catch her.

He had to save her.

But before he could reach her…

A figure falling from the sky.

It brushed against his outstretched fingers.

Thud!

Blood drenched his face. A faint groan that hadn’t been heard from a few steps away.

Looking down coldly, he saw her lying there, a wreck.

And when he blinked, he found himself back in the original spot. Carlothian jumped again.

He kept pushing Dorothea aside and ran towards her.

But time and again, his fingertips brushed past her.

She threw herself without a moment’s hesitation.

He could never catch her.

This continued to repeat. Over and over. Whispers echoed in his ears.

No, was this really an echo?

The thudding sound swallowed him like a monster. She did not stop.

She throws herself, hoping and wishing for time to turn back just a little more. Carlothian wanted to scream, but

Thud!

There was no time to scream.

“Ariadeline, please…!”

He gasped for breath, unable to breathe properly.

In the meantime, Ariadeline continued to fall. Like rain.

Continuously.

Until exhaustion.

Until he felt deeply what singing, what voice, meant to Ariadellin.

His eyes turned red, and tears like blood dripped down, finally bursting out in a scream.

“Ahhh!”

Over that scream, once again.

Thud!