Episode 95

The carriage slowed to a stop in front of the Drenihan estate.

As the door opened, Ludwig stepped out first and offered me his hand. I accepted it, stepping down onto the cobblestone path. By now, the evening sky was painted with hues of orange and crimson as the sun set on the horizon.

“Thank you for escorting me,” I said with a small smile.

“It’s nothing,” he replied politely.

During the ride back, Jenna’s words had lingered in my mind, leaving me unsettled. It was only natural to worry about Ludwig, given what she had said about his condition.

In truth, I also felt a measure of responsibility.

By meddling with the original storyline, I had altered Ludwig’s bond. His imprinted one had shifted from Jenna to Rachel. If things had gone as they were supposed to, Ludwig, without an imprinted one, would have gladly accepted Jenna’s purification, gradually growing closer to her before naturally forming a bond.

He wouldn’t have been forcing himself to endure to the point of headaches, as he was now.

“You seem deep in thought,” Ludwig observed, his sharp gaze picking up on my distraction. “You looked the same on the ride over.”

I forced a smile, shaking my head. “It’s nothing. Just…”

“Just?” he prompted gently.

“I want to help you however I can. You’ve helped me so much, after all.”

Ludwig’s lips curved faintly into a smile. “Truly?”

“Of course!” I nodded firmly. I meant it. If there was anything I could do for him, I would.

Though Ludwig had often helped me, I rarely had the chance to return the favor.

‘I’ve felt a little guilty about taking so much without giving back,’ I admitted inwardly.

Despite his fearsome reputation, Ludwig was surprisingly generous to those he considered his people. His demeanor in real life differed greatly from the original story’s depiction of him, leaving me uncertain of how to gauge him.

“I’m serious. If there’s something you need, don’t hesitate to tell me,” I reassured him.

“Then, would you allow me to be greedy?” he asked with a quiet intensity.

I smiled and nodded. “Of course. You’re too kind, Ludwig. Sometimes it’s okay to be a little selfish.”

Jenna’s earlier warning replayed in my mind—how Ludwig seemed on the verge of being consumed by the malevolent energy plaguing him. The only ones capable of healing him were Jenna and his imprinted one.

‘Rachel’s illness is almost completely cured now,’ I thought. She had been fortunate to receive early diagnosis and ample medical care.

It was clear that Ludwig was holding back from seeking help out of concern for Rachel’s well-being, even at the expense of his own health.

“I’m not as good a person as you think, Sierra,” he murmured with a faint chuckle.

‘That… I know,’ I thought.

Even without the original story, rumors of Ludwig’s ruthlessness were well-known. Those who underestimated the young Grand Duke or opposed him—such as the corrupt factions within the Karsian estate—had met swift and brutal ends.

But the man in front of me now seemed completely different from the one in those rumors.

“Do you remember the wish I mentioned during the Emperor’s birthday celebration?” he asked suddenly.

“A wish…?”

I thought back to his words that day.

‘If you achieve your ultimate goal through Queensbury, will you grant me one small wish?’

“Yes, I remember,” I said, nodding.

The goal he referred to was curing Lisbeth, my illness—a task still incomplete.

“If the day ever comes when I need something from you, I’ll use that wish,” Ludwig said, his tone even.

“Once you use the wish, it won’t really be a request anymore, will it?” I joked with a smile.

Ludwig let out a low chuckle. “You’re right. A request you can’t refuse isn’t much of a request.”

He stepped closer, closing the distance between us. Startled, I instinctively tried to step back, but the carriage was behind me, leaving me no room to retreat.

“When the time comes, I’ll be as greedy as I can,” he said softly, his golden eyes gleaming with a predatory light.

His gaze, though unchanged in color, carried an intensity that made my breath catch. It felt dangerous, like a predator sizing up its prey.

The sound of a heartbeat—whether his or mine—reverberated loudly in the still air, echoing in the space between us. His proximity, his presence, seemed overwhelming, and I couldn’t look away.

The night had descended fully, cloaking the world in deep darkness.

I tossed and turned in bed before my eyelids grew heavy, and I eventually drifted into a light sleep.

In my dream, I found myself in a world vastly different from this one.

A bustling subway station. Countless people brushed past me, their shoulders grazing mine.

‘This place is….’

It was the world of my past life, one I thought I had nearly forgotten.

I was in a semi-transparent, spectral form, and people passed right through me as if I didn’t exist.

Despite spending countless grueling commutes here, seeing it again after so long felt strangely foreign.

People moved briskly, and I stood still amidst the chaos, glancing around in a daze.

Then, I saw her.

A woman with her black hair tied high, earbuds in her ears, waiting for the subway.

My gaze locked onto her, and my eyes widened in recognition.

It was me.

Not Sierra Drenihan, but the me from my past life.

The subway arrived shortly after, and the other me stepped inside, her face weary as though she had just finished a long day at work. She took a seat in one of the vacant spots, pulling out her phone to read a novel as she always did.

Watching her as an outsider, I felt a strange, surreal sensation.

I moved closer to this familiar yet distant version of myself.

She looked flushed in the heat, her face slightly pink.

Right. It had been an unbearably hot summer back then.

The novel she was reading around that time was undoubtedly The Tragic End of Twisted Love.

The same accursed story that I had been reincarnated into.

‘If I’d known things would turn out like this, I would have chosen a healing story instead.’

Regretting it now was pointless.

‘She’ kept scrolling through her phone, engrossed in the content. But then I noticed something odd.

‘The screen is blank.’

There was no text on the screen. Just a white, empty display.

Yet, she continued to read as if something was written there, scrolling down and even revisiting earlier parts.

But no matter how much I looked, it was a blank page.

[Look at her. She’s been staring at a blank screen this whole time.]
[Weird, right? What’s wrong with her?]

The couple seated beside her whispered, but the other me, lost in her earbuds and her phone, heard none of it.

‘What on earth was I reading back then?’

Bright sunlight tickled my eyes as I woke.

I blinked slowly, sitting up in bed with a dazed expression.

“What…?”

Was that a dream, or was it real?

The Tragic End of Twisted Love had been the last thing I was engrossed in before I died—a dark and engrossing tale I couldn’t put down.

Even now, snippets of its plot occasionally resurfaced in my mind.

But why was the screen blank in my dream?

After pondering for a moment, I came to a simple conclusion.

“It was just nonsense.”

There was no way the screen had been blank.

I clearly remembered reading the novel and even leaving comments on it multiple times.

“I couldn’t have been scrolling through an empty page unless I’d completely lost my mind,” I muttered, rubbing my arms as a strange chill settled over me.

Setting aside the dream, it had been a long time since I recalled my past life’s memories. Seeing my old face stirred an unexpected sense of nostalgia.

Just as the remnants of the dream began to fade, Nella entered the room with a bright morning greeting.

“Good morning, my lady. Did you sleep well?”

“Mm….”

“You don’t sound too cheerful,” she remarked with a curious smile.

“I had a strange dream.”

“Dreams are just dreams, my lady. Don’t dwell on it,” she said reassuringly.

“You’re right.”

Nella’s warm smile and nod reassured me, but her next words quickly shifted my focus.

“By the way… There was some big news from the southern region last night.”

“From the south?”

“Yes. Apparently, there were a series of explosions in the East District.”

My eyes widened in shock.

“Explosions?”

“In multiple areas, it seems. It’s all over the Imperial Gazette as breaking news.”

Nella handed me the newspaper, and I quickly scanned the headline.

[Unexplained Chain Explosions Rock East District.]

Fires were still raging, and the casualties were severe.

“What in the world…?”

The East District was known for its cheaply constructed homes, which were highly flammable. The narrow alleys also made fire containment notoriously difficult.

Having visited the south not long ago, hearing such news felt surreal.

“Explosions…” I murmured.

My thoughts drifted back to my time in the East District, where I had encountered Jenna and a mysterious man.

The memory of that fateful meeting resurfaced vividly.

 

 

 

 

 

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