“So, Mary, you…”
Demimore took slow steps toward me. In his hand was the red rose I had handed him earlier. The rose, now being held in his hands that had grown so much bigger, felt strangely pitiful.
“It didn’t have any meaning, right?”
Perhaps it was because he couldn’t exert strength in fear of the flower getting even slightly damaged.
His eyes, as red and vibrant as the alluring rose, contained emotions that I couldn’t bring myself to face. I had no choice but to avert my gaze.
There was an exotic landscape with a blue sea. It was a sight unheard of in Britina, and normally I would have found it hard to look away.
“I was really happy.”
For some reason, the man in front of me felt more beautiful and radiant, making the surrounding scenery seem meaningless.
I took a deep breath and turned my gaze back to him.
I wanted to respond to his lovely voice, but choosing the right words among my jumbled thoughts wasn’t easy. Have I been rigid and frustrating to him all this time?
I remembered the many flowers that adorned the Grand Duchy. Despite being busy with his duties, Demimore frequently sent flowers. They came with apologetic letters.
Bonita, who took care of the housekeeping, was amazed by the many flowers she had never seen before. Despite always sending such flowers, why does he feel joy in the single one I gave him?
“Demimore.”
The flower petals that tickled me and floated in my stomach, finding it too narrow, finally burst out and slipped through my lips. It was his name.
Upon hearing his name, Demimore blinked slowly. His long and lush eyebrows moved gracefully like the wings of a young butterfly.
Seeing his alluring movement made me think, but I gathered my courage again.
“I’m sorry, there was no meaning behind that rose…”
Now I had to confess everything to him.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
‘I was wrong!’
Hmm, this voice sounds familiar.
I don’t remember well, but the murky tone, as if coated with phlegm, wasn’t particularly welcoming. No, hearing it again was almost unpleasant. Just hearing a single word gave me goosebumps all over my body, like bugs were crawling on me.
I tried to cover my ears.
‘I won’t do it again. Please spare me!’
The desperation in his voice made me feel sick to my stomach. I lowered my hands from my ears.
‘Do you even know what you did wrong?’
I could recognize this voice instantly.
It was Arsene’s voice. It was so welcoming that I wanted to run towards it, but the frozen anger in his voice made me abruptly stop. It was hard to believe that he, who was always gentle, could be so filled with rage.
‘To that precious child, how dare you!’
‘I was wrong! I was wrong! Please spare me.’
He desperately begged for forgiveness, but I wonder if he really knew what he had done wrong.
A bone-crushing sound echoed, and painful screams filled the air.
‘I purposely brought you temporarily to a distant star. To punish you for tormenting that child. You have committed so many sins that they even sent you back from the afterlife.’
Arsene’s anger was palpable in every word.
My vision was pitch black, so I couldn’t see what punishment he was inflicting on the one who had triggered such anger. However, occasional sounds of tearing screams hinted at the extent of the suffering.
‘It won’t be long now before I have to give you back to them…… What punishment would make me feel satisfied? Should I hand your corpse to the little child with that ability?’
Perhaps that little child referred to Rex.
It was somewhat sadistic…. Just hearing it made me feel relieved, but for some reason, I didn’t want Rex to use his abilities for something like this. I tried to make my way over to where Arsene was to stop him, but I couldn’t figure out where he was.
‘No, it’s up to me to punish you. They deserve to be happy…….’
I stopped in my tracks at the sound of his voice.
Arsene should be happy too. If I say that, Arsene will just smile and pat my head. It’s like trying to appease an immature younger sibling.
Thanks to Lausanne’s novel, the concept of a god has gained respect again in this era. Arsene’s authority and power had become immeasurable.
Was he trying to let me hear his voice in my dreams just to tell me that worrying about him was utterly useless?
‘It would be better if we were all happy. There’s no need to rush into marriage. Why is that child so impatient?’
Huh?
Arsene’s words suddenly seemed to veer off into an unknown place…
As I stood there dumbfounded, I felt a warmth on my back. Though unfamiliar, it was a presence I had longed for. It hugged me from behind, and I rubbed my cheek against the warmth of her arms.
‘It’s okay; you can forget all the bad things.’
A gentle touch, like a fluttering breeze, stroked my hair.
I sighed deeply, feeling comforted by those words. The voice I had just heard made me run, as if I were about to be confronted with a bad memory.
‘Now, get up and forget everything. Have a good day.’
The affectionate whisper somehow lightened the heaviness in my heart. Yes, this must be a dream, and when I wake up, I’ll have a good day…
The previously dark view gradually brightened, and I slowly opened my eyes.
“Are you awake, Mary?”
“Uh, yeah…….”
“I was worried because you kept grunting.”
As soon as I opened my eyes, what I saw was a pair of beautifully green eyes that were so mesmerizing that I couldn’t help but blurt out, “Is your father a thief? Because he stole the jewels and put them in your eyes.”
I saw the worry in those eyes, and I closed my eyes, smiled, and told her not to worry. Astina raised her right shoulder slightly and smiled back at me.
“I was thinking of waking you up, but suddenly you started smiling. It seems like your dream had a happy ending.”
Astina, who was on the opposite side of the carriage, seemed to have come to me to wake me from my mumbled sleep.
I tried to recall the events of my dream, but all the scenes had already evaporated.
I had an ambivalent feeling of regret that I couldn’t remember, but I also felt relief.
One day, during breakfast, my dad’s face looked exceptionally good. It somehow seemed blissful. When Gilbert cautiously asked, Dad replied in a languid voice.
‘I dreamt of Helena.’
Could it be that I also dreamt of Mom? If so, it would be quite regrettable.
“I can’t remember what the dream was about…”
“I’ve had those moments too. The other day I woke up and I was craving cinnamon apple pie. I thought I’d go get it this afternoon, but it was on the breakfast menu. I was so surprised, and when I asked how they knew I wanted it, they said I kept mumbling “cinnamon apple pie” in my sleep, but I really don’t remember.”
Astina, who kept chattering, resembled a yellow chick. She was so excited that she somehow looked more tender than usual.
While looking at Astina with a warm smile, her gaze suddenly passed me and fixed on something outside the window. I followed her gaze and turned my head.
“Mary…….”
Astina’s voice held so many emotions as she called my name.
Yet, I felt like I could understand each of those emotions. The majestic scenery beyond the carriage window was familiar to us.
“It’s strange to see the Lorque Mountains again.”
It was the Lorque Mountains, the site of the Brandon Orphanage, where we had spent our childhood together, where so much had happened.
Maybe it was the thought of seeing the place where we had talked, laughed, and cried together that made Astina look so tender today. And along with those memories, there was one face attached, but I shook my head and barely managed to shake it off.
Let’s forget about it; it’s a happy ending after all.
“Ultimately, it’s fortunate that we can smile at the end, isn’t it?”
I could only gaze at the Lorque Mountains in response to Astina’s words. Yet, I believed Astina could understand my feelings. I thought it was a good thing that we decided to ride the carriage alone today.
Finally tearing my gaze away, I looked at Astina. She was wearing a faint smile.
