“That’s not it…!”
“Stop. I don’t want to hear any more.”
Father interrupted my attempt to explain, looking down at me coldly.
“Seri. I’m sorry, but we can’t just let today’s incident go with a mere scolding like other times.”
“Father.”
Somehow, I could guess what he was about to say next, and I was seized by fear.
I looked at him, begging him not to say those words, but it seemed he had no intention of changing his decision.
“You are to stay in your room and not step outside for a month as a form of reflection.”
“Father!”
Despite my protests, Father left, ignoring my cries, and exited the room.
I watched the firm back of my father in a daze, then my legs gave way, and I sat down heavily on the bed.
“Ha.”
Haha. A bitter laugh escaped me.
That laugh soon turned into sobbing.
This situation felt unbearably unfair, yet it seemed like it was all my fault, which was even more heartbreaking.
Tommy, who had been my pillar for 6 years, left, and Ruth, who had taken a deep place in my heart, disappeared, and my father was deeply disappointed in me.
Just one of these would have been overwhelming, but three felt like calamity upon calamity, and I just wanted to collapse.
“Why is this happening to me?”
The question I threw out with a tearful voice failed to reach anyone and broke apart in the air.
After that, I struggled with a terrible sense of loss and fell asleep late at night, exhausted from crying.
Would it have been better if I had known then that my misfortune was far from over?
***
After I was confined, many people came to visit me. My mother, sister, Amy and Vestina, and Ian as well.
Although no one except the maids bringing meals could enter my bedroom.
According to Amy and Vestina, father did not allow anyone into my bedroom.
Anyway, among them, Ian visited me the most. Once a day, or at least every two days without fail. He would come and share about his day, how the mansion was running, or just engage in casual chatter.
Perhaps because of that, I gradually came out of my depressive mood, to the point where I could now somewhat smile.
Initially, being confined was terrible, but as time went on, I got used to it. Other than feeling more confined compared to when I could freely roam the mansion, I didn’t have any other significant discomforts.
“Sister!”
Today, as usual, Ian’s bright voice echoed through the bedroom.
His cheerfulness made me feel good as well, and I asked with a smile in my voice.
“Ian, you came?”
“Yes. I finished my afternoon training a bit late because I had to wash up.”
Ian said so, making a sound as he leaned against the door.
“What did you do today?”
I checked that the rustling noise outside had stopped and turned on the water.
“Today, I learned from the knight commander how to use defensive techniques together with offensive techniques.”
“Techniques that combine defense and attack, that’s fascinating.”
“They say it’s the most useful skill in actual combat. I’ll show you later.”
“Good. I’m already looking forward to it.”
While enjoying the chattering of Ian’s voice, I suddenly thought of Ruth.
“……”
The corners of my mouth that had been slightly raised slowly fell.
For the first few days after I started my confinement, I felt a subtle sense of betrayal towards Ruth, who had left without a word.
However, after some time, I realized that the betrayal I felt was actually disappointment.
It wasn’t disappointment in his actions, but disappointment in mine.
The reason my heart raced every time I thought of Ruth was not anything else but the fact that I liked him.
But I hadn’t realized that, and I had let my first love slip away right before my eyes unintentionally.
That’s why I felt disappointed in myself, and I wrongfully attributed that feeling as a sense of betrayal towards Ruth.
After realizing that, I decided to only cherish the beautiful memories I had with him so that one day, when the name ‘Ruth’ comes to mind, I will only remember the boy with the wonderful smile.
“…So that’s what happened. Huh? Are you listening, sister?”
“Huh?”
Snapped back to reality by Ian’s call, I realized what I had been doing and felt my face flush with embarrassment.
Thinking of someone else while Ian, who had come to me out of consideration, was talking. That’s really terrible of me, Selena.
While I was reprimanding myself for my poor behavior, Ian said,
“To put it simply, the atmosphere in the mansion has been quite grim lately. To the point where it’s a relief that you’ve been staying inside your room.”
“Is it that bad?”
“Yes. And that…”
He paused briefly, hesitant, then continued in a much lower voice,
“From what I’ve heard, the third prince has staged a rebellion. That’s why the mood around the mansion is so gloomy.”
“Rebellion…?”
Upon hearing the news Ian delivered, I dredged up a distant memory.
“It’s nothing other than treason, it’s time you decide which side you stand on.”
This was a phrase I accidentally overheard in front of my father’s office on my way from the library to the bedroom.
My father must have known that a rebellion was brewing.
Only now do I sigh, as the truths fit together like pieces of a puzzle.
“Anyway, that’s why everyone was being so hush-hush about it.”
“Thanks for telling me, Ian. I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t told me.”
“No need to thank me. I enjoy passing on such news to you, my sister.”
Ian’s usual humility brought out a giggle in me. Despite everything changing, the fact that Ian remained the same was quite comforting.
Now that I think about it, Ian has been a part of our family for a few months now and still doesn’t know my secret.
Suddenly, I remembered I had yet to tell Ian my secret, waiting for the right moment after getting permission from my father.
Should I tell him now? After a moment of contemplation, I decided not to delay any longer and opened my mouth.
“Ian.”
“Huh?”
“Do you know what ‘Golden Blood’ is?”
“If you’re talking about Golden Blood… It’s one of the two gifts given to the first emperor by the gods, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
I continued the conversation, relieved that Ian knew some basic historical knowledge.
“The gifts given by the gods to the first emperor were the ability to see through the truth with the Purple Eye and to revive the dead with the Golden Blood.”
“But I heard that the Golden Blood disappeared after the 5th emperor. And the power of the Purple Eye also weakened to the point where it can only distinguish whether someone is lying or not.”
“You know quite a lot, Ian.”
As I admired, Ian scattered a soft laugh.
“My father made me copy a history book every week.”
“That thick one?”
“I thought my wrist was going to break.”
This time, I was genuinely surprised. If a history book is almost 700 pages, it means he was copying about 100 pages a day.
Ian responded playfully, but it seemed like it wasn’t a joke.
And to think he also did swordsmanship training.
Thinking back on the schedule he mentioned before, I was at a loss for words.
I stayed like that for a moment before we returned to our original topic of conversation.
“So, since you already know about the story of the Golden Blood, you can just tell me. Ian, you asked before why I can’t freely leave the mansion.” “Yes, I remember asking.”
“The reason I can’t leave the mansion without permission is…”
It was the moment I was about to spill the secret rapidly, not wanting to miss this chance.
“Young master.”
A man’s deep voice calling Ian came from beyond the door.
“The butler?” Soon after, I could hear Ian’s voice listing the position of the man who called him.
I clenched my mouth shut, hoping the butler hadn’t heard what I was about to say.
After speaking with the butler for a while, the sound of Ian getting up from his seat was heard.
“Sister, I have to go now, but I’ll come again next time. We’ll continue our conversation then.”
“Okay, got it.”
I couldn’t hold Ian back since he needed to go, so I let him leave with a feeling of regret.
After Ian and the butler’s footsteps faded away, a familiar silence settled in the room.
“……”
In the quiet, time seemed to pass incredibly slowly.
A month felt way too long.
***
Ian, who had promised to visit again, did not come for a long time. As time passed, it was not long before my confinement was to be lifted.
Then, with exactly three days left until my confinement was over, I was startled by a scream outside the window while sitting by it.
From outside the bedroom, I could hear chilling screams and numerous footsteps.
I wanted to go out and check what was happening, but I couldn’t open the locked door without a key, so I just stayed still.
However, as the sounds from outside became more horrifying, I felt I had to do something and looked around.
But there wasn’t anything I could use in my bedroom, where sharp objects were absent for fear of injuring me.
What do I do? What do I do?
After much deliberation, I ended up holding a toy revolver in my hand, a gift from my nanny who had brought it back from a vacation, thinking of me.
The toy revolver wasn’t sturdy enough to break a doorknob, nor was my strength that great. It would, at best, serve as a threat, but I thought it was better than doing nothing.
By the time I had somewhat gathered my thoughts, the menacing sounds had approached right up to my door.
“Is this the right place?”
