It’s too dark to see even a step ahead.
I forced my heavy eyelids open, but it wasn’t easy. My eyelids felt as if they were coated with thick, sticky grass, making it hard to gather my thoughts amidst the weight pulling at my limbs.
It felt as if numerous hands were reaching up from the floor, pulling me in all directions. I struggled desperately, twisting my body to escape from the many hands.
“Stay still, Celly.”
This voice…
“You can only survive by doing this.”
It was a voice I recognized. A memory of Celeste from a dream I had once, along with my father’s voice within that memory.
“Celly, my Celly. You poor thing.”
My father called my name repeatedly in a voice filled with emotion.
Hearing his desperate tone pained my heart; I wanted to respond, “I’m okay,” but my lips wouldn’t move.
“I can definitely say that Celly can survive.”
“I can assure you that the child can live. However, be prepared to take responsibility for everything else.”
There was another person besides my father. A low, unsettling voice scraped at my eardrums.
A voice reminiscent of scraping metal sent shivers down my spine.
“Then, let’s begin.”
The air around me alternated between unbearably cold and hot.
Someone with a chilling voice murmured incomprehensible words, and amidst the growing murmur, I could periodically hear my father’s voice calling my name.
In this strange and chaotic atmosphere, the horrific hands gripping my body tightened their hold.
Just when I thought I might be buried deep in the ground, I heard a scream that sounded like a beast howling.
Unable to open my eyes, my only reliance was on my hearing. A cacophony of terrifying sounds flooded in, intensifying my fear.
“Fa… Father…”
I barely managed to move my lips to utter those words. Father, where am I? Father, I’m scared. Please get me out of here.
I wished to say this, but I couldn’t.
I silently prayed for this ordeal to end quickly so that my body could be free, wishing to open my eyes and call for my father, hoping to see him directly.
A strong scent of blood, reminiscent of a role, wafted through the air. It was certainly related to the beast’s screams I had heard moments earlier.
A thought flashed through my mind. Sacrifices were made, and rituals were being performed. This was a ceremony—one imbued with slaughter and blood, likely a dark rite that was taboo.
I instinctively understood without needing to open my eyes and survey my surroundings. My father was performing a ritual he should never undertake for “me.”
It seemed to be a form of dark magic, likely forbidden by royal decree. If that was the case, this would be part of Celeste’s past memories.
“This saved the child’s life. But remember, you have drawn the lifespan of the sacrifices to infuse it into the child. If you defy the will of those who have granted the child’s life, the child’s existence could crumble at any moment.”
“Yes. I understand. Thank you, thank you…”
The horrific and unending process of the ceremony finally concluded. The hot, sticky substances that had enveloped my body disappeared.
Slowly, the binding hands that had restrained my limbs faded, and I felt lighter. With my body becoming lighter, I was able to open my eyes.
“Celly!”
I opened my eyes and called for my father. The slurred pronunciation indicated that I wasn’t fully back to normal yet.
Still, my father, deeply moved by my awakened state, pulled me into his embrace.
“Oh, divine one, thank you.”
“Remember, the one you should be grateful to is not a god, but to me.”
Struggling, I turned my gaze to the person addressing my father. It was a different voice from the chilling one that had conducted the ritual. This one was thin and delicate, a woman’s voice.
Though my view was partially obscured by my father’s shoulder, I longed to see her face. With a little more effort, I was finally able to catch a glimpse of the woman behind the voice.
‘That person is…’
It was the first time encountering her, yet her face felt oddly familiar, as if I had seen it before.
No, it wasn’t that I had seen her; I recognized someone with features very similar to hers.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, alluring lips, and a face that made one feel faint with its ethereal beauty. Yes, I knew that face.
‘Franz.’
I gasped. Our eyes met. The woman stared intensely at me as her lips moved to pronounce Franz’s name.
‘Franz!’
Her face bore an astonishing resemblance to his. If Franz were to be feminized, he would look just like her.
“Then what is that person’s true identity… I was mouthing words, but once again, no voice came out. The breath that was blocked by my father’s embrace grew heavier.
“Thank you so much. Thank you.”
“You must never forget. Every favor comes with a price. You have sworn unconditional obedience to me in exchange for the child’s life.”
“Yes, I will remember and remember again, Lady Marina.”
Marina? Marina, Marina. Who is that? Marina. It’s a name I’ve heard before.
As I mulled over the woman’s name, my vision started to blur. Someone shook my body. As my body shook, my surroundings blurred as well.
“…Miss? Young Lady?”
“Young lady? Call me properly.”
“Oh, my apologies. Your Highness, Grand Duchess.”
This time, I recognized the voices. Unlike the eerie voices from before, bright tones filled me with relief.
The anxious heart I had calmed in an instant. I knew these voices well. It was Hannah and Leev.
“…Leev.”
I opened my eyes. What I saw was the now-familiar white ceiling and white curtains.
“Your Highness, you’re awake? Seeing you sweating and groaning, I was quite worried about your health.”
“Are you feeling uncomfortable? Are you alright?”
Whether my eyes were closed or open, in dreams or in reality, there were people around me who genuinely cared for me. For some reason, that thought warmed my heart.
“I think I had a nightmare.”
“A nightmare?”
Was it really a nightmare? Hearing my father’s voice made my nose tingle with warmth, and it seemed I had become almost one with Celeste, who deeply missed her father.
I encountered the person I longed for in my dream, but could it be called a nightmare?
However, despite meeting someone I missed, the feelings I experienced during the dream were nothing but revulsion and fear.
“What kind of dream did you have?”
Leev hurriedly tidied the bedding. Hannah supported my back to help me sit up more easily. I felt as if my entire body had become a soaked cotton ball.
A different kind of heaviness pressed down on me, unlike the helplessness I felt in the dream. After having deep dreams, I always felt this heavy.
“I think my father appeared in the dream.”
“Is it the late Count?”
Hannah asked in a surprised voice. Leev, who had no energy to respond, nodded slightly and sipped the lukewarm water she had brought after finishing the bedding arrangement.
Drinking the water made her body feel a bit lighter.
“It seems like memories are really coming back. I’ve been dreaming a lot about the past lately.”
“Hannah, was there a time when I… was seriously ill as a child?”
“Excuse me?”
Hannah’s hand, which had been stroking her back and massaging her arm, froze.
“How young are you referring to?”
“Um, maybe when I wasn’t able to speak properly? Preschool age, so younger than when I entered the academy.”
“In that case, I was still quite young myself, so I wouldn’t have met you then.”
“Is that so?”
Well, Hannah was the aide who met Celeste when she was almost of age, so she might not know much about Celeste’s early childhood.
“I see.”
“But Lady Cecilia would know, right?”
That’s true. Cecilia was Celeste’s nanny. She had been there from the moment Celeste was born, part of every aspect of her life.
I should ask Cecilia if I was seriously ill as a child, if that’s why my father relied on rituals, and who Marina is, among other things, as I collected my thoughts and waited for Hannah’s return.
Hannah quickly went outside to call Mrs. Cecilia, and Leev said she would prepare some tea to clear the mind and also stepped out with the trolley.
In an instant, I was left alone in the bedroom. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Celeste was showing me her memories for some reason.
