When I came to my senses, what came into my eyes were the stars densely embedded in the black night sky. There were so many of them that I suddenly came to my senses while appreciating them without even realizing it.
There were large trees all around. It seemed like a forest. Naturally, I wondered where this place was.
There was even an eerie atmosphere in the dark surroundings and dense trees so that the road could not be seen, but strangely, it was not scary.
I donât know why, really, for some reason.
It seemed like a place I knew well.
However, I couldnât continue to stay here, so I took a step. My body was strangely light.
I walked wherever my feet led me and soon came across a cliff. But I didnât think I was on the wrong track. It seemed that this was the destination I was heading for.
So I moved as I wanted. Accustomed to grabbing the hem of my skirt, I sat with my foot sticking out on the cliff.
âUwaaâŠâ
The view from the cliff was so spectacular that I exclaimed without even realizing it. A beautiful castle stood in the middle of nowhere, and houses gathered in close proximity on a little distance away.
Light leaked from the windows of each house making it look like stars.
And thatâs not all. When I raised my head, real stars shine brightly, and a clear full moon floated between them. It was lighting up the village in the dark.
How peaceful it is that.
The cool breeze that blows occasionally, and the sound of tree branches colliding with it. Even the pretty sound of an owl hooting.
It seemed to calm down the already confused mind.
Then, someone sat next to me.
I wasnât surprised. As if I thought someone would come and sit down, I naturally accepted the existence.
Her hair, shining under the moonlight, was a pretty coral color. She must have been about ten years old, she was a fairly small child.
Every time the wind blew her wavy hair, the child flicked it back with a cool gesture, took a piece of bread from the basket she had been carrying, and bit it.
Her round eyes were the same pretty color as her hair.
Oh, why do I feel so nostalgic?
Even though I knew it was rude, I watched the child for a long time without even saying hello.
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After eating a fist-sized piece of bread, the child spoke to me in a cute voice.
âYou know, itâs pretty here.â
âOh? Yes, itâs pretty.â
âItâs my favorite place. So I introduced it to my friends.â
âI see⊠I think itâs pretty, too. I want to introduce it to my friends too.â
âThen you can take your friend with you next time.â
The child, who nodded slightly as he spoke, shook her feet back and forth. And out of nowhere, she asked me a question.
âBut how old are you?â
âWhat?â
âHow old are you?â
How old am I?
âThatâsâŠâ
As I tried to answer reflexively, but strangely, my lips couldnât open. Itâs not like someone blocked my mouth, or even smeared honey* on my mouth. But strangely, it was like that.
TL/N: Honey makes mouth sticky=difficult to open mouth
No. I donât know exactly.
How old am I?
âWhatâs your name?â
âName?â
â⊠âŠâ
âNameâŠâŠ Of courseâŠâŠ.â
I got confused in an instant. Likewise, I couldnât open my mouth. Then I had a thought.
Who am I?
I blinked and looked down at my feet. Feet in uncomfortable shoes, a colorful dress on top of it, and fine hands were placed on the dress.
Reflexively, I tugged at the hair that had been brushed behind my back. It was to see the color of the hair.
However, the child who was looking straight ahead turned to me for the first time and restrained my hand.
The pupils that shone brightly in the round eyes were clear. She was looking straight at me.
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The child opened a small mouth.
âWill you always check like that whenever you try to remember who you are?â
âUh?â
âPeople donât check their bodies every time they reveal who they are.â
âThatâsâŠright?â
âBut why do you check? Youâre not sure?â
The child tilted her head. At the same time, the wind blew and my hair and the childâs hair fluttered in the same direction at the same time.
Both were coral-colored.
âEven if itâs not what you were thinking, Iâm me. Donât you think so?â
Itâs okay to be sure.
The childâs voice grew more and more distant. Suddenly, the pronunciation was muffled, and the childâs figure became blurred.
The scenery that seemed only beautiful was also blurred as if someone had sprinkled water on the painting. The only thing that didnât change in the center was me.
And I opened my eyes.
***
Nothing was seen in the dim consciousness. It was because my vision was blurry.
I wanted to rub my eyes right away, but my body strangely didnât listen. In general, it was in a daze. Like a cotton ball in the water.
I felt like I was being pulled over and over again behind my back. It wasnât a very good feeling.
How many times did my mind repeatedly float to the surface and then sink.
I opened my eyes.
I thought I had opened my eyes all this time, but it seemed like I was an illusion. Only now did I see a blurred vision.
I was thinking hard about where I was when I heard a sudden voice that made my heart pound.
âYouâre up.â
I took a deep breath and looked at the place where the voice came from, I saw brilliant blonde hair.
No wayâŠ
âAiden?â
âWhat?â
Despite the blurred vision, it was not difficult to see that Aiden was frowning. Sulk, no matter how much you hate me, you donât have to frown for no reason.
âWhy are you angry?â
ââŠâŠWhat did you call me now?â
âUng? I called you Aiden.â
ââŠâŠI see. I must have misheard it.â
He rose from his seat with squinted eyes. I stared blankly at the chair he was sitting on, then shut my eyes tightly against the pouring sunlight and heard a rustling sound. Aiden seems to have pulled back the curtains.
âWhere are we?â
âDonât you remember?â
âRemember?â
âThe last memory.â
The last memoryâŠ
As I pondered over my memories, several thoughts came to my mind. At the banquet hall, with the count⊠AndâŠ
âAh. Crazy.â
A headache arose as the memories poured in. I tried to calm my throbbing headache somehow and recalled the last memory.
The penalty that came up in the red window.
And the penalty isâŠ
âWhat happened to me? Stomach? My stomach was definitely torn.â
âYou seem to remember.â
âIâm not sick at all right now⊠⊠What happened?â
âNo wonder. Itâs been a month.â
What?
âWh, what?â
âLady Blair, I said you had been unconscious for a month.â
âCrazyâŠ. So the flowers must be gone, right? I couldnât go see the flowers.â
ââŠâŠIs that important?â
Aiden looked down at me with pitiful eyes. But itâs been a month⊠⊠Itâs completely unexpected, so Iâm just spitting out whatever.
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I swallowed my saliva and furrowed my brow.
âCome to think of it, I feel very thirsty right now⊠⊠My lips are so dry that it hurtsâŠâ
At my words, Aiden let out a light sigh and pulled the rope from the bedside. Soon after, an attendant came in.
âPrepare lukewarm water and thin rice gruel.â
Instead of answering, the attendant nodded and went out again. As soon as I heard the sound of the door closing, I gently touched my stomach with my hand.
Really, Iâm not kidding, it didnât hurt at all. I definitely remember that the time didnât appear in the mission window⊠âŠ
Can it be so cleanly healed?
âSo where are we?â
âItâs the royal infirmary. Youâve been here for a month.â
âDid I get better in a month?â Or what, was it healed by magic.⊠?â
âIf it wasnât for someoneâs strength, it wouldnât have been possible to be cured within a month.â
He grumbled.
Then who healed me?
When I asked again, narrowing my eyebrows at the conversation that was not going well, Aiden looked down at me with a very disapproving face and sat back in the chair.
Sunlight came in from the window by my bedside, making his blonde hair truly dazzling. It was so dazzling that I couldnât even look straight at it.
âMore than that, I want you to answer my question first.â
âTch⊠âŠWhat?â
âWho made you that way?â
Um.
Iâm really sorry Aiden, but I couldnât answer.
You know. I have a mission. Itâs every 9 oâclock in the morning, isnât it? But if I donât complete the mission, I get a penalty⊠And ridiculously, the last penalty was Seppuku.
If I said that, Aiden, who was already looking at me pathetically, would look at me as if I were crazy.
When I didnât say anything, Aiden laid his dark red eyes on the window for a moment and murmured.
âThe two knights of the Knights of Hugo who were with Lady Blair will be receiving complaints soon.â
âYes? Why?â
âThere are two people who were with Lady Blair until the end.â
âWhy is thatâŠ?â
âOf course, the suspects who made Lady Blairâs stomach like that⊠âŠâ
Aiden paused, then looked away from the window and looked down at me. Dark red eyes stood out.
âBecause itâs two people.â
What?
Without understanding for a moment, I stared blankly at Aiden, and after a while, I understood and opened my mouth.
Whaaatt?
When I opened my mouth, I closed it again in pain. Then I asked in a tone of confusion.
âWhy are they two suspects?â
âDidnât I just say that? There were two people who were with Lady Blair until the end.â
âIf thatâs the reason, itâs ridiculous!â
âThatâs why I asked. Who brought you to that point?â
I quickly thought hard. With my eyes and mouth tightly closed, my face crumpled, and I let go of my wrinkled expression while thinking about what excuse I would make.
Thereâs no answer.
Goodbye, Diwen, Zion. But thereâll be no evidence, so youâll be cleared of the charges soon. But if you get caught⊠⊠. Iâll even give you bail money.
Giving up neatly, I immediately opened my eyes and saw Aidenâs eyes.
By any chance, isnât this something you can see in a common fantasy novel? The male lead candidates donât like the female lead and suddenly fall for someone possessing a supporting character?
As soon as I thought about it, I jumped up and spoke in a severe tone.
âAiden⊠Iâll tell you in advance. I donât like you.â
âWhat?â
âI donât see you as the opposite sex. Sorry.â
ââŠâŠWhat nonsense are you talking about?â
âYes! Thatâs the reaction! Thatâs a relief. Youâre all right.â
TL/N: I chuckled HAHAH
I shook my head and was relieved that Aiden was fortunately fine. Although Aiden looked at me with eyes filled with contempt for my words.
Why are you staring at me like that? I thought something was wrong with my hair.
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It was then. There was a quiet but firm knock at the door far away.
With Aidenâs permission, someone soon came in.
Naturally, I thought the attendant who had come earlier had brought water and rice gruel, butâŠ