### Chapter 54: The Raven
The night is deep.
In the cozy room, the faint scent of lilac wafts gently, tickling the senses.
On the soft white bed, there reclines a rather strange stuffed toy—a peculiar mix of a bear with bunny ears—next to it lies a delicate girl.
The girl is quietly lounging on the bed. Her black hair sprawled across the pillow, and her premium sleepwear rustles slightly with the blanket, her collar slipping down to reveal half of a fragrant shoulder. A pale little leg rests casually on the toy, motionless like another exquisite doll.
Her big, shiny eyes are wide open, and with her brows furrowed, her already delicate features appear even more mournful.
After a while, she slowly raises a hand—just to scratch her backside.
…I can’t sleep.
Yesterday noon, I suddenly felt sleepy and ended up dozing off, completely out of it, only to wake up around dinner time. After devouring a feast, I retreated to my room to read, but my attention wandered, so I just crawled back into bed, staring aimlessly at the ceiling until the sleep fairy finally knocked me out. Thus, a delightful yet lazy day came to a close.
Truth is, I didn’t really know how to interact with the Duke and the Lady, so I might have been avoiding them a bit. I basically shut myself in the room all day, leading to a bit too much sleep, and now here I am, wide awake in the middle of the night after a brief bathroom break. Sleep? Not happening.
Tossing around, I finally found a semi-comfortable position and closed my eyes gently.
Not sure what time it is now. Hmm… it’s got to be morning soon, right? When the sun peeks up, Lady is going to pop in and rouse me… what should I say to her?
“Good morning, Lady?”
Calling her that might hurt her feelings… but… addressing her as ‘Mother’ feels a bit hard to spit out.
What should I do?
…After playing with the moonlight earlier, I half-dazedly heard the Duke’s speech. Did that mean… he’s going to wage war with the imperial family over my matters?
To be honest, I felt a bit thrilled inside.
Despite not having full memories—only fragments remain—those feelings have carved themselves deep in my heart. The girl named Peilo, lying alone on a cliff with no way to move, awaiting d*ath in solitude and darkness. Fear and despair began to gnaw at her will, pain and numbness consumed her nerves; she sank deeper into the dark until her body went cold, tears and bl**d frozen solid. In that moment, the only thing she harbored was an intense hatred for Edward.
Such emotions have become a significant part of my life experiences.
So I think that if Edward dies one day, I’ll be the one laughing the hardest. I might even want to do it myself! Even though, strictly speaking, I’ve never actually met him.
But I don’t want things to end up like that… what the Duke is planning seems like… an attempt at usurping power? A rebellion?
Just thinking about that word gets my heart racing.
Because what often follows is… war, and that’s no laughing matter.
It doesn’t play out like the stories where everyone charges fiercely with bl**d coursing through their veins, battling it out until they pull the emperor down from his throne; it’s never that simple.
War isn’t a fairy tale; it’s a grim reality, which means many, many people will d*e.
What are the consequences once war is declared? Towns devastated, resources depleted at lightning speed, economies crumbling. As the fires of war spread, many innocent civilians will be caught in the crossfire, and soon everywhere will be engulfed in m*rder and pillaging. Men will be conscripted in droves, only to be lost in droves, and women risk becoming as low as dogs, societal rules crumbling like a house of cards.
Then we tumble into a world ruled by beasts.
Poverty, famine, disease. Countless more innocent lives will suffer and perish; more children like Abe and Aili will become lost souls, humans reduced to something lower than livestock, killing just for a morsel of food will become the norm.
Even if they succeed in the end, it’ll take the Valen Empire years to recuperate. But if they fail… the consequences are unimaginable.
Is this the outcome I desire?
No. As long as you’re not a demon, who would want such a thing?
I knew a few people in my past life who were always wishing for war, hoping for the world to end. Their world was too comfortable; everyone lived in too much happiness, and their thoughts stemmed simply from having never tasted hell.
…What am I to do?
Duke Skarlij is a calm and wise man; he wouldn’t just start a war like that, right? People in this world don’t seem to carry the same rigid mindset as those from medieval Western times. If he truly wants to act, there must be many better ways…
And the Church will intervene too, right? Should I chat with Carlos about this? But I’ve been ignoring him…
I tossed and turned in bed, the more I thought, the more I couldn’t sleep. I was itching to jump up and have a serious talk with the Duke.
…Forget it; maybe I need some fresh air.
With a determined roll, I leaped from bed, pulled on a light blue dress, hurriedly tamed my hair, and swiped a butterfly hairpin from the vanity. After clipping my hair to the right side of my head, I pushed open the door and stepped out.
Wobbling down to the first floor of the inner castle, I flung open the main door to be greeted by four piercing eyes that sparkled like stars in the night.
I froze, goosebumps prickling my arms. When I realized it was just four hunters, I gave a small sigh of relief.
“Whoa, you scared me!”
Honestly, I probably scared them too.
“Miss Pepé? What’s going on? Why are you up at this hour?”
“…Can’t sleep, thought I’d take a stroll.”
“Uh… outside?”
“Nope. Training ground.”
The hunters seemed to relax a bit.
“Do you need our help with anything?”
“Nah, I’m good. Thanks.”
I flashed them a smile and stepped away. Once more through the long corridor, I made my way to the training ground.
The night was utterly silent.
At this hour, naturally, no one was at the training ground.
I reached the steps outside the field, hugging my knees as I sat down, breathing in the crisp air and tilting my head back to gaze at the night sky.
The stars were vast. In the gray mist, two serene crescent moons felt as if they were within arm’s reach.
I really liked the nightscape of this world, especially that of Winter City—it always felt closer to the heart than other places.
It made me want to reach up and touch it.
Thinking this, I looked down at my right hand… so delicate, could I grasp the moon?
My fingers began to dance lightly.
White ice mist shimmered, swirling in the air, as beautiful as a painting.
Click click click—
A short, deep blue scythe formed in my hand, floating up as it continuously morphed shapes, and then I grasped it, lightly swaying it side to side, knitting my brows.
During my previous bouts with the Duke, I noticed that the tiny blades of ice I created always felt too airy, lacking substance, and made for a rather uncomfortable feeling. The more I used them, the more awkward they became.
So I was determined to craft a scythe that suited me perfectly and imprint its form in my mind, so I wouldn’t have to think about it during battles, just like the Duke’s giant sword, easy as pie, and if it broke, just fix it up—always in top shape.
Click click click—
I formed another one.
This time the handle was a touch longer. I wielded it, swinging a few times… still not it.
Tossed that one aside and refocused, trying again and again. Slowly, some weak white light began to rise in the east.
Not sure how much Power of Order I’d drained by now, I began to feel a bit tired, wiping the beads of sweat from my forehead, almost as if I could hear the distant croak of a raven.
The Duke and Lady should be waking up soon, right? I think I’ll head back for breakfast.
Turning to go, I hadn’t even taken a few steps when I heard a flurry of bird wings overhead.
The next second, an eerie caw echoed.
“Pepé—Pepé—”
That voice sounded like an old witch from a movie—hoarse and terrifying. I almost jumped out of my skin, shoulders hunching, eyes wide.
“Who who who… is it?!”
I was on the verge of taking flight.
Whoosh—
A rush of wind swept over me. I looked up, spotting a pure black raven circling twice above, landing squarely on my shoulder, then tilting its head, staring blankly at me.
I just stared back, stunned.
The two of us, a human and a bird, locked eyes for a moment, and suddenly, it opened its beak and let out a bizarre call.
“Pepé—Pepé—”
This time, every hair on my body stood on end.
