Chapter 150: Whose Is It?!
Everything was pitch black.
No firelight, no warmth, no parental affection, and no smiles from older brothers. There was nothing here, not even the unbearable pain that had long faded away. The young woman lost track of time; she couldn’t even feel her own body.
The entire world was cold, desperate, and suffocating.
Yet… she could still faintly hear the sound of wind and snow swirling around her.
Wrapped up in this darkness, her once-brilliant black pearl-like eyes slowly lost their luster, becoming dull and lifeless.
She understood that she was about to d*e and accepted it as a fact. After all… she wasn’t feeling any pain anymore.
Just a hint of fear remained.
I’m Winter Moon… I must be strong… There’s nothing to fear about dying…
Using the last bit of her fading consciousness, she hypnotized herself with these thoughts.
Something wet and sticky fell on her face repeatedly. After a while, she realized it was snowflakes softly drifting down.
Suddenly, she wanted to take one last look at the world. She had always loved the snow in Winter City, but no matter how hard she tried to open her eyes wide, she couldn’t capture even a hint of white softness.
I want to go home…
She began to miss her mother.
She wanted her mother to hold her one more time; as long as she was in her mother’s embrace, nothing would scare her.
Mom said that after a person dies, their soul remains. The soul would return to the ones who missed her the most… am I the same?
So when I d*e, can I go home… It would be nice if I could go home…
The girl gasped, her breath coming in small, labored huffs—she was struggling to breathe, her breath erratic, pale lips quivering, the thin wisps of mist escaping them were her last attempts to hold on.
The wait for d*ath was long. Gradually, she couldn’t help thinking how great it would be if she could just fall and d*e without suffering anymore.
Hurry up and d*e… once I’m dead, I can run home right away…
The cold wind continued to flow, and time drifted on. At some point, a sliver of light pierced through the dark corners.
The light grew larger in her field of vision, and she could faintly see the silhouettes of figures. At the same time, she heard voices.
“Shh! There’s something over there…”
“What is it?!”
“…Looks like a person?”
“Let’s go check it out.”
The sound of footsteps creaked closer.
Someone… is here…
Realizing this truth, the girl’s emotions shattered.
She wanted to cry out in despair, but it was as if something was caught in her throat—though she opened her mouth wide, all that came out was “uh… waah…” These meaningless sounds only added to her misery.
Scalding tears streamed down the corners of her eyes.
“Covered in bl**d… Oh? Looks like a little girl… she’s not dead yet.”
“Seriously? In a place like this?”
“Must’ve fallen… her shin bone is sticking out.”
“Yikes, that’s rough… she’s still alive after all this?”
“Can we save her?”
“Hey, what do you intend to do?”
“…Save her?”
“Wasn’t our job to save people?”
“It’s to save the world, you idiot.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
“Let her go. At this rate… even if she lives, it wouldn’t mean anything.”
Who said that… who said it wouldn’t mean anything… how could it not mean anything… it does matter… I want to live… I want to go home… I want to go home!
“Waaah… ah…”
Using all her remaining strength, the girl desperately tried to prop herself up. But she couldn’t, not even able to budge her hands or feet.
“What’s she saying?”
“Not sure, maybe she’s asking for help… does anyone have a dagger?”
“I do.”
“Hand it over.”
“Hey, are you really gonna use it?”
“What else can we do?”
“We’re… in the shadows even the deities can’t see!”
Clang—
The sound of a blade being drawn made the girl realize they intended to k*ll her…
In that moment, her heart, which had just started to warm up, plummeted back into the ice again.
There’s no despair worse than this suffocating feeling.
Tears froze into ice, solidifying against her ears and cheeks.
She felt the blade closing in on her, and all she could do was resign herself and shut her eyes.
Dad… Mom…
I’m sorry, I’m coming home soon.
The girl thought to herself.
The imagined pain never came; instead, she felt her body sinking back into darkness.
In the last moment before losing consciousness, the last thing she heard was, “This girl has black hair…”
…
When the girl opened her eyes again, she saw a warm-colored chandelier hanging above her head.
The howling wind and snow were gone, replaced by the sound of distant chimes and warm sunlight streaming in through the window.
She blinked in confusion.
Realizing she was lying on a large, soft white bed surrounded by familiar furniture, the scent of rich lilacs filled her nostrils.
Her finely arched brows knit together.
…Am I dreaming again?
The scene in the dream… it seemed to be a fragment after I fell off the cliff… Someone came… on that sheer cliff?
“Miss Silvya, you’re awake.”
The sudden voice startled her; she turned quickly and… yikes, her head spun… she felt nauseated.
“Miss Silvya, you’re very weak. Please lie down and rest quietly.”
The youthful maid who spoke was sitting on a chair beside her bed. She looked familiar; she had been in her room yesterday morning, the girl who held the dress for Victoria… Why is she here?
“I’ll go inform Her Majesty the Queen. Please wait a moment.”
The maid stood and left the bedroom, and watching her retreating figure plunged the girl into thought.
Last night… she remembered going to North City’s Aleck Street to find Abe. Not finding him, she felt increasingly unwell. When she tried to return, she encountered The Gate of Truth, and they launched a s*icide attack on her. She fought with them, and her head started to throb… when did I come back?
Wait, where’s Abe?!
This thought shocked her, and she quickly attempted to prop herself up, only to discover her body felt utterly powerless, collapsing back onto the bed.
Almost immediately, a strong dizzying sensation hit her, making the room spin; all she saw were golden stars… she felt a bit queasy.
“Ugh—”
She couldn’t hold back another wave of dry heaving, her eyes watering up.
…This feels terrible.
Her lower abdomen still hurt.
Her face felt burning hot; she lay there, gasping. A moment later, a cool, melodious voice came from outside her bedroom door.
“Lie down, don’t make a fuss.”
It sounded like a command, and without needing to look, she knew who had entered.
“Y-you… how did you get in…”
She asked weakly. After waiting a moment without hearing Victoria’s reply, she fumbled to support herself against the headboard and turned her head to look at her.
Victoria was dressed in a fire-red long dress, a simple yet elegant style, her golden hair cascading casually over her shoulders. Below her knee-length dress, a pair of long, fair legs were exposed. Her flawless face wore an expressionless look as she silently pulled out a chair at the bedside and sat down.
Furrowing her brow, the girl repeated her earlier question: “How did you— get in?”
“I don’t want to answer such a stupid question.”
Victoria said flatly, then extended her hand toward her—only then did the girl realize she was holding a bowl of… a greenish-black liquid.
“What is this?!”
She exclaimed, only to feel another wave of nausea wash over her.
“Medicine, no more nonsense.”
Victoria stirred the unidentifiable, horrific liquid with a silver spoon and spooned a portion toward her mouth.
…Sniff sniff.
“Ugh—”
Unable to resist another bout of dry heaving, tears almost sprang from her eyes… what on earth is this smell, it’s so terrible!
“I won’t drink it…”
Feeling hot and dizzy, the girl murmured, “What happened to me…?”
Victoria’s gaze was cold and sharp. She looked at her expressionless face, and it was impossible to tell if she were angry, which made the girl quite anxious.
After a moment, she spoke, and her words struck like thunder.
“You’re pregnant.”
“…Whose is it?!”
I swear to the heavens, I really didn’t think before I reflexively replied to that question.
