### Chapter 28: Improvement in Condition
It’s hot.
My mouth feels dry and bitter, like I’ve been munching on cardboard. My throat is on fire as if I swallowed a whole jalapeño.
This feeling is just way too annoying to let me sleep, so I finally crack open my eyes.
After a brief haze, what greets me is the pale floor that’s practically hugging my face. The layered wood grain looks all blurry at first but slowly comes into focus.
I blink a few times, staring blankly, and then it hits me: I’m sprawled out on the hallway floor of a mansion.
What am I doing here?
How did I even fall asleep in this place…?
Propping myself up on my elbows, I slowly sit up. I lower my head and rub my sleepy eyes, blinking a few times before lifting my gaze to survey my surroundings.
There’s an ornately carved wooden railing right in front of me, and just beyond it hangs an exquisite silver chandelier. The flickering candlelight dances merrily, illuminating the familiar furniture in the living room below.
Wait a minute…
My head is still a bit fuzzy.
It’s a lot like staying up all night only to wake up after just three hours of sleep—it’s a groggy mess! I’ve been sitting here on the floor for ages, and only now do I realize: oh, I wanted to call Victoria out on the terrace but ended up passing out on the second floor corridor… No, I fainted!
…!
Suddenly, my eyes widen in panic.
Quickly, I reach up to touch my face. In my flustered state, I move my hand too fast, smacking my cheek with a resounding “SMACK!” that echoes in the quiet mansion.
My face feels soft… just like usual.
Ignoring the numbness that spreads from the shock, I immediately check my head, neck, chest… then peek down at my legs.
Long legs peek out from under my skirt, with their usual smooth, milky whiteness showing no signs of trouble. My skin is still so tender it could practically squirt water!
…Looks like I’m all good!
I’m not a monster after all… I knew I wouldn’t turn into one!
Realizing this, I pout a bit, feeling overwhelmingly happy—enough to want to cry.
I get up from the floor, rub my eyes again… wait, what?
I can actually see things clearly now!
I’m overjoyed to discover that the stabbing pain in my eyes has vanished, my vision is crystal clear, and I can even make out the vines outside on the terrace!
Hastily pulling my skirt down over my knees, I dash back to my bedroom, hurrying to the mirror. I flutter my eyelids rapidly while staring intently at my reflection.
A tiny face, looking all sleepy and adorable, resembling a delicate porcelain doll carved from pure jade. Those pitch-black eyes spin around, sparkling like some rare black gemstone, so bright that I can’t help but gasp in awe.
My eyes aren’t red anymore!
I don’t quite understand why, but I’m just so thrilled to be back to my regular self.
Joy bubbles up like a gently flowing stream from my heart, spreading through my body like a cozy warmth.
“Giggle~”
I can’t hold it in any longer and let out a cheerful laugh.
Reflected in the mirror, the young girl with bright eyes and a big toothy grin has her mouth curling into the sweetest smile. The laughter twirling in my heart is as beautiful and enchanting as blooming lilacs.
“Ah—”
After a moment, the girl breathes out tremulously, letting a warm tear trickle down her left cheek. Quickly, she raises a hand to wipe it away, tilting her head back so that her smile shines even brighter.
This is wonderful…
I thought I was done for!
But now, I’ve neither turned into a monster nor lost my sanity—I’m still me.
Then my gaze catches the remnants of a deer leg I gnawed on last night, with a bone lying on the carpet just a few feet away.
I bend down to pick it up and examine it. Almost all the meat is gnawed off, and deep bite marks are etched into the bone. Some spots even seem to have had the marrow chewed out.
I must’ve gone to town on this thing…
THUD.
A warm drop slides down my cheek and hits the carpet with a soft thud.
…Ugh.
Why am I crying? Seriously.
What a pathetic sight…
I don’t want to cry, so I drop the deer leg bone and rub my eyes frantically. But it’s no use—the tears keep pouring out like an unending fountain; I can’t control it!
It doesn’t even make sense, why am I crying… Silvya, you’re not allowed to cry! Powerful Pope Knights don’t cry…
“Wah!”
A short sob escapes my lips as I bite my own lip to keep it together, but snot is still dripping down.
“Gah—”
Why is this happening…?
As I’m sniffling away, I can’t help but glance back at the mirror to see the tiny girl crying.
Her exquisitely delicate face is twisted in a frown, red-eyed, and her mouth is stretched open wide. Transparent strands of saliva dangle between her lips, and there’s a glistening mess under her nose that shines embarrassingly in the candlelight, looking utterly ridiculous.
So ugly…
Suddenly, I feel a wave of sadness welling up inside, so I open my mouth even wider.
After what feels like an eternity, it seems I’ve emptied out all my fears and frustrations, and finally, the tears stop falling.
I’m so thirsty…
Sniffling as I walk downstairs, I head to the kitchen for a drink. Then, I curl up on the couch, hugging my legs.
Sleepiness washes over me again, and I slowly close my eyes.
I’m no longer hungry, but why am I still so tired…? Am I really okay now?
The memories from before I passed out are all fuzzy, except for those scarlet eyes that look just like Teresa’s—they’re impossible to forget.
The hot sensation that was bothering me has faded away. Now, besides feeling a bit sleepy, everything else seems normal. My body feels fine, with no aches or pains.
What was that all about…?
I’m not sure.
But at least, the strange power inside me has finally been suppressed.
Is it because I gobbled up that deer leg? No, it can’t be that simple.
The connection to the Chaotic Power in the Abyss is still there, that heart-thumping power is quiet as usual, filling me without issue. My body and my reason seem to be all in good shape.
I don’t understand why this is happening, but I know there’s a reason for my sudden calmness.
It must be because I ate the Teresa Monster… the angel from who-knows-where! My intuition tells me that ugly thing must have been some kind of opposing force to the Abyss.
I still remember the intense feeling of disgust I had the first time I saw it. Even during the fight, that feeling clung to my heart like a stubborn tick, only growing stronger the more my reason was drowned in desire.
Looking back now, that monster was probably feeling something similar during our fight.
Why else would it keep chasing after me?
We’re enemies; we’re some sort of “different origins”… I can’t be wrong thinking that.
Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten it…
Oh right, I think I dreamed about Teresa earlier.
She said some weird things to me… what was it again?
Forget it, it was just a dream.
