***
"Ugh..."
When I opened my eyes with a weak groan, I was in my bedroom.
A throbbing headache pulsed between my brows as I sat up, my body swaying.
"Why... am I here...?"
My last memory was of the study.
As I looked around in confusion, a figure came into focus through my blurry vision.
A girl, asleep with her head resting on the edge of the bed.
Gazing at her messy brown hair, I quietly murmured her name.
"...Rachel."
It seemed Rachel had brought me back to my room after I fell asleep in the study.
She was sound asleep, her hand clutching mine tightly.
My heart churned with complicated emotions.
I looked away and let out a deep sigh.
"She must have been worried again..."
An empty bedroom, and Rachel's face draining of color at the sight.
The thought made my chest ache.
I bit my lip.
My gaze swept over the girl, her posture awkwardly bent as she leaned against the bed.
"She'll hurt her back sleeping like that..."
Careful not to wake Rachel, I slipped out of bed.
I gently lifted her from the floor, her body cradled in my arms, and laid her down on the warm sheets where I had been sleeping.
I whispered to the slumbering girl,
"I'm sorry..."
The unconscious words dissipated into the silence.
I stood there for a moment, engraving the tearstains on her pale cheeks into my memory.
A wave of emotions washed over me, receding just as quickly.
Reflecting on the fleeting turmoil, I turned away silently.
"Rest, Rachel... I'm going to get some air..."
-Click, creak...
With a soft click of the latch, I stepped out of the room.
Each step down the hallway felt heavy, laden with the weight of my emotions.
I walked on, feeling the pressure crushing me.
Thump, thump...
My heavy footsteps echoed emptily through the dark hallway.
My eyes, devoid of any light, scanned the mansion shrouded in the veil of night.
Night had fallen once again.
It seemed quite some time had passed since I collapsed in the study.
The grandfather clock in the middle of the hallway struck one.
I had slept through almost the entire day. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed.
"What a mess... I'm alive, but barely."
A self-deprecating smile escaped me.
My hand instinctively reached for my pants pocket, but of course, there was nothing there.
"...Come to think of it, I'm out of Deathweed."
The memory of yesterday returned, bringing with it an irreplaceable emptiness.
The thought of going to get more Deathweed crossed my mind, but I shook my head.
I knew if I went back there, I would only be drawn back to Mother's study.
With a sigh of regret, I shoved my hands into my pockets.
Lost in my thoughts, I slowly walked down the hallway.
"..."
Thump, thump...
The night-time mansion was enveloped in an eerie silence.
The stillness that flowed into my ears had the power to drown me in my thoughts.
And the thoughts that surfaced most prominently were, as always, memories of the past.
-Go away, Ariel. Don't call me brother.
-Damn it... How dare a mere maid like you act so arrogantly, Rachel? Stay out of my way, or next time I'll have your head.
-Your Highness? A promise? Ah, you mean that childish game? I've long forgotten about it. How foolish.
-Margaret... Ha, what an ugly face you have. Why should you care who I choose to play with?
Hateful whispers scraped at my nerves.
They were the mistakes of my foolish youth, scars I could never erase.
The expressions on their faces every time I uttered those cruel words... I could never forget them.
"Damn it..."
Guilt, exhaustion, and a sense of emptiness swirled within me, creating a chaotic storm.
The erupting emotions scorched my insides.
I clenched my jaw, trying to erase the vivid scars of the past.
'What am I supposed to do now...?'
In this place filled with nothing but despair, regret, and hatred...
Should I continue to live here, or should I run away?
If I chose the former, a life of pain awaited me.
If I chose the latter, those left behind would be hurt.
As always, choices seemed to inevitably involve someone's suffering.
"What do you want me to do...? If this was going to happen, I should have just..."
... just remained ignorant of everything.
I swallowed the painful murmur.
I was running my hands through my hair in frustration.
As I grappled with the torment of my past, a faint light flickered at the edge of my unfocused vision.
'...A light? At this hour?'
Frowning, I found myself unconsciously drawn towards the flickering light.
I crossed the hallway and descended the stairs.
As I reached the first floor, a secluded room, seemingly the source of the light, came into view.
The door was half open.
I hesitated for a moment, then gently pushed it open.
-Creak...
"...What is this place?"
The interior was bathed in a soft, crimson glow.
A long table ran down the center of the room, lined with neatly arranged chairs.
The shelves were stocked with various bottles of alcohol.
The scene looked like...
"...A bar?"
It was as if an upscale tavern had been transported straight into the mansion.
I had never seen this place before.
A wave of confusion washed over me as I looked around.
"I'm sure this wasn't here until a couple of years ago..."
"...Young Master?"
A deep voice suddenly came from behind me.
I turned around to find an elderly gentleman standing behind the table.
My eyes widened in surprise.
"Gilbert...? Is that you?"
"What brings you here, Young Master?"
Gilbert held a bottle and a glass in each hand.
He filled the glass and placed it on the table as if offering it to someone.
"Thank you."
The one who accepted the drink was a well-built man with black hair.
He had the air of a patron visiting a tavern.
He downed the drink in one gulp and then, following Gilbert's gaze, turned to look at me.
"Ah..."
Our black eyes met.
A middle-aged man with the rarest eye color in this world—black.
He offered me a nonchalant greeting.
"It's been a while, Raiden."
"...Father?"
I murmured, my gaze fixed on Gilbert and my father.
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Well at least he stopped smoking. That's one way to cure addiction. With some EMOTIONAL DAMAGE!
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