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Chapter 16
I woke up to a cool sensation on my toes.
The first thing I saw was the vast, boundless sky.
A clear sky stretched in every direction, not a cloud in sight.
“W-what is this!?”
I jerked upright and found my legs floating in midair.
Shocked, I stumbled backward with a scream—then crashed forward into something.
“Ugh…!”
I lifted my head, and the surroundings had already changed.
A wide playground.
An old concrete building topped with a blue roof.
This place…
“Lee Se-bin, what are you doing?”
A familiar face appeared before me, and I blinked anxiously.
Short-cropped hair, features plump with well-fed flesh.
A face not just familiar—it was etched in my mind.
“I told you to go see what snacks we’re having today.”
“…”
“Why’d you come back all banged up, idiot? Can you even see?”
The kid shoved me forcefully. His harsh push sent me crumbling back to the ground.
It was a situation I knew all too well.
No—what I thought had become hazy memories.
The palm of my hand stung from hitting the orphanage playground floor. My wrist throbbed too.
The boy spat on the ground and snarled.
“Looking extra unlucky today, huh? Those eyes of yours!!”
He raised his fist threateningly, and I automatically shielded my face, crouching.
If that fist landed, it would hurt. For days, without a doubt.
How do I know? I’d been beaten countless times.
He was the director’s son, the one who tormented me throughout my time in the orphanage.
I braced myself, expecting the blow.
But no pain came.
After a while, I opened my eyes slowly and saw someone’s back blocking me.
“Stop it.”
The voice was calm, yet unyielding.
The director’s son cursed under his breath and, as if giving up, turned away and walked off.
‘…What?’
Was this a memory from the past?
In reality, no one ever saved me.
I stared blankly at the figure, when a stranger turned and reached out their hand.
But…
Their face was obscured by a halo of light.
I squinted reflexively.
Everything else was clear, but the face of this unfamiliar form was completely hidden by the brightness.
Confusion flickered in my eyes as I spoke.
“You… who are you exactly…?”
“Selenia.”
At the murmured name, I froze.
‘Not Lee Se-bin?’
The surroundings were gradually brightening.
“…Please forgive me.”
A sorrowful voice resonated around me again.
I stared at the glowing shape in confusion, then shouted urgently:
“You—who are you? What… what am I supposed to forgive you for?”
No answer.
The light grew even brighter, the halo more diffuse.
I leaped up and reached to grasp the place where the figure had been—but my hand hit nothing.
The form was barely a silhouette now.
That gentle voice echoed one more time.
“I’m sorry for… what I did to you. We will meet again. Until then…”
The words broke and faded, growing fainter until silence reclaimed the space. I panicked and looked frantically around.
The orphanage playground and the kids who tormented me were gone.
I stood alone in a blank white void. A surge of terror gripped me and I twisted my face in agony.
“W-where… where did… I go?”
My ears rang and pain throbbed in my chest. I wrapped my arms around myself and cried out desperately.
“I—I’m still here…!”
No reply—only the echo of my terrified voice bouncing back.
I sank to the floor, face buried in my knees. My hands trembled, tears smudged my vision.
“I—I’m still here… I’m not gone…”
Hot tears rolled down and dripped off my palms.
‘This is a dream. It has to be.’
Exhaustion flooded me and I felt my head tilt to one side.
Once again, I lost consciousness.
The scene shifts.
Selenia lay peacefully, as though asleep, with fresh red marks still visible on her neck.
The Duke, cold-eyed, stared at her unflinchingly.
At his side, Walter’s voice was stiff as he asked a nearby guard.
“What about her?”
“She’s in the underground oubliette. Count Bastin is preparing the torture…”
At that moment, the usually silent Duke Tigris spoke softly.
“You may cut everything away.”
“…”
“Except her neck and tongue.”
Walter interjected.
“But Your Grace, she is a priestess of the Temple. Acting too rashly would alert the order…”
“Silence.”
Walter fell silent.
Aleon’s eyes burned fiercely.
Walter had never seen that look on the battlefield.
One more word could cost him his neck, but he forced himself to speak, as his duty demanded.
“You must remain composed, sire.”
His tone was firm.
“There could be someone orchestrating behind the scenes.”
“…”
“If we handle all this at once, we should preserve the leverage we hold. If she dies…”
Duke Tigris’s hand trembled, but he quickly stilled it.
He breathed out a short, tense sigh and finally spoke in a voice edged with ruthlessness.
“…Stand by for now.”
The guard bowed and left. A suffocating silence returned to the chamber.
“She’s always been odd, I thought.”
Aleon ground his teeth, breaking the silence.
“Even after that incident, Selenia never avoided me completely—she always faced me.”
His voice trembled with anger. Upset, Walter spoke cautiously.
“…Please, calm down.”
“We’ll return to the county soon. Summon the troops and plant spies within the Temple.”
“But Your Grace, returning isn’t easy. We must obtain the Emperor’s leave…”
“Two years!”
Walter fell silent. The Duke glared fiercely.
“Two whole years. Maybe more. I let Selenia be harmed like that—under my roof.”
“…”
“If things had gone even slightly wrong!!”
Walter stayed silent. The Duke’s red eyes flickered dangerously.
“…Maybe Selenia should’ve been lost like Hemera.”
Walter met the Duke’s gaze and slowly nodded.
“At dawn, I will call for you.”
The Duke added, eyes hollow:
“Request an audience with the Emperor. The sooner, the better. We can’t afford any more delays.”
Walter bowed and hurried out. His steps were urgent—the to-do list long.
He had to root out those behind Maier Luss and the lackeys hiding in the mansion.
But he halted in the corridor, whispering disbelief:
“All this time, every action of Her Ladyship…”
He’d always believed it was the lingering wound from losing her mother young.
No one expected it to be otherwise.
A vein bulged in his forehead.
Though he strove for composure before his lord, Walter too felt anger raging.
He recalled Selenia’s bright, smiling wave when he’d seen her days ago in the garden.
“How dare she, Tigris.”
His footsteps echoed sharply in the corridor.
Meanwhile, in the back alley behind the mansion…
Two figures cast anxious shadows under the moonlight.
“What do we do now?! It’s all your fault! I told you—tightening training now would kill us all!”
“Please calm yourself.”
A composed voice soothed the other’s frantic shouts.
“There is still another way.”
“What way? The one who was training Maier has been captured! If she implicates others… I’ll—!”
“Then we ensure she can’t speak.”
The unexpected remark stunned both. A calm voice spoke again, softer.
“How do you propose we do that? The one conducting the torture is Count Bastin—renowned for cruelty, one of Tigris’s worst retainers!”
“That’s precisely why. We just numb her mind. No matter how horrific the torture, she won’t feel it.”
“What…?”
“As I said before: ‘She’ is far more extraordinary than anyone anticipated.”
Clouds slowly obscured the moonlight.
“You, sire, just stay silent.”
“…!”
“Until further instructions.”
