TCDEVF 10

Chapter 10 …

I wanted to drag the nanny out of the annex right that instant, but I couldn’t.

No matter how vile her nature, as long as she was a retainer of the Vallienor family, I needed a proper pretext to dismiss her.

Today wasn’t the right day for revenge. I had to wait for the perfect moment to send her packing in one blow.

“Where are my siblings?”

My voice, taut with barely restrained anger, rang sharply through the hall. My keen eyes scanned the dim corridor, searching for them.

From behind the Count and the Baron, Jeremiah and Davina emerged slowly.

Their faces were as cold as the last time I’d seen them, offering mechanical greetings.

Their vacant eyes stared straight ahead, as if they saw and felt nothing at all.

“What? You idiot!”
“O~ next moron~”

I recalled those innocent, mischievous voices when they used to insult each other with all their might.

Now, there wasn’t a trace of that mischievous spark in them. I almost missed their bratty selves.

Something was definitely wrong.

This wasn’t normal.

Was it because of the Baron and the Count? Or were they, like the Duke, just practicing the Vallienor style of image management?

They certainly weren’t like this around me before. I needed to observe the situation carefully.

“It’s late—go to your rooms and rest. Davina, yours is next to mine, Jeremiah, yours is beside the first-floor study.”

“I wish you a good night, milady.”
“If you have a bad dream, call for the nanny.”

Without another word, the Count and Baron left. Their expressions suggested they were thankful to be dismissed quickly.

The children followed them without hesitation, walking like expressionless marionettes.

I called a goodnight to their lifeless backs.

Of course, there was no reply.

✦✦✦

Under the bright moonlight, something was running through a dark forest.

An untucked poet shirt, black hair streaming in the wind, eyes darting nervously.

The glimpse of his face was strikingly young—delicate features like a boy just entering adolescence.

His breath came in ragged gasps, sweat or perhaps tears glistening at the corners of his eyes.

When I met those trembling golden irises, I realized—

Ah, this is a dream.

Even knowing it was a dream, it didn’t stop.

I was like a spectator forced into a seat, watching a film, unable to intervene in the protagonist’s plight.

He was clearly being pursued—his constant glances over his shoulder and unceasing sprint made that plain.

“Aagh!”

An arrow, flying from somewhere, struck his leg. He yanked it out in one motion, then tore his clothes to bind the wound.

His pale hands trembled, and a groan—half sob, half gasp—escaped through clenched teeth.

Just as he tried to rise again, pitch-black shadow fell over him.

A hulking figure in a black robe blocked the moonlight. Judging from the situation, this was the pursuer.

The man drew his sword without hesitation—small and sleek for his build, but more than deadly enough.

The boy’s golden eyes gleamed fiercely, not a hint of submission even with the blade before him.

“I’ll make it painless.”
“Not if I say otherwise.”

His eyes shone like a predator’s. Behind the flapping black robe, a vast fence loomed, and hope lit his face.

“It’s no use. The arrow was poisoned—you won’t be able to move.”
“…You talk too much.”

With a sharp flick—

He flung dirt and sand into the pursuer’s face, then leapt like an arrow himself.

“After him! Don’t let him get over that fence!”

Four more pursuers emerged from the shadows, but it was already too late.

With movement that hardly seemed human, the boy scaled the towering fence and toppled over the other side.

Thud!

Black hair spilled over the dirt, blood soaking through the torn cloth at his thigh.

But the pursuers did not cross. They only stared silently beyond the fence.

“What now?”
“He won’t survive—the poison’s too strong. We withdraw for now.”

Just as they turned to leave, a chilling voice froze them in place.

“I can’t just let you go.”
“Damn it, we’ve been spotted. Scatter!”

A mysterious third party’s arrival sent them fleeing in all directions.

The scene shifted back to the boy—dragging himself forward on hands and knees, desperate.

His gaze lifted to the sky, where huge branches chewed away at the moonlight.

His strength failing, he twisted painfully and pulled a pendant necklace from under his shirt.

That was the last thing I saw before the dream blinked out, yanking me back to reality.

Haaah!

My eyes flew open with a sharp gasp. Before I could gather my thoughts, similar cries rang out nearby.

“Eeeek!”
“Haah!”

I held my breath and rolled my eyes toward the silver gleams at my sides—Jeremiah and Davina.

“W-what’s going on?”

Two pairs of round eyes darted between me and each other. Their faces looked more like ordinary children now.

“Uh, don’t get mad, sis.”
“N-noona, we know it’s 3 a.m., but we couldn’t help it.”

Moonlight poured in from the terrace, casting silver streaks tinged with blue—almost the color of their hair.

I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart. The vividness of the dream left reality feeling unreal.

“I won’t get mad. Just tell me.”

The moment I gave permission, two tiny mouths flew open like baby birds awaiting food.

“I—we had a weird dream!”
“And it was the same dream for both of us!”
“A boy was running!”
“He got hit with an arrow!”
“A man in black tried to kill him! He climbed a fence!”
“That fence was from the Vallienor estate!”
“Right! And the tree—the one he crawled to—was our tree!”
“Yes! The Lemur Oak!”

Their nonsensical back-and-forth was dizzying.

I clamped my fingers over their lips and took a breath.

“Mmmfph—!”
“Mmm—!”

Silence. My thoughts cleared. The pieces lined up—

The Lemur Oak. Vallienor children sharing the same dream. Some strange power at work.

A chill crept over my skin. It felt like we’d been drawn into something unavoidable.

“…I had that dream too. Black hair, golden eyes, right?”

The children nodded hard. Once I let go, they burst out eagerly—

“He must still be lying there! Let’s go!”
“He was hurt bad—we have to help him!”

I let out a small laugh. For a supposed villainess and her little accomplices, we sure were worried about a stranger.

It almost made me feel like I was the villain for hesitating.

“It might not be tonight.”
“I saw a full moon!”
“Noona, tonight’s a full moon.”

I leaned back to check the moon outside the window. Even if I wasn’t sure, the thought of leaving someone to die sat poorly with me.

“Fine, let’s go.”

The kids headed straight for the terrace—not the door—and leapt down without hesitation.

…!

Startled, I rushed over. They’d already landed smoothly on the ground.

“Hurry up, sis!”
“Idiot, noona’s too frail for that!”

…True. I couldn’t.

In Ariel’s body, a jump like that would mean eight weeks in a cast.

The original villainess truly was built different.

I trudged toward the annex entrance, legs already burning.

Would I even make it to the oak tree? I was wondering that when a familiar voice called out—Mikhail.

“Milady, young masters—what are you doing out at this hour?”

His red hair glimmered like jewels under the moonlight. His face was expressionless, but there was surprise in his tone.

…You’re surprised? So am I. What are you doing here?

I gave him a half-lidded glare, then quickly shifted tactics. I’d just realized how useful he could be.

“Mikhail! Carry me!”

I shamelessly blurted out the request, dignity forgotten. The kids blinked between the two of us.

“You know Mikhail?”
“Noona’s lived way longer than you—she knows everything you know.”

Their tone and expressions were back to normal—lively, like ordinary children.

Apparently, they acted more naturally in front of Mikhail.

He came over and knelt before me. I climbed onto his back without hesitation.

“Where to?”
“The Lemur Oak.”

The children dashed ahead, silver figures like fireflies lighting the way.

Mikhail didn’t ask questions. He seemed wholly focused on carrying me in comfort.

After a pause, I spoke softly—

“Mikhail, I think my siblings and I had the same dream. We saw someone collapsed in front of the Lemur Oak.”
“All three of you?”
“Probably. I don’t know if it’s tonight, but the moon was full, just like now.”
“Then we’ll go check.”

We silently approached the tree. Passing the familiar fountain, Davina came running to meet us.

“Sis, he’s not here! I checked everywhere!”
“Not even nearby?”

I looked around for Jeremiah. His silvery hair floated in the moonlight like a small cloud.

The “cloud” stopped moving, fixed on something.

“N-noona!”

His voice trembled. I ran over, scanning the area—but no one was lying there.

Instead, in Jeremiah’s arms, was a limp cat.

A black cat.

Small, but it made me think of the black-haired boy from my dream.