Chapter 82

𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖔: 𝕬𝖑𝖑 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝕳𝖆𝖉 𝕿𝖔 𝕯𝖔 𝖂𝖆𝖘 𝕾𝖙𝖆𝖞 𝖇𝖞 𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝕾𝖜𝖎𝖋𝖙

***

When his voice and breathing started calming down, I knew from that moment what I saw, and I was reminded of the one that was in the past, a person who managed to put me through hell.

That was the kind of eyes that I had seen from him and the eyes that spoke of such intelligence and disgust toward me.

I never knew that I could feel like this again, an emotion that I thought I had left from that abyss, but in reality, maybe it was still attached to my soul

"You just couldn't trust anyone anymore, Lady Vestia, even I couldn't be trusted——"That was the time that I narrowed my eyes and immediately smacked him in the head.

It was my first time doing so but his words were also the first time I've ever heard such a strong sense of distrust.

Shaking my head and sighing, I knew I had already gotten over that scenario and he must be the one that put me through that, but all I could do was hold his arms, pull him right over where I was, and narrow mine when I landed my soul on his.

"When you're talking about trust, don't talk as if everyone you meet couldn't be trusted, a promise will always be a promise, remember that, Jer. That's why I knew that even if it was Caliere, he might have his reasons," Yes, he wouldn't do those things for no reason.

He would do those for a reason and one of those was reasons what I've gone through in the past, I just don't know what changed his mind by doing that kind of thing to me in this lifetime.

But if he managed to do those, I guess it's already time to let go of everything that I've held dear with him in this second chance, a chance I've given him as my friend.

But that wouldn't happen, I just know.

"What makes you so gullible, Lady Vestia? You know this world was cruel, right?"

"Yes, it was built that way and I know what you're going to say after that kind and sincere people wouldn't survive, right?"

"..." I saw him nod but after a few while his eyes narrowed since I guess he just heard me chuckle

"But even though, there were also called people that were heroes, right?" That's when I knew his eyes widened, and I don't know what had happened next because the moment I laid my eyes on him, I felt my shadow looming over and his eyes shone.

I could even feel how his eyes gave these different flickers of lights that weren't there for the first time. As I turned around, I could see this shining radiance coming from the sun enough to bathe my skin to its mists.

"I guess you're just something else, I just couldn't read at all, Lady Vestia," he said and at the end of that, I could hear him sigh and in a blink of an eye, even if he managed to hide it, I saw it first, that something from the edges of his lips curled up.

"So let's already begin?" This was the first time he was the one who initiated to grab my hands and smiled, where his lips continued to curl reaching not only his ears but also his eyes as if the rays of that golden orb above, descended on the linings of his figure.

All I had to do was put my other hand on top of my soul, because right now, someone was already blinding, not in the sense that I couldn't see around me, but in the sense that it lights everything that surrounds me.

"Perhaps, if I never met you, Lady Vestia, I wouldn't know how to feel like this"

"What do you feel then?" I managed to utter despite clearing my throat for a moment he only chuckled before finally speaking the words that widened my eyes

"That even in the cruelest way of the world, even in the darkness of the night, there's always tomorrow to look forward to"

"But I never said anything like that——"

"I know you didn't but the way you trust those people that are close to you signifies a new light of hope and that's the one thing I've forgotten throughout the years that I've been wandering around..."

For the first time in a long time, I'm glad I've made someone realize and change, but I hope this wasn't the end of it, as I know we still have a long journey to go

With the grasp of the winter's wind combing my figure, I closed my eyes and gladly went where the warmth of that afternoon breezes taking me, perhaps, to a place that would clear all the fogginess I'd created within my mind.

In the blink of an eye, my feet touch the nostalgic silhouette, and view of the wooden hue and a sprinkle of dazzling light from the white fabric of my room, and with that, my soul landed on the papers that I have held before.

Some were scattered on the floor, while others were kept intact on the table. Perhaps, Rita became busy, but one thing that stood its shine from amongst was a letter from my friend, Anna.

"It will take us about three days to come within the Belfore East even if we have this teleportation magic, as you know, the place had some stations, and each of those we needed to know about the place before——"

I put my hands in front of Jer and immediately narrowed my eyes, as he halted from speaking I felt that he also did the same thing but he managed to lean from the farthest side corner.

From the cold lingering gaze of that dark cloak, I still managed to pick the letters one by one and read Anna's. There's the moment I saw it, I couldn't help but gasp.

The scent was still the same, but it was mixed with a stench, and when my hand landed on the soft thin paper, I could see some crimson tint a very tiny crimson, and yet the scent of it overflowed.

"Dear Milady, three days from now, the Vellitas household will hold a gathering. There will be lots of guests that will arrive, and right now, I've just discovered something I shouldn't. The Duke was still finding Henry, his search couldn't have ended, although it subsided since someone from a deep slumber within the household had finally awoken..." I paused reading.

As I have taken a seat near the window. Then a grayish silhouette followed only for me to see that his hands were on the handle of my chair

"Jer, it's not for you to meddle"

"Let me just see through it Lady Vestia. Besides. I might help you with these things," I couldn't argue more than enough when he said those words since I knew that he wouldn't back out just like how stubborn Key was at times.

I can even imagine how stubborn young man Lexus has been since he became their new master.

I just hope that the rest were nice to him, like these two.

Closing my eyes and catching my breath since having that stench of worries enveloping my warmth, I managed to open my soul again but this time, my eyes seemed to narrow.

"Milady, you wouldn't believe it but I guess you should know, young master Henry wasn't the only son of the Duke, there was another, and perhaps, he would be the main reason for the event to be held... Also, you have to be careful not only with young master Henry, Milady but also with the Vellitas household, they were——"

Right when Anna was about to finish her letter, it got cut and some droplets of blood dropped from the paper. Ever since that happened, my hands started shaking the papers I held dear were now falling to the ground and I couldn't even hear how the sound of falling echoed.

I couldn't even hear the birds singing, the nostalgic sounds of the breezes, the movement of the rays, and the person who had been asking me something right behind me.

It all fell to being vague until I couldn't help but be taken away from that abyss.

"Anna... please be safe..." were the last words I uttered before falling into someone else's warmth.

"Anna? Who's Anna?"

"There you are, just as pitiful as you look, you know you could never save the people around you"

"You're just someone that would always be destined to die"

"You're very existence was the cause of my hatred"

"If you didn't exist in the first place, I would have been the happiest person alive"

"It's because of you that my plans will never go"

"You are a hindrance"

"You are nothing to me"

Voices, silhouettes, shadows, crimson, ruined and abandoned, I was in the place of that abyss once more and as I tried to cover my ears from the voices that I'd been hearing, I couldn't help but see my reflection towards the endless ripples of water where my whole figure resides.

Saltwater came rushing through my mind and before I knew it, in the blink of an eye, the vagueness became dimmed as a blinding light continued to penetrate my vision

"What happened...?" I managed to utter since the moment I laid my eyes, I didn't even realize that I was lying down on my bed, with Jer sitting right beside then when my eyes landed on the paper he had been holding, my hands started shaking

"You should have known that this blood wasn't the blood of the one that sent this, Lady Vestia...."

"I know," I whisper but I still can't stop my hands from shaking since seeing blood like that, made me feel as if Anna was drifting away from my sight, from my grasp, from my life.

"Then I should also inform you that you should be preparing to go to the Belfore East and any postponement would be damaging to the one we're seeking and——"

"I know as well Jer, but I just can't—" I heard him sigh and his shadows already loomed over me.

He touched the lock of my hair and I got reminded of how Caliere would always do that in this lifetime compared to the nightmare of the past I've experienced again.

I guess I needed to resolve this as well since what I saw earlier wasn't just any other normal scenario.

I wonder if Caliere could do magic and if he could where did he manage to learn from?

"Since this person named Anna must have been important to you, then I will use what I have not used in those years..."

"What do you mean Jer?"

"I will create a silhouette of me, with a different appearance, and will befriend this person named Anna, by then, you should have sent her a message, a letter, and that, I will supervise and know what was happening, in that Vellitas household and inform you as we were on the Belfore East... Do you get that?"

"I do, thank you, Jer!"

"Oh, and I have forgotten, you also have to do one more thing before we leave"

"What is that?"