"How is she?"
Julius put down his hands after examining the health status of Charlotte that's now currently lying on bed.
After being awake from days of sleep and the overwhelming thoughts she had, she came back to sleep again.
Her body and mind's very tired that she just want to go back to that time, where the warm embrace felt like home.
After sleeping for awhile, the inside of the palace of Hellbore is peaceful as always even though they had guests that they don't know who. While the events in Hanlon are full of chaotic things.
The princess of Froscheldt is still missing, and the unusual event of monsters lurking in the northern part of Hanlon, the Hillville Village specifically, is still an unknown issue.
"She's currently sleeping but since her mind was exhausted same with her body, at her age the impact of what she saw should've left a great damage to her. Luckily, she was strong. She had held things by herself up to this point. If it was a normal child, they couldn't even last."
The other details were explained later on, but Charles' thoughts couldn't even go straight, his mind's a mess.
'Would any lady would ever accept my embrace? So how did this child came from my blood? Why can't I remember? Do I have a half sibling? What kind of thing—'
and whenever he looked at the child, there's this feeling, the urge to hug the child, pat her, spoil her and protect her. But he just can't because he's still overwhelmed by the unknown emotions, and something's blocking his mind. Whenever he want to think about something related to that mysterious golden hair his mind would go blank.
He stopped for a moment. 'Golden hair?' he thought.
'That night her hair glowed white, as white as mine.'
Interesting, he thought. He left the room after Julius talked the neverending details.
"Just sent me the details through a report." Charles said and left.
Julius was left with a mouth hanging open.
"Did I just explained for nothing—?"
Julius took a last glance to the sleeping child, he sighed deeply. He thought on how could a helpless child go through those times but whenever he think about that he would remember Charles too.
'I will not doubt if they're really father and child. They both felt almost the same thing.' he shook his head and walked out of the room, he sighed again when he thought about the report he would do His majesty gave him.
When he walked out, he saw Derick in his child form.
Derick looked at him questioningly, for sure would ask Julius about what happened to the child.
Julius thought, 'here we go again.'
She was in deep sleep that she was embraced by darkness and different scenarios flashed by in front of her.
They all seemed to be memories of her. But, memories about what certain moment? what certain thing?
Golden hair, mixed with white then cut it off. Or at least had golden hair, but died with white hair.
Born on the first day of winter, was abandoned on that mansion. The scenarios were always the same but on her growing phase they had different scenes.
There are times she got to meet the maid that also named Leione. But there are scenes where they didn't meet.
How the same girl live her lives many times differently, but it all ended the same fate.
Died early, it may be at child birth, at the wagon, accidents, at the age of 5 and won't exceed at 10. Most of the lives of 'her' ended at 10, was killed by that person with burning gray eyes.
Those eyes still gives me the shivers.
It's as if she's seeing different scenarios of previous Charlotte.
'Did Charlotte live many lives?' was her question but she can't be determine.
Through all those scenes, there's only one that is different. One Charlotte managed to escape and lived further than 10.
That Charlotte was ignorant of her surroundings due to lack of education and common knowledge because no one had taught her except Leion that left her after protecting her so then she managed to escape. And came to Hellbore without her knowing.
That Charlotte lived quite well when she met a 'trustworthy woman', but she thought wrong.
At the age of 16, she was sold. So then she again escaped, through her escape she met the one who gave birth to her. Just basing on her memories of the characteristics of the one who gave birth to her, she definitely felt a different emotion when she saw the woman. And because of their distinct physical features specially the hair, she instantly knew.
So then she pleaded for help. But the answer she received.
"Oh, you're such a pretty child. Who's your parents?"
She definitely had golden hair, so why— She wasn't recognized, she also saw children walked through the lady. One of them had blonde hair and gray eyes, the other boy had blue hair and green eyes and the youngest child, he had blonde hair and green eyes.
"She's pitiful mother." the youngest child said.
"It seems like it, and maybe she mistook me as her mother."
"It's kind of understandable mother." the girl with blonde hair said.
She started to reason out in her mind that maybe mother can't recognize her because she looked dirty? But she never thought that her mother never once knew about her existence even after abandoning her to that house, her mother can't remember her nor can recognize her. It's a whole 16 years of being apart to each other.
She can't talk, she started crying out of nowhere.
That made the family more worried, specially the boy with blue hair, his green eyes kept on staring at her.
"What's happening here?"
When she heard that very familiar voice, her body stiffened.
"Father, it seems someone mistook mother as her mom."
"Don't worry honey, it's fine. She's quite a good— Oh my, she left." the Duchess said while looking back to where Charlotte stood before leaving.
"Let's go mother, we'll be late at the entrance ceremony."
"Yes Dianne and Larence we'll be late. Larry, come here let me hold you."
"No, honey. Let me hold him for you, he's heavy for you to carry."
And they giggled, and slowly left. Charlotte saw that scenario that can never happen to her. She turned around when she saw the guards looking for her, she run to the opposite direction of the joyous family.
She left crying, and she, the Charlotte who's witnessing the moment that Charlotte was captured, she's helpless. She badly wanted to help her, but she can't. She stood still when a wagon hit that Charlotte.
That Charlotte's eyes were looking at her, smiling at her. And mouthed,
'You can do it.. even if I can't...'
And not even surprised to what happened next, she watched how that Charlotte's golden hair turned white that was soaked in red.
Her heart ached, and the previous deaths of all the Charlotte she saw came back to her head.
"Please.. stop." it made her head go crazy that it hurts.
And after awhile, voices came into her head.
'She saw it.'
'Can she bear it?'
'I think she can.'
'Is now the time?'
'No, not yet.'
"Stop.. it hurts."
'You said she can handle it?'
'We're hurting her.'
'How could we?'
'We're sorry..'
'But she hadn't saw Leione's turn yet and it hurts already?'
With the mention of the name Leione, she stopped and sobbed softly.
'Just always remember the good times, Charlotte.'
'That way, you'll be okay.'
"Do I deserve to be okay? Do I deserve those good times? You died like that, don't you feel sad?" In the first place I'm a mistake.
'You're not..'
'We're not a mistake.'
'You said it before, we shall continue to live right?'
'But she reached 10 already?'
'But that isn't a reason to stop now. See that?'
'She had reached this far. We'd reached this far, is it now time to stop?'
'You're right.'
'But still, this time, please obtain happiness.'
She opened her eyes and a scene she always want and imagine to happen is in front of her eyes.
I, playing with dad, eating snacks with Leione, annoying Derick, Cloud, Lin and many other people. But..
"Can.. can that really happen?"
'Yes, your path is your own choice. We chose to be silent before, so you had the right to choose for your own life. We chose to be naive. It's your own now anyway. Even though we're one you're different.'
Was it really mine now?
'We'll be happy if you're happy. We just want to be happy too. Fightings Charlotte, it's all up to you now. Very soon, it'll be with you. We'll be with you. Always.'
And slowly the faces of all those people revealed, they're all Charlotte with different ages. But had similar white hair, when they all smiled and said good bye, golden sparkles appeared as well as how their hair turned golden. It's a reverse moment of the way they died, the moment they faded away all of their white hair turned golden.
She teared up and smiled.
Right, I'm the Charlotte now. I always was.