˗ˏˋChoosing The Villainess As My Mother ࿐ྂ
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Althea Melody (POV)
It's already ten o'clock in the evening, and Mother Cynthia, my dear lady, has tucked me into bed for the night. I'm feeling quite refreshed tonight.
"This world isn't so bad, I suppose," I mused, gazing up at the ceiling.
I glanced around my room and couldn't help but think it might be a tad too spacious for just me. Nevertheless, I quite liked it. It wasn't too shabby.
A gentle breeze pass in through the open balcony door, causing the curtains to sway softly.
"Hmm?" I murmured, sitting up as I noticed a faint glow passing by on the balcony.
(Was that a firefly? It could be, though it seemed a bit brighter.)
I hopped out of bed and slipped on my slippers. As I approached the balcony, I began to hear a clear, soothing sound, reminiscent of a lullaby.
"Interesting," I said to myself, intrigued by the enchanting melody.
"Hmm? Who is that?" I wondered aloud, observing a dark figure of a child passing by outside the fence, some moving slowly while others ran.
(Am I the only one hearing this strange lullaby?)
"Huh? It's raining..." I muttered to myself when suddenly Ephraim appeared next to me. He swiftly pulled me inside, shutting the doors and even locking them.
"What's happening? Why did you do that?" I asked, surprised, as Ephraim drew the curtains closed and turned to face me.
"It's not safe to be out there, master is coming, so don't go onto the balcony, understand?" Ephraim warned, guiding me back to my bed.
"Why is it unsafe for me to go outside?" I asked, puzzled, while Ephraim cautiously peeked out onto the balcony.
"If you ever hear their lullaby again, never open the doors or go outside, or let them see you," Ephraim explained, his gaze serious.
"Why?" I persisted, puzzled, as Mother Cynthia, Maddie, and even Mr. Bosworth rushed into my room, tlooking worried.
"Mother? Maddie? And Mr. Bosworth?" I exclaimed, surprised, as I looked at them.
"Oh, thank goodness you're okay, dear!" Mother Cynthia exclaimed, gently caressing my face, while Ephraim had already vanished.
(What's happening?)
(Is there something about this world that I don't know?)
"What's happening, Mother? Why are none of you asleep yet?" I questioned, as Mother Cynthia simply stared at me.
"My dear, can you hear their lullabies?" Mother Cynthia asked, and I nodded in response.
(I mean, I do have ears, so of course I can hear them very clearly.)
"Yes, I can hear them, they're getting louder and closer," I confirmed, watching Mr. Bosworth peeking behind the curtains of the window.
"Bosworth, are they still there?" Mother Cynthia asked, to which Mr. Bosworth nodded.
"They are still out there, Your Grace. I just saw a little girl in her nightgown walking and following those children," Mr. Bosworth reported, his expression serious.
"What's happening? Is there something I should know, Mother?" I asked, feeling confused as I glanced back and forth between them.
"I had forgotten that today is the day those children would appear tonight," Mother Cynthia admitted.
"Whose children?" I asked.
"My dear, those children outside aren't normal," Maddie explained.
(Not normal? Why and how?)
"How? Can you please tell me?" I asked, still hearing their lullabies outside.
"My lady, those children outside were once abandoned by their families," Mr. Bosworth chimed in, while Maddie nodded in agreement.
"And they were left at a cruel orphanage not far from here. They weren't taken care of; they were neglected by the people who ran the orphanage," Maddie elaborated.
(What?!)
"And one fateful night, when the people running the orphanage wanted to abandon the children, they set fire to the orphanage," Maddie continued.
"What? But... there were children inside the orphanage. Why would they think of killing the children?" I exclaimed, horrified by the thought.
"Exactly, dear. No one knew about this until morning. The poor innocent children from the orphanage couldn't escape and were left to burn and die in that terrible fire," Mother Cynthia explained.
"All doors and windows had been sealed shut. There was nothing the children could do. The fire was already raging, surrounding them," she added.
"Then... what happened to the people who ran the orphanage? Were they caught?" I asked.
"They were punished by the king," Mr. Bosworth replied.
"What kind of punishment did they receive?" I pressed for more details.
"The king sent them back to the orphanage. All doors and windows were locked, but only one man survived that night," Mr. Bosworth revealed.
"Really?" I exclaimed with fascination.
(Oh, I love stories like this!)
"Yes, dear. There was only one man who survived that night. However, when he came out from the orphanage, his skin bore burns, and his eyes... they were as black as coal," Mother Cynthia recounted.
"And he went insane, my dear. He lost his grip on reality, whispering incomprehensible words," Maddie added.
"The people who cared for him said he would scream at night, claiming he was on fire and his skin was burning. Sometimes, he would even say that the children from the orphanage were after him," Maddie continued, sending shivers down my spine.
(That's a bit scary for me, but I do enjoy stories like this.)
"Then, are those children outside the ones from the orphanage?" I asked.
"Yes, dear. Today is the anniversary of their tragic demise. It was around this time that the orphanage was engulfed in flames. Even now, we can hear their screams of pain," Mother Cynthia confirmed, and I nodded in understanding.
"But what does that have to do with me not going outside on the balcony when I hear them?" I asked.
"It is said that these children from the orphanage would take children like you away from their families and never return them," Maddie explained.
(Huh? Why would they take children and not adults?)
"That's why if you hear them again, never let them see you, or they will take you away and you'll never return," Mother Cynthia warned, her gaze serious as I glanced at the balcony.
"Can anyone hear their lullabies? feels like they're just outside the balcony." I asked, pointing my finger to the balcony, and they all looked at me.
"Their screams, too, my dear. We can hear them clearly. Whenever we hear them at night, they often sing a lullaby to lure children out of their homes," Maddie revealed.
"It's like a siren enchanting a sailor," I remarked with a smile.
"Yes, that's right, my dear," Mother Cynthia says.
"I'm glad you didn't go outside on the balcony, or those children could have seen you," she added.
(I wasn't paying attention to them, though.)
(I was just staring at the kid standing still outside the fence.)
(I couldn't even tell if they were facing me or if it was their back.)
"How could you tell that they were staring at you, Mother?" I asked.
"I... don't know. I've never encountered them as a child before," Mother Cynthia admitted.
"I heard from others that the children's eyes were as black as coal. When they have their backs to you, it means they're actually staring back at you," Maddie chimed in, causing me to fall silent and feel a chill run down my spine.
(What the heck?)
(Did that child see me then? I can't tell. It was too dark, but I hope they didn't see me.)
"It's a good thing you didn't go outside, or you might have dreams about those children from the orphanage when you fall asleep," Maddie remarked.
(Is she trying to scare me?)
"Huh? Why would I dream of them?" I asked, puzzled by Maddie's statement.
"Well, there's a rumor going around about it," Mother Cynthia interjected.
"Since there was one child who returned after being taken away by those children. But I'm not sure if it's true or just a story made up by people in this empire. No one has confirmed it, so it's just a rumor," Mother Cynthia explained.
"What was the rumor, Mother?" I asked.
"It was said that if those children see you, my dear, they'll let you see their past. " Mother says
"And when you regain consciousness, you'll find yourself standing in front of an abandoned, burned orphanage. Once you enter, you'll never be able to return home," Mother Cynthia revealed.
(It's like being stuck in another dimension with no way back.)
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