(♡)
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Raymond did not ask Jungkook how he made up his mind on going to that specific place. Jungkook had a frighteningly calm, cold expression. Raymond knew that whenever he made that face his judgment was rarely mistaken.
Raymond turned to the nearby soldiers and ordered them. “We are going to the Black Forest of Calsis effective immediately. Make sure you turn every stone in that area!”
***
When she opened her eyes, all Lalisa saw was a dark room. She could feel the humidity and a weak smell of mold around her…
Lalisa finally snapped back to her senses and stood up.
The room was pitch black. There was a window nearby, but not even a little bit of light came through. She could barely make out the shape of the objects around her.
The room was completely empty, except for the messy bed in which she laid, and the floor was covered with some damp hay.
Lalisa had seen this same scenery in the past. Not in this past, but her previous past. This place looked exactly like the prison where she was thrown into, as though she were a piece of garbage.
“…ugh.”
Lalisa started having some difficulties with her breathing. She felt as though an overwhelming fear was slowly enveloping her. She clutched her chest with her hand.
This is most definitely a dream.
That’s right. She was having again the nightmare she hadn’t had in a long time. There was no way she’d come back to this place in reality. However, for whatever reason, everything felt too real… the damp air around her, the rough texture of the blanket…
Lalisa slapped herself on both cheeks. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare. Her cheeks turned red and swollen while tears automatically fell from her eyes. It didn’t look like she would wake up anytime soon.
Only then did Lalisa realize that this might be real. If this was her reality and not a dream, then, what was the meaning of this? Maybe she went back to the moment before her death in her previous life?
Lalisa's chin trembled slightly. Many thoughts were hurling inside her mind.
She lost her sanity. Suddenly, the dark room in which she was in started morphing, with huge iron bars blocking her escape. She could feel the soldiers staring at her, judging her for selling her own nation. Maybe the fact that she went back in time to her own 12-year-old self was the actual dream.
Right, to come back to life… To think that a bird granted a wish and made time unwind was absurd. It would be more realistic to think of her second life as nothing more than a dream.
As her mind slowly began reaching that conclusion, her whole body started trembling uncontrollably. Lalisa went to a corner in the bed and shrank herself into a ball.
Then, what would happen now? Would she come out of the cell soon to be executed? Or would Roseanne come to bring her poison? Both possibilities were too scary and she didn’t want any of them. But, since she was arrested, she didn’t have more options.
I’m sure the one who wants me dead is you again.
Lalisa buried her head between her knees while tears silently fell down her cheeks. Maybe she did go insane. After losing her baby, being framed and backstabbed by her own husband, maybe she did lose all common sense and created a fantasy world within her mind…
While her knees were being soaked with her tears, Lalisa suddenly remembered something.
The baby!
Lalisa placed a hand on her belly. It wasn’t that prominent yet, but it was indeed swollen. Her baby was still within her.
“Oh, my god…”
Lalisa let out a big relieved sigh. She calmed down, and the turmoil within her mind started clearing little by little. This was not a dream. If it had all been a dream, she wouldn’t have a baby right now.
Then, what is this place?
Lalisa finally broke out of her delirium and came back to reality. There were no iron bars in front of her. It seemed like she was in some sort of abandoned hut in a remote place.
Her memories from right before she lost conscience slowly came back to her. After telling the children to help her distract her guards, she went straight to the lake to meet up with Vincent. She had seen a tall man standing in the middle of the tall grass field, with his back to her. Just like the kids had said, he had a tall, strong, muscular built. His silver hair under his hood shone faintly under the sunlight.
“Vini!”
The man slowly turned around as soon as he heard her call. She knew that face. However, he was not Vincent.
Creak…
Suddenly, the creaking sound of a door opening interrupted her thoughts. A man entered the room, and the small candlestick in his hand illuminated the interior.
Lalisa tensed her jaw. She looked at the man’s face, which shone under the candlelight.
“James Lyurik.”
He was the eldest son of Duke Lyurik and the closest advisor to the Crown Prince of Chrichton. Even when she was living in Chrichton, Lalisa had never exchanged words with him since Vincent really disliked her talking with anyone working for the Crown Prince. That's why she had tried avoiding these type of people as much as she could.
Then… why was this man here now, in Arundell?
When she was at the lake shore, Lalisa was so shocked she couldn’t talk for a while. James quickly approached her and covered her mouth with his hand, then dragged her to the boat that had been previously prepared. Lalisa lost consciousness due to fear, and shortly after woke up in this desolated place.
“Are you planning something? Why did you bring me here?”
James simply nodded his head, without even bothering to offer her any excuses nor chances to negotiate. His conceited attitude made her anger surge.
“Duke James Lyurik, did you forget who I am?”
He walked towards her, quickly reaching the end of her bed. His huge built was enough to make anyone afraid. Rihannan hid her fear by keeping her Lalisa expressions as stoic as possible. She did not want to show any sign of weakness.
“Why have you taken me to this place? I won’t ask you again. Let me go immediately. If you do, I will not say a word to anyone about what you have done.”
“Lalisa Alessin. No, perhaps I should call you Lalisa Cheska from now on.”
Suddenly, he grabbed Lalisa's chin quite forcefully. He held her with such force that she could not move her head at all. Lalisa's eyes trembled in rage. Her usually serene, tranquil blue eyes now resembled a raging stormy sea.
Looking into her eyes, James said “so now you can actually show emotions, uh?”
“…what?”
He abruptly let go of her chin and grabbed the candlestick that was on the bedside table.
“Eveytime I saw you near Princess Jennie, you always looked like an emotionless doll. Someone without hopes for the future.”
Those words were similar to what Jennie had told her in the past. The Princess of Chrichton had once said that Lalisa acted like someone without any curiosity for what tomorrow might have in store.
The fact that someone she didn’t talk much to could observe her to the point of saying those words greatly perturbed her. Lalisa felt a chill running down her spine.
“But, to my great surprise, you now do look like a living human being.”
Lalisa ignored him and asked “How did you know that song?”
The lyrics that were written in that piece of paper were made up by Vincent when they were kids. Vincent had altered the verse of a Chrichton folklore song to tease Lalisa. In other words, someone who wasn’t close to Lalisa couldn’t possibly know such intimate detail.
“That’s a song Vincent used to sing to me when we were kids. How do you know about that?”
“I heard it from Princess Jennie.”
Lalisa was taken aback. Did Jennie have anything to do with this?
James looked at Lalisa's puzzled face and smiled.
“I’ll only say this because I do not want unnecessary misunderstandings. Princess Jennie simply answered the Crown Prince’s question without thinking much about it. That was it.”
“Then… you used that information to lure me out?”
“It hadn’t been easy to make you leave your Palace. We thought of many plans… we originally thought of using Count Clovis, but that plan went down the drain the instant the King suddenly decided to arrest him. That’s why we decided on using your step-sister instead.”
“My step-sister?”
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