𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖔: 𝕯𝖗𝖎𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕷𝖎𝖈𝖊𝖓𝖘𝖊 𝖇𝖞 𝕺𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖎𝖆 𝕽𝖔𝖉𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖔
***
"For attempting to murder Lady Cornelia, the emperor, sentenced, Lady Viona to execution," the messenger of the imperial family announced. While my feet were cold on the ground, with a shivering body, and dirty clothes, I endured everything for the sake of that person's happiness.
But it all came down to nothing when it came to her.
He has known me for 10 years, he knew my household, my likes, and dislikes, and what kind of person I am. But because of her, who only appeared in his life for 2 years, she took him easily from my grasp.
I looked at Klein, and his face was enough to confirm everything, has he never treated me as a friend before? Or was he even trusting me throughout those years?
His stare made me feel small, his narrowed eyes which were previously wide continued to stare at me as if I was a devil in his sight. I watched as his arms wrapped around the ailing body of Lady Cornelia, and a painful throb from my chest came to exist.
When I looked in front of me, I saw the blade that would cut my neck afterward, the wood that would hold my body as if I was destined to die in my beloved childhood friend's hands.
In the blink of an eye, my memories went back to the time when I was still a young child, happy and oblivious to the cruelty of the world.
"I promise Viona that no one will harm you, I promise to protect you..."
"I know you will Klein, because you're my best friend..."
But that promise became doubtful when he ruined my household, killed my parents and now he's on the verge of killing me.
With these words that turned to ashes swayed by the endless abyss of the past, I laughed to my heart's content.
"She's crazy"
"What's happening to her?"
"How can she laugh when her death is in front of her?"
"Crazy lady"
"She's not a lady anymore, she's already abandoned"
"I know, that's why she deserved to die..."
I couldn't care what other people say, because they are not me, they didn't experience the things that I have gone through in my life. They have no right to judge me.
But then, why did their opinion weigh so much on me back then? Was it because I wanted to look good in front of Klein? Such a wishful thinking that will never come through.
Before I die here, I just wanted to know if he did love me, but one look and I realized, it's impossible.
Like a flash, darkness took over my whole being reminiscing those seven seconds that felt like an eternity in my fading memories.
Goodbye, my first love.
***
"Viona! Viona! Viona! Come on, wake up, you promise me that we still have to go to the forest and capture fireflies, right?" My head throbbed, and my vision suddenly went foggy until I opened my eyes clear as day.
I saw that I was in my room, but everything seemed to change, I looked at who was shaking my body and my eyes widened, he had luscious golden hair and mesmerizing ruby jeweled eyes.
My breath hitched from my throat. I couldn't speak, no words seemed to come out of my throat even though my mouth was open. I stared at him who was staring at me with wide eyes.
I could see how he chuckled and gently messed my hair
"Silly, are you still dreaming?" He asked.
Am I? Because I died, right?
I looked around and saw that my room was arranged when I was still eight years old. The person in front of me is the young version of Klein when he was also eight years old. I looked at my hands and they were tiny. I blinked a few times because the sun's rays kept hitting my being.
"Fine, I opened the curtain because I thought it would be enough to wake you up but you didn't do I had to shake you up. Luckily, you wake up after seconds of doing so," he said with a smile.
I had fallen in love with that smile in the past because out of all the people who gave me one, his seemed to be sincere and innocent. As if I was in the middle of a meadow with him.
But right now, I don't know. I don't even know if the scenario of my death was only my nightmare or if it was real, but the experience seemed to be.
I sighed. If that was a premonition, then it's better to be only best friends with Klein.
I didn't know at that time, my heart had already been sealed. I still couldn't understand what was happening, but one thing kept me thinking, if that was only a nightmare then why do I feel scared whenever I hold hands with Klein?
After we had our time in the forest near our household, he indeed caught a lot of fireflies than I did and as a loser in his game, he managed to make me his servant today.
He made me cook for him, even bake him cookies, and my parents didn't mind since they were busy with their work. The maids were worried but I managed to reassure them.
Then Klein would eat the food that I cooked and cookies as well as the tea I brewed and each day he would come and play with me, we would have our studies within our household libraries.
Sometimes, when I sent him letters, he would permit me to enter his household, but like before, his household felt empty that's why he would always come to mine.
At first, I didn't know what had happened to his parents and why they passed away when he was still young, but in my dreams, it's as if they were real, his parents didn't die in an accident, they were murdered.
But I never found out the guilty one when I died in that nightmare.
Shaking my head with some unnecessary thoughts, I drink the tea he had offered me.
When I looked at him, it was the first time I saw him looking out the window with such sad eyes but a warm smile that could pierce anyone's heart to warm up.
"Klein, no matter what, I'll always be here for you, okay?" I said those in my sincerest tone of voice. I held his hand and smiled at him while I knelt in front.
"Because we would always remain best friends, right?"
I could see him smiling at me but that smile never reached his ears. Then as time passed by, I realized, that the nightmare that I had wasn't a dream at all but reality after finding the rotten clothes I had worn from my execution under my bed.
The maids and other servants thought that someone was plotting danger to me upon having that clothing, so they burned it away and my parents didn't even let me go outside.
Klein must have been lonely in his household alone, but I couldn't do anything to protest. Not when I knew that his promise would be broken someday.
That night, in the winter of the year 800, I decided, to be best friends with him, but instead of falling in love with the one I love, my goal in this life was to fall in love with someone who loves me as I am.
Maybe, I could love that person enough to see himself mirror me.
Time passed by quickly and we were already fifteen years old. This was also the first time that I would be introduced as an official lady of the noble society, and this was also my coming-of-age ceremony with Klein just like in the past, we both had our coming-of-age ceremony together.
He became my friend and danced like before, we chatted with the nobles and socialized with the ladies and young men. Klein found his friends and I found mine as well.
But this was the night I had chosen to change everything. Not wanting to be bound in a future full of tragedy and pain, I braved myself to drink alcohol and instead of chatting with my newly made lady friends, I went to where Klein was.
There I saw his friends from the past, but one young man kept staring at me only to know that he was the second prince of the empire, the one who was thought to be the playboy but had the face of a handsome, cruel bad boy.
In the past, this young man would change his ladies every only after 2 weeks of dating, and he's not even afraid to tarnish the imperial family's reputation with his playboy status.
The emperor would always confine him but he would always escape at night, and yet, in the end, he met his end in a sick noble lady's hands.
But there were also rumors back that day when he was doing those things as a form of rebelling against the emperor because he could not marry the lady he loved due to the lowest noble position as well and the lady was sick.
They were only rumors but----
"And here is Prince Vaxius Denrile, Viona, you must have known him, right?" I blinked a few times and looked at Klein then nodded with a smile
"Yes, Klein. It's nice to meet you Prince Vaxius..." I said with a respectful bow but he only looked at me from head to toe before plastering that narrowed eyed and smirk under his wine glass.
"It's also a pleasure to meet you, Lady Viona. I never thought that Klein would have a beautiful childhood friend like you"
I see where this was going but I refused his flirt. He already has someone he loves and I'm out of it. But, he took my hand and led me to the middle of the hall.
"So I guess dancing with you would be fine, right?"
"What----"
"I know you like Klein and your eyes tell me that. So do you want to have a deal?"