Chapter 38: ~ Reality ~
The rhythmic sound of rain hitting the concrete eased her nerves. Illia sighed, watching the droplets hit the rain-coated floor in steady beats. The asphalt looked like a glossy photograph.
She shifted in her seat. The rain drops slid down the glass of the bus stop like falling tears. Illia watched them fall, counting down the minutes until her bus arrived.
She flipped the pages of her book and tried to focus on reading, but she was far too anxious to appreciate the story.
Today she had a final exam. She spent the past week studying every chance she got in order to prepare.
"Illia!" A familiar voice called.
She glanced up from the pages of her book. It was her friend from class.
"What're you doing here? Come on, I'll give you a ride."
"Really?" The word fell off her lips in a robotic manner. "Thank you so much."
Illia stood up from the plastic chair under the stop and followed the girl down the rain-soaked sidewalk. The rain felt nice against her cheeks.
"What book is that?" The girl from her class asked, her feet splashed against the puddles covering the sidewalks.
"The Cursed Winter," Illia said, looking at the book she held in her arms. "It's a historical fantasy piece."
"Is it good?"
"I guess," She said with a huff. "I just grabbed something to read on the way."
The girl stopped walking. Illia turned to face where she had stopped.
"I'm sorry, Illia. I can't let you take that exam. If you beat me, you'll get the internship. You can't take that from me too."
"What?" Illia asked.
Illia glanced around. The sidewalk was empty. She was going to be late. She trudged her feet along the wet sidewalk and settled down in a seat under the bus stop shelter.
The rhythmic sound of rain hitting the concrete eased her nerves. Illia sighed, watching the droplets hit the rain-coated floor in steady beats. The asphalt looked like a glossy photograph.
She shifted in her seat. The rain drops slid down the glass of the bus stop like falling tears. Illia watched them fall, counting down the minutes until her bus arrived.
She flipped the pages of her book and tried to focus on reading, but she was far too anxious to appreciate the story.
'What? Something feels off.'
"Illia!" A familiar voice called.
She glanced up from the pages of her book. It was her friend from class.
"What're you doing here? Come on, I'll give you a ride."
"Really?" The word fell off her lips in a robotic manner. "Thank you so much."
Illia stood up from her seat and hesitantly followed her classmate down the rain-soaked sidewalk.
'Why does it feel like this has happened before?'
"I'm sorry, Illia. I can't let you take that exam. If you beat me, you'll get the internship. You can't take that from me too."
Illia paused. "Wait, what?"
She glanced around the empty sidewalk before taking a seat under the bus stop.
'Seriously, what's happening?'
"Illia!" A familiar voice called.
She hesitated, looking up at the familiar face of the girl. "You bitch. You killed me, didn't you?"
The girl's hazel eyes widened.
"Answer me," Illia barked.
"Yeah, I did. You're dead. I murdered you and buried your body behind our school. Funny, isn't it? Your body will stay where you took everything from me."
Illia clenched her teeth. "What did I take from you, Catrina?"
"Aiden. You took Aiden from me. He died in your stead, why would you let that happen?"
Illia froze. "What are you-"
"Wake up, Winter."
"What?"
"Wake up!"
Winter's eyes jolted open.
The King let out a sigh of relief upon seeing her bright eyes once again. It took nine days, but she was finally awake.
"What's happening?" Winter asked in a scratchy voice that sounded like sandpaper.
"Your Highness, you have been unconscious for quite some time," The Royal Physician said with a tired expression. "Please do not speak for now. We must examine your physical condition."
Winter shivered under the sheets of her warm bed. The feeling of warm magic hugged her body as he channeled his mana into a bright white light.
'Was it a dream? No, it couldn't have been. It felt too real.'
"Aiden," She called out desperately to her father. "Where's Aiden? Where's my brother?"
The King raised a finger to his lips in an attempt to quiet his daughter down. He pointed to Aiden's bed. Winter turned her head and found herself staring at the familiar sight of Aiden's chest rising and lowering beneath a mountain of blankets.
"He's been on edge lately," The King explained to her with a whispering voice. "He only just fell asleep."
'Was it really just a dream?'
"Besides dehydration and hunger, there seems to be no other problems. The Princess has recovered well."
Winter, ignoring his explanation, flung herself out of bed. She fell to the cold floor, but continued to drag herself to her brother's bed.
"Winter!" The King called out to her with a panicked expression. His daughter had only just woken up from a coma and was already moving around.
Winter climbed into Aiden's bed and threw the sheets covering him aside. Sure enough, with glistening golden hair and features that mimicked hers, was Aiden. His eyelashes fluttered open slowly.
"Winny?" He asked in a drowsy state. "You're awake?"
Winter watched him, eyes twisted with horror. Aiden's stomach flipped. Has Winter ever made that expression before?
She rested her head on his chest, shutting her eyes tightly.
"Winter?" The King said, reaching out to pull her away. "You shouldn't be-"
"Shut up," She said in a shaky voice. "I just need to check something."
In the darkness, she listened to the beating of his heart and the sound of his breathing.
"Thank the gods," She said quietly, lifting her head from his chest.
In the lamp-light, Winter's face was stained with tears. Aiden and the King looked at one another with confused expressions. They both didn't know that Winter was trying to reassure herself that Aiden was still alive.
"Thank the gods," She said again, letting out a high-pitched sob. Her tiny body trembled as her cries sliced through the darkness.
"Of course," Aiden replied, embracing his sobbing sister. "I'm the one who should be crying. You were asleep for nine whole days."
"I, I want to sleep here," She stuttered between sobs. "I don't want to sleep alone anymore."
Aiden moved a pillow beside his and patted it with a gentle hand. Winter laid down and held him tightly. For nine whole days, she walked along the wet sidewalk. For nine whole days, she was forced to see the face of her killer.
The King, unsure of how to deal with a crying child, turned to the Royal Physician for assistance.
"It appears that the Princess might have been plagued with nightmares during her time unconscious," He explained to him. "It's best to let her rest for now."
The King nodded, tucking in the twins with the warm blankets. Had he ever tucked in his kids before? The twins, of course, were always a special case for him. They were much more delicate than his other sons.
'Indra would've known what to do.'
"Sleep then," He said in a commanding tone.
~***~
"Just what is taking so long?" The Marquis asked, eyeing the strange man in front of him. "I've given you tons of gold in exchange for promised results. Where are my results?"
The man rolled his eyes. "It takes quite some time to produce good results. So far, every body I've manipulated has deteriorated in one way or another."
The Marquis sighed, rubbing his eyebrows with a wrinkled hand. "Deteriorated?"
"The first two couldn't even speak. The third one was promising, but his skin and teeth started to rot."
Catrina furrowed her eyebrows as she listened in on her father's muffled conversation from the other side of the door. Several weeks ago a strange man had come to her father's manor. She wasn't allowed to speak to him or even greet him. Her father's orders were absolute.
"I can get you people to experiment on," The Marquis told him, searching his mind for a way to speed up the process. "Will that help?"
The man shook his head. "The usage of black magic will be tracked to your estate. It's best if I experiment on random people until I get it right. That way, they can't track us."
The Marquis pursed his lips in thought. The black magic didn't have to be strong. It only needed to be enough to allow him to slightly control the third Prince's mind.
"For now," The man said in a low tone, leaning towards the Marquis. "Find a way to deal with the Princess. If she's always around the third Prince, then she'd easily be able to notice slight changes in his behaviour."
Catrina clenched her fists. If only that arrogant Princess had accepted her invitation for tea. She would've already had her grovelling on the floor for her favour.
The Marquis sighed. "I'm dealing with that. As you know, the Palace is not an easy place to infiltrate."
"Work on your part and I'll work on mine."
The man stood up from his seat, his shadow flickering abnormally against the wall.
"By the way," The Marquis asked him. "Why did you bring home boxes of black candles the other day? What is this nonsensical behaviour, are you trying to curse me?"
The man laughed eerily. "Those candles erase the presence of black magic. It'd be in your best interest to light them around your estate in order to ward off the King's men."
"Where did you find those things?"
The man paused. "I paid for those boxes with two lives."
Catrina stiffened, listening to the sound of the man's footsteps getting closer. She stepped back from the door frantically before dashing down the hallway and hiding herself around the corner.
The door creaked open, light spilling from the open crack of the room into the dark corridor.
"Heed my words, Marquis Laurente. Soon enough, the Monarchy will fall."
Catrina listened to the sound of the man's footsteps fade away.
'Was this why mother wanted me to get close to the Princess?'
"M'lady?" A servant asked, nearing Catrina who was hiding in the shadows of the corridor. "What is the young miss doing awake at this hour?"
"I wanted some warm milk," Catrina lied, smiling innocently at her. "Could you prepare some for me?"
The servant nodded. "Of course, I'll bring a glass to your chambers."
Catrina thanked the servant before turning and heading for her room. She felt flustered and angry. Catrina was good at everything she did. She did a good job pleasing her parents and meeting their expectations. The only person to ever make her feel like a failure was the Princess.
She could've been a Queen. She could've stood by Prince Aiden's side, ruling over the Silvermondian Empire. It was where she belonged. She was better than everyone else, including that arrogant Princess.
'That damned bitch needs to fall.'
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