~Chapter 133~
‘This is…’
I looked at the World Tree in front of me and clenched my hands.
The World Tree had withered. The sight of it beginning to rot and decay couldn’t be called alive, even in a casual conversation.
I quickly checked my grandfather’s large wristwatch.
“Miss, you’ll return in an hour, right?”
His voice echoed quietly in my mind.
“….”
I should keep my promise to my grandfather, who had been kind to me.
With that thought in mind, I slowly took a step forward.
‘…I thought I would remember if I came here.’
I thought the empty feeling inside me would be filled, but my heart still felt hollow.
I felt like I had forgotten something important. The more I tried to remember it, the sharper the pain in my head became.
Still, someone deep inside kept telling me I needed to remember.
I tried to suppress the uneasy feeling when I heard footsteps approaching.
I turned my head, startled, toward the sound.
“….”
A boy with dark hair and bright blue eyes, like the clear sky.
It was a boy I had never seen before.
But, somehow, he didn’t feel unfamiliar.
It was clear who he was…
The name naturally came to my mind.
Ricardo Hessen, a supporting male character from the novel I had read.
‘…Why is he here?’
As I stared at this important character from the original story, my eyes began to tremble.
Ricardo, who had noticed me standing before the World Tree, approached me cautiously.
As far as I remembered, young Ricardo hated Bianca. No, he didn’t just dislike her, he despised her.
So then…
As the distance between us closed, I instinctively took a step back, pulling away from him.
Ricardo seemed to hesitate, like he had something to say, and then stopped walking.
…This was not the Ricardo I had seen before.
Ricardo always yelled at Bianca and was too busy showing contempt for her.
“….”
His appearance was making me quite uncomfortable.
At the same time, the voice inside me that kept urging me to remember the things I had forgotten grew louder.
‘But what is it…’
What have I missed?
I felt like I had forgotten something important, but nothing came to mind.
My heart felt hollow, like a hole had been torn inside me.
I could hardly approach him, but I finally opened my mouth.
“…Why are you here?”
Was that the right thing to ask?
This was the first time I had ever spoken to him, so it felt awkward.
Ricardo hesitated for a moment, then struggled to speak.
“To meet you again.”
He paused to catch his breath.
…Again?
It was a strange word to hear.
At that moment, a gust of wind blew from the direction of the World Tree. It wasn’t a natural breeze, but one that felt artificial.
Ricardo and I both turned our gazes toward the World Tree. Then, with a determined look on his face, he grabbed my hand.
“…!”
Without hesitation, he pulled me toward the direction the wind was coming from.
I saw a deep sense of guilt in Ricardo’s face. It almost looked like helplessness.
This wasn’t the Ricardo I remembered. The kind of person who showed helplessness, or looked so pitiful, was unlike him.
But the Ricardo I saw now, there was an undeniable weakness he couldn’t hide.
“….”
We arrived at a place where a statue was sitting.
It was so finely crafted that it would be hard to believe it was a stone figure if it was a living person.
Wung, wung!
At that moment, the key in my hand resonated in response to the World Tree. I took the key out of my pocket, almost like I was entranced.
It felt like the World Tree was calling it, but fear made me hesitate.
“It’s okay.”
At that moment, Ricardo spoke. His grip on my hand tightened.
It wasn’t much of a word, but somehow, with Ricardo looking different and the fact that someone was by my side, I found myself strangely brave.
‘No, maybe…’
Maybe it was because I was being whispered to that this wasn’t my fault, no matter what happened here.
“You are not at fault.”
Unfamiliar words echoed in my mind endlessly.
Before I knew it, my head turned toward Ricardo.
“…Have we met before?”
I asked, even though I knew it couldn’t be true.
For a moment, his eyes wavered, and then I felt a gaze, watching me closely from somewhere.
“…Are you from the royal family?”
Along with him, a strange voice accompanied his words.
The statue blinked its eyes, like it had just woken from a long sleep. But it still kept its vigilance toward us without lowering its guard for a moment.
“Aah, so you’re sending the little one away now.”
It even gave a bitter smile, as if it were a living person.
When the gaze that had been scanning my face stopped…
“By the way, you…”
She suddenly narrowed her brows.
It seemed like she recognized me.
…To be exact, she recognized the Bianca from before I possessed her body.
“Do you know me?”
“…Hah.”
She let out a soft laugh. The strange atmosphere surrounding her made me unable to ask another question.
Her expression looked like she was about to attack me and Ricardo at any moment.
“He’s a good boy.”
At that moment, Ricardo suddenly spoke up.
‘What did he just say…?’
I thought I might have misheard, but he continued, unbothered.
“It’s true.”
He said words I knew he would never say.
As I looked at him in shock, Ricardo shrugged, as if to ask if he had said something wrong.
It was a pretty stubborn expression.
“I bet you’ll regret it and hit the ground if you kill him.”
I think he’s crazy!
His tone sounded like a child, but his eyes were different.
It was clear he wasn’t going to stay quiet if she attacked me.
Unfortunately, the woman who seemed to share my feelings smiled ominously.
“…Now I see, you’re wearing an unpleasant shell.”
“Since it’s not magic, there’s nothing I can do. You can’t take off my shell either.”
“…!”
The woman lightly poked Ricardo in the side, but he only smiled lightly.
“I don’t think you’ll be able to harm a child, so I had no choice but to…”
Before Ricardo could finish, the woman’s face turned cold, and she quickly covered his mouth.
Ricardo blinked in surprise.
What did he do!
Can’t you see that she’s angry?
“This kid… must have eaten something wrong today.”
“….”
“Are you going to stay here?”
“Sigh, I really hate kids.”
The woman sighed, and it felt like her eyes and lips were the only parts of her not restrained.
“Well, I’ll just stay like this forever, as you said.”
“Forever…?”
Her patience seemed to have reached its limit, and her tightly shut lips began to tremble.
“No, no! I’m not trying to make fun of you! But why do you have to stay like that?”
The woman seemed speechless as she paused. Meanwhile, Ricardo quietly let go of my hand and spoke up.
“Do you want revenge?”
Though he didn’t mention a name, I could tell he was talking about the woman who had done this to her.
‘…She asked me if I was from the royal family. Could it be the royal family’s doing?’
“Of course, it’s a normal question.”
Her eyes were gleaming with hatred. I stayed silent, holding my breath.
“Even if you’re a servant of the royal family, it doesn’t matter. Tell your emperor clearly. I will definitely destroy Carpea.”
“I’m not from the royal family. If I were, I wouldn’t have been able to wake you up.”
At that moment, the unease in my heart grew even stronger.
I’ve heard this voice before.
…Is this déjà vu?
“You must never forget what happened with that child. You promised me.”
The words I heard, I didn’t even know when, spiraled around in my mind.
