Chapter Three

"The castle was yet again filled with silence and loneliness Mang Ronald, Rhea, Aiza, and Anna."

I said without expression as I look at their graves through the mirror.

Three days after I received the news of their passing, they were buried by the humans since there's no one who claimed their bodies. Well, who would come when the only one that knew about them was me?

Because the connection is severed, I cannot go out as I pleased. My ability to exit the castle was again blocked by the curse bestowed upon me by the gods. This is the reason why I needed a caretaker – to be precise, a candidate. I just simply admired Mang Ronald's dedication and perseverance to his work that's why I made him a candidate, but with no emotional or intimate connection. Just someone I could use as a key to exit the castle.

You might be thinking how I ended up wondering around the streets 20 years ago when the spell that prevents me from exiting the castle ground is active.

Mang Ronald isn't the first and won't be the last. But most of them is either dead or still alive and living their life. In the past I've chosen those who're already alone in this world so that when they die no one would feel sad or resent me for their deaths.

Mang Ronald was the first one that I chose who still have a family.

During our meeting 20 years ago, I explained to him and with his three daughters the consequences that they'll face when his job reached its 19th year.

'I don't know if it's because of the contract but, whenever someone who have a contract with me reached their 19th year they always die.'

So, in order to prevent that, I always ask them on their 18th year of service whether to stay and face the consequences head on or leave, leave and live their life to the fullest.

That's what I did, I asked Mang Ronald and his children whether to stay or leave.

"But you chose to stay."

I don't know if it's loyalty, greed, foolishness or being selfish. But whatever offer I gave them they refused to take it. You're the first one that chose to stay and die because of it and you'll probably be last one.

I stood up from my throne and reached out to my rapier. It began to float and heads towards me, as the rapier was flying the floating mirror flew out of my sight and stayed in the corner.

The stopped on my right side. It positioned itself upside down and so I relaxed my hand and put it down.

"It's time for the final goodbye."

I walked down the stairs of from the throne and opened the two black doors of the throne room.

While walking on the silent, cold, and dark hallway, I noticed from a window on my right that it is raining heavily outside with thunder and lightning. I stopped walking for a moment and stared out of the window towards the stormy sky.

(It's just like this, that day you died.)

After saying this in my thoughts I continued walking through the empty hallway. When I reached a silver I, again, stopped from walking.

'This is the place. All I need to do now is open this door and see them off.'

(But it feels like there's something who wants to stop me from doing it. It's like there's a part of me who's not yet ready to see them leave.)

{The door slowly opened and a girl without any expression, only her cold gaze entered the grand hall.)

"Good evening, Miss Black."

Mang Ronald, Anna, Rhea, and Aiza greeted me while standing on the center of the grand hall.

When I was only four meters away from them, I stopped from walking at looked at them smiling towards me.

"This is why I've told you to leave me when you still have the chance."

>Still we chose to stay. (Rhea)

>You've been alone for hundreds of years Miss Black. (Anna)

>We're completely aware that something like this could happen every time that we're leaving the house from the time, we refused your offer two years ago.

How can we just leave someone who gave and did so much for us just because of the reason that she's cursed? How can we possibly become so selfish after all that we've been through just because of that? (Aiza)

>We all chose this path Miss Black. We don't have any regrets.

Mang Ronald said to me with a bright smile.

(I really don't understand you humans.

My cursed contract caused their deaths. Yet they don't blame or resent me. It's my selfish desire to see the outside world that caused their tragic deaths.

So why?)

'Liars.' I said with a weak voice.

'I know you're blaming me for what happened to you. I mean who wouldn't?'

>We don't. We treated you as part of our family with a desire to make your cold-lonely heart warm again.

Anna blurted out.

>If we only looked at your flaws then maybe we'll have something to resent you with. But as soon as we realized a piece of what you've been through all those years of being alone, we realized that staying with you is the least we could do. You've been observing humans to learn about their emotions, to know how you'll express your emotions. We don't know what happened to you in the past, but we know that you've been wanting to live a normal life.

That's the reason why you're observing humans through the floating mirror right? To learn how to be normal." She continued.

>We don't know what it feels like to be alone for being an immortal and is under a curse, being rejected by everyone around you because of your peculiarity and even being left behind by those whom you trusted once.

We chose to stay sharing your curse because that's what families do. Family is also like a curse don't you think. If someone in our family is hurting, we all feel that pain and share that pain."

Rhea said to me with a smile.

>Miss Black, we died not because of you but because of God's will. Even if we accepted your offer back then, we'll eventually die. We do not hold someone's fate. There will always come a time where we need to say our final goodbyes.

And I'm very thankful that I've chosen the right decision back then. A decision to stay by your side. This maybe goodbye, but we'll meet again for sure. And I hope when that time comes, we'll be able to see a bright smile written on your beautiful face. (Mang Ronald)

The surroundings suddenly felt warm – no, this warm feeling is coming from my body.

What is this?

While thinking of possible reasons to what I'm feeling the bell of a near catholic church rang.

'It's time.'

The rapier on my side begins floating towards the front between me and the family. The Rapier stopped at the distance of one meter and after that I reached out my left hand to it. It slowly began its decent towards the ground and its blade is radiating a red aura.

A red pentagram appeared beneath the four person and a strong wind opened the closed windows of the grand hall. Countless rose petals entered the windows and in a clockwise rotation surrounded Mang Ronald and his daughters.

>Miss Black!

Anna shouted.

>Please continue observing humans. Who knows, maybe one day you finally find someone who can break your curse. Please remember to open your heart for possibilities and don't loose hope. We may not be physically present, but we'll always be by your side!

She continued with a bright smile.

(Even in the afterlife she's still as cheerful as always.)

>Thank you for everything Miss Black!

Without realizing it, I smiled at them and started yelling back.

"My name isn't really Miss Black!"

>We know!

Rhea replied.

"My real name is-"

As they slowly vanish for the first time, they heard my name. Tears began to fall from their eyes and for the last time they gave me a bright smile, telling me that this is not our final meeting.

All that was happening stopped the moment they disappeared, and the circling petals fall one by one to the floor.

-And so, the ceremony for the final goodbye ended.-

While walking to head back to the throne room I felt something warm run down my cheeks. It's wet, but it's warm. I rubbed it using my right hand and when I looked at it, it was water.

No, those are tears, my tears.

For the past 500 years I've forgotten the feeling of shedding tears. But tonight, I was able to feel it again.

When I returned to the throne room, I made the rapier fly back to its sheath next to a portrait hidden under the red curtain.

I sat on my throne and look at the silent, large and dark room. The only light of the room is the moonlight that enters through the window at the center of the ceiling.

All returned to the way it was. Silent, dark, and lonely. I was about to close my eyes to try sleeping when the door on the left side of the room opened. A man with his toothbrush went out from the opened door.

When he opened his eyes, he immediately turns his attention towards me. He has a blank expression and is clearly unaware of what's happening and what place he's in.

"Sorry, my bad." He apologized and returned to the room and closed the door.

I was dumbfounded to what just happened and continued to stare at the door to see what will happens next.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

(That was weird.

I'm super tired that I'm starting to see things.)

{The man said in his thoughts.

He gargled and washed his mouth and returned the toothbrush into a cup on the left side of the sink and opened the door. He starts yawning enough that he closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he was welcomed by the same scene. An expressionless girl with white hair and red eyes looking directly towards him from a distance while sitting on her throne.}

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Sup." He casually said to me.

He later on realized what's happening and the fact that it's not his house.

"What the heck is this place and where on Earth am I?!"

He shouted.

To be continued...