Nostalgia

Ashley waited for her fate as she closed her eyes. But it became quiet all of a sudden. She tried to open her eyes and saw everything was black.

'D-did I die?'

She looked around to see where she was, but it was useless to see when suddenly a light came out of nowhere, blinding her eyesight for a while. When she adjusted, she saw her life come flashing through like a film. At first, it was so fast to see, but it slowed down in particular scenes. First was when she drowned in the water when she was young. She saw her younger self stop struggling and let herself sink until she couldn't breathe. When she thought she had died, she could breathe underwater.

'Eh! Did this happen?'

Then it flashed again so fast to another scene. It was when the Black flu occurred. After her mother died, Ashley and Uncle Ben suffered from this too. She had a fever for five days while Uncle Ben cared for her. Ashley was on her bed, still suffering from a fever with difficulty breathing. Then she coughed blood, and the cough turned to vomit blood. Uncle Ben panicked and tried to call help outside while Ashley vomited blood. After vomiting, she passed out but looked relieved and not in pain anymore.

'What? What is happening?'

The scene changed again so much faster. Now it was the scene when the Countess started torturing her tiny body. Ashley trembled at the sight of her younger self getting beaten to death. Whipping continued until Ashley couldn't move anymore. Bathed with her blood as she lay there--dead.

'I-I died before?'

Then the film changed into another scene so fast again and showed what happened in the Wels town.

'Yes, I died because I jumped in the middle of the road.'

Ashley jumped in the middle of the road, and the carriage was about to run over her when it suddenly stopped and played again so fast, but it was all in backward.

'W-what is happening?'

A baby. She saw a baby carried by a silver-haired lady. The lady looked exhausted and sick but still held the baby, who won't stop crying.

'Hush, my child. It's alright. Everything will be alright.' Soon the baby stopped crying. Then the lady's silver hair turned black, grey, and ash-like magic.

The baby's eyes eventually opened, revealing its blue eyes like the sky, and her grey hair shone in the sun's light. They were both shining as they smiled.

It was her and her mother.

Ashley's eyes started to water. She couldn't stop her tears from falling when the scenes began to move fast again to the day in Wels Town.

'It's when I was to be run over by the carriage.'

Then it turned black again.

'LIVE…' said in a voice. It was a tiny voice, but it was gentle and warm. 'Be happy.'

She felt someone grab her body, and soon she was enveloped by firm hands as they fell to the ground. Ashley was expecting the cold floor as she fell, but it wasn't, so she slowly opened her eyes to see a person below her.

Blonde hair shining like the sun, a pointed nose, and green eyes that resembles the green forest, which Ashley can take her eyes away. He was a young man she hadn't seen before, but she felt familiar.

'Where did I see him?'

Ashley continued to examine his face when their eyes locked to each other. 'Those green eyes….'

"ASHLEY!" Mary shouted, which made Ashley realize she was at the top of a stranger and in front of people.

"Ah! I- I am sorry." Ashley apologized as she tried to stand up. Mary ran towards them and helped her while the man stood up and patted his vest and clothes.

"Thank you, Mary." Ashley looked at the worried Mary with a smile. She could see Mary's red face, which looked ready to cry. Instead, Mary flicked her forehead slightly. "What were you thinking? Jumping in the middle of the road like that? You could have really….died." Tears started to fall from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mary." Ashley hugged her to calm her down, but she even bawled out.

Moments later, Mary calmed down from crying. Then they faced the stranger who saved Ashley's life. He was talking with another man that looked like the coachman.

"Are you okay?" Mary asked her again.

"Yes, I'm fine. Really. More importantly, we should have thanked that man first." Ashley then faced where the man who saved her life.

"You are right." Then Mary and Ashley tried to approach the man, still talking with the coachman. When the coachman noticed them, he turned towards Ashley.

"Are you alright, young lady?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I apologize for the trouble I made." She bowed to him slightly.

"It's alright as long as you're fine. Rather, you should thank this young man for saving you."

The coachman said goodbye and traveled again. Ashley then faced the young man who saved her.

"For saving my life, thank you. And I apologize for causing you trouble."

The young man stood still there while he was looking at Ashley. He just stood there and didn't utter a thing.

"Thank you." Even Mary bowed to him. "Please tell us how we can repay you.

He turned away from them and spoke coldly, "There's no need. I just mistook her for some-"

"Your Highness!" someone shouted out of nowhere. A petite young man with brown hair came running towards them.

"I told you to stop calling me that when we are outside." He lowered his voice, but his tone was still cold, and his poker face remained.

"You-I meant, Sir, where did you go suddenly? Ah! Are you alright?" He saw a scratch on his elbow.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Then he walked away.

'Did he really just ignore us?' Mary thought angrily. 'I mean, he saved Ashley's life, but that behavior… why is it irritating?'

"Wait!" Ashley called out and ran towards them.

'ASHLEY!' Mary's internal shout because of shock.

"Please, at least have these." She handed out the black bread she bought from Thomas and Franklin's bakery. "They may look like this, but it's not burnt and tastes good."

He still ignored her again and walked away. The petite young man, that should be his assistant, approached Ashley and took it. "I apologize for my unsociable master. But thank you for this." And he walked away towards him.

"Ashley! He was so rude. Why give him those?" Mary complained as Ashley walked towards her.

"He still saved my life, Mary. It's not even enough for what he did." Ashley explained.

Mary sighed and faced her again. "Silly girl, you still haven't reflected on what you did, and now you are doing something foolish again."

"It's not foolish. It's called gratitude." Ashley answered her.

Mary sighed as they walked together back to the bakery where they left the knights when they saw them running towards them. They both look so tired and sweaty due to running. Upon meeting them, they both got nagged about what might have happened.

"Sheesh! Here!" Mary handed them the remaining black bread they bought in the bakery. "This is our apology gift. Forgive us this time."

"Yes. I apologize for causing trouble." Ashley apologized profusely, which made the knights surrender.

It was already late afternoon when they decided to go home. Ashley couldn't stop thinking about what had happened as they returned to the mansion: the scenes and the man who saved her.

"Did you ever experience seeing your life before your eyes? And then it shows things like how you died and lives again?" Ashley asked Mary out of nowhere as she looked outside the window. Upon hearing it, Mary touched and examined Ashley.

"You must have bumped your head, didn't you? We should have gone to the doctor first." She panicked as she examined Ashley's head.

"I'm fine. And I didn't bump my head." Mary settled down upon reassuring her.

"Then why are you saying such things?"

Ashley tried to explain what she saw before she was about to run over by the carriage. After explaining it, Mary was silent for a moment.

"I never experienced such things, but I remembered someone saying, "I saw my life flash before my eyes" upon experiencing a near-death situation," Mary explained.

"Who would that be?"

"My father." Then Mary smiled, yet it was not a happy one. Ashley fell silent when Mary noticed Ashley's behavior.

"Now that I think of it, you probably never bump your head. You didn't even fall on the ground because you fell AT. THE. TOP of him." Mary teased Ashley, whose face was now beet red, remembering their position.

"I-It was all s-sudden." She tried to explain while looking away from Mary. "A-and it's all to save me. Stop teasing me, Mary."

Mary grinned beside her while Ashley hid her red hot cheeks. It was full of teasing on the way home.

Upon arriving at the mansion, Mary teased Ashley as they entered the estate. Mary stopped teasing her when they both felt something was wrong. The maids were busy running here and there with gloom.

Then Mrs. Lana came down the stairs and noticed both of them standing there, confused.

"Let's go to your room first, My Lady. I'll explain there."

As they got to the second floor, they could hear the sound of glass breaking to the ground from the Countess's room. Mrs. Lana told them to ignore it and proceed to Ashley's room.

In her room, Ashley came in first; next was Mary, and lastly, Mrs. Lana, who locked it upon entering. She then approached Mary and held her shoulders.

"Mary, you should watch over Milady for a while. Protect her at all cost." She had a serious look as she spoke those words. "Never let her out of your sight. And if anything happens, call me or Carl or the Count."

"W-what? Why?"

"And never let her be close with the Madame for a while." Mrs. Lana continued to talk. Ashley, who was behind Mary, felt even more confused.

"Why are you being like this, Mrs. Lana?" Ashley asked as she stood beside Mary, who she was still holding on her shoulders.

Mrs. Lana sighed first, then spoke, "Something happened with the Madame that she has gone mad. She might hurt you this time, even in front of the Count."

Ashley and Mary looked at each other. Mrs. Lana continued, "The reason was because of Lady Elizabeth."

Ashley trembled upon hearing Elizabeth's name. She swallowed a few times before she spoke. "I-is she-"

"She was found dead. Lady Elizabeth is dead." Mrs. Lana told them, then sighed.

Ashley's eyes widened upon hearing it. 'She died?'

Somewhere in Wels town, the petite young man was happily eating the black bread he got from Ashley.

"It's so good, Your Grace. You should try this, too."

He looked at him with his poker face and didn't say anything. He looked away when the young petite tried to feed him.

"Do you want to die, Gilbert?" He clenched the collar of Gilbert's clothes.

"I apologize, Your Grace." He loosened his grip and let Gilbert down. Then Gilbert started talking again. "It's so unusual for you to get involved with other people. It shocked me when I saw you talking with those ladies."

"I just mistook her for someone else." Gilbert continued to eat while the blonde man ascended his horse when he noticed something dangling on one of his vest buttons. It was a blue wristlet full of colored stones.