Chapter 23

Mom? …. Dad?.... What is happening here? O ask as I see my mom and dad crying, their eyes filled with anger and regret. Two men wearing shiny white robes, drag me by the hand to a nearby wash basin. One held my head tight, while the other restricted the movements by grabbing my hands behind my back. The one holding my head, forced my face into wash basin. The basin was filled with water… they were trying to drown me….. Mom… Dad…. Please ….. help me…. I can't breathe…. Why did I give birth to a monster like you… My mother said to my father. Her broken sobs hurt me more than the burning in my chest. They kept my face immersed in the water, I tried my best to release myself from their clutches. But their grip was too tight… it's not your fault dear, it's this child's fault. My father's gentle voice soothed my mother while they stung my like thorns. I can't hold my breath any longer… but no one seemed to care… That's right we must purge this monster using the holy water our goddess Crystia has given us. A man in a even fancy clothes spoke. I couldn't see everything properly cause my eyes were deep in water. But I caught a glimpse of the man… I can't … anymore… it hurts… so much…. I feel like it's burning me… how long will… this… go… on?...

I gasped for air, clutching my throat as if I had just been pulled from the water. My body was dry, but my lungs burned. My mother's words still echoed in my ears—'Why did I give birth to a monster like you?'

"Oleander?!" Isabelle's sharp voice snapped me back to the present. I blinked, realizing I was sitting in a grand mansion, far from that cursed memory. But my hands were still shaking. A memory I've been trying my hard to suppress, is now haunting me again.

So as I've been saying, I want my room back to how it was! Isabelle said while seething with anger. Apparently Veymar changed Isabelle's room's decorations and now it looks like a fucking Barbie doll house ( Her words not mine) and he is not listening to her, and thus my elder sister came to me complaining about her room.

Why are you telling me this though? I am not owner of this mansion. I said in a bored tone.

"I can't tell that guy because… he's scary! Can you please tell him in my stead?" Isabelle whined.

Before I could say no, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me down the hall. "You have to see this. It's HORRIFIC."

We stopped in front of a room so pink, it looked like the inside of a unicorn exploded. Fluffy carpets, lace curtains, and an actual, real-life dollhouse in the corner.

I stared. "…I see your point."

"SEE?! Tell Veymar to change it back before I lose my mind."

Alright. I will see what I can do. Now let me go back to Theodore before the poor guy starts writhing in anxiety.

Isabelle glanced over her shoulder before lowering her voice. "By the way… have you seen Claire?"

I frowned. "No. Why?"

"She's been gone for hours. Winslar is looking for her, and he looks like a lost puppy."

"She's probably just wandering around—"

"No," Isabelle cut me off. "I checked everywhere. Her room, the dining hall, even the training grounds. It's like she just… vanished."

She said before exiting the door and accidentally bumping into Theodore. Her reaction was priceless. As soon as she saw him, her place paled and she ran for her dear life, while Theodore stood there puzzled. Now that she mentioned, where is Claire? And why is Winslar looking for her? Winslar and Veymar both are best knights of Theodore. Winslar was the one I fought with in the beginning and I'm still mad about it, because it terrified me to think that I killed him but he was unscathed in reality. Theodore told me about them, and by the way he talked it felt like they were his friends.

Everything aside, where did she go? She wouldn't vanish without a reason. Something doesn't feel right here…..