CH 1.6

When she opened her eyes again, the first thing that caught her eyes was the familiar ceiling.

"Ah."

Keira reflexively moved her hand to her neck then moved her hands and legs. 

I can move on my own will.

"Am I alive?"

She wondered if it was a dream, but she could clearly remember the feel of the blade on her neck. Her body trembled. The vivid memory could never have been a dream. 

She died once. For not being the daughter of the Grand Duke. 

'In the near future, the human race will face a great crisis. Young Lord, remember only one thing to avoid this crisis: no matter what happens, only one Saintess will be born from you.'

It was the first prophecy to have such a clear meaning. Doesn't that mean there's a huge disaster coming? 

Scared people wanted to execute the 'fake.' Following that logic, even Keira would have voted for the execution. It was obvious which is the right choose between the life of one person and the lives of millions.

'My father also agreed with my execution.'

However, people's decisions aren't always logical. 

They spent many years in a father-daughter relationship, but it seemed like she was the only one who had an attachment to the relationship

'I really tried to be recognized as his child.'

She wanted to hear compliments from her father. She wanted to hear warm words from him, saying that he's proud of her and that she was deserving of the Parvis name. Just once would have been nice.

She always wanted to be perfect for her father...

'Stop.'

Keira shook off the gloomy past in her head, and organized her thoughts while sitting on the bed.

'In the end... I told you you were real.'

In addition, she even witnessed what was supposed to be a water spirit. It was right after she felt an intangible energy from Cosette's touch. 

What the hell was that?

Was it a real spirit or just a hallucination?

"Ha," she sighed in vain.

What does that have to do with anything now? She's already dead. This place was probably the afterlife.

However.

"It's time for you to get up."

"...Huh?"

A familiar voice came from outside the door. That voice is definitely...

"Rose?"

Rose, the maid who did her hair for over a decade. Did she die, too? Just on the charge of serving a sinner?

"Come in!"

Whatever happened, Keira felt like she had to listen to the explanation. Rose appeared through the door and looked a little younger than she remembered. 

It was a little strange, but Keira thought it could be because they were in the underworld. Most of the dead must be old and sick, but it was too much if they had to stay like that forever even in the afterlife. 

Behind Rose, two maids who were assigned in washing her face and preparing her clothing followed. Surprisingly, they also had the same faces as the maids who served Keira before she died. 

Keira was shocked. Those maids were innocent! They had them killed just because they assisted her?

"Rose, did His Excellency kill you, too?"

"...yes?"

Rose, who was pulling back the curtain, looked back as if she heard something absurd, and said, "What do you mean?"

"This is the afterlife. I was on death row, and you're here because of me..."

"Oh, my god, my lady! You must have had a nightmare. I'm alive. And so are you."

"What are you talking about? And stop calling me lady. I'm not the lady of this house."

"What? What are you talking about?" Rose's eyes grew as big as saucers. "Is it because of the young lord's birthday party you are hosting? I know you want to do well, but please don't stress yourself out. It's not a big event either."

"The young lord...?"

"Yes. Yesterday, you said that you were hosting his birthday party. You didn't forget, did you?"

He's here, too? But he's innocent. He looked just like father. There was no clear evidence that he wasn't the son of the Grand Duke. 

Why on earth would you kill him?

"Rose! Where's Zeke?"

"Huh? He'll be in his bedroom right now, right? But why– Oh, my! My lady!"

Even before Rose was finished speaking, Keira hurried out of the room. 

I can't believe you killed him, too! This is too much!

This must have been caused by Cosette. She might have urged the Grand Duke to kill his son. 

Zichhardt, my one and only brother.

Keira frantically ran out of the hallway. 

-AIWTRO-

"What the hell is this?"

On the day she was imprisoned, her brother Zeke visited Keira.

"You were so confident that Father would believe you, but this is the result? Huh?"

"..."

"Answer me, sister!"

Zeke protested more than the person being executed. How could it be like this? It was as if such words went into the ear of a person who had no tears or blood.

Keira, who had been listening for a long time, finally opened her mouth. "...Please go back. If you stay with me, you might be involved."

"Run away with me."

"..."

His response was so unfamiliar to Keira that she wanted to hear those words again. 

"If you stay like this, you'll definitely die. We have to run."

"You want us to run away together? Are you out of your mind?"

"I don't want to live in the same space with those snakes."

"So you're gonna run away? What are you going to do if you get caught? Huh? If you do that, you'll be considered a traitor, too. I didn't know you would make such a foolish choice. Go back."

Go back. Go back to a place full of colorful furniture and comfortable air. The two had a long argument. 

"Let's run away."

"No, we can't."

"You'll die if you stay here."

"If they find you, they'll kill you."

Eventually, the argument ended with Zeke kicking the bars roughly. "I'll come back. Please sleep on it."

He said he would come back tomorrow. 

Keira wanted to see her brother, but they couldn't meet again. She was taken to the deepest solitary cell and was forced to tell everyone she had deceived them.

The last time she would see her brother's back was through the bars that night.

-AIWTRO-

"Zeke!" 

She rushed down the hall and recalled her brother's appearance.

Throughout her life, Keira wanted to be recognized by her father. Because of this, there was a limit to the interest she could give to others. Naturally, things concerning her younger brother were pushed back from her priorities. But how was he?

He offered to risk his life and run away for his sister. 

In fact, she had no idea why her brother was doing so much for her. But once she lost her life, she vaguely realized the truth. 

Wouldn't Zeke treat her the same way she treated her father? 

He lost his mother as soon as he was born and wasn't even loved by his father. His one and only sister also did not show any interest in him. 

Zeke must have longed for the love of his family, too. Just like she did.

"Oh, my! My Lady!"

As Keira ran through the hallway, she saw many familiar faces. At first she thought, 'Did he kill them all?' But it was getting strange.

In addition, many of them were unrelated to Keira. DId they dispose of everyone in the house?

Soon after, Keira arrived in front of Zeke's room. The servants who spotted Keira were surprised.This was because the frantic lady was gasping in her pajamas. 

One of them put a cover over her shoulder.

"W-what are you doing here?"

"Is Zeke... Is Zeke here?"

"Young Master is probably having breakfast right now."

He's really here? How cruel are you, Father.

Zeke, who heard the noise at the same time Keira's expression was filled with despair, ran out with a perplexed face.

Zeke looked different than the last time she saw him.

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