CH 201

Boom.

Fireworks burst in the sky hanging behind the man once again, adorning his backdrop. As the light fell upon them like oils dripping on an oil painting, Ashley closed her eyes. The man ended up getting swallowed by the fireworks but she could tell who it was by just hearing his voice. 

The man called out for her and she raised her head. Even with confusion blurring her face, she forced herself to listen. The man currently swallowed by the lights of the fireworks was none other than Castor. Wearing only what seemed to be a gown hanging from his shoulders, he leaned against the railing as his clothes exposed much of his upper body. The languid expression on Castor’s face reminded her of a predator stuffed from its hunt. As he arched his back over the railings, he rested his head on his hands as his eyes dropped slowly. 

“Welcome.”

Obviously, this should be the day Castor first met Rusbella. The female lead was originally meant to loiter around the rooftop and eventually meet Castor. In the original novel, it was clearly stated that this was supposed to be the day Castor learned of Rusbella’s existence and the day Rusbella took a place in his heart…

There was no one else here. 

Ashley closed her eyes and rested them for a while before opening them and scanning the empty roof again and again. She was desperately trying to find anything. 

‘This can’t be true. This can’t be true!’ She screamed inwardly. 

She was sure that it was supposed to be today. On the first day of the Founding Festival, with the largest firework of the night hanging in the sky, the two people would meet whilst aristocrats and commoners alike gather in the square to enjoy the festival. 

Ashley could no longer control her facial expressions. Fire embers rained down from the sky before slowly fading away so that the darkness could beat down on her. As the shadows ate away at her, she muttered.

“Castor.”

Instead of a response, she could feel his gaze on her. Ashley smiled.

“Are you alone here?’

She was no longer talking formally to him. Ashley was openly revealing her desperation through her expressions and Castor, who could clearly see that, smiled as if he knew what she was thinking. 

“Is that important to you?’

The girl held her hands together tightly. Not realising how painfully she was holding her hands, she stared at him. 

“It is important so tell me. Are you… here alone? Are you?”

“Ashley.”

“I’m begging you. I know this question may seem insignificant to you. I know you might think this seems trivial. But tell me. Please. Please tell me.”

Castor could easily see through her feelings. 

Ashley did not seem to be aware of her appearance. Her hair was a mess and sweat was dripping down the back of the lean neck. The ends of her white clothes were dripping with murky water. Her dress had actually been dirtied by grass dew but it looked murky in the dark. There was also a scratch on her leg which Ashley seemed unaware of, suggesting how hurried she was to get there. 

“Seeing you run here so desperately to see me doesn’t feel too bad.”

Slowly raising his head, Castor spoke.

“You didn’t manage to stop someone’s death. I won the bet.”

“… You didn’t care if that person died.”

“You’re right. I didn’t.”

After the last firework burst in the sky, only complete darkness filled the space between them. To be exact, it seemed like only the railings where Castor stood was illuminated. The light reflected off from the square was responsible. Castor walked towards Ashley before stopping right in front of her. 

“Regardless of whether you still have your memories or not, you still look at me the same.”

“What?”

Castor wasn’t touching a single hair on her body but it seemed like the chains he had tied her with were still holding onto her tightly. The ominous gut feeling she was having wrapped around her entire body like a piece of fabric which only made her feel even more constricted. She could always tell when misfortune was coming for her. 

“When I found out that you lost your memories, I got angry.”

“What?”

“You’ve forgotten things you shouldn’t have forgotten. Did you think I wouldn’t have noticed that you lost your memories?”

“What are you saying…”

“I know everything about you.”

Chortling from laughter, Castor staggered backwards.

“Don’t come closer. Stop. It doesn’t matter to me what I lost.”

[I’m begging you. Don’t recall anything. Stay happy.]

She suddenly recalled the memo she had written to herself. The letters that had been written down in desperation. She was curious but she endured it. 

“Ah, right. You don’t loathe me now.”

How unfortunate. Castor tilted his head which made his black hair flutter down his forehead. He then chuckled before bursting into laughter.

“Alright. Hold on, I don’t think losing your memories is a bad thing.”

“Stop talking nonsense. Just tell me who you were with here!”

The thought of whether this was even possible in the first place flew out her head. Castor looked relaxed. 

“Was I alone? I don’t know what you’re curious about but… I was here with someone until you came.”

“… So, you weren’t alone?”

“Yes, I wasn’t.”

“Was it a woman?”

“Yes.”

There was the answer she had been looking for so desperately.

That answer meant so much. Was this the moment from which everything would go according to the original novel or was things going to be different now? She was different. So, did the first meeting between the most evil man and the female lead in the <Light of Rusbella> really take place here?

“Is it my turn to ask questions now? Why are you here?”

“…..”

Castor was asking nonchalantly but she couldn’t give an answer. When she instead slowly shifted her eyes away to look at the top of some wall, Castor seemed to quickly notice what she meant. 

“Oh my. You already know what this space means to me, don’t you? This is the place where the only person I ever loved committed suicide. This was where my nanny fell to her death.”

As he talked about her death, Ashley couldn’t sense any sorrow or remorse in his voice. He seemed to have just been stating a fact. Goosebumps swept down her skin. He was so calm. However, the eyes that were directed at her were clearly gleaming. 

‘Where have I seen those eyes before?”

An afterimage of a large sword passed through her eyes. Even though Castor was not wielding a sword, for some reason, she could see a sword in his hands. 

But it wasn’t just a sword. There was a puddle of red below it. There was blood dripping down from it. Right, it was blood. Even in this hallucination, she could smell the iron in the air. She was getting dizzy.

“I didn’t immediately come to tell you the results of our bet after I won it.”

Castor stuck out his hand towards him. Ashley stepped back. But just as she was distancing herself from him, he got closer. As she took a step back and then another, soon her back met the cold surface behind her. 

She reached the wall. 

The black clothes loosely draped around him fluttered which made him look like the God of Death. His dark hair blended into the shadows frighteningly well. However, the presence of his splendidly radiant aura continues to fill the space. 

He didn’t have a sword. But why did his empty hands look so terrifying? A gust of wind blew through the empty space. The fabric pinned at his shoulders shook against the wind. As his long sleeves buried his hands, Castor stood still. If it hadn’t been for that gleam in his eyes, the air around them would have been so static it might have been peaceful. 

Castor remained as silent as the drifting of the waves of a silent night. She wondered why she was able to stare back into his eyes for such a long time now. Goosebumps swept down her skin momentarily. Because the slight gleam in his eyes had now spread like a drop of ink in milk. 

‘No.’

She closed her eyes and the ominous feeling that something was going to happen was overwhelming her. Did she have to hear him out now? His dizzyingly ecstatic voice made him sound like he was enjoying this. 

“I’m going to go back and kill a lot of people.”

‘… What?’

“The very first one to die will be one of my younger brothers.”

Ashley raised her head.

“Dane Rowell and Fleon Clache will be the first to die. And Amor will be paralysed by poison and also die. Everyone who loves you will die by my hand. 

“W-What are you saying…”

“Would you like to save them?” 

The girl remained frozen. Under the shadows that sliced through the darkness, Castor’s eyes shone dizzyingly and gleamed with a cold yet dazzling glint. 

“Choose.’

He urged her. 

“In this castle I’ve made, along with all the maids and treasures I had gifted you, in the most beautiful garden I could possibly make for you. I would grant you anything small and pretty I find.”

So that she could become a doll trapped inside his castle.

“You just have to be mine.”

He raised her chin. His fingertips were ice cold. 

“Let’s make a deal, Ashley Rosé.”

A cold gust of wind blew. Ashley knew. 

“You don’t have to look for your memories. I won’t kill anyone anymore either.”

He was being sincere.

“Could you sacrifice yourself for everyone else?”

***

Fireworks adorned the sky. 

The remnants of the fireworks that burst one after another fell like stars above them. When the explosions died down alongside the commotion, people were making wishes filled with hope. Hernan stared at the sight and smiled. His next smile was for himself. He was smirking at the people who were making wishes on an artificial ball of light that disappeared as quickly as it came as if it was a real star. Still.

‘Even real stars won’t grant wishes.’

When did he find that out? He couldn’t recall how old he was there. The sight just reminded him of a night he had when he was young. It was the night a young beast who couldn’t turn human became trapped in the basement. It was also a night where he could see how beautiful the sky was through the bars in his window.

“On the day your [Companion] is born, flowers will bloom. Stars will fall.”

“What are flowers?”

“You’ll find out what they are when the day comes.”

“Was it the Founding Festival back then too…?”

Hernan covered his eyes. The fireworks were flowers blooming in the night sky. His eyesight was better than that of an average human which allowed him to see the beautiful fireworks even more clearly. So, to him, they looked even larger and more brilliant. It was as if the fireworks were bursting right in front of him. That was what hope was to him too. It was close enough for him to grab but when he reached out, his hands were still empty.

Boom.

Hernan then looked away from the explosion of flames in the sky before leaning against the walls along the alley before sighing. A shadow passed him. When he looked to see who it was, his eyes widened.

‘Ray Aquita?’

It was someone he knew. Ray Aquita Fleram. It was someone he could not help but to recognise. The navy-haired knight was running towards the next alley with sweat-soaked hair. Hernan quickly chased after him.

‘Why is the princess’ knight here?’

He could see the way his sweat-soaked clothes were sticking onto his skin. His feet did not stop moving and his head did not stop turning. It was only in the next moment did he realise what the knight was looking for.

“Princess!”

What? Hernan stopped in his tracks. He gritted his teeth. In another blink of an eye, Hernan was no longer there. Only silence and air filled his void.

***

“Princess!”

Ray whipped his head around. He didn’t care about how his sweat was sticking to his skin. He pushed the hair sticking to his forehead away as if he found it annoying. He had been running for a long time but he didn’t feel tired. Because he found himself in a situation more stressful than war. Even while facing tens and thousands of dark-skinned northerners, even while his comrade’s frostbitten fingers were dropping off in that cold winter, his spirit had remained unshakable. However, he was now reaching his limits.

‘Damn it…!’

Eventually, Ray stopped and rested his hand against a wall. He swept his face down roughly with his other hand before muttering. 

‘Calm down.’

The necklace dangling from his hand scattered some blue light. 

“Trust me. I’m telling you this is magic. No, this is not divinity. With this, you can check whether your lover is alive or dead with just one look. Not only will you know their location, but its effective range is quite large as well.”

A Walterian mage he had accidentally saved during the war had given that to him. Though he had insisted that it was powered by magic and not divinity, Ray didn’t care. Because this was now his only hope. Ray was betting all his luck on this necklace that was still glowing in blue.

‘I have to hurry and find her.’

Dane, Fleon and Ray. The three had decided a long time ago. Though their princess did not say a word about it till the end, they knew. That Castor was a threat to her. There were always ears listening. Someone had tried to keep it under wraps but it was said that on the 10th Day in the Month of Habermia, the Crown Prince had invited himself to the princess’ palace and tried to kill her. 

So, the three chose the paths they would like to take. Someone started walking on a path they had initially turned away from and the other had to unwillingly lower his head even if he had to grit his teeth to do it. And he…