Chapter 88. Anna
Charles propped himself up on the bed and instructed Bandages to unravel all the bandages wrapped around his body. As the wrappings fell away, a chaotic maze of tattoos revealed itself. Charles leaned in and studied the text in detail.
"Help! I'm stuck in this body, and I can't get out. A demon has taken my place! Don't believe a single word he says!"
Just reading the first line of text was enough to send a chill down Charles' spine, and a plethora of thoughts crossed his mind. He stole a glance at Bandages, who remained silent. Charles kept quiet and continued reading.
"Don't believe Ginny! She's not your daughter!"
"Don't search for anything, your current life is the dream you have been living out.”
"Your name's Freud. You have it all now—women, money, honor. You are lucky! Don't think of anything else!"
"Never go out to the seas. There're no answers there."
"Remember, your life's goal is to kill Sika! It killed my wife Ginny!"
"Find the Black Crystal. It's poisonous. Eat it and see if it has any use."
"I am tired, I want to offer everything to the almighty and all-knowing Fhtagn god."
"Find the light of the sea! It's behind our curse!” Embark on a quest to the commencement at n0v#lbin★
The tattoos were contradictory ramblings and nonsense scattered all over Bandages' body. Charles couldn't find a thread of relevance between each line of text. Useful information was sparse.
Apart from knowing that Bandages' original name was Freud, Charles only faced a large number of nouns, and he had no idea what to make out of them.
"I've looked at them... but they're useless... I don't remember... when I got them..." Bandage murmured.
Charles let out a sigh. Indeed. If these tattoos had useful information, Bandages wouldn't have been in his current state.
"Hmm? What's this?" Charles's finger reached toward a raised bulge on Bandage's skin.
"Don't... Don't touch it!" Bandages swiftly halted Charles. He seemed to be really sensitive over that swollen piece of skin. "I also... don't... know why, but... I... feel... it's... important... to me."
A woman slowly approached her. She was Margaret's mother, Kalytha. She knew all too well the fiery tempers of both her husband and daughter and had anticipated this outcome. Dressed in an elegant evening gown, she sat next to her daughter.
"Your father is like that," Kalytha gently consoled Margaret. "Wait until he has calmed down and talk to him nicely once more. We're all family, after all. There's no need to make things so ugly between us."
"I hate him," Margaret muttered as she sorrowfully plucked petals from a flower in her hand.
"Darling, it's your birthday today. Come back and cut the cake. Everyone's waiting for you," Kalytha coaxed.
"Mother, I don't want to go. Just leave me alone for a while," Margaret said and turned her head away in a clear demonstration of her obstinacy.
"Is this Charles really that important to you?" Kalytha asked.
The mention of Charles' name brought a flush on Margaret's cheeks, and she lowered her head. "No... I just want to thank him once more. If he hadn't helped me, I could have failed to make it back."
Observing her daughter's behavior, Kalytha shook her head in a mixture of understanding and helplessness. Having been young once herself, she couldn't fail to recognize the signs of her daughter's blossoming affection for the man.
"My darling, I know what you might be thinking. But you know as well. He's an Explorer, a ship's captain. You two are not compatible."
"So what if he's an Explorer? Our ancestors were explorers, too! Without them exploring the sea, there would have been no Whereto!" Margaret retorted in defiance.
Kalytha let out a sigh as she explained, "You don't get what I mean. You know how dangerous that life might be. Do you want to become a widow at such a young age? Like Anna?"Before Margaret could protest, a soft cough sounded from behind them.
Both Margaret and Kalytha turned to see a stunning woman standing behind them, wearing a black hat that was accented by a veil.
The woman's high-slit, low-cut black silk gown clung to her body and emphasized her graceful curves. Her exquisite beauty radiated an entrancing charm that was impossible to ignore.
Kalytha's face flushed with embarrassment. Talking bad behind someone's back only to have them overhear was awkward.
She hurriedly stood up and said, "Miss Anna. I didn't mean what I said in that way. I was only trying to comfort my daughter."
"Lady Kalytha, I understand, and I'm not angry. Why don't you let me speak to Miss Margaret instead? We are of a similar age and might find more common ground."
Seeing her daughter still lost in her sullen mood, Kalytha gave a gentle nod and turned to leave. Perhaps her daughter needed to hear this woman's firsthand account of the grief and pain that came with losing a husband.
The garden grew quiet again as Kalytha's footsteps faded into the distance.
Meanwhile, Anna gracefully sat next to Margaret.