CH 113

Serdel arrived at the hall and turned around.

There was a door behind it, and as soon as she opened it, there was a staircase leading down.

She went down and found the hallway. The structure was the same as above.

Just in case, Serdel opened all the doors and checked the inside.

There was nothing there. 

It was all empty, and the same was true below.

Maybe that’s why the sound of shoe heels hitting the floor was louder than usual. 

When she went to the last basement, she felt a cool chill.

The tension she had forgotten for a while began rapidly rising from her toes. 

She stopped without realizing it.

It was difficult to take even one step again. 

It felt like the pressure in the room was making her stomach twist, and there was a sense of nausea.

Her head was strangely ticklish, and she couldn’t help but think of any memories with it. 

Is that why?

Even though she wanted to move forward, her instincts and body told her not to. 

She suppressed her hesitation and stood in front of the door at the far end of the corridor. 

It was different from any other door she had seen because it had more than one lock.

When she opened the door, she saw a room full of things.

The large size of the luxurious bed and the antique furniture that didn’t fit in the small room were the first things that caught her eye. 

When Serdel looked up, she saw a chandelier with no lights.

For some reason, she preferred to see this room through the light rather than through the eyes that were accustomed to the darkness.

So she took out the scroll and tore it apart, and a light sphere floated in the air.

In an instant, the room became brighter, and the chandelier swallowing the light suddenly burst out with sparkling lights.

Serdel approached the bed. 

Each pattern that was placed on the bedpost was full of life. 

There was no need to think about who the user was.

The bed was in good condition because magic was used to keep it that way.

There wasn’t even a single speck of dust. 

She reached out and touched the blanket.

It felt like something soft and warm that she couldn’t feel was wrapped around her hand.

Serdel took a step back and looked at the furniture.

There wasn’t a single piece of clothing hanging in the closet or a single common accessory.

“Dell.”

Dell, who approached her secretly at her call, looked into her eyes.

Serdel looked at Dell and began to focus. It didn’t take long for their minds to connect.

‘I want to get a glimpse of the memories engraved on these objects in turn.’ 

Leaving Dell behind, she swept her hands over the waist-high wooden drawers. 

Likewise, thanks to the preservation magic, the condition of the wood grain were quite good.

The hesitating boy jumped up and rubbed his face on the back of Serdel’s hand.

At the same time, the memories of the drawers pass through Dell to Serdel’s mind—it seemed to flow in, but they cut off.

[The preservation magic is too strong—]

It seemed to block unfamiliar energy from getting through.

The same goes for other furniture.

Serdel scanned the interior of the mansion again.

‘There’s another space in here!’

Her eyes moved in a hurry.

Then she approached an empty bookshelf with no books on it and pushed it hard.

Soon a secret room appeared.

As soon as she stepped inside, the light turned on. There were magic balls that were attached to the ceiling and walls. 

It was twice the size of the previous room she had been in.

There were many more types and quantities of things stored. 

When she opened the closet door, she saw the tightly hung dresses.

Next to the closet was a jewelry display case, and next to it was a shoe rack. 

They were all in good condition with preservation magic.

Also, there were three portraits hanging on the wall on the opposite side, one of which was a portrait of a couple, and the other was a portrait of a family.

The last one was a solo portrait of the Countess.

The Countess she saw for the first time was an orphan.

A small, white face with clear features. Her light brown hair was rich and beautiful, and her golden eyes were as bright and intense as the sun itself.

Her raised eyes looked haughty as a cat.

‘I think I can see why the butler looked at me and called me Madam.’

The impression was a little stronger on the Countess’ side, but the overall feeling was similar to Serdel’s.

“A lot alike—” 

Without realizing it, she muttered and walked closer to the portrait.

The Countess looked sharp and hard in the individual portrait, but in the couple portrait and family portrait, she looked soft and lively.

There was a baby in her arms.

It was Serdel.

Young Addis and Redan stood on either side, and Cartal stood behind them, all of them looking at Serdel.

It felt warm and caring.

And for some reason, she felt nostalgic.

[Nuna…]

Dell called Serdel.

Huh? When she lowered her head, tears poured down her eyes.

‘Uh…Was I crying…?’

Embarrassed, she wiped her eyes with her hand.

She wiped it and then wiped it again. Nevertheless, the tears continued to flow without stopping.

Her heart just sank.

The moment she turns around because she doesn’t think she should be here anymore—.

– Re.mem.ber.

The voice of the young Serdel, whom she had faced for a while through the crow mask in the cavity, struck her ear. 

And with it, whoosh! Her entire body felt as if it were sinking. 

Her blue lips trembled.

[N, Nuna…?]

In some serious atmosphere, Dell hit Serdel’s skirt with its front foot.

“I, it’s okay….” 

Serdel gave her stiff legs strength with a short answer.

Just before she left, she turned her head for the last time and looked at the portrait with her eyes.

Her heart tightened at the look of the benevolent Countess.

‘Don’t run away. Let’s not run away.’

She didn’t come here to look away.

Serdel wiped her tears with her sleeve, trying to stop her body from shaking.

Then she goes back to the portrait, whoosh—!

Someone grabbed her arm.

When she raised her head in surprise, it was the Lord of the Wizard Tower.

While he was barefoot and wearing wide pants and a loose shirt, he looked around for a moment.

Seeing the portrait of the Countess, his eyebrows hardened.

“How are you here—” 

“Are you all right?”

Not knowing what to answer the question, Serdel hesitated for a long time.

On the other hand, she couldn’t understand why the Lord of the Wizard Tower appeared at such a time.

After staring at the portrait for a while, he turned his gaze away. 

“I’ve been thinking about it, but I think I’ll have to show it to you.”

The box he held out contained one of Raunel’s eyes.

“How does this look in Lord Serdel’s eyes?”

Serdel looked at Raunel’s eyes and the Lord of the Wizard Tower alternately. The question’s main point was strange. 

“Who do you think this boy in the accident looks like?” 

She was going to say that he looked like her Oppa, but instead of answering, she looked into Raunel’s eyes.

There seemed to be a reason why the Lord of the Wizard Tower was doing this.

Also, her Oppa, who appeared after young Serdel, looked like her.

He thought there might be some kind of connection between the young Serdel and her Oppa.

‘I don’t think so, but—’

Let’s start with some negation, Bang! She saw her Oppa crash into a car and get blown away.

Serdel clenched her fists tightly.

Her Oppa, who had been in an accident instead of the little girl, was dying. He shook and reached for the little girl who was crying helplessly in front of him.

But he couldn’t reach it. 

– You’re crying again. 

– Do you remember the last thing I said? You didn’t forget, did you?

Her Oppa asked with a faint smile.

With that, the video ended. Serdel lifted her eyes and looked at the Lord of the Wizard Tower.

His complexion was dark.

“Let me ask you again. Who do you think this boy is?”

“Who do you think he is in the eyes of the Lord of the Wizard Tower?”

“Do you still see him as a boy in your eyes?”

The conversations between them seem strange.

“Let’s concentrate again. I’m sure it’ll look like someone else.”

But no matter how often she looked at it, it was always her Oppa.

Her Oppa kept asking her if she had forgotten.

As she listened to the same questions repeatedly, she felt déjá vu. 

Her head feels hurt.

It was like she had a headache.

She was pressing her temples down when someone suddenly pulled her.

There was no surprise. 

When Blenn returned from bringing the butler to the bedroom, he held Serdel tight and put some distance between them.

In one hand, he held a sword pulled from his waist.

“Who are you?”

Blenn’s blood rose when he saw Lord of the Wizard Tower for the first time. 

The aura seemed so strong that he could kill his opponent.

The Lord of the Wizard Tower looked at Blenn with indifferent eyes. 

“Blenn, he’s not an enemy, so take your sword.”

Serdel ordered, but he couldn’t easily follow. So instead, he gave more power to the hand holding the sword because he felt threatened by the Lord of the Wizard Tower’s special energy.

He seemed to feel threatened by the Lord of the Wizard Tower’s special energy, so he gave a hand holding the sword more power. 

“Blenn, he is the Lord of the Wizard Tower. So take your sword.”

“If it’s the Lord of the Wizard Tower, at the Imperial Palace—?”

“Yes, he saved my life. He’s here because he has something to do with me—” 

Serdel’s words, who were about to order him to withdraw his sword, didn’t continue. 

Blenn’s eyes moved from her to Raunel, who was being held by the Lord of the Wizard Tower. 

She has lost touch with the world and her sense of the present and is being pulled into a past she doesn’t remember.