Reincarnated as the mother of an otome game's villainess?!

Chapter 34. La Cantata del Diablo.

(From Rosanne)

I saw myself in the middle of an ocean of black water. There were no stars in the sky, no moon, and no light anywhere else. I could hear people calling for help, but no matter how much I ran looking for them, I couldn't find them in time. I knew they were drowning, just out of my reach. In their place, monstrous creatures rose from the dark ocean and approached me. I couldn't see them either, but I knew they were there. I felt one appear right in front of me, but just as it was about to catch me, something held them in place. A red thread had stopped them.

I woke up on the floor, with pain all over my body. I must have fallen asleep and slid out of my chair. My head hurt a lot, though I wasn't sure if it was because of the impact against the floor or due to what I was putting my body through. At that point, I hadn't slept for three or four days in a row. I knew it wasn't healthy, but I couldn't rest until I had found any hint of the whereabouts of the saintess. Otherwise, everything that Maxwell and Erzi had done to prepare for dealing with the curse would only delay the inevitable.

I took a sip of the coffee that was on the table. It was cold, as it had been sitting there since Eve brought it to me in the afternoon, and it was dusk already. I had turned the greenhouse into my private research center, and have spent most of my time there. I didn't want Violett to see me like this, but I wanted to see and hug her really badly. I had told Sophie to keep her busy for the time being. I just needed to find a hint, anything, for all of this to be over.

—Don't you know the answer already?

Someone said, and when I raised my eyes I saw them standing there, right in front of me. I could see them very clearly, but after blinking I realized it was just my own reflection on the greenhouse's glass walls. The sky had turned quite dark as well, which made me think I had fallen asleep while standing up. My notes seemed to be in a different order and place than where I had seen them just "a minute ago", so I could have added hallucinations and sleepwalking to the effects exhaustion was causing on my body and mind. I could hear both Carmila and Maxwell berating me for pushing myself so hard. I sighed.

—They are right, I need to rest —I said, trying to convince myself.

Just a few hours would be enough, but I still disliked the idea. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was that ocean of darkness. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, which caused me to jump out of the chair I had sat without realizing. To my further surprise, the one who stood at the entrance of the greenhouse was my daughter.

—V-Violet?! What are you doing outside so late?! Where is Sophie? —I said to my baby as I unlocked the door and let her come in. The greenhouse was covered by the shield, but it was still worrisome to see her walking in the garden at night.

—I waited until she fell asleep, she doesn't wake as easily as you when I move around —she said in a deadpan tone.

—Is...Is that so? —I said, but she didn't reply.

She was looking at me with her piercing eyes, making me feel guilty.

—Mother, you are trying to find a cure for Carmila, right? —she abruptly said.

—Eh? Y-yes, something like that, but how do you know?

—I heard Sophie and the others talking about it. Let me help you.

—Help... me? —I paused for a moment—. It is pretty late, I was actually going to take a rest, let's talk about it in the morning.

—How can I sleep when you two are suffering?! —she snapped at me. My baby's eyebrows were furrowed, and she was barely holding tears.

I grabbed and hugged her. I had thought that I could keep her ignorant from everything that was happening, but she was too smart for it. Of course she would have noticed what was going on around, and would be worried about it. I decided to be honest with her... to a point.