This Time, I'll Find My Own Happiness

Chapter 13

𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝕿𝖎𝖙𝖑𝖊: 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕽𝖔𝖘𝖊 𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖇𝖞 𝕺𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖎𝖆 𝕽𝖔𝖉𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖔 (𝕳𝕾𝕸𝕿𝕸𝕿𝕾 𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌)

***

On that particular day as well, snow fell. The red liquids that were dripping down the problematic pathway were absorbed by the delightful aroma of the whitest cotton as it mingled with my wounds. As my soul's breath slipped out of my body, it obstructed my vision.

The clash of metals, the friction of armour on the coldest silk ever created up to my knees, and the clouds that never parted to greet my drop all seemed orchestrated.

It wasn't until I felt the sharp edge cutting into my vision that I noticed my mouth corners starting to creep upward.

It was as if my entire life had been in a loop; everything seemed strange.

However, I was unable to discern the exact moment when my vision was limited to a seemingly endless lake of glaciers.

I was present, but I wasn't fully present.

I watched the scene again and again, and each time I did, I could feel the icy gaze of my one true love, Klein. Beside him stood his cherished fiancée, Lady Cornelia, who was shocked to hear of my death.

It was only after several realizations that I finally understood how these crimson liquids kept tripping down these icy cotton memory alleys.

"Look, the traitorous former lady of the Beslire household has been executed." The emissary of the imperial family broke the news.

As soon as I laid eyes on it, I knew it was ugly.

After that, something else happened. It happened long before my execution in my previous life.

For the first time outside of my own family, I felt the comforting embrace of another human being in that situation.

As if time had halted, the surroundings persisted, glowing in a haze of dust that was both yellow and golden.

A pair of ruby eyes gleaming in the refraction of the golden sun, our hands interlaced with his oath, and the finest smile a person could ever have.

My emotions and thoughts weren't as frigid as a flame through his warm hands, even if the weather was identical to the previous case.

"I pledged to protect you, Viona, from this day forward." What he said was genuine. His motives were sincere. Everything he did was genuine, until it vanished.

On that day, I not only believed him, but I also made a solemn vow to never again open my heart to anybody else.

Klein was someone who was my best friend until we weren't anymore.

My chest tightened, and my breath became laboured. As if the air itself had always been water, I felt that way. Breathing has been difficult, and so has holding on.

My mind became a complete and utter mess the second I blinked. Some words escaped my lips, but they were imprecise. Instead, I watched as bubbles burst all around me. The rippling white light was impossible to reach through the bluish hues, no matter how hard I tried.

By the time my conscious mind had its final thoughts, everything had become hazy. Once again, I am plunging into the endless water. There may be no one left to save me now.

"Viona! Come on! Take control of your life. Please don't let me lose you like this. Oh, please! Oh, my!" The reverberations of a male voice resounded. On some level, I thought he was wounded. He could only express his pain by sobbing, and his firm grasp on my body just made it worse.

Until I was able to open my eyes, warm water kept trickling down the collar of my garment.

I felt like everyone was staring straight through me, and my vision was all hazy, including the ceiling. I was lying in bed when Klein, his face betraying his emotions, came embracing me.

I watched as he dried his eyes after wiping them. As the room erupted in gasps, Klein embraced me once more.

At this point, his voice welcomed me with a new tone—a pleasant one, the kind that carries over even in the darkest of circumstances.

Does it worry him? Why? Along with Bertha and Doctor Phil, the servants stood by the door.

What happened here?

I had a question for Klein, but I didn't want to cut him off, so I only listened until I understood what he was saying.

"I am very relieved! I was so anxious, and you had no idea! You awoke just as the Duke and Duchess were contacting the royal family for assistance. I, Viona..."

Klein cried out in distress.

He mistook that for an indication and released me. But he held on to my hands the whole time.

"Please, Viona, don't..."

"Klein, I'm afraid I'm confused about what's going on here. May I ask you to clarify?"

As soon as I glanced at him, he abruptly stopped talking. I glanced around, but no one would look me in the eyes.

Klein said just as I began to tremble.

"You passed out the night you left the birthday party for the crown prince. I wrote to you asking if you would like to take a stroll through the market, but the Duke got back to me instead. I went to your place right away when I became concerned and helped you out for three days in a row. It was as if my entire universe came crashing down when I realised you were sleeping but not waking up, Viona."

That's a lengthy story, but he claimed I passed out following the birthday of the crown prince.

For the last three days, I have been reliving that terrible incident.

Then I awoke.

A heavy sigh escaped me.

Refocusing my attention on Klein, I managed to slow my beating heart.

His eyes widened as I grinned this time.

I felt his warm cheeks, and he let out a laugh.

"Silly, as long as I don't say I'll die, I will never die."

Leaning against my forehead, he murmured, "Then please, Viona, never die on me like this, or else..."

Those ruby eyes would illuminate my reflection.

"If not, then what?" While he was silent, I spoke to him.

He warned that "all hell will break and lose," but I ignored his warning and continued laughing.

I glanced over at him and saw that he was quite serious.

"Viona, I am being quite serious right now."

"Oh, please, suffice it to say that you were..." We spent a lot of time talking to catch up on everything that had happened between us since that night, as I mentioned.

***

The arrival of night made me groan, and I deposited the letters on the table. I gazed at the brilliant night cloak and pondered whether Vaxius had a delightful time with Lady Valentina while I was out of consciousness.

"Milady, do you want tea or coffee this time?"

"Bertha, you should know by now."

"However, Milady, taking black tea while you're on medication might have negative effects on your health, so it's best if you cut back for a bit."

A heavy sigh escaped me.

This is the kind of person I just know I can't say no to.

"Bertha, how long have I been taking these herbs?"

"Milady, it's been two days already."

"Furthermore, could you please let me know when Klein is scheduled to come back?"

"Ironically, Milady, I'd say ten in the morning again." I could only shake my head and sigh in frustration, but Bertha answered promptly.

"It was stated in the letters that the Second Prince, His Highness, would be arriving today, wouldn't it?"

"Indeed, Milady"

"Then you should get the east wing garden ready because I'm going to have a long conversation with him this afternoon," I instructed. She seemed startled, and I could tell by looking into her eyes. Just as she was about to speak, the door swung open.

"Our dear daughter, our darling!" Mother and Father stood at the doorway as Bertha knelt to make room.

"Bertha, it is time for you to go."

Bertha said, "Yes, my lord," as she slipped out the door, leaving behind an eerie echo as she walked away.

"Viona," began Father. On my side, my mother placed her two hands on my shoulders.

I felt compelled to listen to them before proceeding with the afternoon tea later on. The most important thing is that I need to hear them right away because Klein is coming in less than an hour.

"For three days following the crown prince's birthday party, we were concerned that you could have passed out. We were far from being by your side the second you opened your eyes; all we could do was express our gratitude to Klein for being a pillar of support. Now I asked if you wanted to take a short break."

"Have a short slumber? My parents, I'm fine; you don't have to worry about me. By the way, you two have told me that the emperor made our family a supreme judge. As a result,

I could hear both Mother and Father heave a sigh.

"Indeed, Viona, we always aimed to find a way to accommodate your schedule, no matter how hectic it gets for us."

"But, though"

"Are we clear about this? We will get tomorrow morning ready for your trip to our country estate with Klein after this chat. Your mother and I will go when we finish up in the capital, alright?"

Maybe Klein cut me off in the middle of my last discussion.

After Father had a brief conversation with Klein, he left us to be alone.

"Viona, as you may have noticed from the newspaper ad, I've seen this type of material on sale. Would you like us to see it right now? Look at this paper with the firefly-catching illustrations," Klein said, gesturing towards it.

But I moaned and shook my head in protest.

"Klein, I'm afraid it's not possible at this moment."

He asked, "Why?"

"Vaxus is scheduled to arrive this afternoon."

"So, you're just going to say his name now; no big deal, huh?"

"Klein, do you recall the question I posed to you?"

As he was about to depart, he added, "My mood turned bitter, Viona. Don't speak to me now." I couldn't help but laugh.

"Klein, why don't you visit Lady Cornelia at her home from now on?"


"What about Lady Cornelia?"

***

"Because this was so different from my expectations, I had no idea to start with. I threatened our safety once again, Viona."

"Tonight, Klein, escaping from the bandits is our top priority. Therefore, as my protector, you must defend me; shall we agree?"