Another Life, Another Me

Special: Price of Blood (Part 3.5)

A/N: I overestimated how long this last part was going to be by A LOT. So I decided to split it into two chapters and update both. You're welcome~ 

Please read the chapter before this if you haven't already!!

This chapter is dark, creepy, and etc. All the trigger warnings in the past parts of the special apply here as well. Don't read if you don't enjoy a bit of gore too.

There's important plot info in this and the previous part of the special, including scenes that Cordelia doesn't know about! Don't skip it just because you think it'll be a repeat of past chapters~ ;)

Alright, that's all! Please, enjoy the chapter~

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After that, time seemed to move in slow motion.

For me.

For everyone else.

It felt as if everyone were constantly moving through mud.

"...You need to take a break. You're going to overwork yourself at this rate," I said to Florence, who was surrounded by endless piles of papers in his office.

Ever since Cordelia, the supposed crown-princess of this country, went missing over two weeks ago, we were all permitted to leave the school for a break.

I had no idea why I was also permitted to leave the school grounds with them, but they even allowed me to reside in this country's palace with them.

Were they not worried that I, the king...well pretend-prince...of another nation, would use this opportunity to politically get the upper hand against them?

Or were they trying to get the upper hand on me?

"..." Florence didn't respond to me.

He never spoke these days.

There was no life left in his tired eyes.

It was as if he couldn't see.

He couldn't hear.

He couldn't feel.

"I'm serious. When was the last time you decided to take a nap? Sleep is a wonderful thing, trust me. You should try it," I said seriously as I watched his eyes rise slowly to mine.

"..."

I could tell by the look in his eyes.

He was quite blatantly telling me to 'leave.'

I turned my head away from him and left the room just like he wanted.

As I was walking, I bumped into Cordelia's brother, Ash, who was just blankly wandering the halls.

There were extreme eye bags under his eyes and he seemed to have aged five years over the worry of losing his beloved sister.

"Is there any news of her yet?" he asked me as he suddenly grabbed my shoulders.

I shook my head to his question and his hands fell to his sides.

"I see. I'm sorry for asking," he murmured with a painful chuckle before leaving without sparing me another glance.

If there was any way to describe what an animated corpse looked like, Ash would be the perfect example.

I need fresh air...

Immediately, I found myself slowly walking to one of the palace gardens.

And once I found a suitable place to sit, I let out a small sigh that contained all of my pent-up emotions inside.