WTSP - 55

Serdelius slowly opened his eyes.

His eyelids felt heavy, as if weights were attached to the ends of his lashes.

No, had he really opened his eyes? The world reflected in his green pupils was so dark. It was as if sunlight didn’t exist at all.

‘......Where is this?’

He lightly furrowed his brow and looked around. The room, painted with gray wallpaper, contained a few large and ornate pieces of furniture.

A gold-colored bed, a black table... It was a familiar yet strange space. Memories, just before they completely faded, flickered through Serdel’s mind.

This was clearly the room he had used during his Crown Prince days.

‘Why am I here?’

It was a room he had completely renovated after becoming Emperor. There was no way it would still be preserved like this.

A strange sensation crept up from his fingertips, spreading throughout his body. A cold chill struck the back of his neck. It felt exactly like stepping into a scene from a grim fairy tale.

Serdel, wary of his surroundings, reached for the sheathed sword at his waist.

He couldn’t distinguish between dream and reality. He stood on a blurry boundary.

Perhaps someone had come to assassinate him. A faint tension seeped onto his usually impassive face.

Just then, sensing someone’s presence, he drew his sharp sword and turned around.

“Who is it?”

“My son, our Crown Prince...”

Serdel realized at that moment that this was a dream.

The voice, trembling with sorrow, belonged to someone he couldn’t hear in reality.

He let out a hollow laugh and ran a dry hand over his face. He knew it was just an imagination occurring only in his mind. As if cut by a blade, a corner of his heart throbbed intensely.

“My beloved Serdel, please look at your mother. Please...”

He couldn’t bring himself to lift his head. For over twenty years, Serdel had not broken down.

But if he raised his head now, it felt like his heart would be torn into dozens of pieces.

“I wanted to remember. At the same time, I wanted to forget.”

“Serdel, Serdel.”

“You are... still the same, Mother.”

You never once thought of my feelings. Not on the day you threw yourself into the lake to escape your cage, and not even now. She never once asked for Serdel’s opinion.

That fact tore through his mind haphazardly.

“......Are you happy now?”

Finally, Serdel lifted his head and faced the sorrow.

After all, this was all a dream. Time would pass, and he would naturally wake up. Serdel gave a distorted smile.

But his mother, Alicia, was no longer there.

“......”

Heavy silence filled the air. Just as Serdel was gradually getting used to the stillness, the space surrounding him warped strangely.

As if a storm was raging, the surrounding environment began to change haphazardly. Serdel closed his eyes and endured in the midst of the distortion.

And when he opened his eyes, a dark basement unfolded before him. The metallic smell of blood and the creaking noise unique to metal were quite unpleasant.

Without time to adjust, the scene in his dream changed again.

“Serdelius Carlot.”

A voice as cold as if it would freeze everything landed in his ears.

It wasn’t the voice of his mother, Alicia. It was the voice of the one who had ultimately driven her to throw herself into the lake.

Serdel slowly turned around with a stiff face.

“Serdelius Carlot. What are you doing?”

Thump, his heart dropped.

The figure of the late Emperor, the owner of the voice, was not visible. But that terrible voice continued to call his name.

The hand gripping the sword hilt tightened forcefully.

Disgust, revulsion, anger, perhaps even fear... Complex emotions tangled together completely like a skein of thread.

The man who had caused his mother’s death. The man who had never once looked at his wife.

“Show yourself.”

“Serdelius Carlot... don’t you want to become the Crown Prince?”

“I am already the Emperor of this empire. And you are dead.”

It felt as if disgusting insects were crawling all over his body. Did he have to hear his father’s voice again now, a voice that had never contained even a shred of affection?

Serdel wanted to wake up from this unpleasant dream immediately.

Serdel drew his sword from his waist and aimed it at the invisible late Emperor.

“It seems you have forgotten your past entirely. You are not qualified to be the Crown Prince, nor the Emperor. I will give you one last chance.”

Even in death, you torment me relentlessly. Serdel raised his sword high to tear apart the voice echoing in the air.

At that moment, a scream that seemed to tear his eardrums rang out. It was a voice filled with extreme fear. Serdel instinctively realized that his mother, Alicia, was in danger.

Even knowing it was a dream, goosebumps rose all over his body.

But the scream was not just one person’s.

“Se, Serdel! Ugh...”

“You know well what you must do next.”

“Serdel... my beloved son.”

‘The action I must take.’ There was no way Serdel wouldn’t know. How could he forget what his dead father, a mere phantom, had expected of him?

Painful gasping could be heard nearby. Serdel slowly lowered his sword and alternately looked at the two women tied to the iron pillars.

He let out a trembling, hollow laugh.

“......Empress.”

His beloved mother, and... Ophelia.

The ends of her hair, as white as winter snow, were stained red. Drop, drop. Thick blood fell to the floor like raindrops.

________________________________________

After finishing my bath, I knitted, waiting for the night to come.

It was a hobby I had started because I wanted to knit a thin outfit for Pompo, but time went by faster than I thought.

Close to midnight, Lena approached with a teapot and teacups in her hands.

“This is your goodnight tea for today, Your Highness. It’s a specialty tea from the Hepix region, and it smells so lovely. You’ve worked hard all day, so you must drink it all and sleep well.”

“Thank you, Lena. Won’t you have a sip too? The aroma is really deep. It’s almost like herbs... and I can faintly smell vanilla too.”

“I sleep well even without such tea. I’m such a heavy sleeper that Evelyn has to wake me up every morning.”

“That’s better than insomnia.”

I took a sip of the light green tea in the white teacup. Various fragrances blended together, creating a mysterious taste. I had only taken one sip, but my whole body already felt warm and languid.

It’s good enough to be a specialty product. Thinking so, I fiddled with the end of my silk pajamas sleeve.

“What’s on the schedule for tomorrow?”

“You’re scheduled to see Her Majesty the Empress at noon. She asked you to come to her bedroom. Perhaps she wants to have lunch with you?”

“I wonder. I’m not sure.”

Brillin and I weren’t close enough to have a meal alone together...

Of course, as the author who created her, I felt more fondness than distance towards her.

But as Ophelia, I had no close relationship with the Empress. Once again, worries flooded in. I put down the teacup and lightly rubbed my white forehead with the tips of my index and middle fingers.

Just then, Evelyn knocked a couple of times and peeked her head through the crack in the door.

“Um, Your Highness... I have something to tell you.”

“Huh? Evelyn. Yes, come in and tell me.”

“Well, it’s a bit difficult for me to go in right now... Uh, Lena. Could you come closer for a moment?”

“Me?”

“It’s alright. Go ahead, Lena. It seems Evelyn has something to say.”

Evelyn gestured towards Lena with a very flustered expression. Lena met my eyes and then went to her, whispering quietly.

Judging by what she heard from Evelyn, Lena gasped in surprise and covered her mouth with both hands. Then, she came towards me with hurried steps.

I blinked, asking what was wrong. Evelyn was still fidgeting with the door half-open.

“What’s wrong, Lena? And why isn’t Evelyn coming in?”

“Uh, Your Highness... His Majesty is outside the door right now, um...”

“It’s alright to speak freely. What is it that you’re hesitating so much about?”

Lena moved her lips for a long time as if choosing the right words. Then, she leaned in and whispered in my ear so only I could hear.

“He says His Majesty the Emperor is here. What should we do? He wants to see Your Highness right now.”

“......What? Ser..., no, His Majesty at this late hour?”

I almost made a slip of the tongue in front of Lena and Evelyn, I was so surprised.

I could understand why Lena and Evelyn’s faces had turned pale as soon as I heard that. Serdel’s visit wasn’t that strange, but it was almost midnight now.

It was a visit that could be interpreted with other intentions.

Besides, he had already come to check on me earlier. He had even said he would contact me tomorrow, so this was definitely strange.

I got up from my seat and instructed Lena to open the door quickly.

“......Your Majesty. Lena, Evelyn. You both worked hard today. You should go and sleep now.”

“Uh, yes. Your Highness.”

Serdel, looking tired, walked in through the opened door. His attire was lighter than usual, but it was too formal to be considered pajamas.

I sent Lena and Evelyn away and quietly closed the door.

It had only been a few hours since we parted, and this was already his second visit today. Moreover, for him to come alone at this late hour, something must have happened to him.

“What’s wrong? Is there perhaps some urgent matter...?”

“......Empress.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Serdel let out a deep breath and swept his hair back. For some reason, his usually composed appearance, now tinged with fatigue, felt even more sensual.

Whatever had happened, his eyes were duller and darker than usual. My face was faintly reflected in his pupils, which lacked their usual light.

Without a word, Serdel approached me and lightly grasped my wrist.

As his long, firm fingers enclosed my skin, a dizzying sensation washed over me. His touch was so hot that it felt like I would get burned. A strange feeling tingled up my spine.

‘Oh, this is a bit dangerous...’

I quietly swallowed. The Serdel before me exuded a precarious and dangerous aura. Soon, he parted his dry lips and looked down at me with narrowly opened eyes. As his low, husky voice echoed, my mind went blank as if it had stopped. So, right now, Serdel is...

“Shall we sleep together tonight?”

“......Pardon?”

My heart began to beat uncontrollably fast.