Chapter 47

Chapter 21 The Dream and Captain Gray

Amidst the snow-covered hills, the frail figure of a girl trudged laboriously through the snow.

“Huff—huff—”

She panted heavily, her slightly immature face filled with fear. She kept glancing back over her shoulder as she ran.

In the darkness, a few flickering torches gradually lit up.

“I see her!”

“She’s there! Hurry! Speed up and surround her from the sides. We can’t let her get away!”

Hearing the voices behind her, the girl bit her lip hard, her expression becoming even more terrified.

The cold wind stung her cheeks like a knife.

“Father, Mother… help me…”

Her frozen, pale lips trembled, uttering helpless words that quickly faded into the vast snowstorm.

Her cries for help were in vain.

Apart from those who wanted to harm her, no one knew she was here.

The girl could only keep running for her life.

But she didn’t know where to run; she had long since lost her way in this pure white world.

Struggling to distance herself from the pursuers behind, her physical strength was too weak. Despite giving it her all, she could still feel them closing in on her.

“Stop!”

“You can’t escape anymore. Just give up and come quietly! I just want to talk to Lafayette. As long as you cooperate, I promise nothing bad will happen!”

The girl didn’t respond; she had no more strength left to speak.

All she could do was keep running until she fell. Even if it meant using her last breath, she couldn’t let them catch her.

“Huff—huff—”

Her breathing became labored. Her lungs felt like they were burning, each breath a torment to both body and mind.

She had run so far that her vision began to blur. Having grown up in a pampered environment, she had never endured such hardship, pushing her to the brink of collapse.

At that moment, shouts came again from behind.

“Pepé! Are you not listening to me?”

Hearing these words, the girl finally teared up, biting her snowy-white teeth until blood seeped out.

She widened her red eyes, trying desperately to move faster, but her legs began to shake.

“Stop her!”

As the words fell, several soldiers in light armor suddenly charged out from behind a snow-covered hill, coming within inches of the girl. Snowflakes splashed onto her face, and she could see the excitement in their eyes, finally catching their prey.

Panicked, she subconsciously waved her hand.

“Crack crack—”

Tiny ice spears rose from the ground, emitting a chill, piercing through the soldiers’ feet.

“Ahh—”

“Goddamn brat—”

The attacking soldiers were pinned to the ground, unable to move, screaming in agony.

The girl’s body lost balance, falling hard, but she quickly got up despite the pain, continuing to run forward with heavy steps.

After running a short distance, she stopped.

Ahead was a cliff.

Shaking, she looked down, the bottom of the cliff pitch black, unfathomable.

Terrified, she stepped back two paces, turning around to find another way out, only to see countless soldiers surrounding her.

“Click click click—”

Dozens of crossbows were aimed at her.

Her chest heaved violently, despair filling her eyes.

“Run, why aren’t you running?” A man with black hair and eyes stepped out from among the soldiers, looking at the helpless girl before him, a smug smile on his handsome face. “I told you to listen to me, just wait for your brother to save you. If you insist on running, show me how fast you can run!”

“Edward…” The girl gritted her teeth at the black-haired man.

“Grab her,” the man waved his hand at the crowd behind him.

“You… don’t come any closer!”

Her tightly clenched fists trembled slightly as she shouted, her voice quivering with fear, yet faint frost mist condensed around her.

Several soldiers about to grab her paused, exchanging uneasy glances, too afraid to advance further.

Although everyone knew the girl was young and kind-hearted, a cornered rabbit would bite. No one could be sure she wouldn’t actually attack.

The black-haired man’s expression turned urgent and furious.

“She’s just a child. What are you afraid of? Go and grab her!”

The soldiers, wary of the black-haired man, hesitated no longer and charged toward the girl upon hearing his roar.

“Click click click!”

Frost mist exploded from beneath her feet, instantly freezing the soldiers’ ankles to the snow, preventing them from advancing.

Seeing this, the man roared again in anger, “What are you all waiting for? Charge! Charge! She won’t kill anyone. What are you scared of?”

Upon hearing his orders, the soldiers behind him rushed forward immediately. Frost mist continuously spread from under her feet, but ultimately, she was outnumbered. After freezing a few of them, she was eventually overpowered and caught.

Stay.

She began to struggle fiercely.

“Peipei, just listen to me one more time. Come with me. I swear on my honor that I won’t do anything excessive to Count Lafayette.”

“Liar.” Gazing at the grinning man not far away, tears streamed down the girl’s eyes, her soft voice tearing through a heart-wrenching cry, “You liar—!!!”

Her eyes revealed a look of extreme hatred and despair, her struggles becoming even more intense. Using up her last bit of strength, she frantically shook off the soldier holding her, but suddenly stumbled, her body tilting backward.

Falling toward the dark cliff.

The girl’s pupils dilated in fear.

“Peipei!”

Reflected in the girl’s eyes was the slightly panicked expression of the black-haired man.

In the next moment, her body plummeted rapidly.

“Crash—”

A series of collision sounds echoed like crumbling ruins, her mind blank for an instant.

After a moment, a heavy thud.

“Peng—”

…………

I opened my eyes.

Startled, my somewhat dazed eyes looked around, taking a while to realize that I was in a bedroom, sitting on a chair next to a bookshelf.

I had actually fallen asleep on the desk without realizing it.

My right hand touched my chest, where my heart was still racing from the intense emotions.

Was that just a dream?

…No.

I clearly remembered everything that happened, the vivid scene.

Dreams don’t have this sense of reality.

That was… memory?

Was this the memory of the girl named Peiluo?

Under my arm was the half-read “Collection of Fairy Tales,” and the open page was about Captain Gray. I had fallen asleep while reading it.

The “Collection of Fairy Tales” was well-preserved, looking brand new except for the pages about Captain Gray, which seemed a bit worn.

It seems Peiluo really liked this story.

It was a rather confusing tale.

Captain Gray, though he called himself a captain, only had one crew member besides himself—a little girl he had picked up.

But he had a dream: one day, he would command his own large ship and sail through the most mysterious strait of the Ipsos Sea to find the legendary treasure.

But this dream never came true by the end of the story because Captain Gray couldn’t afford a ship.

On the last page of the story, the dying Captain Gray said to the girl:

—Without dreams, what’s the difference between a person and a dead fish?

The grown-up girl looked puzzled:

—Uncle Gray, did you find your dream?

Captain Gray looked at her with a gentle expression:

—My dream has already grown up.

Later, the girl reached the other side of the strait, but instead of searching for treasure, she buried Captain Gray on that small island.

This was the end of the story.

I looked up at the sky, which was still gray.

Rubbing my tired eyes, I stood up and walked to the bed, sitting down.

The fire in the fireplace crackled.

After a moment, I lowered my head and pulled down my collar, looking at the slightly protruding chest, and unconsciously reached in.

Then, I pinched the particle beside it lightly.

“Mmm—”

A tingling sensation spread from my chest to my entire body, and I involuntarily let out a soft moan.

“…I’m alive.”

Both the feeling in my fingertips and the reaction of my body proved that I was indeed a living human.

I felt, I had emotions.

Not like a monster should.

But the girl named Peiluo, who looked exactly like me in the dream but was a bit younger… probably died.

So, what am I?

Am I a human girl, or a monster from the Abyss?

Am I Peiluo, or Chen Yuxuan?

I couldn’t figure it out.

Lying on my side, tossing and turning restlessly, I tried to sleep again but couldn’t fall back asleep no matter how hard I tried.

At breakfast, Carlos looked surprised when he saw me.

“What did you do last night?”

Last night? Nothing much. I tilted my head in confusion.

“Dark circles, dark circles.” Carlos pointed to his eyes, his expression exaggerated, “You look like you were tortured by a troll all night.”

“…Didn’t sleep well.” I said weakly, not in the mood for his silly jokes.

“What’s wrong with you, little Shire? Why are you suddenly so boring?”

I glared at him irritably and sat sullenly at the table.

“Miss Silviga, are you feeling unwell?” Duke Scalliger walked into the dining room from outside and immediately asked when he saw my slightly haggard face.

I didn’t answer him, but asked him another question.

“Duke, who is Lafayette?”

Duke Scalliger’s eyes widened.

“You… Did you remember something?”

“Peiluo’s brother?”