Chapter 81

Chapter Fifty-Four: The Raven

Late at night.

In the warm room, the faint scent of lilac was refreshing.

On the soft white bed, there lay a strange, bear-like plush toy with rabbit ears. Next to the toy, a graceful young maiden was sleeping.

The maiden lay quietly on the bed. Her spread-out black hair spilled over the pillow, her high-quality nightgown and blanket wrinkled from movement. The collar of her nightgown slid down, revealing half of her shoulder. Her small chest rose and fell gently, and one of her fair legs rested on the toy, as still as another delicate doll.

Her round eyes were wide open, and her furrowed brows made her already delicate face look even more sorrowful.

After a while, she slowly raised her hand—scratching her bottom.

…I can’t sleep anymore.

Because I suddenly felt drowsy at noon yesterday, I slept deeply until evening. After a hearty meal, I returned to my room and read for a while, but couldn’t concentrate. So I lay back on the bed again, staring blankly at the ceiling until I fell asleep. That’s how I spent a pleasant yet listless day.

Actually, I didn’t know how to interact with the Duke and Lady. I was avoiding them… I mostly stayed in my room all day, leading to excessive sleep. After getting up in the middle of the night to relieve myself, I couldn’t fall back asleep.

I turned over, found a more comfortable position, and gently closed my eyes.

I don’t know what time it is now. Hmm… It shouldn’t be long before dawn? When dawn comes, Lady will come and wake me up again… What should I say to her?

Good morning, Lady?

Calling her Lady might hurt her feelings… But… calling her mother feels so hard to say.

What should I do…

…During the day, after playing Moonlight, I vaguely heard the Duke’s words. What he meant… Was it about starting a war with the royal family for my sake?

To be honest, I was happy inside.

Even though I have no memories, the fragments I recall are clear—like the girl named Peyalo lying alone on a cliff, unable to move, waiting for death in loneliness and darkness. Fear and despair gradually consumed her will; pain and numbness gnawed at her nerves. She sank deeper into darkness until her body grew cold, until tears and blood froze into ice. At that moment, apart from an intense hatred towards Edward, there was nothing else in her heart.

This emotion has become an important part of my life experiences.

So I think, if Edward ever dies, I would be the happiest person, and I might even want to kill him myself. Though strictly speaking, I’ve never actually seen him.

But I don’t wish for things to turn out this way… The Duke’s actions mean… He wants to seize power through rebellion?

Just thinking of this word makes my heart race.

Because it often comes with… war. This is not something to be taken lightly.

It won’t be like in stories where everyone fights passionately, putting their lives on the line, and after several thrilling battles, they pull the emperor off his throne. It’s not that simple.

War is not a fairy tale; many, many people will die.

What consequences will arise once war breaks out? Cities will be devastated, resources will deplete rapidly, and the economy will collapse. As the flames of war spread, countless innocent civilians will suffer, then chaos will ensue with burning, killing, and looting. Many men will be conscripted and killed, women might be treated like animals, and many rules that uphold humanity will crumble.

Then it becomes the world of beasts.

Poverty, famine, disease. More innocent people will suffer and die, more children like Abeko and Eli will be displaced, and people will degrade to the point where killing someone for a cold meal is commonplace.

Even if success is eventually achieved, it will take many years for the Valen Empire to recover. And if it fails… the consequences will be unimaginable.

Is this what I want?

No. No one hopes for this, unless they are a devil.

In my previous life, I knew a few people who always wished for

In the midst of war, those who wish for the world’s destruction. That world was too comfortable, everyone lived too happily; such thoughts only arose because they had never seen hell.

…What should I do?

Duke Skaliger is a calm and wise man; he shouldn’t just start a war like this… The people in this world aren’t as rigid and outdated as those in medieval Western times. If they were to act, there should be many better methods…

And the church would intervene, right… Should I talk to Carlos about it… But I’m not speaking to him now…

I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, wishing I could get up and have a good talk with the duke right away.

…Forget it, I’ll go out for some fresh air.

I sprang up from the bed, took out a light blue dress, and put it on. I hastily tidied my hair and grabbed a butterfly hairpin from the dressing table, pinning my hair to the right side of my head before stepping out the door.

I stumbled down to the first floor of the inner keep. Pushing open the door, four pairs of piercing eyes, like stars lighting up the night sky, all turned towards me.

My whole body stiffened, and goosebumps immediately appeared on my arms. Once I recognized them as hunters, I let out a sigh of relief, patting my chest lightly.

“Scared me half to death.”

In truth, I had scared them quite a bit too.

“P-Peppi? Miss Peppi? What happened? Why are you up at this hour?”

“…Can’t sleep, so I came out for a walk.”

“Uh… Are you going outside?”

“No. I want to go to the training grounds.”

The hunters seemed to relax a little.

“Do you need any help?”

“No, thank you.”

I gave the hunters a slight smile and left. I crossed the long corridor again, making my way to the training grounds.

The night was quiet.

At this time, it was naturally empty in the training grounds.

I walked to the steps outside the field, sat down hugging my knees, breathing in the clear air, and looked up at the night sky.

The starry sky was vast. Two serene crescent moons seemed close enough to touch within the gray mist.

I loved the night scenery of this world, especially in the Winter City, which always felt closer to the heart than other places.

It made one want to reach out and touch it.

Thinking here, I looked down at my right hand… so delicate, could it really grasp the moon?

Fingers moved gently.

White frost mist scattered, fluttering in front of me, beautiful like a landscape.

Click-click-click—

A deep blue scythe condensed in my hand, hovering in the air and constantly changing shape before being firmly grasped and waved slightly, furrowing my brows.

During previous battles with the duke, I found that the small ice blades I created always felt light and powerless, with a terrible feel, becoming increasingly awkward the more I used them.

So, I planned to adjust a scythe that suited me best, memorize its shape, and no longer worry about it in battle. Just like the duke’s giant sword, it could be used effortlessly, replaced when broken, always in the most convenient state.

Click-click-click—

I condensed another one.

This time, the handle was slightly longer. I held it in my hand, swung it twice… still not right.

I discarded it and condensed another one, trying repeatedly. Gradually, a faint white light began to appear in the east.

I wasn’t sure how much order power I had used, feeling a bit tired, wiping the sweat off my forehead, as if I could hear the caw of a raven in the sky.

The duke and his wife should be waking up soon. I thought about returning for breakfast.

I turned back. Before I had taken a few steps, a sound of flapping wings came from above.

Next moment, an eerie voice echoed.

“Peppi—Peppi—”

The voice sounded like an old witch in a movie, hoarse and terrifying. I shivered instantly, shrugging my shoulders and widening my eyes.

“W-Who! Who!”

Almost jumping up.

Whoosh—

A gust of wind blew over me. I looked up and saw a pure black raven circling in the air twice before landing on my shoulder, then tilting its head to stare at me blankly.

I stared back at it, stunned.

For a moment, we stared at each other, and suddenly, it opened its beak and let out a strange cry.

“Peppi—Peppi—”

This time, my hair stood on end.