Giovinetta raised her voice firmly.
“I will teach my sister a proper lesson.”
At that moment, the Queen smiled brightly. Maybe it was just a feeling, but her eyes seemed to shine with moisture and emotion. Witnessing that scene, Giovinetta suddenly realized immediately: The Queen was a person with the same sympathies, a "quality" similar to hers. The queen reached out and took Giovinetta's hand. Giovinetta also responded, squeezing his hand.
“Can you help me?”
“I was originally a member of Her Majesty the Queen.”
Giovinetta smiled her characteristic sad and mournful smile.
After that, they continued chatting about various issues. When Giovinetta left the Moon Palace, the sun was already at its zenith.
“Irenea, I have to go see that girl.”
Thinking about the humiliation she had endured yesterday, and the fact that she had dared to defy an entire country's Queen, Giovinetta was happy that she had the opportunity, as her older sister, to teach her a painful lesson.
At that moment, from afar, Irenea's figure - that thing - caught her eye. Curious as to where he was secretly going alone with that unhealed body, Giovinetta gently followed behind.
The place where Irenea stopped was an unexpected place: the lotus pond of the Imperial Palace.
“Why did he come alone in a place like this?”
Something is really suspicious. In particular, Irenea's aura is completely different from usual. The girl stared into space, looking strangely struggling and desperate. Those unsteady, uncertain steps made even those watching feel queasy.
“Did it get hit by the wind or something…”
Giovinetta kept her distance, planning to see what she would do.
But something surprising happened. Suddenly, a maid with shabby, old clothes appeared from nowhere, approached Irenea and pushed her hard on the back. As a result, Irenea fell straight into the pond.
“Oh my god.”
Giovinetta witnessed the entire scene from a grove of trees quite a distance away.
It seemed that the maid was determined to kill to the end. Every time Irenea's head floated to the surface, she violently submerged it, then repeated the action.
That life and death struggle lasted for a long time. Finally, Irenea stopped struggling.
The unexpected scene caused cold sweat to naturally flow out, drenching Giovinetta's palms. She wiped her hands on the hem of her dress and muttered:
“Really, things are getting interesting.”
At that moment, the only thing Giovinetta thought of was: the dress, the hat decoration, and the fresh flowers she had chosen to wear at the funeral... all of which were not in vain.
At that moment, there was the noise of a group of people coming from afar. If you stay here too long, you might be suspected. Giovinetta slowly hid behind the bushes.
— Ren!
Someone called. That voice urgently called my name. Who is that? Who is calling me?
— Wake up.
I just wanted to rest, but that earnest voice gradually turned into silk threads, wrapping around my body and pulling me, who was sinking deep, upward. In my blurred vision, I saw the silhouette of someone I always missed.
However, I still can't fully wake up. Exhalation and inhalation pass through the lungs. I feel the warmth. It entered through my lips. It was an incredibly soft and warm feeling.
Vitality revived in my chest. My heart was pounding, as if I had been given a new life.
My lungs, which had been compressed, inflated to their fullest, pushing the breath out.
“Ugh… gulp, cough.”
Accompanied by a choking cough, the water I had swallowed burst out. I vomited, was exhausted, and my mind was confused, waking up and falling asleep.
Each time, my breath woke me up again. That sweet and undeniable warmth mixed with my breath, over and over again.
I tried to slowly open my eyes. But my eyelids felt heavy, as if they were hung with lead.
“Ren, open your eyes.”
The voice rang out again. It kept whispering to me to wake up.
But I can't do it. I tried to move my fingertips. The body was as heavy as water-soaked cotton, with no strength left to move.
That moment, something warm and soft touched my hand. Warmth crept through my fingers.
It was hot, as if I was embracing the burning sun. Have I ever been hugged in a warm embrace like this? This is a feeling I haven't experienced since I was born.
Many memories suddenly rushed back. My chest felt like a warm lump had formed. Something welled up, heating my entire face. The corners of my eyes suddenly sting.
As I slowly opened my eyes, tears fell. Through my blurred vision, I saw a pair of red eyes glowing like a burning fire. That red color is absolute, like blood flowing through the veins. Is it because this is the color of life that it brings such a warm feeling?
Another soft feeling. It was the warmth that touched the tip of my lips.
As it turned out, Cesar's lips were pressing against mine. Before I could wonder why it was there, he tilted his face a little and smiled.
“Lucky.”
I still haven't regained my sense of reality, I can only blink, not understanding what is happening.
What happened in the end? While my mind was still reeling, I realized his lips were redder and glossier than usual.
“…Ren.”
I'm still in a coma, unable to respond to that call.
His lips touched mine again. Thanks to the incoming breath, my chest swelled again. Thanks to that, the obstructed breathing is gradually cleared. I felt mesmerized, repeatedly receiving and exhaling that warmth. Difficult breathing gradually returns to normal.
I feel confused. Why am I here? The moment I was heading towards the lotus pond, someone pushed me from behind and I fell into the water…
‘Die!’
That's for sure. It was this hand pushing on my back that made me fall into the water. They obviously wanted to kill me. I just remember this clearly. The cursed voice ringing in my ears was still so vivid.
Painful memories came flooding back, making me feel tormented. My heart was beating wildly, I felt the blood circulating throughout my body. The blood circulation made my limp body spin to the point of dizziness.
I was shaking uncontrollably. Such a strong and clear malice. It was obvious they wanted to kill me. Even though there have been people who have caused trouble to me before, no one has ever done something this cruel.
At the same time, the face of the person who killed the Prince Consort candidates in my dream, the horrible image of Mercedes, appeared again, scaring me. That devil-like face appeared.
The image overlapped, and now I remembered the name of the maid who pushed me. Her name is Elda.
The cold feeling suddenly came over me, making my teeth chatter. I almost died just now. If Cesar hadn't come to save me, now...
At that moment, Cesar hugged my body tightly.
“Ce-Cesar?”
I am imprisoned in his strong arms. I was hugged so tightly that I couldn't move. The distance between us was so close that I could hear his heartbeat right next to my ear. It's not an illusion. The beating was extremely fast and intense.
That beat brings me so much comfort. Did he run to save me? When I thought that he had realized my danger and arrived promptly as always, something broke inside me. Unable to hold back the tears that flowed from my eyes, I finally burst into tears.
That's because childhood memories have interspersed with the present moment. Annalisa never hugged me no matter how much I cried.
Even though I've never said it out loud, I still feel sad and tormented by that truth.
“Ren, it's okay…”
But now, Cesar is holding me tightly in his arms. The hand patted my back so gently.
Someone is hugging me tightly. What a warm embrace. Such a peaceful voice. Sharing body warmth with someone is truly a boundless happiness.
Thinking so, I closed my blurry eyes. My consciousness sank, as if submerged in a puddle of mud.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying under a large tree. I fell asleep and woke up in Cesar's arms. The sunlight shining through the tree canopy seemed harsh.
I turned to the side and saw a strange man. He wrapped himself in a jet black cloth.
He had already put his hand towards my face. From there emitted a soft light. My body, which had been stiff, seemed to be gradually regaining strength.
And facing me was the image of Delfina sobbing. I slowly opened my mouth.
“…Where is this?”
“Your Highness, are you awake?”
“Uh… yeah.”
I blinked a few times. Consciousness that was once submerged deep under the water's surface dimly emerged. A severe headache came, accompanied by an awakening as if from a thunderbolt. Obviously something happened. An extremely terrible thing.
"It's so lucky. The person kept falling into a coma, I was so scared."
But my mind is still in a daze and I can't think clearly.
“What happened to me…”
I unconsciously licked my lips. At that moment, a thunderous realization flashed through my mind. Delfina immediately told me.
“The person fell into the lotus pond.”
“Me, me?”
Delfina grabbed my hand and squeezed it with a strong force. Her fingertips trembled slightly.
“If His Highness the Prince doesn't save people then…”
“You are the new Prince Concubine.”
At this moment, the man in the black cloak spoke again. It was the voice of a young man.
However, his voice was flat, insipid, without any expression. After a moment of looking at me in silence, he reached up to his cloak and pulled down his hood.
At that moment, I held my breath.