Chapter 76
She was the one who took everything from me.
Although less splendid and beautiful than back then, there was no doubt it was that child.
“Why are you here? Go play with him!”
“I’m not playing.”
“I’m annoyed! I’m so annoyed!”
Young Carlton looked truly bored and annoyed watching Rene bounce around.
“It’ll be your turn soon.”
Rene’s movements froze.
“…No way. I just finished.”
“They told me to bring you to your room by tomorrow morning.”
“Father said that?”
At the word “father,” Carlton sighed. At the same time Rene’s body trembled in little shakes.
“Be in your room on time. Don’t be late and cause more trouble.”
“I, I—”
As Carlton turned to leave, Rene grabbed his arm.
“This will hurt a lot again, won’t it?”
Carlton’s face, looking down at a terrified Rene, was very cold.
“I don’t know.”
“I’m scared.”
“So what?”
Carlton shrugged off Rene’s arm.
“Put up with it.”
“I’m telling you I’m scared!”
Carlton’s eyes watching Rene shout were eerily calm.
“Don’t you feel sorry for me?”
“I dunno.”
“That’s disgusting! This is all your fault!”
Carlton flinched.
“You made Father upset!!!!”
Hearing words he hadn’t expected, Carlton felt a secret relief and stared at Rene in silence. Rene clung to Carlton’s clothes and hopped around.
“You don’t care at all, do you? Right? I’m scared! I know Father cares about us, but still I—”
Rene’s face turned pale.
“I can never get used to it like you! You like being the one Father trusts the most, don’t you? Tell me. Father trusting you instead of the other kids—there must be something special about you, right? You must have something that makes it not hurt, right?”
Carlton shook Rene’s hand off.
“Be in your room by tomorrow morning on time. If the same thing happens again, don’t think I’ll let you get away with it.”
“Why? Afraid it’ll hurt that bitch again?”
Ignoring Rene’s words, Carlton left the room.
Rene collapsed onto the floor left behind.
“Ahhh!!!”
Rene, who screamed as if to die, rolled over and began to sob.
“I’m not scared. I can bear it. No, I’m scared. I’ll die. No. Father will protect me, right? I’m sick, so I can’t disobey.”
Belia passed by whispering nonsense. She left the room and ran down the dim corridor after the invisible Carlton.
Not far off, Carlton was visible. He was hesitating about something and stood awkwardly in front of a door.
From inside the heavy wooden door came the sobbing of a child.
“Hah…”
Carlton sighed as if weighed down by something, and as if he had made up his mind, opened the door much taller than he was.
Creak—.
Through the chilling hinge sound and the opening, a small doll was visible. At that moment Belia’s eyes grew the size of lamps.
“Stop crying.”
“Sniff—. Send me home… home, please. Huh?”
“I—”
Carlton quietly muttered something and entered the room; the door closed behind him.
Staring at the closed door, Belia was stunned. It wasn’t that she was surprised the one crying was herself. She had realized minutes earlier, at the mansion where the Crown Prince’s birthday celebration had taken place, that her younger self had been kidnapped and brought here.
What surprised her was her own appearance.
Silver hair.
“Ugh.”
Belia covered her mouth and sank to the floor.
Her repeated retching left Belia’s face pale. The hair — silver intermingled with black — and the eye colors were grotesque. The limbs, already emaciated, were covered with wounds; the whole appearance was no different from Carlton’s.
Her young self, completely ruined, was crying. Just looking into those eyes begging to be saved made her whole body ache.
“Ugh.”
Belia retched again and again.
It wasn’t fear or terror. A sticky, uneasy confusion overwhelmed her mind.
Carlton and Rene were with her ruined younger self. Even if she tried to tell herself the forest was deceiving her, that it was the power of illusion, Belia knew: this was the truth.
The scene shifted again.
Thud—.
Belia looked up at the dull sound.
She didn’t know how much time had passed, but from the state of the children she could tell a lot of time had gone by. The hair that had touched their backs had now grown beyond their hips to their thighs. Both children had clearly grown, but they still bore many wounds and were scrawny.
Belia staggered to her feet. It was hard. Accepting the flood of memories felt extremely nauseating. She had tried hard to think what memory she had lost at eight, but she could not imagine a worse thing than this.
Belia forced herself toward the two children.
‘Carlton.’
She missed Carlton terribly in that moment. If he was facing this horrible past just like she was, he had to endure it. Now that she had come this far, she had to know everything. She couldn’t miss even the smallest thing.
As Belia walked, wobbling, she saw not only Rene and her younger self but other children as well.
Before Belia could be surprised by how many, a group of children surrounded her younger self.
“You’re annoying.”
She saw the fully silver-haired little Belia. The kids watched with amusement as the silver hair was dirtied by dust.
“If you’d done things right you’d already be healed.”
“Rene’s right. It’s because of you we’re still sick.”
“Why did Father bring someone like you?”
The kids, circling little Belia, each spat a sharp remark. It didn’t stop there: one child tried to kick her, and little Belia shoved him and stood up.
“Is that my fault?”
“What?”
Seeing the black eyes filled with poison, the kids hesitated and stepped back. Not stopping there, Belia swore at them.
“Vain. Being kidnapped by that… demon was bad enough, and now Father? Do you believe that dirty rumor? Ugh!”
Rene kicked little Belia.
“Don’t you dare call Father’s name lightly!”
“Seriously.”
As if used to violence, Belia snorted and smiled faintly.
“Like Father? Do you know Father? If that’s Father, then every parent in the world is dead.”
“What are you talking about? Shut up! Who are you to insult Father!”
Instinctively, little Belia curled up. On top of her came countless kicks and blows. Still, Belia’s mouth didn’t stop.
“Hey, would parents do that to their child? Ridiculous. What, are you sick?”
“Be quiet!”
“If they were really your parents they wouldn’t treat you like this. What kind of parent locks up their child?”
“What do you know! Father is trying to make us better…”
“More bullshit. He’s the one making you hurt. He’s making the illness worse! Ugh!”
Rene stamped on little Belia’s head.
“Shut up…”
“Am I wrong?”
“Then where are your parents? Those parents you cry about—have they come looking for you? They haven’t, and that’s why you’re like this.”
Little Belia closed her mouth. Rene bent down and grabbed her hair.
“Don’t separate yourself from us. You were abandoned too, same as us.”
“Stop it!”
Someone rushed forward and Rene let go of Belia.
Belia lay weakly on the floor.
“Everyone, go back to your places.”
A now-grown Carlton glanced over the crowd and the children avoided his gaze. As they shuffled away, only Rene remained, staring at Carlton.
“Get up.”
Ignoring the fixed stare, Carlton reached out his hand to Belia. Rene’s mouth twisted.
Belia, trembling, tried to stand but collapsed again.
“I told you not to fight.”
Carlton said as if it were a headache; Rene looked wronged.
“She’s the one at fault! Because she didn’t take the medicine Father gave, we have to starve again!”
“Do you think hitting her will solve everything?”
Rene closed her mouth at Carlton’s ice-cold gaze.
“Go back. Be punished.”
Carlton reached out his arm toward Belia.
“Come on.”
“Ah…”
Rene looked aggrieved that Carlton supported Belia.
“Why are you on her side? You’re starving because of her too, aren’t you? Aren’t you?”
Carlton’s face clearly showed annoyance seeing Rene’s tear-filled eyes. Knowing that no matter how much she cried nothing would change, Rene spun around.
“For a while, don’t leave your room. If you show your face, I’ll kill you.”
With those words, Rene left.
