~Chapter 129~
“Ha…”
Minette wiped her teary eyes with the back of her hand. Her messy hair fell over her face.
Now that her execution date was set, she found herself feeling more emotional.
Lately, she kept dreaming about Aria. Maybe that’s why she thought of her even more when she was awake—her shining golden hair, lovely smile, and sparkling rosy eyes.
“I’ll get to see you soon…”
Minette quietly murmured as she brushed back her tangled hair. If there was an afterlife, maybe Aria would come to greet her. She hoped Aria would say hello in her gentle voice, just like before.
“Hello, Minette.”
Yes, just like that…
“…?”
Minette froze. She turned her head toward the voice—and saw Aria standing behind the bars, looking at her.
“Ari…?!”
She had just been thinking about seeing Aria soon, but she didn’t expect her to appear so quickly.
Wait, did I die already?
“Lady Minette.”
“Du—Duke?”
Minette, still confused, noticed Nocturne standing next to Aria.
“Why is the Duke here… Oh, I see.”
So, it wasn’t really Aria—it must be the clone.
Minette looked at the clone again. She had always wondered why the clone disappeared from the palace and how she was doing.
“The Duke found you, I see,” Minette said.
“Yes.”
Minette stepped closer to them.
She remembered—the last person she spoke to before the clone left the palace was herself. That’s why she was questioned so much afterward.
Now, the clone looked even more like Aria. Her hair was longer, her burn scars had faded, her red eyes looked alive, and her skin was healthy. It was almost as if…
At that moment, the Aria look-alike shook a key in her hand.
“Let’s get out of here, Minette.”
“…!”
She smiled and put the key in the lock.
Minette stared in shock as she unlocked the door. Nocturne watched her and asked,
“Lady Minette, did you not get my letter?”
“Letter?”
Minette frowned. Now that she thought about it, she remembered someone tried to give her a letter from Nocturne, but she got arrested before reading it.
Nocturne saw her confusion and said,
“I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I’ll explain after we get out of here.”
The words gave Minette a strange feeling.
Was she really about to leave? Right now?
“I thought I was going to die here.”
“It’s not your time to go yet,” Nocturne said.
“I guess so…”
Minette gave a faint smile.
“Aria kept showing up in my dreams, so I thought she was coming to take me away. But maybe she was actually watching over me.”
Nocturne looked at the person unlocking the lock next to him.
“That’s probably true.”
A blue light flashed and the prison’s barrier disappeared. The door opened with a clatter.
Minette walked out in a daze, and the clone unlocked the control ring on her neck.
With her mental strength back, she felt stronger again.
“The teleporter can’t use his powers inside this building. Let’s get outside first,” Nocturne said.
“Okay.”
Minette followed them down the hallway, seeing unconscious guards along the way.
Suddenly, an alarm started blaring.
“Hurry.”
Minette ran after them.
While running, the Aria look-alike tripped on something and almost fell.
Minette reached out, but Nocturne rushed in and caught her by the waist.
“Should I carry you?” Nocturne asked softly.
“I have legs too, you know.”
“Don’t overdo it. Tell me if you get tired,” he told her. The clone nodded silently, and they kept going.
Minette followed, still confused. What is happening?
‘Why is the Duke treating that clone so carefully? It’s almost like…’
Bang!
A gunshot rang out. Minette turned and saw a guard with a gun. The bullet was heading straight for the clone’s face.
“Watch out…!”
Minette instinctively threw herself in front of the clone.
Fwoosh!
Right before the bullet hit Minette, a wall of fire rose in the air and melted it. Minette fell to the floor with the clone in her arms, and Nocturne rushed at the guard.
The clone looked at Minette with wide, surprised eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah…”
Minette nodded, sweating.
‘I almost died…!’
She clutched her pounding heart and stood up. Meanwhile, Nocturne knocked out the guard.
Then, another guard came from the opposite hallway and aimed his gun. Minette quickly used her power to make him point the gun away. Suddenly, the guard fired at the floor and collapsed.
‘What? I just wanted him to move the gun…’
Surprised, Minette looked at the clone, who was staring fiercely at the guard.
Minette asked, flustered,
“D-did you just use your power?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
“…?”
Wait, I thought the clone couldn’t use powers…
“Ari, are you okay?”
Nocturne came running and hugged the clone, checking her face with concern. Minette’s mouth dropped open.
‘Seriously, why is he calling the clone “Ari”?!’
After many close calls, they finally escaped the prison and met the teleporter outside. They teleported 3 kilometers away, met the others, and kept moving, resting in between jumps until they reached a safe house.
While the clone talked with the others, Minette called Nocturne aside.
“Duke, what is going on here?”
She finally asked the question she’d been holding back.
“You told me to get it together, but why do you call the clone Ari?”
Nocturne paused, then answered,
“You asked me before if it was really impossible for Aria to be alive.”
“…Yes?”
“Remember? I told you to stop drinking that time.”
Nocturne sighed deeply.
“Sorry. You were right.”
“What do you mean…?”
“It’s complicated to explain. How about you look directly with your power?”
He offered his hand to Minette.
“…?”
How complicated could it be, that he wants me to look into his mind myself?
Still confused, Minette took his hand.
“So, it started when…”
As Minette read his thoughts, her face slowly filled with shock.
After a while, Aria returned.
“Minette.”
Hearing her voice, Minette quickly let go of Nocturne’s hand and turned around.
“Are you thirsty? Here, drink this.”
Aria handed her a water bottle. Minette stared at her in a daze.
