‘What…?’
A pair of hazel eyes stared back at me.
They were the same pair of hazel eyes I was accustomed to seeing… my own.
The diary felt heavy in my hands as I exhaled quietly, taking a moment to steady myself. Slowly, I reached toward my reflection, watching as my face seemed to grow larger before me.
Holding onto the metal grip of the mirror, I found myself in a daze.
‘…This is without a doubt the mirror.’
From the intricate patterns to the weird connection that I felt with it.
Yes, I was sure that this was indeed the Astral Mirror.
But…
“It’s here? This easy?”
I was more surprised by how easy it was for me to find the mirror. From what I understood, Rose had searched every nook and cranny of the place to no avail. While they hadn’t searched this area yet, they were bound to.
Sure, the mirror was hidden within this strange dairy, but surely she would’ve been able to find it.
Unless…
‘Someone managed to get to it before her and hid it, or took it.’
“Hah.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or smack my own head.
Could it be, in the end, that the reason she had never been able to find the mirror was me all along?
“Why am I even surprised at this point?”
I should’ve realized this from the moment I found myself here.
But this begged the question…
‘Can I bring the mirror back to the present?’
In theory, it did sound possible, but I had never attempted something like this before. I didn’t even know how to go back. Usually, I’d be forced back after a certain point.
“Actually, it might be best if I hide the mirror first.”
Uncertain of whether I could bring the mirror back with me—or even when I would be allowed to return—I decided it would be safest to hide it. That way, if I couldn’t retrieve it later, I’d at least have a backup plan in place, just in case anything went wrong.
But there was something I was curious about in all of this.
‘Given that they’re aware that an intruder has come, how come I’ve never heard Rose mention it before?’
She always seemed adamant that either Kiera had it, or it was hidden somewhere within the household.
Why did it never cross her mind that someone could’ve taken it?
“Something doesn’t add up.”
Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to think it over. Sensing several presences closing in on my location, I swiftly concealed the mirror and the diary within my ring and switched off the light.
Click—
At the same time, I made sure to cover all of the veils again.
I stood by the side of the corner of the room and remained hidden in the darkness.
I waited for what felt like forever, until…
Clank!
The door opened and several figures came in.
“Search this room. It has yet to be searched.”
The lights flickered on, and I saw several figures burst into the room, frantically searching through everything in sight, tearing through anything they could get their hands on.
I remained in the corner of the room, patiently waiting for the right time to take my leave.
Being in the basement, I knew I couldn’t just slip through the walls like I had before. My only option was the front door, but even then, I hesitated.
…Atlas.
Though he wasn’t here yet, the fact that he had spotted me before was enough to make me hesitate.
The memory of that moment lingered, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that he could very well be aware of where I was, and he was simply just watching me.
My entire back was drenched with cold sweat at the thought.
‘I really do prefer it when he’s on my side rather than the opposite.’
His presence was too damn suffocating.
Swoosh, swoosh—
At that moment, the veils were lifted, exposing the paintings that had been hidden before. The figures stopped for a moment to look at the paintings.
“These are quite well made.”
“…I wonder who painted these?”
“It’s probably the Viscount, and if not, his wife.”
They began speaking among themselves, their voices casual as they examined the paintings. It was as if they had no care at all.
I remained in the corner, perfectly concealed, listening intently to their conversation.
‘Perhaps I might be able to get a better idea of how to get out of here…’
“You think the Viscount’s vice made these?”
“Why not?”
“….Isn’t she—”
“Shh, don’t say it.”
One of the figures hastily pressed their finger to their mouth.
“Uh, why?”
“Don’t bring the Viscount’s wife up. The last time someone did, the commander went berzerk.”
“Yes, I heard about that, but wasn’t she the one who killed her?”
“That’s what they say, but…”
“But?”
“From what I’ve heard, she didn’t have a hand at it at all. In fact, it seems like she…”
Pausing, the figure looked around before slicing its neck with its thumb. The meaning behind the figure’s words was clear, and I frowned at the sight.
While I was already aware, it still…
“The thing that I find the most odd about this situation is how we immediately started the search before the news even broke.”
“Eh? How is that surprising?”
“…I don’t know.”
The figure shrugged.
“I’m probably thinking too much over the situation since it’s clear that the goal is to find the relic, but a part of me feels like there’s more to it.”
There’s more to it?
My ears perked up at the figure’s words.
I thought about the timing and all that I had previously seen. An idea formed in my mind, and my brows furrowed even more tightly.
‘But if that’s the case, why would she…?’
“Are you sure you’re not reading too much into this?”
“I probably am… I just find some things to be a bit weird. Especially since the commander and the Viscount’s wife are related.”
“That’s true, but—!”
Suddenly stopping, they all turned their heads in the direction of the door where a figure appeared, her crimson eyes scanning the room with a certain coldness that made everyone halt in their tracks.
Fortunately for everyone, she seemed oblivious to the conversation unfolding around her. Completely absorbed, she stared at the paintings in the center, her attention fixed on them as if lost in their colors.
The surroundings turned quiet then.
For the briefest of moments, I saw Rose’s face fluctuate at the sight of the paintings, and the words that I heard before rang in my mind once more.
‘I’m probably thinking too much over the situation since it’s clear that the goal is to find the relic, but a part of me feels like there’s more to it.’
I closed my eyes.
The previous idea that had formed in my mind became even more clear and I found myself silently pursing my lips.
‘…It’s all starting to make sense.’
This right here…
The crazy, unhinged Rose… it was all an act.
No, perhaps she was really crazy, but it became clear to me after putting all the pieces together.
There were still pieces of the puzzle that didn’t quite fit, like the involvement of the Inverted Sky in all of this. But one thing was certain: Rose had deliberately taken the blame for her sister’s death.
She had done so in or to protect Kiera.
But things weren’t just as simple as her doing all of this in order to not scar the child with her mother’s apparent suicide. No, there was certainly more to it, and it was clear that it had something to do with the mirror.
Was this another way for her to protect her?
I wasn’t sure, but at the very least, things were starting to become clear to me.
I took a quiet breath and looked around me.
The surroundings were still silent as Rose looked to be entranced by the paintings. I took the chance to start moving, my goal the door.
This was the perfect chance for me to leave this place.
Sidestepping the figures lingering around the room, I crept closer and closer to the door. As I moved past Rose, I held my breath, doing my best to keep my presence as subtle as possible, praying they wouldn’t notice me.
I had just neared the door when…
“Leaving so soon?”
My heart sank.
Slowly turning my head, a pair of yellow eyes stared in my direction.
What followed after were the eyes of everyone present as I saw all of them looking in my direction.
“…..”
I kept my mouth shut, but my entire body was shaking as my mind raced in all sorts of ways as I tried to figure out a way out of this situation.
To make matters worse, the space around me seemed to lock me down in place, preventing me from moving any further as Atlas’s warm smile lingered in my vision.
I could still tell that this wasn’t his real body, and yet…
‘I can’t move at all.’
The only saving grace in this situation was the fact that I was still able to keep [Lament of Lies] active, preventing anyone from seeing my face. However, I didn’t know for how long I’d be able to keep that up.
My entire back was drenched in my own sweat as my muscles tensed.
I scrambled to find a way out of the situation, and just when my mind settled on a certain plan, a large hand gripped my neck.
“—!”
My eyes widened in horror as I found myself unable to breathe at all.
When I looked down, a pair of crimson eyes stared at me directly. I then started to feel a burning sensation on my neck and before I even had the time to figure out my next move, I heard a loud snapping sound.
Cra Crack!
That…
It was the sound of something snapping.
“Hua!”
I hastily pulled my hand back and grabbed onto my neck.
“Haa…! Haa!”
The pain still burned in my mind, and as my chest heaved with rapid breaths, I suddenly realized that my surroundings had shifted. I was back in the same familiar room I had been in moments ago, but now, two pairs of crimson eyes were locked onto me.
“You…”
Kiera looked stunned, and so did Rose who looked at me in surprise.
I quickly held my breath and composed myself, but just as I did, Kiera raised her hand and pointed at me.
…Or more specifically, my neck.
“You, what happened?”
“?”
I slowly turned my head and saw my own reflection in the distant mirror, resting quietly by the side of the room. As I focused on the image staring back at me, my breath caught—the bright red handprint was unmistakable, wrapped around my entire neck.
“Ah…”
I slowly turned my head back to stare in Rose’s direction as her eyes seemed fixed on my neck.
My heart sank upon seeing her eyes widen with shock.
Slowly raising her head, our eyes met.
“Y… you?”
