"of course, it's me!" I muttered under my breath, heart racing in my chest.
Panic crawled up my spine as I took another step back from the pond, eyes wide. It is strange… how I keep dreaming of events that never happened to me. But in those dreams… I am older. A young adult.
"Of course, it's me!" I muttered under my breath, heart racing in my chest.
Panic crawled up my spine as I took another step back from the pond, eyes wide. It's strange… how I keep dreaming of events that never happened to me. But in those dreams… I'm older. A young adult.
I clenched my fists.
I know it's me, I can feel it. I remember every detail in those dreams as clearly as the back of my hand, the only thing that foggy in my head is how I look and also the emperor. But the pain, the fear, the hopelessness… the sound of the swords and his cold voice.
I swallowed hard in nervous.
It's too real to be fake.
A sudden chill rushed through my body, and I wrapped my arms around myself.
"Ugh… it's so creepy I almost wet myself!!" I hissed. Cheeks puffing up from both fear and frustration." That would have been beyond embarrassing."
The butterfly continued to flutter beside me, always so gentle, but right now, it just felt… eerie
"Please stop lingering around me while I sleep," I whispered to it, voice slightly cracking. "I don't want another nightmare. If I keep dreaming of my head getting chopped off or whatever death, is I t, I might actually have a heart attack!"
I pouted and crossed my arms dramatically.
"I thought we weed friends! Friends are supposed to be nice to each other!"
It just slowly circled above the pond before gliding down… landing delicately on the water's surface. Its wings, gleaming like glass dipped in stardust, rippled across the pond, covering the reflection of my eyes entirely.
I stared; breath caught in my throat.
"But come to think of it…" I whispered, blinking slowly, "a butterfly with an unusual long lifespan, with wings so rare they look like they're carved from crystal, exactly like my eyes."
My thoughts ran wild as I stared at it.
In a world like this, where magic exists, where storied come to life, its possible that this butterfly isn't just a butterfly.
I stood there in stunned silence, the pieces slowly falling into place in my mind.
"Ever since brother left, ever since that day. It hasn't left my side. It sometimes stays with me until I fall asleep." I bit my lip. "And every time its near…"
I glanced down again. My reflection stared back, but this time, it felt more distant, like a version of me far removed from the present. It like someone waiting for their fate.
"I dream, I suffer, and I die…"
My voice grew softer, filled with dread and a strange sense of awe.
"Could it be… warning me?"
I looked at the butterfly again, this mysterious, beautiful creature that always appeared just before the nightmares came.
"Could you be… showing me possible future?"
I sighed and sat by the edge of the pond, the soft wind rustling through the trees, and the butterfly still resting on the water. My chest tightened as an old, painful memory bubbled to the surface, one I rarely let myself think about.
I know I died by suicide in my previous life… but that wasn't because I wanted to die.
I stared down at the water, at the reflection of me.
It was because I was so full of hatred. Not just toward the people who hurry me, but towards myself… toward the world, and how cruel it had been. I didn't have a choice back then. At least, that's what I kept telling myself. Even so… it took so much courage to do it. people always say its easy way out, but its not. Its terrifying… terrifying to die knowing no one will be there to mourn and cry for you.
I frown in frustration. "Ugh, I can't get the nightmare out my head!!"
I shivered and hugged myself tighter as I sat by the pond. My tiny hands trembles slightly, and even though the sun was out, and wind was warm. I felt cold, cold from the memory, from the fear and the image I couldn't shake off. The memory of that dream, the one where I was beheaded, still clung to my skin like a second layer.
I cant imagine my head being separated from my body… just the thought alone made me reach up and hold my neck protectively.
Do people really stay conscious for a few seconds after being beheaded? I'd read about it once, maybe in a weird article or a documentary I came across in my past life. Some scientists said the brain remains aware for about five to ten seconds, that is enough time to see your own blood and even feel the pain.
"that's terrifying!" I cried out, standing up so quickly I nearly tripped over a stone by the pond's edge.
The butterfly, still fluttering near, landed briefly on a blade of grass beside me, its wings shimmering like a glass.
"don't you dare give me another dream like that." I warned it, pouting. "if it's a warning then I already get it, no need to keep repeating it to me or else I'll die early from heart attack."
"This is my first time living in such luxury." I exclaimed, throwing my arms out wide like I was addressing the sky. "I have maids who adore me, a giant soft bed I can roll around in whenever I want, and best of all, unlimited food. Especially sweets!"
My stomach gave a little happy growl just thinking about the last strawberry tart Amy gave me after breakfast!
"I didn't have any of this before. Back then, I had to hide food, ration every bite, and I even have to lick every crumbs! I did not even know what real chocolate tasted like!" I pouted, folding my arms.
"Now I have everything. Even if my so-called family don't acknowledge me, at least the staff treats me like I matter. Amy and the others are all there for me! They even call me a genius."
"Now I have everything. Even if my so-called family barely acknowledges me, at least the staff treats me like I matter. Amy, the other maids, even the guards—they care about me. They make me laugh. They hug me when I'm sad. They even call me a genius when I do something as simple as writing letters, and honestly?" I smirked. "I am kind of a genius. But they don't know I already learned the basics in my previous life."
I wanted to live longer than I did in my previous life. I didn't get to experience anything before, I didn't get to grow up, fall in love, to travel or even laugh freely without watching my back."
I reached and touched the surface of the water gently. Ripples distorted my face.
I crouched down and touched the surface of the water gently. Ripples distorted my face. I looked up at the sky, where the clouds lazily drifted past, and took a deep breath. The air here smelled like daisies and old trees.
I'll now start taking this life like a gift from God. I'll stop roaming around and do nothing all day! I should start making an improvement to leave this place!
After a week
It had been a week since I started thinking seriously about my escape plan. I lay flat on my stomach, sprawled across the thick beautiful red carpet, a mess of papers and crayons scattered all around me. Each paper filled with my hardly understandable sketches and scribbled notes, maps of the hallways, and routes through the outside. My fingers were stained with color, my sleeves dusted with red and blue wax.
Sitting up slowly, I pushed my pig tail hair back. My face hardened with determination.
"Alright," I whispered to myself. "I've finally made up my mind."
Step one: learn to protect myself, use magic, sword, or anything. If I want to survive in this place, I had to become stronger.
Step two: escape. Whenever the opportunity showed itself, I had to be ready. That mean exploring the castle grounds carefully, finding weak spots in the barrier, and remembering every hidden pat and guard rotation!
I stood up and reach for the old, dusty book I'd hidden under my bed. I had found it a few days ago in the castle library. While I was browsing the shelves for anything that could teach me magic, the butterfly suddenly fluttered down and landed gently on the book's cover
That was all the sign I needed. The butterfly already helped me a lot with the futures she warned me through nightmares, I guessed that's enough to trust it.
Clutching the book to my chest, I crept to my bedroom door and slowly peeked outside. Two maids were busy cleaning at the far end of the hallway, their voices muffled by the sound of sweeping brooms.
Now.
I dashed across the room, yanked open my massive window, and tossed the book and may papers into the grass below. Then, with a deep breath and a racing heart, I climbed up the windowsill and jumped. I hit the ground hard, rolling through the grass before coming to a stop with my skirt tangled.
Luckily the grasses are very soft here. I immediately stood up and gathered my belongings and sprinted towards the prince's paradise. He had not visited this place in years. No one ever did, that meant it was mine now!
I giggle.
When I finally arrived, panting, and flushed, I flopped down beneath the towering old tree that stood proudly in the center of the garden. I opened the book carefully, and once again, the butterfly appeared, gracefully landing on the back of my hand.
"I still haven't named you," I said softly, tracing a gentle dinger along its wings. I tapped my forehead as I thought. "Hmm… what about Luneth? It sounds a little like my name, doesn't it?"
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck on my head.
I winced slightly, my eyes squeezing shut. My vision blurred, and for a moment, but soon enough it slowly disappeared.
What was that?
Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Maybe I had been overthinking too much, pushing myself too far. The fear of what might happen. It was all catching up to me.
"…Maybe just a little nap wouldn't hurt."
I rested my head against the base of the tree. The warm breeze rustled the leaves above. My eyelids grew heavy, and I let myself fall asleep, just for a moment.
-Thud!-
A sharp, heavy sound startled me, jerking me upright before I could even properly fall asleep. My heart jumped into my throat.
What was that?
-Thud!-
There it was again. Louder this time, like something, or someone was slamming into a tree.
I sat up quickly, brushing fallen leaves from my hair. "Who's making that loud noise?" I muttered, trying to keep my voice calm, though my fingers trembled as I placed the open book carefully onto the grass beside me. Was it an assassin?
I stood, patting the dust and grass stains off my dress, and turned in the direction of the sound. The air had shifted, something felt off. The once comforting silence of the abandoned garden now carried a tension I could not quite name. or I am just overthinking it?
Cautiously, I moved toward the bunch of trees around. My small pink doll shoes crunched against the dry leaves on the ground, and every step made my heartbeat faster.
Another noise echoed, but this one sounded different, closer and accompanied by a sharp exhale, like someone gritting their teeth.
As I soon reached the location of the noise, I soon see…