P. 163

*

My body hurts. I can’t breathe.

In complete blackness, the more and more she tried to?struggle, muddy water came gushing into her nose and mouth.

Help me. But she couldn’t make any sound.

P. 166

She just spitted out the rest of the air that remained in?her lungs. In place of that, she swallowed a heavy amount of mud water and her?body sunk down even further.

She was filled with the water that spilled into her, and?just at the moment she felt her body was going to explode, Lydia sprung up in her bed.

“Miss, are you all right? Miss Teresa.”

Suzy came rushing over to her, and stroked Lydia’s back as she coughed.

She still wasn’t able to get out of the nightmare, and the one who whispered “Help me.....” wasn’t Lydia, but Teresa.

It looked like it was night already, and although Lydia did wake up, she was in a condition where she could only remain still.

“You must have had a bad dream. But, if you have woken up, then that’s better. Ever since you felt sick during the day, you remained?asleep, so the Lord Viscount was also worried.”

When Teresa finally lifted her head, her eyes saw that there was Edgar.

“I was so worried, Teresa.”

“Lord Viscount.....”

I’m so happy, she said and opened her arms out any worries.

Oh, my goodness, and I’m still in my nightwear! Thought Lydia as she became nervous from being softly embraced by his arms.

P. 167

“I wonder what happened to me. I was just so restless, I?couldn’t stand it. And I was so terrified for some unknown reason, and I?couldn’t stop trembling... Oh, please stay by my side.”

Oh, lord, what are you doing.

“It’s all right, I’m here.”

You don’t have to be.

“I knew that it was improper to remain in a woman’s room at such a late hour, but I was so worried that I pleaded with Suzy. And the incident from last night hasn’t been solved either.”

Suzy, who was standing a few steps back, nodded in?agreement, which showed that she had come to completely trust Edgar. That?probably could have been because she found out that he was lovers with Lydia and that she completely believed that Edgar was a faithful gentleman.

But that isn’t true! Was what Lydia wanted to object right now, but she couldn’t do that.

“Uh, so, I will be excusing myself, but if there is anything you need, please call for me.”

What, you’re leaving me alone with him?

Lydia panicked, but Suzy only bowed her head and quickly rushed out to the small room for maids.

It was a place strictly for her personal maid, that was?right next to hers beyond a door. But even though, it was just the two of them?in her bed chamber, and Edgar was sitting down on the edge of the bed and?Teresa had completely surrendered her body up against him.

P. 168

If you do anything, I’ll clobber you, she thought, but even her left hand that she was just barely able to move had been moved by Teresa and was now resting around on his back, so she couldn’t do?anything.

Just then, Lydia remembered the thing he had said during the day.

Oh, no, was this man seriously going to do something out of bounds so that he could make us established so that I won’t be able to annul?our engagement....

But Edgar spoke up to say something that was completely?different from what Lydia was worried about.

“What kind of dream did you see?”

“A dream where my body was sinking in water.”

“Why would you have a dream like that?”

“Probably because I had died from drowning in water.”

Just remembering that, Lydia was starting to feel suffocated again.

“Is there anything else you remember?”

Teresa turned her head up like she didn’t understand his?question.

“Why would you ask something like that?”

“I want to know all there is about you. And so that I can?feel the reality of this miracle of being able to meet you even after you had?died once.”

It seemed like Teresa had accepted his answer without any?doubt, but Lydianaturally tried to guess what his true intentions were.

It seemed like Edgar wanted to know about the time when?Teresa had died.

P. 169

He had said something like she wasn’t the daughter of Mrs. Collins. Which means, the question of what was the reason behind staging up?another person’s soul as Teresa’s.

Like it was impossible to call back the real soul of Teresa, and so it was needed to get one’s hands on someone’s soul who had just died.

“Someone else’s....? That’s right, there was someone there,?watching me as I was sinking down...”

If that were true, then it would mean she was killed in?order to trick the mother of this house.

Chills went down her spine. Cold sweat seeped out of her. And yet, Teresa continued on with her story.

“I think it was a man. But on one of his ears, he was?wearing something that shined..., a small gemstone?”

“Teresa, is this suffering for you?”

“Oh, no, I’m fine.”

“But, you look like you’re in pain.”

He’s right, this hurts, so stop....

“Yes, it is a little constraining, my body does feel?strained, but I’m not in that much pain,”

What, ...wait, what does that mean?

“Maybe because it hasn’t been that long since I returned to life. It feels like I haven’t fully become attached or used to my living body. That’s why, when I feel sick or when I can’t move, I just feel have a dizzy sense of my condition.”

Hold on a moment, so the only one in pain is me?

P. 170

Now that she thought about it, this was Lydia’s body.

Even if the cause of it was Teresa’s memory, it might mean that the one to completely take on the sickness of health was Lydia.

“Then, would you like to try and remember some more?”

You have to be joking. I’m already suffering this much! Was what she was screaming inside herself, but even if he were to notice, this was Edgar. He was sure to not stop in pulling out useful memories from Teresa.

Teresa was recalling about the muddy water. Just only that, Lydia felt like bitter water was spewing down her throat, and she coughed?heavily.

“You don’t have to hurry. Just slowly remember.”

Oh, someone stop this, I don’t want this pain to go on.

“....Oh, I know, I was on top of a bridge. I was watching?ripples on the surface of the water. And then suddenly, I was pushed over by?someone from behind me... When I was falling down, I heard that person say?something. ....A sacrifice, for His Highness Prince... Or something like that...”

Why am I the only one who has to go through such torture?like this?

Lydia made a fist with her left hand as hard as she could.

That hand had been resting itself on Edgar’s arm, but Lydia didn’t realize that, as she sank her nails down, trying to fight against the pain she was feeling.

P. 190

Lydia’s mouth was covered, and so she wasn’t able to go on and rail at Edgar, but her sense of distrust was heighten when she imagined?that she was going to silently be taken away by this man?

“You shouldn’t make a promise like that so easily. But, yes, if you do have a particular liking to her, then at least I’ll will kill the two of you together. Why don’t you try and come to save her?”

Lydia was taken out of the room like she was being dragged by the grinning Ulysses, and since she was pointed to by a pistol, she had no choice but to start walking.

*

Around that time, Raven, who was going off to the town?alone, had finished his business and was rushing back the way to the estate.

He hurried his horse and managed to arrive at the two shores opposite of each other before the early morning low tide, but the waves which were calm at the town was just as violent as they were yesterday at only this area.

The thin path that appeared after the sea waters went down, was endlessly getting invaded by the waves and appeared and disappeared like it was battling with the heaving sea.

But since the area was still bright, it was still better?than when he left during the night.

He might be easier to spot by the enemy, but he had to hurry back to Edgar’s side.

The package that he was entrusted to by the messenger of the‘Scarlet Moon’ was tied to his body. Raven made sure and checked that and made his horse walk on.

P. 191

He headed for the house that was built all by itself on the hill that came up out at the end of the path and stepped on the path that?separated the ocean waters. When he came across to the middle of the road, he saw something black floating in between the waves.

For a moment, it looked like a person’s head, but he?immediately could tell that it wasn’t.

It was a seal. When he took a good look around him, he was surrounded by countless number of seals. No, they weren’t normal seals.

Fairies?

He learned about selkie seal fairies from being told by?Lydia, but when Raven felt the spirit’s nerves start to stand on its end, then?he was able to know that he was being targeted by something that wasn’t human.

If they were sea fairies, then they wouldn’t be able to?reach him all the way on the shore.

He kicked with his stirrups and hurried his horse.

At that moment, all of the seal fairies dived into the sea all at once. In the next minute, a tall, humungous wave erupted from the waters and rushed over to his direction.

There was no place for him to run as he was engulfed by the waves. He was dragged down to the depths of the waters.

Even if he tried to kicked himself up, once the seals?circled around him, they bit and clinged onto him to try to sink him down.

He pulled out his dagger.

P. 192

When he whipped around his arm, he felt he hit something as the sea around him turned dark red. The seals all rushed to get away from him?like they were daunted for a moment.

But the red color quickly mixed and disappeared into the?gray sea.

Once again, they returned their target back to him and began to swim around Raven as they tried to tighten their radius on him.

There were too many of them. He couldn’t move in the water as free as he wanted.

He couldn’t get another breath of air.

Just then, he thought he heard someone say stop.

This person is different, not one of them.

From behind, his arm was steadied and he was pulled up. The twisting, rough waves that had been circling him died down and disappeared, and Raven was released back up to the top of the water surface without any?resistance, and as he took in deep breaths for air, he felt the hand that had?saved him slowly let go, but more quickly then that, he grabbed the wrist.

“....Ermine.”

“Go to the hill on that sea shore. You better get back on?land before the waves get rough again,” she said, in a way like she gave up?trying to escape from Raven.

After the two of them sat together in a crack in the?inclined slope, they were able to get away from the hard wings. If it was here,?then they couldn’t be seen from the house said Ermine, or the selkie that?looked just like her as she sat down on the sand.

P. 193

“What’s different?” asked Raven as he took and threw away?his coat that sagged heavy from soaking up the salt water.

Ermine looked completely exhausted and lifted her head like she didn’t understand the question he was asking her and leaned her head to the side.

”You said that I was different to the selkies.”

“Yes...., they are all on the edge of their nerves. Since a human whose has captured and horribly treating their kind is here.”

“Ulysses.”

“That’s right. But they can’t get near him, and so they?attacked you thinking that you were working with him.”

“So the selkies in the sea aren’t under the control of?Ulysses’ will.”

“the ones under his control are the servants in the house. They are selkies that are in human form. But some selkies in the sea are also being controlled. Ulysses is the one who is purposefully making them angry, and the selkies are making the sea storm just like he wants.”

On Ermine’s shoulder who leaned up against the rock, the?knife that was jabbed in by Raven remained stuck in place.

It seemed like the blood wasn’t stopping as he could see?that red was soaking over her chest. But as it slowly dripped down, it turned?to a clear liquid and then into silky glass beads and dropped to the ground.

He was made to know that she wasn’t human at all. Then she wasn’t his sister. She was just an enemy.

P. 194

Since the blood that was running down her body had no longer any connection to Raven.

“....Just like you can see, I’m not the person who I was?before.”