In the raging flames, all she could hear were people’s screams and tears. The agony of the people in the monastery. ‘I have to help.’ But she did not have the strength to move. She pushed someone away and ended up hurt in their place.

Her vision was gradually getting blurrier due to the blood loss.

But she could make out footsteps and the sound of a blade.

Is it the enemy?

“Zushi.” A familiar gentle voice called out to her.

Ah, this is the person she was searching for. When she saw the monastery in this condition, she was outside. She rushed back inside when she realized he was still in there. Thank goodness, he seems to be okay.

Zushi summoned the last of her strength and walked towards the person, hoping he would break her fall. But the moment she fell into his arms, she felt pain in her abdomen. Huh? In the next second, she coughed out blood heavily and saw traces of blood on her clothes. There she could make out a silver-colored blade.

“W-wh-”

He stabbed her?

“I’m sorry.”

He flung her towards a pillar on the verge of collapse, but before it could fall on her, a familiar red-colored light surrounded her.

It was like a shield protecting her from the falling debris. She felt somebody lift her off the ground.

The person who had just saved her was somebody she was very familiar with. His piercing red eyes remained unchanged from the first day they met. But for the first time, she saw something there. He is furious.

“Don’t..” Zushi did not understand the situation well. But she knew if she did not say anything, they would fight. She does not want to see them battle.

“For the first time, I am going to go against your wishes. I am going to rip that bastard to shreds for hurting you.”

“No, please-”

“You stay put here.” He carefully placed her down, covered in the same red light still. “I stopped your wound only for a moment. I will treat it properly once I am done with this guy.”

Zushi clung to his clothes. “You can’t.”

“Even now, you’re still protecting him.” He trailed off. There was sorrow in his voice. “Alright, I will knock him out. Just stay here; this will end soon.”

Her entire body felt like it was in so much pain. Her bleeding had stopped, but the pain was far too much for her to cope with. She tried to watch the battle, but it did not take long before her consciousness faded.

…

Zushi bolted awake; cold sweat clung to her skin as her hand flung to her aching chest. ‘A sword pierced me.’ That was the image she had in her dream. A sword and somebody’s frantically calling her name. That person was so familiar, and yet no face would appear in her mind. Over the years, she has had similar dreams like this, but it was the first time where she felt the sensation of the blade clearly, and that person’s tears.

The room was dark, and there was only a small light source pouring into the room, but she knew it was noon already. Noon? Zushi scrambled to her feet, alarmed as she recalled the amount of work she had to do.

There was a small note on her bedside table.

When she heard your circumstances, Miss Lillian ordered for somebody to bring your paperwork over to her.

So now you have no work to do for the day.

Please take a day off and rest when you are more productive.

=Linden

Zushi sighed, defeated when she saw that note. Even though Miss Lillian is sick, she still takes over her duties so easily. Ever since young Miss Natalia’s birthday, she has not been able to focus. Moreover, her son’s condition is no good either. Linden took him away, saying it was best for him to recuperate elsewhere for now, but she felt uneasy with him being apart from her for so long.

‘Braden has that issue after all. I have done all I can to prevent people from noticing it. But it will not be long before somebody realizes.’ She recalled what happened in the tower the other day. She tried to act calm, but sir Lucas probably realized it.

Zushi quickly got dressed and headed out of her room. It was unusually quiet. Not that many guards guarded her in the first place. Right now, her current status is a figurehead Empress, so it is only normal. But, her gaze fell on the empty hallways. This is way too much neglect.

‘Then again, if there were many guards, she would not be able to rest properly.’

It did not take long before she arrived at the medical wing. She peeked her head through the door and spotted the royal therapist Naomi. The woman was rearranging some flowers on her desk as she entered the room.

“Good afternoon Empress, your timing is perfect. Sir Linden dropped by earlier saying you would need a check-up.” Naomi invited her over, and Zushi took a seat.

“He told you to visit me?”

“It seems you have not been sleeping well as of late.” Naomi trailed off. “Other than the burden of suddenly being the Empress, is there something else on your mind?” Naomi carefully tipped her chin and touched the dark circles under her eyes.

Something else on her mind? Zushi recalled what Miss Lillian told her in the forest. Although she acted calmly, then she understood the situation was not that simple. Moreover, there is a rumor going around recently that she was engaged to the heir of the Ageha family at one point.

The ageha family’s firstborn male child is sir Eric. But, even when they crossed paths, she has not felt anything familiar about him. When they met, she felt nothing but hostility.

“It seems there is something on your mind.” Naomi nodded. “It appears as though you have had these nightmares for a while now. But since when did it become worse?”

“Since the hunt,” Zushi explained the events that happened and even the tale Lillian shared. It will be hard to get diagnosed if she does not explain everything. Moreover, this person is trustworthy. “I feel like my memories are returning to me. But there is still something restricting me from remembering everything.”

That something that is restricting her feels like a powerful force.

Naomi grabbed hold of her hands and felt her pulse. She frowned slightly, and Zushi inquired. “Is there a problem?”

“This is not my field of expertise but based on what you have told me and my quick check-up. Those dreams are draining your mana away.”

Zushi blinked when she heard those words. “Draining my mana?”

“Correct. As you know, mana is similar to a person’s life force. The person who is preventing you from remembering everything is draining your mana away.. However, the reason why you have not suffered the long-term effects of this is due to having another person’s mana inside you.”