The door shut close, leaving the room with deafening silence.

Malaya couldn’t help but feel an emptiness inside her now that she was alone in her room. What caused her to feel this way? She couldn’t quite explain why.

Malaya struggled to stand up, using the bed’s headboard to support her weight. She was still unsteady. Apparently, from a lengthy period of laying in bed, she could feel the stiffness of her muscles and joints.

She walked to her room’s window. The unexpected influx of intense light caused her eyes to twitch.

When Malaya’s vision eventually adjusted and inhaled the soft, chilly breeze of the wind, she stared out the window with a blank gaze. The sun had already risen high in the sky. Her hand rubbing on the ruby ring her mother had given her..

‘I should see mother,’ Malaya pursed her lips.

Malaya turned around and began walking out of her room, no longer waiting for Cynthia to return. She took a long stride and walked directly to the garden Cynthia had told her about, where her mother was. Despite the fact that the entire estate was vast, her mother had a particular garden she always went by.

It was the gazebo where they usually had tea parties. All the maids and other servants were flustered as Malaya walked out of her room with that get-up but she couldn’t care less now. The one thing that was on her mind was to see her mother.

After a long trail walking through the hallways, she finally reached her destination. She trod the trail directing to the Gazebo. The wind blew spreading the fragrance of every flower around. One could also notice that the path was still wet and the plants and grass were still has a vibrant fresh color, indicating that rain was not that long when it befalls the lands.

Malaya came to a halt right before the five-step stairwell from the Gazebo’s entrance. There were no seats or the table, they usually used when they had tea together. Instead, there was a huge stone tablet in the center, and a lady dressed in a black gown and veil was kneeling with both hands joined in front of her chest.

“Would it be okay with you if anything awful occurred to him?” 

“Not in the least.” Malaya’s mother gave a clear response. “After all, he is my younger brother…’

‘Mother.’

Madame Veronica realized a presence behind her. She rose graciously and turned to face Malaya. A gentle breeze blew, and the hem of her veil and black dress flapped in the breeze. Malaya tucked her hair behind her ears as well.

“You’re awake, my child,” Madame Veronica uttered, a soft smile on her gorgeous face. Her pinkish orbs filled with relief at seeing that her daughter has awakened.

“I apologize for causing you worry, mother,” Malaya curtsied, biting the lower half of her lips as she noticed her mother’s swollen eyes, showing that she had been shedding tears not long before. She was also not wearing any make-up, which made her face pallid.

Madame Veronica just gave her daughter a fleeting glance. “Were you the one who caused that to your uncle, I mean the Duke of Taleba?”

Malaya pursed her lips at hearing her words. ‘No, not me!  I wasn’t expecting him to blow himself up. But that was a stupid reason.’  Malaya’s fists clenched, her face conflicted. Since in the end, she was still the one who indirectly caused the doom of the duke.

“I…I…”

‘Wh-What should I say?’ Apologize? But-but I do not regret a single thing I’ve done.’

Malaya didn’t know how to respond to her mother for the first time. “I simply did what I needed to do,” she finally said, avoiding looking at her mother’s prying eyes.

Madame Veronica’s eyes were filled with grief. “So this is the consequence of his actions,”

“I see…”

She started walking towards Malaya, but just as she was about to pass her, “I’ll spend the remaining days of mourning at Taleba duchy and stay there for a while. As your cousin’s remaining relative, I’ll look after him until the entire Duchy is restored to stability.”

“…”

“Take care, my daughter.”

Malaya just stood there like a statue till her mother went away from her completely.

She couldn’t understand. ‘I should be happy already that Malaya’s and grandfather’s death should be avenged already, but why do I felt so dissatisfied with this.’ Malaya clutched her chest. 

She then glanced at the stone tablet that was on the gazebo.

In this world, since there was no corpse for you to mourn, people create stone tablets in remembrance of them. Not only that, but the people close to them were going to mourn for seven days continuously praying for their souls.

“Did I do something wrong?” Malaya murmured dejectedly.

“Yes, plenty enough for me to kill you.”

Malaya looked around when she heard a deep yet chilly voice.

The leaves fluttered when a strong gust of wind came. A familiar orange head came to Malaya’s view along with those almond eyes that were filled with hatred, glaring completely at her.

“You shouldn’t have come to this world,” Iris said as she pointed a long spear towards Malaya. “It’s been a while, Gina.”

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Extra Scene:

A day before Malaya awoke…

When Rein returned to Malaya’s room, he noticed the familiar chocolate brown hair with braid secured in a single ponytail behind. It was no other than Dorris. She was merely standing outside Malaya’s room.

“Are you not going to enter Dorris?”

“I’m such a failure, Rein,” Dorris grumbled. “I failed to protect, Lady Malaya.”

Rein just smile wryly at Dorris’ words. “I also did fail, pathetically.”

“But at least you managed to deceive the witch and transmit that recording orb to the Court,” Dorris remarked. “Why am I always so useless when Lady Malaya needs me the most, it’s been three days and she still hasn’t woken up…”

“My savior…” When they noticed Iris casually approaching them, they both turned around. She was no longer dressed in ragged clothing, but in a clean white blouse and black slacks, along with black boots. The metal collar around her neck was the only item that remained before her.

Dorris’ scythe materialized in her hands when she saw her. “What is she doing here?!”

“Dorris, calm down.” Rein said. “She was the one who brought me here and save my life.”

Hearing Rein’s words Dorris’ eyes narrowed, still wary of Iris.

“Don’t worry I won’t do anything unnecessary. Besides I’m a wanted criminal from another duchy, if I cause any scene here that would not do me any good. I just wanted to thank Lady Malaya for saving me too.” She said with a lop-sided smile and bowed towards them with her right hand on her left chest. “If not for her sending Sir Rein to me, this lowly slave’s life will be long gone now.” Her almond eyes flashed with cold glint which the two failed to see.

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