Chapter 115 

Light seeped through her eyelids. Even before she could make sense of it, tears came streaming down like a waterfall. Alexa covered her face with her palms and burst into tears. The words Dephensores had spoken to her before disappearing struck her like a sledgehammer.

[“You were born to die.”]

That can’t be. No one is born just to die. Words that couldn’t quite form proper sentences jumbled in her mouth. Alexa gasped for breath.

Stories, the world crafted within them, existed even before they began and after they ended. The past flowed into the present, the present into the future, creating time, and those threads of time came together to form history. That great current, in the end, shaped the world. And within it, Alexa, once thought to be just an extra, was a small yet integral piece of the story.

“My Lady?”

The first to discover Alexa curled up and crying was Jane. Her sole duty in Thersion was to care for Alexa, so she spent most of her time by her side. She had only stepped away to fetch some water, and something had felt off. Jane set down what she was carrying onto the table.

“You’re awake!”

It had been five years! The long wait had finally borne fruit. Jane threw open the bedroom door and shouted at the top of her lungs.

“My Lady is awake!!!”

Everyone living in the castle was alert. Those not too far off would have surely heard her voice. Flustered, Jane ran to the balcony and drew the blackout curtains.

“Your eyes will hurt since it’s been so long since you’ve seen the light. The doctor said you should first adjust to the darkness and then slowly be reintroduced to light. Oh! And you need to drink water, too… Since you’ve gone so long without eating, he said to replace solid meals with thin soup for now….”

After completely blocking out the light, Jane lit a small lamp. It gave off a gentle, warm glow that wasn’t too harsh.

“The tall doctor will be here soon to explain everything… You have no idea how long I’ve waited. I always believed you would wake up one day.”

If only for the care Thersion had shown Alexa, she had to wake up. All the rare elixirs procured from the Blue Moon Guild had been brewed into potions and fed to her. This was all due to Karrolf’s warning that prolonged lying in bed would sap her strength.

But that wasn’t all. From the strands of her hair to the tips of her toenails, there wasn’t a single part of Alexa that hadn’t been tended to by the maids. Following Karrolf’s diagnosis, they rubbed her skin with perfumed water made from costly oils for hygiene, and even moved her joints under the water to maintain mobility. Yet, after chattering for quite some time, Jane suddenly realized… 

“…Huh….”

A faint sob. At first, Jane hadn’t noticed Alexa was crying because she couldn’t see her eyes clearly. But soon she understood. Alexa wasn’t curled up due to weakness from finally waking up. She was crying.

“My goodness… My Lady, why are you crying?”

“Hhh… Huhuaaah!”

In all the time she’d known Alexa, Jane had never seen her cry like a child. Eyes wide, caught completely off guard, Jane instinctively embraced her.

“Lady Alexa… What’s the matter?”

The joy of her awakening was short-lived; Jane’s heart sank with a thud. She sat at the edge of the bed and held Alexa, who was curled up. After all, it had been five years. Alexa could be scared or in need of warmth. Jane gently stroked her back.

“Ysu…”

Alexa murmured softly.

“Ah. Shall I call Lord Ysildus?”

Alexa gave a weak nod. Even through the heartbreak threatening to rip her apart, the one name that surfaced was Ysildus. He was the first being Alexa had ever opened her heart to after arriving in this novel. It was with him, then a young wolf, that Alexa had chosen to stay in this world. She had taken him into her modest home, and living with him had made her choose life here. 

Ysildus had been the first confirmation of her existence in this world, and she missed him deeply.

Moreover, Ysildus was the one at the heart of the curse. He was the wolf fated to tear out Alexa’s heart due to a curse passed down through generations. And yet, Alexa hoped he would tell her she didn’t have to die. That, as he always had, he would tell her they could live together. Struggling to breathe, Alexa whispered his name over and over.

She wanted to hear that the curse meant nothing. That it had no power over them and they could continue to live side by side. That was the story she longed to hear, even if she lacked the courage to bring up the curse to Ysildus directly. If his gaze toward her changed because of the truth, she knew she would be truly broken.

With a trembling hand, she grabbed a handful of her hair. Not everyone with red hair belonged to the Red Clan, but all Red Clan were born with red hair. Selina was of the Red Clan, whose lineage included the blood of wolves. Dephensores had always said that death lingered near Alexa. Selina had likely been that death.

Before the curse took hold, wolves had generally been friendly toward the Red Clan. According to history, the Red Clan emitted a scent that wolves liked. The wolves of Thersion were friendly toward Alexa. What once seemed inexplicable now fell into place. Selina, even as a wolf, had felt murderous intent toward Alexa, because the Red Clan, too, desired the sacrificial death. It was a blood-born instinct passed down through generations.

The death of the sacrifice shall restore the glory of the Red Clan!

It was as if Alexa’s own heart was crying out those words. As a Red Blood herself, she could hear it. It felt as though every single thing in this world wished for her death.

Thump. Thump.

Her heart was beating as if it were trying to stop. Alexa trembled violently. She shouldn’t have been relieved that the one-year grace period had passed without incident. Perhaps those who had sent her here had planned even for this moment. Even if Thersion chose not to kill her… who was to say there weren’t others like Selina? Those born of both Red Blood and wolf, unable to resist their murderous instincts!

“What do I do…”

Fear crept up from her toes, slowly consuming her. But before that darkness could completely swallow her whole, a light broke through to her.

“Alexa!”

A kind, warm voice called to her. Alexa slowly lifted her head. Through her tangled mess of hair, a familiar silhouette appeared.

“Ysildus…”

Tears fell like raindrops.

“…Alexa.”

Ysildus softly called her name.

“I had… a nightmare…”

Ysildus gently brushed her cheek. Supporting her swaying body with his arms, he offered her his embrace. Alexa’s small hand rested weakly on his chest. While Ysildus had grown over the past five years, Alexa seemed smaller as though she’d shrunk from neglect.

Ysildus’s brow furrowed slightly. It felt as if Alexa might break apart at any moment. And seeing her cry so brokenly… Ysildus’s blue eyes curved gently. He licked his lips and generously offered Alexa his warmth.

“What kind of nightmare was it?”

Alexa buried her face in his chest. As he held her close, Ysildus met the gaze of Terrun and Jeremiah, who had just arrived at the bedroom. Tilting his head slightly, he mouthed the words: ‘Get out.’

His crescent-shaped eyes sparkled with arrogance and bloodlust. The message was clear – leave now, or die. Behind them, a crowd had gathered upon hearing the news. To their eyes, it seemed like nothing more than Ysildus holding Alexa in his arms with a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

“Why aren’t you going in?”

It was Carlisle who asked, and Terrun responded, sulking like a whining child.

“He told us to get out!”

With that, he slammed the door shut. Now, only Alexa and Ysildus remained in the bedroom. Alexa, shedding inexplicable tears, seemed unaware of the commotion. Ysildus let out a soft snort. Did she have multiple lives or something? Gently, he kissed her hair. After crying for some time, Alexa managed to speak in a trembling voice.

“Ysildus… will you kill me?”

What on earth was she saying? Ysildus pulled Alexa from his embrace. Tears clung to her trembling lashes, falling with soft plops. Ysildus received them without hesitation.

“What are you saying, Alexa?”

“If… if that day ever comes, will you kill me?”

“You’re speaking nonsense.”

With his lips resting on her cheek, Ysildus whispered gently.

“Did you forget? You’re my master, Alexa.”

Alexa sniffled. The faint light cast a soft glow across Ysildus’s face. In the artificial darkness created by the blackout curtains, he gave off a different aura than before. Alexa sniffled again.

“M-Master…?”

“Yes, my master.”

Ysildus smiled with the air of a predator.