After thirty minutes, lunch, or rather, “luncheon,” as everyone here seemed to call it, came to an end.
And, if I’m being honest, I was disappointed in that fact. I had been so engrossed in the flavours and textures of the food that I had barely noticed the passing of time. I was enjoying the taste so much that I left my plate unfinished. I couldn’t tell if the food was really that good or if I just wasn’t used to anything nice. Either way, I couldn’t wait for the next opportunity to experience another meal like that.
“You seemed to have enjoyed that.” Beatrice… sitting opposite me, smiled, her golden eyes twinkling with amusement. “I’m glad you liked it.
My happiness vanished in an instant.
“Of course, Maid Cecilia knows Lady Celeste’s tastes.” Cecilia, who was beside Beatrice, chimed in.
I turned to Lysirel, whose plate was completely empty. Actually, the plate itself was gone.
“I want seconds!” She exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement.
“Lysirel. Luncheon is finished.” Lorelei reminded with a gentle yet firm tone.
“But—”
“No buts! Cynoria, please escort Lysirel to her room. She seems to have forgotten her manners.” Lorelei instructed, her voice leaving no room for argument. Cynoria stood up and offered her arm to Lysirel, who pouted but relented. Lorelei turned back to me, a small smile playing on her lips.
“How did you enjoy your first meal in… days, really?”
I chuckled in happiness at Lorelei’s comment, grateful for her understanding of my circumstances. It felt weird to chuckle at something.
“It was delicious, thank you.” I replied, feeling a strange, unfamiliar sense of warmth in my chest at her kindness.
Gradually, the room emptied as everyone else began to leave. Butlers, maids, and guests—I believed—all filed out.
It was only me, Lorelei, and Beatrice.
I took many short glances at Beatrice, wary of any move she made. I was sure she’d ask me to come to her room, which I was ready to decline. However, a thought crossed my mind.
Could I really say no? She was just a maid, but her stare made me feel small and powerless, like I used to with my old life’s bullies.
I considered asking to go back to my room, but before I could, Beatrice’s voice cut through my thoughts. I flinched hard, my body tensing up.
“Lady Lorelei, would you like a glass of water? Or perhaps some tea? If you’d like, I can bring it straight to your room.”
“Is that so? Well, in that case, I would appreciate a glass of water. Thank you, Beatrice.” Lorelei replied. “I’ll be in my room, I need to… heighten security now… Celeste, you are free to do whatever, but please be safe. I don’t want another abrupt incident to happen, especially after we just got you back.”
I nodded without thinking. Lorelei smiled, but I couldn’t shake the worry gnawing at me as she left.
Now, I desperately wanted to avoid being alone with Beatrice of all people, so I stood up from the dining table, my heart racing. I just needed to get back to my room, away from Beatrice. I turned towards the hallway, hoping to make a quiet exit.
However…
“You didn’t forget our plan, did you?”
Beatrice quickly caught up to me.
Shaking my head, a wave of dread washed over me. I tried to flee once more, only to be met with Beatrice’s tightening grip on my arm.
My heart raced, and my stomach churned. Her grip felt like iron, and I fought the urge to cry out.
“I know you’re scared, but trust me, this is for the best.” Beatrice whispered, her voice sending shivers down my spine.
I knew nothing about this world, and I felt trapped, not knowing how to escape this situation. The only option seemed to be to trust Beatrice, even though every instinct was telling me otherwise.
“I-I’ll trust you.” I stammered, hoping my words would appease her. Beatrice’s eyes softened slightly, and she released her grip.
She stopped the tea kettle from boiling and turned to face me, a small smile playing on her lips. “Good choice.”
She left the kettle and grabbed my arm, dragging me to her room.
“I’ll explain everything.” She promised.
* * *
Upon reaching her room, a wave of unease washed over me, making it impossible to ignore. It was certainly bigger than I had expected, and the dim lighting added to the mysterious atmosphere. Beatrice gestured for me to take a seat on her luxurious bed as she took a step forward and looked at me deeply with a stern expression.
"Um… a-are you okay? You look… serious." I stammered, unsure of what was about to happen.
Beatrice let out a heavy sigh before finally speaking.
"… I'll just get to the point. Who are you?"
What does she mean by that? Am I not Celeste to her?
"H-huh…?" I stuttered, feeling a sense of confusion wash over me. Beatrice's piercing gaze seemed to see right through me, leaving me with an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"I'll only ask once more. Who are you?"
Her eyes turned crimson once again, piercing through my very soul. I felt a chill run down my spine as I struggled to find the right words to answer her question.
"…Uhm, I-I'm… Celeste De Vil! Really , I am! I swear!" My voice cracked as I tried to convince her of my identity, but the doubt in Beatrice's eyes only seemed to deepen.
"… Huh… Really?"
"Y-Yeah! I am…"
She stared at me for a moment, seemingly unconvinced. I was starting to panic, unsure of how to prove my identity to her. Does she somehow know of my past life? How would she even know I'm not Celeste?
I racked my brain for any possible explanation, but nothing came to mind. The silence between us was deafening.
As I tried to figure out how she could possibly doubt me, Beatrice suddenly spoke.
"Bullshit."
"What—"
"Your soul essence is completely different, I know Celeste's soul like the back of my hand. You're not fooling me. Now, tell me the truth before I have to resort to more drastic measures."
I gulped, feeling a chill run down my spine at the mention of "drastic measures." Beatrice's piercing gaze made it clear that she wasn't going to let this go easily.
"Uh, well, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just me, Celeste. I don't know how to prove it to you, but I swear I'm telling the trut—"
"Really now… You know, as the commander of the Guardian Maids division, it is my absolute duty to protect the family of this manor, especially the daughter, Celeste."
With a flick of her wrist, her fingernails extended greatly into razor-sharp claws, glinting in the dim light of the room.
"I expect you to know what this is, 'Celeste'"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about! Please, I swear I am who I say I am." I pleaded, my voice trembling with fear. Why did I even bother trying to convince her? This woman was clearly not going to believe me, no matter what I said. I knew I wasn't Celeste. She knew I wasn't Celeste. And there was no way out of this situation… Was it because I thought I was free from my past in this body?
Maybe so…
"Huh… How peculiar… You still have the audacity to lie to my face…" She paused, her eyes narrowing as she studied me.
"Well, in that case…" She began stepping closer to me as I got off her bed and backed away, my heart racing with panic.
With a sudden lunge, she pounced towards me.
"I suppose I'll just reap your soul!"
I shut my eyes and instinctively crossed my arms together in a feeble attempt to protect myself, wishing for something, anything, to protect me.
However, unexpectedly, I felt a gust of wind rush forward.
My eyes opened.
There was Beatrice, knocked back onto the floor, and some sort of shield outline ingrained into the air.
"…What?" I stared in shock as Beatrice struggled to get up, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Agh… And now you dare use her abilities?!"
I stood frozen. Beatrice struggled to her feet, glaring at me with pure rage.
"What did you do to her?!"
"I didn't do anything!" I stammered back, instantly regretting my words and tried to run away.
But she stuck again, clawing my arm with her contorted nails, breaking into what I believed to be my soul.
I collapsed to the ground.
Beatrice's eyes were filled with malice as she whispered, "You will pay for this."
I saw tears glistening in her eyes as she uttered those words, a mix of sorrow and anger evident in her expression.
She dug deeper.
But before I had the chance to do anything else, I heard a knock at the door.
Beatrice seemed to notice it too, as she immediately stepped back and retracted her contorted nails with speed I couldn't even comprehend.
She left me on the ground as she returned to her calm facade, opening the door as if nothing had happened.
The person at the door was Lorelei, who asked Beatrice about her tea.
“——Oh! About that… Lade Celeste wanted to have a private chat in my room…”
Beatrice quickly fabricated an excuse, her voice steady and composed despite the recent outburst. However, Lorelei noticed me on the floor.
She immediately rushed to my side as I tried standing up.
“Why is she on the ground like that?!”
“I was about to aid her, she simply tripped over something.” Beatrice replied smoothly, masking any hint of guilt or concern in her tone.
If I ‘simply tripped over something’ why would I have a… Where’s my wound?!
When Beatrice struck me, I hadn’t realised that it wasn’t just Soul Reapers that didn’t harm the physical body; it was anything that explicitly caused harm to the soul.
“In that case, I owe you an apology for my earlier assumption. Thank you for explaining.” Lorelei said, picking me up and heading out of the room, leaving Beatrice all alone.
As Lorelei carried me away, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude towards her for protecting me. Beatrice watched silently as we left.
I just shut my eyes and silently cried inside, feeling a mix of relief and confusion over the revelation about the nature of the attack.
“Celeste, are you okay?” Lorelei’s voice broke through my thoughts, bringing me back to reality.
“I d-don’t know.”
My feelings of safety in this place diminished quickly, and my sense of security was shattered by the new information. Despite this, I still felt like I could trust Lorelei with everything so far, she seemed genuine and honest. Plus, she was Celeste’s mother, and if anything, that meant I could confide in her even more, as unlike my old body, Celeste’s body felt like a safe haven.
“Could you tell me what really happened?”
If I snitch on Beatrice, what would she do to me? I wondered. It was something I didn’t want to know the answer to. And there was no way I could risk it.
“… Everything Beatrice said was true.”
Lorelei hummed in thought, her eyes scanning the room as if searching for the right words.
“I see… In that case, I’ll make sure she is corrected for her error as a Guardian Maid.”
I didn’t know what to feel from those words, but relief washed over me knowing that Lorelei would handle the situation. My fear slightly reduced knowing that I wouldn’t have to confront Beatrice directly.
But now, where was Lorelei even taking me?
“… Mother? Where are we going?”
Lorelei smiled gently, her hand resting on my shoulder as she guided me towards the door.
“My quarters. You need rest for… multiple things. Like your training, which will resume in two days, and your presence at the Sag-taiwah (Sacred Wind) gathering next week. I want to make sure you are prepared for both.”
Wasn’t it just a few hours ago that I woke up from death? How am I supposed to be ready for all of this so soon?
I had barely gotten over the fact that I was alive again, only to be almost killed by a Guardian Maid of all people.
Not to mention, I now had to jump into training about whatever; in a new world I knew nothing about, full of new terms and meanings that I somehow had the feeling I was expected to understand, with barely any time to adjust. It was a lot to handle, to be honest.
“Wha… How am I supposed to be ready for all of this so soon?”
“I’m honestly surprised you still ask that question… Your mana and €0£UĶ reserves replenish quickly, so you’ll adapt faster than you think.”
Mana? What did she mean by that? And the other term… it sounded like alien gibberish to me.
“O-oh… really… What exactly are those?”
Lorelei froze.
“Have you forgotten that too?! Unbelievable! This is bad…”
Without missing a beat, Lorelei explained,
“Mana is the energy you use to cast abilities, and €0£UĶ is a similar kind of mana, only used for corrupted abilities exclusive to corrupted cardinality users like yourself.” She sighed, realising the extent of my apparent memory loss. “We have so much to do if you can’t even remember the basics.”
Even though I liked things simple at first, looking into this would help me figure out the mystery behind the air shield I made and the strange message about ‘Reawakening Perks’ stuck in my head.
I believed I should give up my fear and uncertainty and focus on finding answers. I needed to push past my hesitation. I needed to trust in the people around me. Although I didn’t realise how hard that would be.
“Does that mean I’m going to have to relearn everything from scratch?”
“No, not necessarily. It may just mean revisiting some concepts and building upon what you already know.”
It wasn’t really “revisiting,” but alright.
I took a deep breath and eventually, we arrived at Lorelei’s quarters. It was probably as big as my room, with a large window that overlooked the stars.
She laid me on the bed, and covered me with a warm blanket. I didn’t even get time to do anything.
In fact, why did she even take me here? Couldn’t I have gone to my own room? Or was it to keep a close eye on me?
Either way, I was grateful for the warmth and comfort of the bed. Lorelei seemed to have a sense of care and concern for me that I hadn’t expected.
All I had to do now, was think about what was to come.