As she looked at her friends, something flashed through her mind. Her heart sank with a strange sense of foreboding, and she carefully opened her eyes.
“By any chance... wasn’t there one more of us?”
“What do you mean, that?”
“A few months ago... I think there was definitely another one. At our embroidery club. Wasn’t there a tall... girl with red hair?”
“Huh? I don’t know...?”
The girls looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Even Leticia looked puzzled. Emma pouts.
“Angie, isn’t that your imagination? Are you confusing it with reality because you’ve read too many novels?”
Leticia snickered at Emma's nagging. Angie could see the mocking sneer in her eyes as well. But Angie continued to speak without wavering.
“No. It was a girl I saw with my own eyes. It wasn’t my imagination, it was real.”
“But I don’t know who you’re talking about, Angie. And our embroidery class just started today. Up until last week, we mostly learned from the ladies at the chapel.”
“Yes, Angie. There are no red-haired girls in our town. I’ve never seen one. What about you, Leticia? Have you seen one?”
“Angie is like that all the time.”
Leticia shrugged, a grumpy grin plastered across her face and voice.
“Angie often has trouble distinguishing between books and reality. A few months ago, she claimed to have heard a strange echo on her own.”
“Okay, ladies-”
A knock on the door and Uncle Michel's call interrupted their conversation.
“Marisa, your mother came to pick you up. It’s almost dinnertime, so you should go too.”
The girls each carried a knitting basket and said goodbye before going their separate ways. As they left the chapel and walked home, the approaching sunset was slowly spreading across the horizon beyond the shrubbery.
Angie paused for a moment. The sky, spreading like purple and red velvet, reminded her of a face that was both unfamiliar and familiar.
The girl with red curly hair that reached down to her waist, a tall stature, and clear gray eyes was not an imaginary figure. How could one remember a face that she had never seen before so clearly? A fictional face could not have such clear features and outlines.
“That girl is real. I don’t remember her name, but...”
She was on this island, under that red sunset sky, and among the village girls, including Angie herself, walking beside them, laughing, chatting with them.
But why doesn't anyone, not even her, remember that girl? Why?
Eugenia.
Edward saw the apparition of his dead wife in his dying breath. Eugenia stood there in an empire dress, holding a lantern in one hand. Her hair, a luscious, brilliant flaxen color, was tightly braided and wound several times over her crown, making her small and lovely.
"Eugenia... Eugenie."
When her name was called, the face of the once-beautiful woman became terribly distorted. The next moment, there was a loud crash, and flames erupted with the sound of a light bulb breaking. A witch’s laughter was heard from somewhere. Before Edward could do anything, his wife was burning in the blazing flames, laughing like a mad demon.
"Eugenie! No! I'll save you, I'll save you now..."
Edward reached out to the empty space. No matter how much he struggled to get up, it was no use. The flames that had been burning his vision began to fade away, and time began to turn back again.
The next moment, he was standing in the middle of the attic of his dead brother, Henry David Blackwell. It was a secret room with a secret passageway leading to the wall of Henry's bedroom where he had lived.
Edward saw Eugenia there. He had found her, a young-looking woman, crouching in a corner, shivering. John Fitzroy's diary was open at her feet.
He knew instinctively what his foolish father had written there, and that Eugenia had read it.
"What is this? This is all fiction? A novel? Yes?"
Screams and sobs followed. Eugenia died a year after the twins Lloyd and Kyle cried loudly for the first time. Later, Kyle grew up hearing the false story that his mother had died giving birth to him. Sometimes he had nightmares about himself becoming a monster and tearing open his mother’s stomach.
Edward's madness grew worse day by day. Overwhelmed by the grief and agony of Eugenia's death, he even threw the wrapped Kyle on the floor in a frenzy. There was even a time when he wished to throw him against the wall and die.
One day, he jumped up from his chair, snatched the baby from the nanny's arms, and tried to throw it into a blazing fireplace. It was then that he began to experience serious mental confusion and seizures.
In the end, Edward couldn't kill the child. As he grew up, he couldn't help but love Kyle because of his facial features and a pretty smile that was just like Eugenia's. In the end, one of them paid the price of blood and died a horrible death, but the other one survived until now. How fortunate that Kyle is alive and well.
Edward smiled bitterly. Even in his consciousness that was twisted and broken like a monster, his fatherly love that was growing day by day was fortunately normal.
Kluck, blood poured out of his mouth. He turned his head slightly while lying on the bed. The attending physician was sitting over there, nodding off. He wanted to call Kyle. If only he could see his child one last time.
Tears of sorrow and regret flowed from both eyes. Where did it go wrong? Edward could not stop my father, Duke John Fitzroy Blackwell. He should have convinced him that humans are beautiful and noble beings because they shine brightly and then fade away in a limited time so that he would not dare to challenge God.
When he found out that his half-brother Henry was the scapegoat and was locked up in that secret room, he should have taken him out of there. If his father hadn't been convinced, he should have taken Henry, Eugenia, and the twins and fled. If he had gotten off this island before it was too late.
The image of Eugenia flashed through his cold eyes again. She was standing in the meadow under the dazzling sunlight, waving at him. It was like the last bit of mercy, the last bit of mercy that God had given him.
That night, Angie fell asleep without even taking a sip of rose tea. Martin Silva appeared in her dream again. He was standing far away, holding a large piece of paper that looked like drawing paper. There was something written on the paper. Between him and her, there were thick, tall trees on both sides, and the view was blurred by fog.
Angie walked cautiously toward Martin, or rather, to look at the writing on the paper he was holding. She closed her eyes to the intoxicating scent of flowers. She was anxious that if she opened her eyes again, she might wake up.
Angie opened her eyes slowly and carefully. The scent of freesia flowers seemed to penetrate deep into her body through her transparent pupils.
"Angie. Don't drink the flowers on that island, especially the rose tea. It's the opium rose that has hallucinogenic properties, so you need to stop drinking it! Then you'll start to remember things a little bit."
The papers crossed quickly in Martin's hands.
"You have to remember! The real you before you came to that island! Who you really are."
Angie's consciousness widened as soon as she read the letters. She let out a short groan and jerked her upper body up. The bed shook and moved greatly.
The room was already gray as if it was already dawn. Angie sat up in bed and rubbed her face with both hands. Her pajamas were soaked with sweat and uncomfortable.
“Angie- Angie, are you awake?”
Her mother's voice was different from the one that usually woke her up. It sounded urgent as if she was agitated by something. With a bang, Laura thrust her face into the room with the sound of the door opening. Her face was pale.
“Angie.”
“I just woke up, Mom. What... is going on?”
“I need to get out my black silk dress. My hat, my ribbon, my shoes. I need to get them all cleaned up before the funeral, which is in two days.”
The mother added bitterly, looking down at her daughter's outfit of a white apron over a blue one-piece dress.
“I heard Duke Edward passed away last night.”
“Yes? His Highness the Duke?”
Angie's eyes widened. Kai's father is dead!
“I expected it because the prognosis has not been very good recently... It’s really unfortunate.”
“Then what about Master Kai, Master Kai? He’s receiving treatment in the annex of the mansion, right?”
“The Young Master must have been the first to hear the bad news... I don’t know if he’ll come to the funeral.”
Laura sighed and walked over to her daughter's closet, pulling out a satin dress and a short jacket.
“After the funeral on Friday, would you mind going to the Duke’s residence to help Chamberlain Yasmine? They’re not short on help, but they seem to want you to come and help because you’re quick and efficient.”
“Yes. It’s okay... That doesn’t matter, but...”
Even while listening to her mother, Kai's face kept flashing through her mind. How sad and heartbreaking it must have been. They had said that Edward loved him so much as his only son...
“And by the way, you can ask them to stay as a temporary maid starting Monday. You’ll be given a separate room to stay in when there’s a lot of work to do, so you can come and go freely from home whenever you want. Since you’re so handy, I think you’ll be asked to do things like knitting guipurs and taking care of the master...”
“Yes? Are I attending to the Master?”
At Laura's last words, Angie's eyes, which had been blank for a moment in shock and concern, flashed open.
“By any chance... wasn’t there one more of us?”
“What do you mean, that?”
“A few months ago... I think there was definitely another one. At our embroidery club. Wasn’t there a tall... girl with red hair?”
“Huh? I don’t know...?”
The girls looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Even Leticia looked puzzled. Emma pouts.
“Angie, isn’t that your imagination? Are you confusing it with reality because you’ve read too many novels?”
Leticia snickered at Emma's nagging. Angie could see the mocking sneer in her eyes as well. But Angie continued to speak without wavering.
“No. It was a girl I saw with my own eyes. It wasn’t my imagination, it was real.”
“But I don’t know who you’re talking about, Angie. And our embroidery class just started today. Up until last week, we mostly learned from the ladies at the chapel.”
“Yes, Angie. There are no red-haired girls in our town. I’ve never seen one. What about you, Leticia? Have you seen one?”
“Angie is like that all the time.”
Leticia shrugged, a grumpy grin plastered across her face and voice.
“Angie often has trouble distinguishing between books and reality. A few months ago, she claimed to have heard a strange echo on her own.”
“Okay, ladies-”
A knock on the door and Uncle Michel's call interrupted their conversation.
“Marisa, your mother came to pick you up. It’s almost dinnertime, so you should go too.”
The girls each carried a knitting basket and said goodbye before going their separate ways. As they left the chapel and walked home, the approaching sunset was slowly spreading across the horizon beyond the shrubbery.
Angie paused for a moment. The sky, spreading like purple and red velvet, reminded her of a face that was both unfamiliar and familiar.
The girl with red curly hair that reached down to her waist, a tall stature, and clear gray eyes was not an imaginary figure. How could one remember a face that she had never seen before so clearly? A fictional face could not have such clear features and outlines.
“That girl is real. I don’t remember her name, but...”
She was on this island, under that red sunset sky, and among the village girls, including Angie herself, walking beside them, laughing, chatting with them.
But why doesn't anyone, not even her, remember that girl? Why?
***
Eugenia.
Edward saw the apparition of his dead wife in his dying breath. Eugenia stood there in an empire dress, holding a lantern in one hand. Her hair, a luscious, brilliant flaxen color, was tightly braided and wound several times over her crown, making her small and lovely.
"Eugenia... Eugenie."
When her name was called, the face of the once-beautiful woman became terribly distorted. The next moment, there was a loud crash, and flames erupted with the sound of a light bulb breaking. A witch’s laughter was heard from somewhere. Before Edward could do anything, his wife was burning in the blazing flames, laughing like a mad demon.
"Eugenie! No! I'll save you, I'll save you now..."
Edward reached out to the empty space. No matter how much he struggled to get up, it was no use. The flames that had been burning his vision began to fade away, and time began to turn back again.
The next moment, he was standing in the middle of the attic of his dead brother, Henry David Blackwell. It was a secret room with a secret passageway leading to the wall of Henry's bedroom where he had lived.
Edward saw Eugenia there. He had found her, a young-looking woman, crouching in a corner, shivering. John Fitzroy's diary was open at her feet.
He knew instinctively what his foolish father had written there, and that Eugenia had read it.
"What is this? This is all fiction? A novel? Yes?"
Screams and sobs followed. Eugenia died a year after the twins Lloyd and Kyle cried loudly for the first time. Later, Kyle grew up hearing the false story that his mother had died giving birth to him. Sometimes he had nightmares about himself becoming a monster and tearing open his mother’s stomach.
Edward's madness grew worse day by day. Overwhelmed by the grief and agony of Eugenia's death, he even threw the wrapped Kyle on the floor in a frenzy. There was even a time when he wished to throw him against the wall and die.
One day, he jumped up from his chair, snatched the baby from the nanny's arms, and tried to throw it into a blazing fireplace. It was then that he began to experience serious mental confusion and seizures.
In the end, Edward couldn't kill the child. As he grew up, he couldn't help but love Kyle because of his facial features and a pretty smile that was just like Eugenia's. In the end, one of them paid the price of blood and died a horrible death, but the other one survived until now. How fortunate that Kyle is alive and well.
Edward smiled bitterly. Even in his consciousness that was twisted and broken like a monster, his fatherly love that was growing day by day was fortunately normal.
Kluck, blood poured out of his mouth. He turned his head slightly while lying on the bed. The attending physician was sitting over there, nodding off. He wanted to call Kyle. If only he could see his child one last time.
Tears of sorrow and regret flowed from both eyes. Where did it go wrong? Edward could not stop my father, Duke John Fitzroy Blackwell. He should have convinced him that humans are beautiful and noble beings because they shine brightly and then fade away in a limited time so that he would not dare to challenge God.
When he found out that his half-brother Henry was the scapegoat and was locked up in that secret room, he should have taken him out of there. If his father hadn't been convinced, he should have taken Henry, Eugenia, and the twins and fled. If he had gotten off this island before it was too late.
The image of Eugenia flashed through his cold eyes again. She was standing in the meadow under the dazzling sunlight, waving at him. It was like the last bit of mercy, the last bit of mercy that God had given him.
***
That night, Angie fell asleep without even taking a sip of rose tea. Martin Silva appeared in her dream again. He was standing far away, holding a large piece of paper that looked like drawing paper. There was something written on the paper. Between him and her, there were thick, tall trees on both sides, and the view was blurred by fog.
Angie walked cautiously toward Martin, or rather, to look at the writing on the paper he was holding. She closed her eyes to the intoxicating scent of flowers. She was anxious that if she opened her eyes again, she might wake up.
Angie opened her eyes slowly and carefully. The scent of freesia flowers seemed to penetrate deep into her body through her transparent pupils.
"Angie. Don't drink the flowers on that island, especially the rose tea. It's the opium rose that has hallucinogenic properties, so you need to stop drinking it! Then you'll start to remember things a little bit."
The papers crossed quickly in Martin's hands.
"You have to remember! The real you before you came to that island! Who you really are."
Angie's consciousness widened as soon as she read the letters. She let out a short groan and jerked her upper body up. The bed shook and moved greatly.
The room was already gray as if it was already dawn. Angie sat up in bed and rubbed her face with both hands. Her pajamas were soaked with sweat and uncomfortable.
What on earth was he talking about? Me before I came to the island? If I didn’t put the flowers that bloomed on the island to my lips... I’d start to remember little by little?
“Angie- Angie, are you awake?”
Her mother's voice was different from the one that usually woke her up. It sounded urgent as if she was agitated by something. With a bang, Laura thrust her face into the room with the sound of the door opening. Her face was pale.
“Angie.”
“I just woke up, Mom. What... is going on?”
“I need to get out my black silk dress. My hat, my ribbon, my shoes. I need to get them all cleaned up before the funeral, which is in two days.”
The mother added bitterly, looking down at her daughter's outfit of a white apron over a blue one-piece dress.
“I heard Duke Edward passed away last night.”
“Yes? His Highness the Duke?”
Angie's eyes widened. Kai's father is dead!
“I expected it because the prognosis has not been very good recently... It’s really unfortunate.”
“Then what about Master Kai, Master Kai? He’s receiving treatment in the annex of the mansion, right?”
“The Young Master must have been the first to hear the bad news... I don’t know if he’ll come to the funeral.”
Laura sighed and walked over to her daughter's closet, pulling out a satin dress and a short jacket.
“After the funeral on Friday, would you mind going to the Duke’s residence to help Chamberlain Yasmine? They’re not short on help, but they seem to want you to come and help because you’re quick and efficient.”
“Yes. It’s okay... That doesn’t matter, but...”
Even while listening to her mother, Kai's face kept flashing through her mind. How sad and heartbreaking it must have been. They had said that Edward loved him so much as his only son...
“And by the way, you can ask them to stay as a temporary maid starting Monday. You’ll be given a separate room to stay in when there’s a lot of work to do, so you can come and go freely from home whenever you want. Since you’re so handy, I think you’ll be asked to do things like knitting guipurs and taking care of the master...”
“Yes? Are I attending to the Master?”
At Laura's last words, Angie's eyes, which had been blank for a moment in shock and concern, flashed open.
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