Chapter 41 - The Other Truth🔥
The crystal ball went dark.
I remained seated, staring at it. I could still hear Cosima's voice in my head.
You're a terrible father.
My hand slowly tightened into a fist.
You never paid enough attention to her. It's partly because of you that she died, you bastard!
The words echoed through my mind.
"What is she talking about, Your Grace?" Yohan asked, confused after watching everything that had happened.
I said nothing.
Yohan glanced at the crystal ball before looking back at me. "And how could she call you a terrible father?" he continued, clearly irritated. "She's way out of line."
I remained silent, my thoughts elsewhere.
How does she know?
The dreams-no, the memories.
How does she know about her execution?
Is she having the same dreams as me?
"That's impossible..."
She had spoken about my daughter's death as though she had witnessed it herself.
She even knew about the crimes Rishima had committed.
I slammed my hand against the desk.
Yohan flinched and immediately looked at me.
"Your Grace..." he hesitated before speaking. "I know you're angry because of what she said, but you shouldn't take it to heart."
"I'm not angry at her."
Yohan looked at me in surprise.
"You're not?"
I shook my head. "No."
I slowly looked down at my hand, which was still resting against the desk.
"I'm angry because she was right."
Yohan's expression changed.
"Your Grace..."
"I was indeed a terrible father."
It was difficult to admit, but I knew it was true.
I let out a quiet breath and leaned back in my chair.
"The nightmares I've been having..."
I paused.
"They're not nightmares."
Yohan frowned. "What do you mean?"
I slowly looked toward the crystal ball.
"I'm more certain of it now. They're memories."
Yohan's eyes widened.
"Memories?"
I nodded.
At first, I thought they were only nightmares, but after Rishima left the estate, I couldn't shake the feeling that something might happen to her.
I thought perhaps my fear was getting the better of me.
Maybe my mind was simply showing me the worst things that could happen to her.
I pressed my fingers against my temple.
"What she said was exactly what I saw. They cut off Rishima's head in public. I was there, standing among the crowd, watching it all happen."
I frowned as the scene replayed in my mind.
Yohan's expression turned pale. He stared at me, clearly struggling to believe what I had just told him.
"But she said you weren't there, right?" Yohan asked.
I nodded slowly.
"She's hiding something."
I'm certain she didn't see it through Rishima's memories, because I clearly remember our eyes meeting that day before she was executed.
So why did she say I wasn't there?
I clenched my fist.
"I need to talk to her again."
★★★
A few days had passed since I last spoke to Duke Theon.
During those few days, the crystal ball had lit up several times.
I ignored every single one.
Eventually, I gave the crystal ball to Cassian.
I wasn't ready to talk to Duke Theon again, especially after what I'd said.
Instead, I focused on something else.
Magic.
I sat alone in the library, staring down at my hands.
I took a slow breath and closed my eyes.
I need to suppress my divine power.
I'd been practicing for the past few days, and I was slowly getting better at it.
I could suppress my divine power for a few seconds now, but it always returned soon after.
I took another deep breath and concentrated.
If I wanted to use mana, I needed to keep my divine power suppressed for much longer.
"I can do this."
I focused harder.
Slowly, the sensation of divine power gradually became weaker and weaker until-
It disappeared.
I had managed to suppress it again.
Now I just needed to keep it that way for longer.
I took a deep breath and continued concentrating.
A few seconds passed.
Then another.
I remained focused, trying to keep my divine power suppressed for as long as possible.
The library was completely quiet.
Suddenly, I felt someone's gaze on me.
I opened my eyes and saw Cassian standing near one of the bookshelves.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
Cassian slowly walked toward me.
"Can't I come into my own library?"
I frowned.
He then sat down in the chair across from me.
"I'm here to make sure you're not doing anything dangerous."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
He nodded.
For a moment, he simply looked at me.
Then his gaze shifted away, and he let out a quiet sigh.
"And the Duke wants to talk to you," he said.
I knew it!
He's here because the Duke called.
"I'm not talking to him."
Cassian remained silent for a moment.
"He said if you won't answer him, he'll come here himself."
I froze.
"What?" I asked, my eyes widening. "That's risky!"
Cassian raised an eyebrow.
"That's why you'd better talk to him now."
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Which side are you on?"
He stared at me for a moment before slowly standing up.
"Neither."
Cassian slowly walked out of the library, and I followed him.
We made our way through the hallway toward his office.
The closer we got, the more uneasy I felt.
I had been avoiding Duke Theon for days.
Now, I was about to face him again.
And this time, I had no idea what he wanted to ask me.
When we reached the office, Cassian opened the door.
"I'll wait here outside," he said.
I looked at him and nodded.
He stepped aside, leaving me to enter the office alone.
The crystal ball was already sitting on his desk.
I stopped at the doorway and stared at it.
Then I took a deep breath.
Here we go again.
The door shut behind me.
I slowly walked toward the desk and touched the crystal ball.
A familiar figure slowly appeared inside it.
Duke Theon.
I swallowed nervously as I looked at him.
"Your Grace."
Duke Theon remained silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on me through the crystal ball.
There was something different about his expression this time.
He looked tired.
"How are you?" he finally asked.
I blinked.
That wasn't what I expected him to say.
"I'm fine."
He nodded slowly.
For a few seconds, neither of us said anything.
The silence between us felt heavier than before.
Then he spoke again.
"Since I know you don't want to talk to me, I'll be direct."
My body tensed.
I had a feeling I wasn't going to like what came next.
"How did you know what would happen to my daughter?"
My eyes widened.
I froze.
I already knew he would ask me that question, that's why I had kept avoiding talking to him.
My fingers tightened around the edge of the desk.
"I keep having this dream..." He paused, his expression turning grim. "No-memories. Memories of my daughter being executed."
My heart began pounding.
What is he saying?
Is this because of what I said to him?
Was he having these nightmares because of my harsh words and mistaking them for memories?
I lowered my gaze.
A strange feeling of guilt settled in my chest.
Maybe I shouldn't have said those things to him.
I had been so angry that I hadn't thought about how deeply my words might affect him.
I remembered his expression when I called him a terrible father.
He didn't look angry.
He looked hurt.
I slowly looked back at him.
"I'm sorry, Your Grace. I shouldn't have said those things. Please forget about it."
Duke Theon's expression grew more serious.
"That's not what I'm asking."
I fell silent.
He stared at me through the crystal ball, his gaze sharper than before.
"I don't need an apology. I want to know how you knew about Rishima's execution."
I swallowed hard.
His voice was calm, but there was a firmness in it that made me tense.
"And there's something else I don't understand."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Why did you say I wasn't there?"
My heart skipped a beat.
I gave him a confused look.
"I was there," Duke Theon said seriously. "I witnessed it myself."
He paused, his expression darkening.
"I watched the executioner cut off her head."
My eyes widened.
"That's impossible!" I said quickly.
I clearly remembered what was written in the novel.
The novel had described Rishima's execution in detail, and Theon's presence had never been mentioned.
So why was he saying he had been there?
"She poisoned someone, right?"
I froze.
My eyes widened, and I instinctively covered my mouth.
He knew.
But how?
I hadn't told him that.
I hadn't even gotten the chance to tell him about Rishima's crimes. Cassian had cut off the connection before I could say anything more.
"H-how did you know that?"
Duke Theon stared at me through the crystal ball for a moment.
"I told you. I keep having these memories."
His voice was firm.
"Now, please answer me honestly. How did you know what would happen to my daughter?"
My mind went blank.
What should I do?
Should I just tell him the truth?
"I..."
I bit my lower lip, struggling to think of an answer.
"I saw it in Rishima's memories," I blurted out.
"Stop lying!"
I flinched.
His voice was filled with anger.
I stared at him, my body tense.
"If you saw it in my daughter's memories, you should have known that I was there!"
I froze.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
I could only stare at his angry expression through the crystal ball.
"Our eyes met before she was executed."
His expression softened as he said those words.
My mouth fell slightly open.
Damn it!
So he really was there?
I clenched my teeth.
The novel never mentioned anything about this!
"Hah..."
I let out a heavy sigh and slowly lowered my gaze.
The novel had already screwed me over so many times.
Every time I thought I knew something for certain, I ended up discovering that there was more to it than what I had read.
I slowly looked back at Duke Theon.
My expression became serious.
"Alright," I said quietly. "I'll tell you the truth, Your Grace, since you want it so badly."
I paused for a moment.
"It's up to you whether you'll believe me or not."
I stared at him intently through the crystal ball.
At this point, I didn't care what would happen if I told him.
Maybe he would think I was lying.
Maybe he would think I was crazy.
But he deserved to know.
There was no way out of this anymore, so I might as well tell him the truth.
I took a slow breath.
"This world isn't what you think it is."
I paused, gathering my courage.
"Everything I know about Rishima..."
I swallowed.
"I learned it from a novel in my world."