Chapter 44 Shes Awake
The glow had already faded.
But the mark remained.
Faint.
Unmistakable.
Etched gently against Esmeralda's wrist.
It was not a dream.
Belle's hands trembled.
"Belle.." Esmeralda called out.
"...Yes, my lady?" Belle still shaken from when the symbol appeared.
"Don't tell anyone about this."
"But, my lady, this is heavy news! The Basilica church should know!"
"Not until I know it is safe to reveal," Esmeralda replied.
"But-"
She met Belle's gaze, her composure faltering just slightly.
"...Please."
Belle could not resist the look her lady had.
"...Fine."
She resigned with a sigh.
"But you should at least tell your parents, my lady. The Duchess has cried so much this past week-she even refused to eat until you woke. The Duke was no better. He could not sleep at all and has been working to sever every business tie with the nobles who spoke ill of you at the last event."
Belle paused.
"You could see the dark circles in his eyes from overwork."
Then-
Rushed heavy footsteps could be heard.
The door burst open.
"My daughter-!"
The Duchess was the first to reach her.
Her voice broke before her hands did.
She dropped to her side, fingers brushing against Esmeralda's face as if to confirm-
Warm.
Alive.
Real.
Behind her, the Duke stood still.
For a moment.
Just a moment-
Before he stepped forward, slower, controlled... but no less shaken.
"You've woken."
It wasn't a question.
Esmeralda blinked once.
Then again.
"...Father."
Her voice came out softer than she expected.
Her throat felt dry.
Heavy.
As if she had not used it in days.
Because she hadn't.
Relief flooded the room all at once.
It was loud.
Overwhelming.
The maids whispered.
One began to cry.
Another hurried out-
"The physician-call the physician!"
But Esmeralda barely heard any of it.
Soon, Marcus had arrived along with the physician.
"Still alive, I see."
His tone was light.
Mocking.
As always.
"Marc.. you're here."
"As you can see," he said with a smile, "I've been staying at the Annex beside the main building."
"That's good to hear."
Esmeralda smiled at the new discovery.
"...I heard you decided to sleep your troubles away," he continued. "If that was an option, I would have tried it years ago."
Esmeralda let out a short laugh.
"You're as unpleasant as ever."
"Good," Marcus replied. "Then you're conscious enough to complain."
"If you'll excuse me, my lady.."
The physician moved efficiently.
Checking her pulse.
Her eyes.
Asking questions-
"How do you feel?"
"Do you feel any dizziness?"
"Any pain?"
Esmeralda answered the questions quietly.
Calmly.
The tension in the room shifted.
"There are no immediate complications," he continued. "It seems your body has recovered well."
A pause.
"...Frankly, it is a miracle."
Her gaze lowered.
Back to her wrist.
The symbol remained.
Quiet.
Still.
As if it had always been there.
"...Mother.. Father..." Esmeralda spoke, "May I talk with you two alone?"
"Of course. Of course, my dear."
"Everyone else," The Duke said with a firm voice. "leave."
The maids froze only for a second before bowing and quickly filing out of the room.
Marcus stayed behind.
Esmeralda and the Duke looked at him.
"Brother... you, too." the Duke said softly.
"Ah, right."
Marcus lingered-
Just briefly-
Before making his exit.
The door closed.
Silence settled.
Esmeralda lifted her hand.
Slowly.
Carefully.
"...This is-"
The faint symbol rested against her wrist.
Soft.
Yet unmistakable.
The Duchess gasped.
Her hand flew to her lips.
"The Goddess's mark," the Duke finished, his voice low.
Tension filled the room.
Heavy.
Unspoken.
Esmeralda lowered her hand.
"...I don't know what it means for me," she admitted.
Her fingers curled slightly.
"...or if it will do our family any good. A Goddess's mark is Her own declaration that one is Her blessed child. But the Saintess has already spoken of another. If this is revealed, we may be branded as blasphemous by the very society already gossiping about my involvement in the recent incident."
A pause.
"...So until I figure out what to do-"
She met his gaze.
Steady.
"I ask that this remains between us."
The Duchess stepped closer.
Her hands trembled slightly as she held Esmeralda's.
"...Of course, Esmeralda. I know," the Duchess looked at the Duke and held his arm," We know.. you are innocent from all the claims."
The Duchess followed her gaze.
Then-
Warmth.
The Duchess moved first.
She pulled Esmeralda into an embrace, sudden and tight, as if she had been holding herself back for far too long.
"My baby..."
Her voice broke.
Soft.
Fragile.
"I thought I had lost you."
Esmeralda stilled.
For a moment-
She did not move.
Then slowly-
Her hands lifted.
Hesitant.
Before resting against her mother's back.
The Duchess trembled against her.
"...A week," she whispered. "Do you know how long that felt?"
Esmeralda's grip tightened.
Just slightly.
"...I'm sorry."
The words came out quieter than she intended.
The Duchess shook her head against her shoulder.
"No," she murmured. "No... you don't need to apologize."
A step approached.
Measured.
Steady.
Then-
A hand rested gently on Esmeralda's head.
Large.
Familiar.
The Duke.
"...I am glad you are fine now," he said quietly.
Esmeralda glanced up.
His expression was calm.
But his eyes-
Softened in a way she rarely saw. The dark circles under them were so visible, Esmeralda's heart ached.
"Whatever you decide," the Duchess said softly, "we will stand with you."
The Duke nodded once.
"...This house moves as one."
His voice was quiet.
But absolute.
"No word will leave these walls."
Esmeralda felt it then.
Not relief.
Not entirely.
But something warmer.
Something steadier.
Support.
Her fingers tightened slightly against her mother's sleeve.
"...Thank you."
The words were small.
But they lingered.
Held.
Protected.
Just like her.
---
The office was quiet.
Only the faint scratching of a pen broke the stillness.
Rael did not look up.
The knight standing by the door straightened as a knock on the door was heard.
"Who is it this time?"
"Your Highness-the Ducal household has sent word."
A pause.
Then-
"Lady Esmeralda has awakened."
Silence followed.
The pen in Rael's hand stilled.
Ink gathered at the tip-
Then stopped.
"...She has?"
The words came out softer than expected.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Rael did not move.
Not at first.
Then-
A breath left him.
Slow.
Unsteady.
Barely there.
Rael's aide stepped forward, relief clear on his face.
"...Finally," Jack muttered under his breath.
"You can finally rest properly, Your Highness."
Rael's grip on the pen tightened slightly.
Rest.
The word felt foreign.
Distant.
For the past week-
Rael had not slept.
Not truly.
Not deeply.
Each night-
The same thought lingered.
What if she doesn't wake this time?
And so-
He hadn't allowed himself to rest at all.
He visited the Ducal household more often than his own office, where his duties to the Empire lay.
Always praying for his fiancée to regain consciousness.
Always looking like tears would well up from his eyes.
Rael rose from his seat.
Calm.
Composed.
As always.
"...Cancel my afternoon schedule."
Jack blinked.
"Your Highness, the council-"
"It can wait."
No hesitation.
Rael reached for his coat-
Then paused.
Just for a second.
His hand hovering midair.
As if steadying something unseen.
"...Prepare the carriage."
--
The sound of pages turning filled the room.
Aziel did not look up when the door opened.
"My lord."
A servant bowed.
"Word from the Ducal household."
A pause.
Then-
"Lady Esmeralda has awakened."
The page in Aziel's hand stilled.
Only for a moment.
Then-
He turned it.
Calm.
Unhurried.
"...I see."
Silence lingered.
The servant remained, waiting.
"...You may go."
"At once, my lord."
The door closed.
Only then-
Aziel's gaze lowered.
Not to the book.
But past it.
Unfocused.
"...Awake," he murmured.
A quiet exhale followed.
Barely noticeable.
"...You seem to always cause panic in me, my lady." he murmured to himself.
For the past week-
He had visited the Ducal estate more than necessary.
Under the guise of business.
Matters with the Duke.
Discussions that could have waited.
And yet-
He went.
Again.
And again.
And again.
He never entered her room.
Never crossed that line.
But he always stopped.
Just outside.
Standing there.
Silent.
Still.
His gaze resting on the closed door.
Dear Goddess, if I am asking for too much... then I am willing to give up this feeling-just for her consciousness to return.
He thought this was his punishment-
for the way he looked at her,
for the way he smiled at her,
for daring to covet her at all.
He sank into his chair and quietly thanked the heavens that his prayer had been answered.
---
Esmeralda remained still, alone in her room.
Seated against her pillows.
Her hands resting quietly atop the blanket.
For a while-
She said nothing.
Did nothing.
Her fingers curled slightly.
She was unconscious.
Again.
"...I'm pathetic. How could I be unconscious again. Is that all this body can do?"
She sighed.
"If this were a talent, I'd be unrivaled."
She ridiculed herself.
"...At this rate, I'll spend more time asleep than awake."
A pause.
"...Maybe I should just schedule it."
She leaned back slightly.
" 'Apologies, I cannot attend today's event. I will be unconscious.' " she said mockingly.
Her gaze lowered.
To her hands.
To her wrist-
Where the mark lay hidden beneath her sleeve.
For a moment-
The memory returned.
White.
Endless.
Still.
A veiled figure.
A quiet voice.
"You can change it."
Esmeralda's eyes opened.
Slowly.
"...Change it. That feels an awfully heavy responsibility."
She sighed.
Then-
Her gaze sharpened.
"Well... the book does feel useless now."
The certainty came quietly.
But firmly.
"The story I knew is obviously already breaking."
Amaria was different.
She was not the heroine Esmeralda knew in the book.
She was already unpredictable.
Like a distorted version.
Rael-
No longer following the path she remembered.
Everything-
Shifting.
"...I can't rely on it anymore."
Silence.
Then-
Slowly-
Esmeralda pushed herself upright.
The weight in her chest remained.
Heavy.
Unsettling.
But beneath it-
Something else began to form.
Clarity.
"If the story could no longer guide me-"
"...I'll have to rewrite it to my liking."
The words settled.
"...Preferably, rewrite it so no one dies."
Silence filled the room once more.
Esmeralda leaned back slightly.
"...But first-"
A small pause.
"...let's try not to pass out again."
"...That would be a good start."