Chapter 21

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I TURNED to face him, only to be met by Zacharias’s furious expression. His eyebrows were drawn together, and deep lines creased his forehead, revealing the extent of his anger.

He set me down on the ground, taking several steps back as we distanced ourselves from that ominous hole. “What’s with that tree?” I asked, eyeing him curiously. His body tensed, and he visibly flinched at my question.

“You saw it, my lady?” he asked, his voice tinged with unease.

“Magtatanong ba ako kung wala?” I retorted, rolling my eyes in exasperation.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to regain composure. “Please, never return here if you value your life, my lady,” he warned, adjusting his attire with a shaky hand. “I’ll let this slide once, but if I catch you sneaking into that chamber again...” His gaze locked onto mine, cold and unwavering. “I’ll throw you inside it myself, my lady,” he threatened, his voice low and dangerous.

Huh. How interesting. The Imperial Palace must be hiding something under that tree.

“Well, that would be quite the adventure, wouldn’t it, Sir Zacharias?” I smirked, a playful glint in my eyes. “After all, my curiosity about that eerie tree would be satisfied if I ventured inside, wouldn’t it?” I added, turning away from him. I took a step toward the hole, but before I could get any closer, he grabbed me, his hands clamping down on my shoulders with surprising force, pulling me to face him.

“I’m trying to protect you, my lady,” he growled, his teeth clenched in frustration. His grip tightened, his eyes darkening with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine. “Please, listen to me, my lady,” he urged, his voice softening slightly as he released me, but not without causing me to wince in pain. The pressure on my shoulders had been unbearable.

“Sir Zacharias, that hurt,” I muttered, glaring up at him with annoyance. Was he trying to bruise me on purpose?

“I apologize, my lady,” he said, bowing his head, his voice laden with guilt. “I lost control.”

Huh. Even though he wants to keep me away from there, this only makes me more determined. I’ll find out what lies within that chamber, no matter what it takes. And when I do, Zacharias won’t be able to stop me.

I slipped off my heels, carrying them in my hand as I let out a weary sigh. Zacharias’s eyes widened in shock at my actions, his surprise almost comical.

“My feet hurt. Please, let me walk barefoot,” I muttered, running my fingers through my hair in frustration. He nodded slowly, seemingly at a loss for words.

Just as I was about to step away, a hologram abruptly materialized in front of me, its bright light almost blinding.

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You have acted on your own, ignoring the system’s warning. A punishment will be enforced for 24 hours.

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I stared at the hologram, rolling my eyes in disbelief. Seriously? The system is punishing me just for looking at that massive tree? What’s the big deal?

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You have glimpsed a future predicament. You must now face the consequences.

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So, this is tied to some future disaster? Is that why the system’s so eager to punish me? But— I exhaled a long, distant sigh. Well, there’s no arguing with the system. I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it.

As the hologram faded, I prepared to move again, but suddenly, my entire body began to tremble. A sharp, piercing noise filled my ears, the kind that made every nerve in my body scream. I squeezed my eyes shut, clutching my ears in a desperate attempt to block out the sound. My knees buckled beneath me, and I collapsed to the ground, utterly drained of strength.

“Ahhh!” I cried out, the agony unbearable. The noise was like shards of glass being driven into my ears, making me wish I could tear them off just to make it stop. Damn it!

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Punishment initiated. Remaining time: 23:59:59.

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“My lady!” Zacharias’s voice rang out, frantic, as he grabbed my shoulders and shook me, trying to snap me out of it. The sound finally ceased, but the relief was fleeting. My body still felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand tiny nails, every movement sending fresh waves of pain through me.

Why? Why does the punishment have to be this excruciating? All I did was look at the tree—I didn’t even touch it!

“S-Sir…” I muttered weakly as Zacharias held me tightly, keeping me from collapsing onto the ground. My eyelids fluttered shut as the excruciating pain coursed through my body, so intense that I wished for it all to end. This… this is unbearable. I want bury myself alive!

A wave of anger surged through me, directed at the cursed system that had inflicted this punishment. It was maddening—unfair, even. I had done nothing but look, and now I was being torn apart by this agonizing pain.

“Ugh!” I groaned, my body convulsing as every touch from Zacharias sent sharp jolts of agony through me. I could feel him lifting me into his arms, his movements urgent and frantic as he broke into a run, each step echoing with desperation.

“Hold on, my lady!” he shouted, his voice strained and filled with fear. The veins in his neck bulged, a testament to the effort and worry etched across his face.

My vision blurred as I tried to calm myself, but the relentless pain made it impossible to focus. It was overwhelming, suffocating.

“What happened, Charlie?!” Sebastian’s voice cut through the haze as Zacharias came to an abrupt halt. His tone was sharp, laced with both confusion and suspicion. Charlie? Who’s Charlie? Why is he calling him that?

“I don’t know!” Zacharias replied, panic evident in his tone. Through the fog of pain, I caught a glimpse of Sebastian as he stepped closer, his expression dark and menacing. His hand shot out, gripping Zacharias’s necktie with a force that made the fabric strain. His eyes, usually composed, were now narrowed and blazing with fury.

“Did he do this?” Sebastian’s voice was low and dangerous, every word a tightly coiled threat as his jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck tensing.

“N-No!” I managed to gasp out, my gaze shifting to Zacharias, who now looked terrified, his face pale with fear. The tension between the two men was palpable, and it was clear they shared some kind of history. But what was it?

Suddenly, a searing pain shot through my head, causing me to groan loudly. My vision dimmed as my eyes rolled back. I could feel the bile rising in my throat, and before I could stop it, I vomited blood, the metallic taste filling my mouth.

“My lady!” Zacharias and Sebastian exclaimed in unison, their voices filled with alarm.

The world around me spun violently, and I could barely make out the horrified expressions on their faces as my consciousness slipped away.

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third person

Arthemice was successfully brought into one of the secluded rooms of the Imperial Palace, her limp body carried carefully in Zacharias’s arms. Bloodstains marred the delicate fabric of her dress, seeping from the corner of her mouth, a stark and unsettling sight. Once inside, they laid her gently on the silk-covered bed, her face pale against the pillow, the room thick with tension.

A trusted Imperial doctor was summoned in secret, his presence requested with urgency but with strict orders to remain discreet. As he examined her, his brow furrowed deeper with each passing moment. He checked her pulse, her eyes, even the blood on her dress, but there was nothing—no symptoms, no apparent cause for her sudden collapse.

“I can’t find any physical reason for this,” the doctor finally said, his tone clipped and perplexed as he looked at both Zacharias and Sebastian. “It’s as if her body is reacting to something beyond our understanding.”

Zacharias remained silent, exchanging a brief, knowing glance with Sebastian. They both knew that this mysterious condition couldn’t remain hidden for long, but their concern was less about Arthemice’s well-being and more about the consequences of the Grand Duke discovering his daughter’s distressing state.

As midnight approached, Zacharias left the room to make a secret report to the Grand Duke about Arthemice’s sudden illness, knowing that the news had to be handled delicately to avoid causing a stir during the ongoing celebration.

The doctor, having found no explanation for her condition, gathered his tools and followed Zacharias out, muttering something about needing more time to study the situation, though he offered no further assurances.

Left alone with Arthemice, Sebastian simply stared at her, his expression unreadable. Her face was twisted in pain, her brows furrowed, and her forehead lined with deep wrinkles as beads of sweat trickled down her pale skin, mixing with the bloodstains on her dress. Her breaths were shallow and labored, the torment she was enduring evident in every strained gasp.

Sebastian’s mind was in turmoil. ‘Fuck! I need to stop myself!’ The thought echoed in his head as he repeatedly slapped his own forehead, desperate to regain control. The urge to smirk, to relish Arthemice’s pain, was clawing at him, driving him to the brink of madness. The sight of her suffering sent shockwaves of twisted pleasure through him, a sickening jolt of electricity that made his fingers twitch with the desire to cause more pain—enough to end her life right then and there.

His hands trembled violently as he gazed at her, torn between the instinct to leave and the perverse need to stay. He wanted to flee, to put distance between them before his dark impulses took over completely. Yet, he was paralyzed by the fear of losing this moment, of never seeing her face again if he let go now. The conflict gnawed at him, tearing him apart from the inside.

“Haa…” he exhaled shakily, forcing himself to calm down. Slowly, the chaotic storm within him began to subside, though his hands still quivered as he reached out to her. His fingers brushed against her hair, the touch surprisingly gentle despite the dark desires lurking beneath the surface. A genuine smile tugged at his lips, a rare moment of clarity amidst the chaos in his mind.

“I never knew I’d crave that one look of yours, my lady,” he whispered, leaning closer to her face. His voice was soft, almost tender, as if speaking to a cherished memory rather than a living person. “Who knew I’d be drawn to your face when it’s not twisted in pain?” A low chuckle escaped him, though it was laced with a deep, unsettling tension. His heart pounded erratically, driven wild by the contrast between her vulnerable state and the dark thrill it ignited within him. “I appreciate the change in you, Themie.” The words were sincere, yet tinged with an eerie undertone as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, lingering just a moment too long before pulling away.

But the urge was relentless, gnawing at the edges of his sanity, sending sharp pains through his head as he fought to keep it at bay. It took every ounce of willpower not to give in, to resist the twisted satisfaction that threatened to consume him.

“If only this cursed fate didn’t hold me back, things could be different,” he muttered bitterly, his voice barely more than a breath as he turned away from her, retreating to the safety of the veranda. The cool night air washed over him as he stepped outside, seeking solace in the starry sky, far removed from the torment inside.

He sighed deeply, knowing this fleeting moment of control might be the last. “Perhaps this turn, everything might shift in an... unexpected way.”

fin.