Chapter 6

"By the way, His Highness the Crown Prince came here to congratulate my brother on his birthday..."

"I greet Your Highness the Crown Prince... Happy birthday, Ducal Prince."

"I've always heard that a woman's marriage is always such a waste."

"I was hoping you'd bravely break off the engagement because of the last incident, but I'm thrilled that you're here, shining in this place."

"No, your words... and Your Highness's! If you say that, then what would become of me then?"

As Assad and Benya exchanged words playfully, Lethias began to grumble, seemingly lamenting. But perhaps conscious of Alfonsina's presence, he held back a little.

"But it seems you haven't had a drink yet."

"...Didn't I tell you I'm sober, Your Highness?"

"Are you? I'm sure you've had a drink or two. By the way, what is the name of this masterpiece? I don't think I've heard the name of the hotel yet."

That's right, the hotel's name! What is it?

As I gazed intently, wondering what they had decided upon, Lethias showed no signs of replying. No, instead of answering, he looked back at me.

And to make matters worse, Benya also turned to me, instead of pointing out his brother's fault. Thus, the Crown Prince and Alfonsina also naturally followed their gazes and looked in my direction.

No way, these idiots!

Do they not know what they're going to name it on the spot? Are they just that clueless?

"This is Wendy's Hotel, Your Highness."

Mr. Wendy was among the many dolls we grew up with. It was a common name from my generation, but it was the only name that came to mind.

A mischievous smile flickered in the eyes of these two schemers (?).

The Crown Prince tilted his head for a moment, then smiled as if the room had suddenly brightened.

"It's a name I've heard a lot. It feels simple and friendly, which makes it even more appealing. Are you treating me to the best of your ability, Duke?"

"If not, would you like me to take you away from here?"

"I'm considering it."

I heard Juan mumble something. It seemed like everyone was talking about what a commotion this was. I looked in his sister's direction, silently wishing that the siscon would disappear.

Adriana simply stared blankly at her friend, frozen in place, her expression no different from the others. She must be quite taken aback. If I were someone else, I probably wouldn't have recognized her either.

Of course, when comparing beauty alone, Alfonsina couldn't quite match Adriana, but what I sought from her was not just a simple improvement in appearance.

The style that emphasized her strengths was only a basic element to ignite her confidence.

Clearing away the dirt of misunderstanding and ridicule, and allowing her true beauty to shine brilliantly. The process was going to be quite enjoyable.

"Certainly, everyone's mood changes drastically depending on their style. Don't you think so?"

"...What? Ah, yes. Indeed. Of course."

As I cautiously spoke, our female lead seemed flabbergasted for a moment, but soon regained her composure and tapped her brother's side, who was standing nearby.

"Stop that and have some fun. You couldn't even look around earlier. I'm going to chat with them here."

"...Why is Noona like this..."

"Again, just one more time."

"...Damn, okay. Got it."

Instead of Juan, who grumbled and left, Alfonsina joined our table.

The Serpent brothers, including the Crown Prince, seemed to be engaged in a serious conversation and moved away from us. Seriously, what are the three of them talking about so seriously?

"I was really surprised, Alsie. You should've done this earlier. I almost didn't recognize you."

"Thank you. It's all thanks to Sasha's help. Thank you, Sasha. And Valentina."

"Oh, so did Sasha give my friend some fashion advice?"

Pale pink eyes stared at me with a twinkling light. I smiled and shook my head.

"How could I be so presumptuous? I'm just trying to help her a little. Valen, have you eaten yet?"

"Ah, I thought I was going to die of hunger. Is this chicken?"

"Swan meat. Princess, this is my classmate, Valentina. Did you see her last time?"

"Nice to meet you, Valentina."

"Nice to meet you, Princess."

In a friendly atmosphere, the four of us had a meal and chatted about various things, mainly trivial stories about the hotel—the Grand Canal, the luxury of the Sky Lounge, and the fountain show starting at midnight.

By the time I filled my stomach and had dessert with a cocktail, Valentina changed the topic by tidying up my necklace.

"By the way, Sasha, what a nice necklace. Even I, who have a knack for pretty much any type of accessory, would like it. Did the Ducal Prince give it to you as a present?"

"I went through such a hard time, so I asked him why he's not giving me a bonus."

Valentina laughed when I answered with a shudder. The two noble ladies at the table scrambled to keep their eyes wide open.

"It's a gift from the Prince? No wonder... That's awesome. Actually, I've been curious about it since before, but I didn't ask because I didn't want to be rude."

"What is there to be sorry about? It's just an ornament."

"Still, if it's a necklace like that..."

"It suits you... very well, Sasha. I can't imagine it on anyone else."

What a wonderful compliment, young lady. I gave Alfonsina a grateful smile and picked up a cocktail glass. There were quite a lot of different colors, but I chose orange, which looked refreshing.

"More than that, Princess, how is your mother?"

"Phew, I'm in trouble because I can't see any improvement yet. Thank you for your concern... So, is Sasha taking a break for a while?"

"So far... Cough! Excuse me, cough!"

Oops, the alcohol concentration was thicker than I thought, and I had a cough that came out from time to time. As I turned around, finished coughing, and straightened my posture again...

"Sasha!"

Valentina grabbed my hand and suddenly shouted sharply, startling me.

Her green eyes were really wide open. I had never imagined that Valentina would make such an expression, or react so violently to something, so I felt strange all over again. I tried to ask her why.

"S-Sasha...?"

"Sasha?!"

When I looked forward, even Adriana and Alfonsina were staring at me with expressions similar to Valentina's. Their faces were pale as if they were seeing something unexpected.

Why is everyone like this all of a sudden? I opened my mouth to ask why but then raised my hand to my mouth when I felt something hot running down my chin.

The liquid that dripped down on my milky skin was red. It was not the drink I had consumed.

"What the..."

I tried to speak, but my voice stopped coming out. As the faces of the three women, side by side, passed through my vision, all my senses gradually faded.

The last thing I saw before consciousness slipped away completely was the figure of Benya, running towards me with an indescribable expression on his face.


* * *

‘No matter what you do, I'll always be by your side.’

As I gazed at the dim stained-glass windows, the candles flickered gently, almost like a dream.

‘Just as you love me no matter what I do.’

Beneath a strangely familiar-looking altar, a man and a woman held each other tightly. The hem of the woman's rosy dress cascaded like a waterfall of blood.

The man rested lifelessly in her arms, bearing a resemblance to Michelangelo's Pieta, although he wasn't a naked corpse.

The woman laughed, her smile resembling a piece of broken glass illuminated by the flickering candlelight. The man's expression remained obscured.

‘We might be headed for hell, but it doesn't matter because we're in it together. Let's just tell everyone else to fuck off.’

‘...I'm just a little tired.’

‘Do you want to go back to being confined like before? Or do you want me to disappear? Just let me know what you think about it... Anytime.’

‘Please don't talk like that.’

‘Then don't hesitate. Don't be idle. You're simply doing what you must do. Have you forgotten how she died?’

‘It doesn't matter anyway... I always hoped that one day you would smile like you used to. I won't cry anymore, reminiscing about that time. That was enough.’

'We can't be relieved yet. Let’s kill everything that tries to tear us apart. All of the remaining bastards and that stupid girl who would tell nonsense into Oppa’s ears.'

As the landscape gradually dissolved like rising mist, the sound of sobs echoed from somewhere nearby.

The weeping was filled with such sorrow and desperation that it felt as if the pain was transferring to me too.

Even though I couldn't identify the person crying, I had the urge to approach and offer comfort...

"… gasp!"

My eyes widened as I felt my body tumbling down the cliff. As my blurry vision gradually cleared, I found myself under a strangely unfamiliar ceiling.

Where was I? What the heck happened in the end... Oh yeah, that's right. I was at dinner with Valentina, Adriana, and Alfonsina... And then suddenly, I vomited blood.

Phew, Benya's birthday celebration was totally ruined. It was a night I had been looking forward to for so long...

Damn it. Who on earth would dare to infiltrate a dangerous place like a viper's den and release poison? Could it be someone cunning like a person who wanted to kill the Serpentes?

I rubbed my swollen forehead with my fingers and tried to sit up. I had no idea how long I'd been unconscious. I hope it wasn't like those novels where people lie in bed for weeks.

Taking a moment to look around, I realized it was a room with a cold and old-fashioned atmosphere.

Where am I? I attempted to move my body and get off the bed.

"You can't move yet."
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ᴛ/ɴ: ᴘʟꜱ ᴡɪꜱʜ ᴍᴇ ᴡᴇʟʟ, ɪ'ᴍ ɢᴏɴɴᴀ ʙᴇ ᴏꜰꜰɪᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ᴀ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ ꜱᴛᴜᴅᴇɴᴛ ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴘᴏꜱᴛᴇᴅ. ɪ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ꜱɪᴄᴋᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ꜱʜᴇᴇʀ ɴᴇʀᴠᴏᴜꜱɴᴇꜱꜱ. ᴘʟᴜꜱ, ɪ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴀʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ'ᴍ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴɪꜱʜ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ꜱᴇᴘᴛᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʜɪᴛꜱ. ɪ ɴᴇᴇᴅᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴍᴜᴄʜ-ɴᴇᴇᴅᴇᴅ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ, ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴀʟʟ. ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜱᴇᴘᴛᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ɪ'ʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ. ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʀᴀᴡ ᴅᴏɢ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀꜱ, ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ. ᴘʀᴏʙᴀʙʟʏ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛ ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴀ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴏɴᴇ ᴇɴᴅꜱ, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ɪ ᴇꜱᴛɪᴍᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ 2ɴᴅ ᴏʀ 3ʀᴅ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ ᴏꜰ ɴᴏᴠᴇᴍʙᴇʀ (ꜱɪᴅᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀꜱ ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇᴅ). ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴛɪʟʟ ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇᴅ, ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ ᴏꜰ ɴᴏᴠᴇᴍʙᴇʀ. ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴀɴɴᴀ ᴘᴏꜱᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀᴛ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ꜱᴏ ᴘʟꜱ ʙᴇᴀʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 4

Chapter 11