TIRS 88

Chapter 88: 

Shadow

“I need more time.”

I stared blankly at the man’s face as he said that.

Anselot—though I wasn’t sure if it was alright to call him that now, as he still had no other name—sometimes had a face like this, completely devoid of even the smallest trace of a smile.

I thought maybe this was his true self.

“So, Luibel… wait for me.”

His low voice somehow sounded like a desperate plea.

So I couldn’t help but answer.

“Okay. I’ll wait.”

I promised I would wait.

But he’s not exactly the type to wait obediently.

I snorted, remembering the conversation I’d had with Anselot.

My intuition was warning me.

The reason he couldn’t tell me his name—there had to be something huge hidden in that.

Maybe it’s something dangerous if I find out.

I furrowed my brow as I sank into thought.

Anselot had said he had to find a way to be with me.

That meant that, right now, he couldn’t be with me—not by his own choice, but for another reason.

Could it be… the system?

The System—the master of this world and the one maintaining its order.

Also known by another name: Lus, the God of Light—a despicable, scam-artist kind of god.

He betrayed a perfectly fine God of Darkness and cast him down to the mortal realm. That’s not a god, that’s a con artist.

I, like my mother, had no faith, and I cursed Lus silently in my heart.

I was taught to strike back at those who betray me.

As I mulled over my mother’s teachings, Piya clung to my side and chattered endlessly.

Pyu-rit pyu-rit!

—It was really strange, Lord Lulu! When Piya returned, we tried to wake Lord Lulu from her sleep state, but the system was blocked!

“Is that really that strange?” I asked.

Pyu-it pyu-ri-it!

—Yes! Even a system administrator can’t interfere with turning the system on or off—that’s Piya’s role! So this is really unusual!

Pyu-i-it…

—I really don’t understand what’s going on.

Piya lowered her head gloomily.

As I silently listened to her chatter, a thought struck me.

Could someone be interfering with the system?

While I was asleep, Arbella and Enzer had died—both in terribly cruel ways.

But something felt off.

Titarus had been strangely calm.

Even though his beloved son had died in his palace.

No matter how strong the grief, that doesn’t make sense.

Titarus’s demeanor—almost as if he had given up on everything—ignoring the suspicious deaths of his loved ones—was so out of place.

This feels like déjà vu… Ah!

I realized the source of the unsettling déjà vu I’d felt since meeting Titarus.

It was similar to when Roana, who had been a maid of the Third Princess, completed her role as a servant and died, and no one found her death strange.

Doris, a maid close to Prince Consort Arbella, huddled trembling in a pitch-dark room.

“W-what do I do…? W-what…”

Her face twisted in terror, as if she had seen something horrifying.

If I tell anyone, I’ll end up like them.

The voice suddenly echoed in her mind, and Doris squeezed her eyes shut.

It had happened only a few days ago.

On the day Lady Arbella had invited Princess Luibel to the greenhouse garden.

I had secretly laced Lady Arbella’s teacup with a sedative, then stepped away for a moment.

I had been unwell all morning, suffering from an upset stomach, and that was when the signal came.

But while I had stepped away, Princess Luibel somehow drank Lady Arbella’s sedative instead and collapsed.

Lady Arbella was shocked and searched for me, but I wasn’t there, and the other servants witnessed Luibel collapsing, which escalated the situation.

Had I rushed back, I might have prevented the chaos and defended Lady Arbella.

But in my absence, Arbella was subjected to immediate judgment and imprisoned.

It was absurd—executive judgment without proper procedure.

When I heard that Prince Anselot had requested the immediate judgment from the king, I was furious as if it were my own matter.

After caring so dearly for our Lady Arbella! How could he turn his attention to Princess Luibel and do such a thing?

Having served Arbella closely since childhood, Doris, overwhelmed with anger and grief, went to the prison where she was held.

The dark brick prison was dimly lit by the torch in Doris’s hand.

Black shadows spread across the stone floor.

Each flicker of the torch made the shadows sway.

As she walked, Doris noticed a strange unease and looked down at her shadow.

What…? I felt something odd just now…

But no matter how many times she looked, it was just a normal shadow.

It was probably just the creepy darkness making her imagination run wild.

How much suffering must our Lady Arbella endure in this place?

Doris pressed on.

Deep inside, she found Arbella, with Prince Enzer imprisoned beside her.

“Arbell…!”

Doris froze as she tried to approach, noticing Arbella’s shadow writhing and spreading in all directions.

“What… what is this…!”

Suddenly, something cold covered her eyes, blocking her vision.

“Shh.”

A low male voice sounded in her ear—a young man’s fine voice.

Doris realized the cold thing covering her eyes was the palm of his hand.

If you want to live, it’s better not to see anything.

“U-uh… ugh…”

The heavy, threatening voice made Doris tremble violently, her teeth chattering.

The man’s hand slowly lifted.

But Doris still couldn’t open her tightly shut eyes.

She heard the sound of his footsteps approaching.

“Kyah!”

And then came Arbella’s scream.

“…!”

Doris flinched, but terrified by the man’s warning, she couldn’t lift her eyelids.

“Wh-who are you? What is this shadow…!”

This time, it was Enzer’s voice.

“U-ugh! Ahhh!”

“Pl-please… save me…!”

Hearing Arbella’s desperate pleas, Doris couldn’t resist and squinted cautiously.

There she saw the back of a man with long black hair.

Grotesque shadows extended from beneath him, wrapping around Arbella and Enzer, constricting them.

Horrified, Doris shut her eyes again.

She couldn’t see what happened next, but the sounds of agony, flesh tearing, and the metallic scent of blood hinted at the horrific scene.

If you tell anyone what you experienced, you’ll end up like them.

The man whispered this into her ear and disappeared.

Even after he left, Doris couldn’t open her eyes for a long time.

When she finally lifted her eyelids, she saw the prison cell covered in blood.

She barely remembered what happened afterward.

Doris fled and washed her entire body thoroughly.

Once the smell of blood was gone, it almost felt like what she had seen was a hallucination.

Yes, it was impossible. I must have imagined it.

But when she finished washing, she received news through a colleague.

Assassins had entered the prison where Lady Arbella had been held.

Prince Enzer and Lady Arbella both perished in an unexpected attack.

“A-ah, no… no…”

Doris sank to the ground.

Everyone comforted her, knowing she had served Lady Arbella faithfully since her childhood.

No. That’s not it. I was there. This isn’t some delusion.

After hesitation, Doris decided she must seek an audience with the king.

She had to uncover the secret behind Lady Arbella’s death.

But in front of the royal audience chamber, she heard the king’s voice, as if he had given up on everything.

It’s all my fault. I don’t want to reveal any more royal secrets. Leave things as they are.

She couldn’t believe it.

Wasn’t he the king who cherished Prince Enzer?

He blamed himself and would leave it unresolved?

Had the old man lost his mind?

Angrily grinding her teeth at the king’s stance, Doris noticed her own shadow—and was startled.

It was a normal shadow.

Yet that ordinary shadow seemed to warn her.

If you tell anyone, you’ll end up like them.

Doris immediately turned and ran, as if fleeing from fear itself.

From that day on, she never spoke of what had happened.

What do I do… our Lady Arbella… poor Lady Arbella…

In the pitch-black darkness, she whispered and wept endlessly.

She couldn’t turn on a light.

The moment the light came, the shadows it cast would terrify her.

At that moment, she heard servants talking outside.

“Princess Luibel and her party are leaving soon, right?”

“They said the kitchen is busy preparing the final banquet tomorrow.”

Doris suddenly raised her head.

Princess Luibel…!

The Third Princess of Ajestar, the one prophesied.

Perhaps she could resolve this dreadful situation.