The castle was a mess. The entire forest surrounding the castle was covered in flames. This fire’s origin was in the Roberti Castle itself.
“Everything’s on fire.”
“…My Lord.”
“My dream has finally come true.”
“Dream?”
“Now that it has come to this, I don’t know what to do next. Losing my path at this age is truly unexpected.”
Vlad Howl Roberti, with a sword that was dyed in blood, blocked her way after killing all the servants who tried to escape the raging flames of the castle.
The father of Sophia Benny, who is the Lord of the Southern Castle and was known as a great priest.
The man who never allowed her to carry the Roberti surname nor address him as father, looked down at Sophia with grave eyes. That yellow-eyed creature, both moon-like and hungry-looking, was someone Sophia had always hated.
Death was always near when that eye was directed at her.
“I’m not allowed to escape, am I?”
“…This is the only thing that I will let you do.”
The bloodstained sword pointed to the side, drawing an elegant line. The direction it was pointing, revealed a passageway with a byway through the castle.
Sophia, who had followed the sword with her eyes, glanced back at his direction with a look of disbelief.
“Walk.”
“Really, I… You’re going to kill him.”
At the end of the path, there will be two brothers who lived just to kill their one and only younger sibling with whom they don’t share blood with. Two brothers who have the same mother, share the same face and blood.
Without responding to Sophia’s words, he walked away.
Sophia hesitated for a moment. There is another way. But whichever he chose, he will still die. For he knew that his death would happen if he gave way, he crossed the line first.
All the other exits are blocked. That’s the only way out.
What will happen to you in the future, and what will happen to you in the countless paths that you didn’t take? I know. I know everything.
“Because I’ve walked all those paths… Damn it!”
I will walk the road in vain without a single light guiding my way. Sofia walked to the path that her father allowed her to use.
At the end, what stood in front of Sofia was her brothers, who turned their backs against the world and blocked their way.
Benjamin Chase Roberti and Joshua Chase Roberti. With Vlad standing tall behind them.
Snow-white hair and yellow eyes, which only he had not inherited, shone beautifully under the sunlit sky.
It might not be a sunset, but a rising fire that seems to have engulfed the sky.
His eyes may seem hollow, but it is blinded by hatred.
‘Is it a failure again?’
She shook her head. She didn’t want to think negatively, so she shouted for the last time and tried to stir their emotions. She called them with a title that she had never used.
“Father! My brothers! That’s enough. This isn’t right. I…”
The moment she tried to utter another word, Benjamin’s sword was pushed close to her neck.
“Sophia.”
How dare you call me in a friendly way? How dare you argue about this?
Their cool eyes gazed sharply at her that felt like she was being skinned alive. Their golden eyes, except hers, shone coldly in front of the chaotic city.
If she tries speaking one more time, he will cut off Sophia’s throat without hesitation.
Whatever she does, Sophia Benny will die without ever leaving the castle.
“Ha…Haha.”
Sophia’s sorrowful tears towards them, that stopped her from leaving the castle, died down. Her expression changed
It’s a broken, damned world. What’s there to be afraid of? The world will turn back for her anyway.
Sophia Benny chuckled. Then, it slowly turned into a laugh. She just continued laughing like a madman.
Soon, the laughter stopped and a cold sigh came out.
“I’m so annoyed. You can’t do anything. I mean, this whole bunch of crap…”
Rather than tears, anger was written in her dark purple eyes. She glanced at her brother, who seemed ready to cut her throat at any moment. There’s another one who also looks like him. They’re her twin brothers. They say two is bad luck.
“Live a decent life, you bastards!”
Sophia’s eyes flashed the same time she shouted loudly. Her heart was beating fast, cold sweat dripping all over her body.
It’s quiet outside. There was even a sound of birds singing peacefully.
The world outside the window was lush green, nothing like the one she just experienced where everything around the castle was engulfed with flames.
Sophia looked at herself from the window. A small body with a small hand and an average-size head greeted her.
She checked it a few more times before lying down on the bed again.
I’m back, again. 12 years old, the day before my birthday.
Her fourth life started again.
“…So annoying.”
She died three times and came back. The future has not changed, even though she did everything to survive through those many opportunities. It’s strange that she didn’t get crazy, but her mind was always clear after going back.
As if her body and mind had already perceived this situation as normal.
“I won’t.”
No matter what happens, she’s not going to do anything for them in this life.
‘I’m tired now. And whatever I do, I will still die at 21. If that’s my fate, then I’d rather live my life now than cling to those uneducated things.’
Sophia Benny chose to give them up.
The most comfortable road that Sophia has never walked before.
Sofia put the blanket up to the tip of her head and curled herself in it.
As soon as she thought she wouldn’t move enough to forget how to use her legs, the door opened followed by two footsteps.
“Young Lady.”
“…”
“It’s time to get up.”
Sophia was awakened by the ringing of the bell and the servant’s voice. She pulled down her blanket again and raised her upper body to lean on her bedside.
The face she saw after a long time was smiling at her.
“…Loray.”
“I’m sure you’ll say something about me waking you up when you didn’t get enough sleep.”
“…Yes, because I’m a growing child.”
“Indeed. So I’ve let you keep your 9 hours of sleep.”
She did not look old in her neat appearance even with gray hair. She didn’t even appear to be suffering from a disease.
The still-looking servant over mid-thirties, grumbled playfully at her.
This morning, which has been repeated four times so far, has been her favorite in all of her past lives.
A normal exchange of conversations, as if to say that everything that happened earlier after returning from death is a dream.
How can I not like it?
“So you have to get up quickly, miss. “
Loray, who turned the child’s grumbling over a light laugh, placed the bell on the table.
Sofia’s servant, Loray Muckle, arranged her light purple hair, which had been tangled from lying down, with a kind touch.
The good thing about returning was this. To be able to meet again my own person who died earlier than me.
While Sophia was tapping her face with a towel after washing it with the water that Loray had prepared, Loray put something in front of her.
“This is a list of gifts prepared by the lord. Which one do you want the most?”
A booklet of candidates for a birthday present. Handing the towel over to the other servant, Sophia glanced at it.
It’s no use preparing for the lord. He wouldn’t even know my birthday.
If Sofia chooses one of the things she wanted here,she would rather choose the money to buy gifts for Loray and the other servants who Sophia was particularly fond of.
The Lord said that he didn’t want Sophia to hate his father for not seeing his face once properly.
I don’t know why, but people around me didn’t want me to hate him.
Surprisingly, I’ve already hated him.
‘I don’t want to spend money on my useless birthday,’ she thought. Sophia swung her hand around and handed the booklet back.
“None.”
“Oh, miss?”
After a short reply, she crawled back into bed.
“No need.”
“But Miss, it’s your birthday present…”
“Get out. I’ll have a meal later.”
Looking quietly at Sophia, who wrapped herself inside the blanket, Loray sighed and stroked slightly where her head would be.
“Don’t hate the lord too much. He cares about you so much that he can’t just come to see you because he’s afraid you’ll get hurt by the slightest force.”
Loray said so and left the room with the servant. In the quiet room, where nobody was there, Sofia crouched more and more.
He doesn’t come to see me because he’s afraid of getting hurt. To be honest, I don’t understand the meaning of the word. This is by no means a way of keeping. It’s being neglected.
I know he doesn’t come to see me because he’s afraid of getting hurt. To be honest, I don’t really understand the meaning of the word. I do not feel protected with his actions. Rather, I consider this as being neglected.
‘Vlad…’
Before her mother died, Sofia had spent the most time with her, but her memory of that time was already fading.
From 12 to 21. During that long repetition of time, memories before the age of 12 were now almost nonexistent in her head.
But then, she knew that he was just trying to save himself. Because there was someone who died because of his love for Sofia and her mother, Benny.
Chase Seviche Roberti. Benjamin and Joshua’s mother and a person who was trapped in a tower and died lonely.
Come to think of it, today was Chase’s death anniversary.
The memory of that day suddenly came to her mind.
‘Would you like us if my mother killed your mother?’
‘How can we love the daughter of the man who killed our mother?‘
Oh, I feel sick.
It felt like I remembered the taste of the poison that went over my throat that day.