Luana couldn’t make sense of what was happening.

　　“What’s… going on?”

　　Luana had rushed to the Rose Palace simply because Liliana had sent for her. She’d even let herself hope that Liliana might wish her a happy birthday. She’d never imagined walking into something like this.

　　She looked around once more. Apart from a few candles, the room was pitch-black, making it impossible to see clearly. But as time passed and her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw that the entire room was awash in red.

　　Only the thick scent of roses filling the chamber confirmed that this was indeed Liliana’s room.

　　“Ugh…”

　　As Luana breathed in the fragrance, she suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth as nausea hit her. The heavy rose perfume had masked it at first, but now the metallic smell of blood filled the room.

　　Is that…?

　　Something in the corner caught her eye, and Luana froze. A familiar figure lay crumpled on the floor.

　　“…A maid?”

　　Liliana’s maid lay bleeding on the floor. She had to be the source of it.

Too startled to scream, Luana stumbled backward. Someone caught her from behind and held her firmly in place. The woman’s voice was almost gleeful.

　　“Shh. Stay still.”

　　“L-Liliana? We… We have to get out…”

　　It was Liliana who cut off Luana’s desperate plea to flee.

　　“Wh-Why…”

　　“There is no need to worry about that girl. Everything is fine. So be quiet now. Who’s my good little girl, hm?”

　　Liliana slowly stroked Luana’s hair. The affectionate touch left her feeling suffocated.

　　“Yes. Stay quiet. Only then can you be loved.”

　　It was a gentle tone Luana had never heard once in her entire life. A voice always reserved exclusively for Louis was now directed at her.

　　Yet the situation was far too bizarre for her to accept that affection with joy. Luana trembled violently as she looked up at Liliana.

　　She hadn’t noticed until a moment ago, but the hand stroking her hair smelled of sickening blood. Her gaze dropped to Liliana’s hand. She was holding a dagger. It must have been the one that pierced the maid’s heart.

　　“Wh-What… is this? What have you done?”

　　“My beloved daughter, you should be happy. The moment has finally come for you to be of use to your mother. You always wanted to help your mother, didn’t you? Yes, you may call me Mother now. It won’t be for long, so call me that as much as you like.”

　　Liliana whispered affectionately, her voice full of delight. She sounded genuinely happy.

　　“You’ll stay quiet, won’t you, my dear?”

　　At Liliana’s words, Luana stopped struggling at once. It felt as though she were a puppet dangling from a single thread. But being told she was loved was so sweet that Luana couldn’t move. She was unable to do anything except accept the death Liliana held out to her.

　　“That’s right. Good girl.”

　　Liliana’s hand moved slowly toward Luana’s heart. Through vision that grew steadily dimmer, she stared at Liliana’s face. If Liliana felt even a little sad about her death, that would be enough.

　　Yet the smile on Liliana’s lips as she watched her die only grew wider. Her eyes gleamed with ecstasy, as if urging Luana to hurry up and die this instant.

　　Why? Why do I have to die?

　　Luana looked at Liliana.

　　The moment she saw Liliana smiling so brightly as she watched her die, something inside her snapped.

　　A part of Luana that Liliana had kept suppressed for so long began to awaken.

　　I don’t want to die.

　　She didn’t want to die like this, without having done anything. For the first time, life returned to Luana’s usually dull eyes. But it was already too late. Her eyes kept closing.

　　She wanted to live. She refused to accept dying like this.

　　“No…!”

　　Luana screamed with everything she had. In that instant, the world of crimson began to turn a brilliant blue.

　　“Stop!”

　　Liliana’s scream was the last thing Luana heard before she lost consciousness.

* * *

　　“No…!”

　　Luana bolted upright in bed with a scream.

　　What was that?

　　Was it a dream?

　　Slowly scanning her surroundings, she breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing everything was identical to before she fell asleep. This was her room, and she was still only eight years old. Living ten years in that dream and dying by Liliana’s hand had been nothing more than a nightmare.

　　“Why are you making such a fuss?”

　　The door to Luana’s room burst open. Reflexively, she pulled the blanket tight around herself.

　　It was a maid who worked in her palace. As always, her expression was frightening, her gaze cold and mocking.

　　“I… I had a bad dream…”

　　Luana swallowed hard, her body instinctively cowering.

　　“Today is His Highness the Second Prince’s birthday, and we’re already busy enough as it is, so please don’t make a fuss and keep quiet.”

　　The maid snapped, making it clear she had no time to waste on someone like Luana. Her words were polite, but her tone was unmistakably an order. Giving Luana a quick once-over, she slammed the door shut.

　　Something was wrong.

　　Luana stared blankly at the door. Somehow, she felt as though she had experienced all of this before.

　　She sat still for a long while, letting time drift by, until heavy footsteps snapped her back to her senses. Voices drifted up from downstairs.

　　Liliana was going to come in furious.

　　Startled by the sudden thought, Luana looked around in surprise. She didn’t know why the thought had crossed her mind, but she was certain of it.

　　“Luana!”

　　And she was right.

　　Beyond the flung-open door stood Liliana, glaring at her in a rage.

　　She would claim Luana had ruined something.

　　“How dare you lay a hand on Louis’s cake?”

　　Luana stared blankly as Liliana raged that she’d ruined the cake prepared for Louis’s birthday.

　　There had been a dagger in that hand, and it had pierced her heart.

　　Luana’s silent gaze seemed to irritate Liliana even further. Striding over, Liliana slapped her hard across the cheek.

　　The scent of roses…

　　Yet Luana was so consumed by the heavy scent of roses wafting from Liliana that she couldn’t even feel the pain. The fragrance she had loved until recently was now sickeningly repulsive.

　　Had it… not been just a dream?

　　Faint memories began to surface bit by bit. The memory of her death was coming into sharp focus.

　　Liliana grew even more displeased by Luana’s lack of reaction. The child who should have been begging her by now was holding her head high, unlike her usual self.

　　“My. Aren’t you even sorry? I was going to let this go, but clearly that won’t do. No food until you’ve learned your lesson!”

　　Luana blinked at Liliana’s words. The threat of being denied food felt familiar too. She shifted her gaze to the maids hovering anxiously behind Liliana.

　　The maids avoided Luana’s eyes, pretending to be occupied elsewhere. The hems of their skirts were undeniably stained with pure white whipped cream.

　　Wait…

　　She felt like she had experienced this in her dream as well. The maids had accidentally ruined the cake and pinned the blame on her.

　　So… had she had a prophetic dream? Had she seen the moment of her death?

　　Then why did she know not just the moment of her death, but this situation right now? Confused, Luana tried to make sense of it.

　　“I am locking the door. Stay here and think about what you’ve done.”

　　Liliana turned away coldly and left the room. With a click, the door was locked.

　　Oh no, I forgot to stop her…

　　Luana hadn’t eaten properly for days. Unless Liliana came to see her, the maids wouldn’t even give her a sip of water. And over the past few days, Liliana had been too busy preparing for Louis’s birthday banquet to even set foot here. If she were starved for several more days, she truly might not survive.

　　Yet Luana could do nothing except stare at the door slamming shut. She couldn’t think straight, much less understand what was happening.

　　However, one thing was certain.

　　The dream hadn’t been just a dream. And in it, she had…

　　Died.

The realization jolted Luana to her feet as if she’d suddenly woken up. In those final moments, she had truly died. Liliana had stabbed her in the heart…

　　“Ugh…”

　　The scent of roses left in the room was nauseating. The stench was so thick it seemed to close around her, making her want to vomit.

　　She dry-heaved a few times before staring blankly around the room.

　　Blue…

　　Her eyes shone vividly in the mirror.

She slowly approached it. With every blink, they seemed to glow even brighter. The clear, rippling blue felt strangely familiar. They reminded her of the blue light that had enveloped the world just before she died.

　　Luana slowly reached out and touched the mirror.

　　“Ah!”

　　At the cold touch of the glass, Luana reflexively pulled her hand back. The chill spreading from her fingertips snapped her back to reality.

　　This was no time for this.

　　Luana tried to remember the dream.

　　…Or at least, she tried to.

　　Before long, her face crumpled, close to tears.

　　She couldn’t remember anything.

　　She knew pieces were missing, but she couldn’t tell what they were. All her memories merely hovered inside her mind like faint afterimages.

　　“What do I do?”

　　Luana clenched her fists tight. She was only eight years old right now, unable to do anything. Perhaps she would go on living like this and die just as she had seen in her dream. Nothing had changed.

　　No…

Luana lifted her head. Something had changed.

　　She had changed.

　　Before, Luana would have burst into tears and begged at Liliana’s feet for forgiveness, even though she had done nothing wrong. But now, she knew that Liliana would kill her in the future, and she had no desire to wait around quietly for death.

　　And she knew what she had to do right now.

　　“I have to run away.”

　　She had to get away from Liliana. Luana clenched her teeth.