In a faraway land, there was an old castle standing in the middle of it. But the outer view of the castle can never be compared with what's inside the castle. There are full of items made of expensive and high-quality materials inside the old castle. The carpets placed on the ivory floor were made from the highest grade of white wolf fur. The curtains were made of cotton silk with silver peony and lilies embroidered on it.
In the deepest part of the castle, there was a dim room lit by single candlelight. The room was plain and has no exquisite decorations. But there was a glowing crystal ball placed inside the center of the room. There was also a simple chair with an old cushion placed in front of the crystal ball.
A woman wearing a long, white dress suddenly appeared and sat on the chair. She has silver wavy hair, a pair of turquoise eyes, rosy cheeks, and pouty red lips. She leisurely watched the scenario playing on the crystal ball.
A man was obviously dying in the middle of the street. Death is a natural occurrence in the human world. Each one of them will die when their time has come. But the lovely woman seems can't take her eyes off of that man. Her eyes even shone brightly in interest when she heard his last words.
"A miracle, huh..." She murmurs. "Heh. Humans are really foolish."
The words she uttered were full of ridicule, but the look in her eyes as she watched the scenario playing on the crystal ball was soft. Thinking for a short while, the woman touched her necklace with a red jewel dangling on it. She lazily rubbed the pendant between her fingers as she watched the scenes playing on the crystal ball. Staring at the lifeless man lying on the road, the woman's lips curled up as she muttered something.
"But you are already late. I've already used a huge amount of my powers today. Hmm... What to do now?"
The woman intensely stared at the man's pale face. She did not expect to see another interesting person on the same day. It would be a waste if she will let that man die because of a pathetic accident. Leaving her no choice, she pulled the necklace from her neck and crushed the red jewel in her hands. The broken jewel showed a faint glow but it quickly disappeared.
"Since I decided to change someone's fate just a while ago, why not I change your fate too?"
Then the woman threw the shattered jewel on the crystal ball. The crystal ball quickly reacted and a glowing red light scattered in the room. After a few minutes, the red glowing light disappeared making the room dark again.
Flicking her fingers, the scene playing on the crystal ball has changed. The crystal ball was now showing another young man who is currently writing something in his journal. The young man has an obviously troubled look on his face.
"Russel Ferrer and Gian Cres Val. Hmm... Two interesting names. I should be grateful that I found you two." She said in a low voice. "But you better entertain me as a payment for my efforts."
-//-//-
'She was drowning, but no one saw her suffer. She was dying, but no one is willing to save her. She was begging for mercy, but no one...'
A crisp knocking sound echoed inside the room. The young man lifted his hand that holds a feather plume to stop writing. He momentarily stared at the door before saying something.
"Come in."
A young maid carefully opened the door. She bowed her head a little to give her respect towards him. And then the young man noticed that the maid who entered his room was holding a small tray in her hands. There was a glass of water and a bottle of pills on the tray.
"Young master, it's time for you to take your medicine."
"...Oh."
The maid lifted her head and saw a young man sitting on a chair who was currently writing something in his journal. He has soft, cerulean hair, a pair of honey-colored eyes, a high bridged nose, and soft lips. The bright sunlight coming from the window was hitting his face. When he tilted his head a little, with the addition of the sunlight from the window, it gave a soft illusionary glow around him.
The young maid who called him suddenly stopped from talking. His face is handsome. His eyes show no emotion, but it made a person sink into captivation. The young maid can't help but sigh in admiration for her young master.
"Are you done staring at me? Did you already see enough?"
The young maid suddenly stiffened and quickly bowed down her head and acknowledged her mistake.
"Young Master, please forgive me...."
Before the maid can finish her sentence, the young man expressionlessly interrupted her.
"Just put my medicine on the table and leave. Make sure that you will close the door tightly before you leave."
The young maid did not waste more time and quickly followed her young master's order. After putting the tray that contained a glass of water and a container full of medicine tablets, she bowed down her head and quickly stepped out of the room.
When the door closed, Gian let out a sigh. It was still ten in the morning, but he's already tired. Looking at the words he wrote in his journal, Gian can't help but sigh again. These are the exact words he had written in this journal a long time ago.
Gian stands up from his chair and looked at his reflection on the mirror placed inside the drawer. He is pretty sure that this was his own face, but this face is too young. A large contrast from the old and scarred face Gian saw last night before he died. And this room was the same room he had when he was still sixteen years old.
Did he travel back in time?
Before he can think deeply about it, someone knocked on his door again.
"...Come in."
This time, an old man wearing a black suit opened the door and respectfully bowed down in front of him. Gian was surprised when he saw the old man, but he maintained his neutral expression.
"Young Master, Marquis Cres Val wants you to go to his office." Butler Del, the old man who entered his room, respectfully said.
Father?
It's been decades since he last heard his family name. The Cres Val was accused wrongly and was given a death sentence. If someone will dare to mention it, that person will be executed. That's how the Kingdom of Fresiala loathed their family. Leaving him no choice, Gian had to forget his own family name to continue living.
"Young Master?"
Gian blinked his eyes and stopped himself from reminiscing the past.
"It's nothing. Why did father want to see me?"
"Marquis Cres Val did not mention anything to me. He has just ordered me to inform you to go to his office to discuss something important."
"I see. Then I will go and see him right now." Gian said.
"There is also a letter arrived this morning for you, Young Master." The butler said and give the letter to Gian.
"Who sent this letter?" Gian asked as he put the letter on the table and grabbed the suit properly hanged in his closet.
"It's from the eldest daughter of Viscount Cladeu's family."
Gian turned around with a surprised expression on his face and looked at the butler.
"Viscount Cladeu?" Gian asked. "The letter is from Lady Shannen?"
"That's correct, Young Master." The butler said.
"Why is Lady Shannen sending me letters?"
The butler looked at Gian with a confused look, but he quickly fixed his expression.
"Young Master, you've been friends with Lady Shannen since childhood."
'Friends? Lady Shannen?'
This was really too much for someone like him who seems to have returned back in time without any reason at all. Gian pursed his lips and did not ask more questions. Gian thinks it was better if he will forget about it for now and think of the reason why he was back in time where he was still living as Gian Cres Val.