Author's Note: Hello there, my faithful readers! It is nice to come back and release some new chapters as I have been brainstorming and thinking of more cool things to add to the story! This chapter will be the first one (will be about Luscia) so, look out for the next one coming out later today! Enjoy!
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"Hey, Kai, have you noticed something different with Luscia?"
"Hmm? Nothing is wrong with her. Well, as far as I could tell..."
"Really? Hey, Sir Roscelto, don't you think that she is acting weirdly?"
"She is? I think she is perfectly fine though. I am her father."
"Don't worry, Calli. I am sure that Miss Luscia is alright. We should let her rest up a bit as well. I mean, this afternoon, we will be asking her exactly what happened in that room. She needs some time to recover from an incident like that so, try not to disturb her too much."
"Oh, okay, daddy."
I turn over on my bed.
It has already been 3 days since I woke up without knowing what happened that caused the others to be worried about me. The Emperor has become awfully close with both father and uncle, probably because he is worried about me.
Even though that amount of time has already passed, I still don't know what happened on that day. No one seems to speak about it every time I am around. Was it really that traumatic that they don't talk about it? I can't imagine anything worse than a severe concussion happening though.
Also, I almost never see the other representatives from the other countries anymore. I only see them moving around in some areas but, when I want to go there, some guards will tell me that I am not allowed in as it is a restricted area. I don't know why they are separating the other representatives from us but, it is clearly for a good reason.
But, as of this time, I don't have enough information to come up with a conclusion. Oh yeah, I should probably talk about my feelings. Well, I don't actually feel anything anymore now. I don't really feel happiness or sadness or anger or whatever kind of emotion. Could a severe concussion cause both memory loss and a numbing of the emotions?
I don't know if it could. I read many books in my life but, I haven't read any books concerning medicine and health yet. That could probably be because of my noble upbringing as I have no need for that kind of knowledge, or that those kinds of books are actually quite rare, only available to some highly-learned doctors or potion brewers.
Right now, the people who still live in close proximity to me are eating breakfast in the common living area. If you are wondering, I already ate my breakfast earlier. Before, I thought of myself as a person who liked to sleep for long times but now, I seem to wake up much earlier than before.
I don't know why I am changing this much after only a few days. I am kind of scared to know the reason why all of this is happening. But, I want to believe that nothing too bad has happened and that this will just be temporary.
That's right.
I need to act normal around other people. I can't poison them with the weirdness that is afflicting me right now. I... want to be the only abnormal one here. People who are weird will always sink into the darkness and never be remembered. All for the sake of other people, right? I lie my back onto the bed I'm on right now and try to sleep so that these thoughts stop invading my mind every time I start letting it wander.
By the way, I'm writing all of this in a small notebook given to me by Kai a few days ago. The place where I hide it is in a special slot in the ceiling. I am able to construct ice with my magic and step on it to elevate me to the ceiling where I hide this notebook.
After all, I can't let anyone read this.
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(It is now late afternoon, the time of the interrogation has come)
"All right, Luscia. Can you come with daddy for a bit?"
"Hmm?"
I suddenly see father in the doorway.
I was so focused on looking at the ceiling and relaxing that I didn't notice him immediately. I have a few questions as to why he suddenly wants to me to come with him but, I'll just come along. I don't anyone to feel annoyed with me and start getting angry because of my stubbornness.
"Okay."
"Thank you."
I stand up and walk towards him. The moment we exited, I saw uncle sitting down on one of the couches, sipping some tea. He didn't look at me at all so I turned my head to face father and followed him. We walked through the hallways for at least 5 minutes before I started feeling suspicious.
"Where are we going?"
"Oh, we're going to see the Emperor."
"But why? Surely he would have better things to do, like manage his empire rather than talk to us?"
"Oh, he just wants to ask you a few questions. After you answer them, you can go back to your room."
"Okay?"
What kind of questions will he be asking me? Is he trying to test my knowledge or something? Sadly, I haven't had the time to dabble in some books so, I might not be able to answer all of them correctly.
We then reached a door at the very end of a hallway. This seems to be the place as there is no other way on the sides of us, only this door. Why am I getting this ominous vibe right now? Even though I can't feel anything, I can sense the oddness of the situation right now.
"Alright, just go inside and everything will be done in a flash. I'll see you again when you are done."
Father then turned around but, not before I saw him sweating a little. Why is he that scared or nervous? Is this something very important? Now that I think about it, of course it would be important if the Emperor is involved in this. Gulping down some saliva, I knock and open the door.
"Luscia von Roscelto, present."
"Good, you're finally here. Let's try to finish this as fast as possible so that we can all go back to our own schedules."
One look around the room was all I needed and I immediately knew something was going on. Behind the Emperor was a young man with a blank sheet of paper and a pen in his hand. This feels more like an interrogation now that I think about it. Trying not to make myself appear suspiciously, I walked towards the table and sat down opposite of the Emperor.
"Okay, let's start. First of all, do you remember anything that happened before you woke up with Mister Iaus?"
"No, I am sorry to say that I don't remember anything. I could, however, vaguely remember the need to come back to the meeting."
"I see."
After our exchange was over, I heard the scratching of the quill on paper. This conversation of ours is recorded.
"Next question. Do you know that something has happened?"
"Well, I know that something has happened. Everyone is acting weirdly and nothing seems the same as before. Other than that, I don't actually have an idea about what transpired."
Once again, the scratching of the quill continues as the Emperor looks down at the table, hiding his expression from my sight.
"Ah... Last question. Do you sense any change within yourself?"
Oh no.
The question I was fearing.
"I... feel alright. I don't think there is anything wrong with my current condition."
"That's good. Earlier, Calli said that you felt different from before so, I just wanted to check. Alright, this concludes the questioning part."
"Thank you."
I stood up from my chair and headed towards the door before the Emperor started talking again.
"Do you want to know what happened that day?"
My hand stopped in it's tracks.
Of course I want to know as, it is something that eludes my memory but, something within me is screaming that I shouldn't know and that ignorance is bliss. However, my urge to know overpowered my uncertainty and I went back to my seat.
"Please, tell me."
"Okay. I can't exactly sugar-coat this as well so, I need to make sure you are ready for this."
Danger horns blared in my mind but I pressed on.
"I'm ready."
"You said it so, don't regret it. That day, a tragedy occurred. A merchant had died on a trip to a foreign country. Do you know who that merchant is?"
"No?"
"His name was Firon."
...
No.
No...
NO!!!
My heart started beating so hard that it was drumming against my chest. I started breathing so fast I was practically hyperventilating.
"He was found dead in his room, killed by another person present in the area. You were found unconscious in that room. There is currently one person who we think committed the act of murdering Firon."
No...
Stop, please!
My head!
I can feel it hurting so much! 'I don't want to know anymore!' is all my mind is saying. But, I persist through the pain. Firon is dead and there is one culprit. I can help is I somehow remember something. I can actually be useful for a change. I can save people instead of people helping me.
"The one we suspect did this heinous crime is Animus. You should know him. The one who talked to you and my children."
That was when I thought time had stopped. I could feel everything flooding back into me. The terror I felt that time. None of it is translating into my physical body. Even though I remember all of this happening, it is doing nothing to bring my emotions back.
Firon... was killed by Animus.
Animus, the homeless man who was helped out by the merchant. He wanted him to bring him to this meeting. He probably used his ability to influence his emotions and take advantage of his kindness. This is what he did to me.
He's the reason I can't feel.
And yet, I trusted him as well. But, in the end, the one who extended a helping hand, was murdered in cold blood. Backstabbed would be a more accurate word. You know, maybe it is a good thing he removed my ability to feel.
I will never suffer from emotional damage, nor will I be swayed by anyone.
Trust?
That will kill you.
I won't ever trust a single person, I won't ever form any kind of relationships with anyone. I will isolate myself from this world. I won't ever make that same mistake twice. This pain... will never hurt me, and I won't let it hurt anyone else.