The sky turned into a bloody mesh, the people who witnessed her execution screamed in panic, and arrows rained down on them from the sky. Claire even saw Vincent—her brother fall in front of her, his skull horribly impaled by an arrow.
Sharon who was sitting next to Ethan nodded her head, her face as confused as Ethan's.
"Umm maybe you were … dreaming?" She suggested softly. "I don't think such a thing would befall Etrill without any news or lead."
'Dream?'
She clearly felt how it felt to starve for 3 days straight, how Vincent gave her a knife while she's in prison, and how cold the chains felt when tied to her hands.
"No … that's not possible!" her voice shaking and tears welling in her eyes, streaking across her face.
"I– I am the daughter of Duke Waltz! I was accused of leading a coup and sentenced to death by the Crown Prince!"
In the end, Claire revealed what happened to her. Full of emotion, she continued her words, screaming from the top of her heart.
"I was supposed to die there!" There is no way they didn't know about such a thing. "Everyone is watching as I am about to die!!"
Ethan and Sharon must have known about the execution, but why didn't they say anything and turn a blind eye to it as if it never happened?
'Do they really know nothing about my sentence?'
"The sky turned red and a crimson moon appeared during the day! You should've seen them! There is no way that the sky only turned on top of my execution!?–"
She couldn't even see properly, her tears had already blurred her vision. As she screamed from the top of her lungs, Sharon and Ethan only looked at her with pity.
"Then rain of arrows strikes through everyone, killing all of those spectators that are about to watch me die including my brother and father… how the table has turned …"
Sharon and Ethan looked at each other, clearly at a loss for words after hearing everything Claire had revealed. Ethan shook his head slowly, his face filled with confusion and perhaps a hint of pity.
Claire felt her heart beat even faster.
"Why don't you know? It really happened! I– I saw how those arrows impaled everyone right in front of my eyes!!!"
Ethan opened his mouth before closing it again and taking a breath, "Lady Claire …"
He then softened his tone, patting the back of Claire sobs and lumped on the bed "There is no news about any incident or sentence that you mention in the capital. I was there at the time and the situation– as I have mentioned before, is okay."
Ethan got up from his seat and took a red rose that was in a glass vase on the table by the bed. Ethan's hand moved to offer the flower as if asking Claire to calm the anxiety that was taking over her mind.
"For you, milady," Ethan said with a warm smile. "Maybe you are tired from being chased by people? I see that your clothes are pretty … shabby."
Claire gazed down, she was surprised by the change in her attire. The prisoner's clothes that she wore have been changed to white satin clothes.
Ethan turned to face Sharon.
"Ah, I'm sorry! I helped you change without your permission." Her voice's a mix of shame and awkwardness. "It was already very worn and dirty … afraid that you will get a rash, I … changed it"
The simple clothes that were clearly not hers, very different from the clothes she usually wore as the daughter of a Duke which were always filled with beaded jewelry.
'What the heck is going on!?' Claire thought, her brain apparently not responding, unable to comprehend all the strange things happening.
Ethan chuckled, filling the quiet atmosphere with his signature warmth.
"Rest for now, milady. I'm afraid you have hit your head while running in the forest." Ethan jokingly said, his hand stroking Claire's head.
Claire felt the execution and disaster that befell her family earlier fade in the face of Ethan and Sharon's warmth and friendliness. However, of course she still remembered and kept it clear that it was not a dream in her head.
"Hit my head?" She mumbles slowly.
"No, this isn't about hitting my head … I was really there."
She looked down at the red rose Ethan had given her, trying to find a way for them both to believe his explanation.
However, Ethan and Sharon's warmth confused him even more.
'How is it possible that they aren't even aware of what's happening?'
As she stared at the red rose, Sharon's hand began to grasp hers. Her soft and warm hand makes Claire feel the sincerity of Sharon's behavior.
"Hey … no need to think about it, what Ethan said might be true. You might've hit your head so hard that you began to have that nightmare."
Claire stared at Sharon, that was not what Claire wanted. Even these two people still thought Claire had a bad memory from running away and smashed her head to a trunk or something.
"If that's so … how can you find me lying unconscious in the forest, wearing the kingdom's prisoner's attire," her tone soft and bitter.
The brown haired man roughly breathed. "Hah… you, we can see that you wore a pristine dress, where did you put it, Sharon?"
As Ethan looked towards her, Sharon nodded.
"That's right … it seems like you really had forgotten everything that happened. It must be traumatic, isn't it, Claire?"
Claire was silent, her eyes staring at Sharon in disbelief. Her eyes wide, the ruby beads that were her pupils were clearly visible.
'This woman really doesn't understand what I'm saying.'
"Try to … differentiate reality and dreams, okay?" Ethan said as he yawned.
He stopped stroking Claire's head and walked away towards the exit of the room.
"Where are you going?" She asked.
"Not your concern, just rest for now, milady." Ethan replied with a wink and a smile. It was enough to make Claire shudder at the man's flirtatiousness.
Then, Sharon approached and whispered, "Please forgive him, he's always like that. But, he really is kind and caring."
Sharon's giggle seems to understand what she felt just from Claire's goosebumps earlier. "He has helped me several times, and this is the first time he's asked me for help to take care of you."
Claire's red, plump lips, slowly rose a smile even though she's still tired and confused. A frown was visible on her forehead because she heard Sharon's explanation that Ethan seemed to be paying attention to her.
She shakes her head and slowly slapped her cheeks. "Thank you, Sharon." She said with a rough voice, her throat still sore.
–ooOoo–