Good riddance.From the upper-floor window, I watched Celeste and Silas stride toward their ornate carriage, their golden cloaks billowing in the breeze behind them. Celeste's eyes flashed upward, meeting mine for a fleeting moment. A shiver crept down my spine, but I fought the urge to duck out of sight. I had nothing to fear from her penetrating gaze. I doubted our paths would cross again.Instead, I plastered on a saccharine smile and waved, a gesture that seemed to prickle Celeste's icy exterior. She whirled around, her blonde locks whipping behind her, and climbed into the carriage with a huff. Silas, noticing her abrupt departure, craned his neck to spot me. His eyes narrowed into slits, an evil glare I could feel even from a distance. He disappeared into the carriage, and I watched as it rumbled out of the estate, kicking up dust in its wake.Exhaling deeply, I made my way back to the library, the tension in my shoulders unspooling with each step now that Silas and Celeste's suffocating presence had vanished from the castle. As I approached the towering wooden doors, a familiar voice called out, "Miss Mara!"I spun around to see Belmont striding toward me, his emerald eyes twinkling with mischief. "I trust my brother has been treating you well during your stay?""More than well, actually," I replied, a genuine smile tugging at my lips. "I was wondering if there have been any developments in the investigation into the attack in Aeloria?"Belmont hesitated, his brow furrowing slightly. "We've uncovered some new information, but I haven't had the chance to share it with Mikhail yet. I plan to give him a full report on his study later today."My heart leaped at the prospect of finally getting some answers. "Would it be possible for me to sit in on the report? Given that I was directly involved...""I don't see why not," Belmont assured me with a nod. Relief washed over me. Part of me worried they might object to my presence in an official meeting, but it was only fair for me to be included, considering I was at the center of it all."So, where were you off to?" Belmont asked, changing the subject."Back to the library," I admitted.A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. "A bookworm, just like Mikhail."I couldn't help but smile at that, warmth spreading through me at the thought of my shared love of reading with Mikhail."Not a fan of books yourself, Lord Aster?" I teased."Please, call me Belmont," he insisted with a mischievous wink. "And no, I'm more of an action man. I prefer to go out and make my own stories rather than read about them."I bit back the urge to roll my eyes. Typical jock, I mused silently. "So, what do you do for fun then, Belmont?" I asked, emphasizing his name."Training with the knights, mostly," he replied, a coy smile playing on his lips.His playful demeanor left me wondering if he was just being friendly or if his words had a flirtatious undercurrent. But considering he'd saved my life more times than I could count since I stumbled into this strange world, I decided to take his tone as simply friendly. Just then, the rapid pattern of footsteps echoed through the stone corridor. "There you are, Lady Samara!" a bright voice chirped. Kat hurried towards us, her eyes widening as she noticed Belmont's imposing figure beside me. She dipped into a deep curtsy, her cheeks flushing. "Lord Aster, forgive my intrusion.""Is there something you need, Kat?" I asked, turning my attention to the flustered girl."Yes, my lady. Pascal was wondering what you'd like served for lunch?"I blinked, surprised. Hadn't I just finished a hearty breakfast with Mikhail mere hours ago? Did nobles truly eat so frequently? And why ask me, shouldn't they be asking Mikhail?"I'm not picky," I replied with a smile. "Whatever the chef has planned will be perfect.""Of course, my lady." Kat bobbed her head and scurried off, her footsteps fading as she disappeared down the hallway.I turned back to Belmont, who was staring at me with a perplexed expression, his brows knitted together. "Is everything alright, Lord As—I mean, Belmont?" I asked, searching his face for clues.His emerald eyes refocused, a flicker of recognition sparking within their depths. "Samara... your name is Samara?" he asked, his tone unusually serious. "But you introduced yourself as Mara," he pressed, his gaze boring into mine."Mara is a nickname. My full name is Samara." An awkward silence stretched between us, the air thick with unspoken questions.Suddenly, a wide grin split Belmont's face, and a booming laugh burst from his lips. "I can't believe it finally worked!" he exclaimed, his eyes dancing with glee. "Mikhail has been trying for so long, and now you're finally here. He must be over the moon! I wonder why that sly fox hasn't told me anything yet."Confusion swirled within me. Was he mistaking me for someone else? Belmont, oblivious to my bewilderment, continued to ramble excitedly."And to think that bastard Silas came to threaten him with marriage. I can't wait to see his face when your engagement is announced!"My engagement? My mind reeled, struggling to make sense of his words. I opened my mouth to demand answers, but Belmont was still rambling on, a triumphant smile playing on his lips.The word tumbled from my lips, cutting through Belmont's enthusiastic chatter. "What are you talking about?"Belmont's brow furrowed as he finally registered the confusion etched onto my face. "Your engagement to Mikhail, of course. He's been waiting so long; we all have, actually."I stared at him, disbelief and shock warring within me. "My engagement to Mikhail?" I repeated slowly, the words feeling foreign on my tongue. "Belmont, I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not engaged to anyone, least of all Mikhail."His eyes widened, and a flicker of uncertainty crossed his features. "But... you're Samara, you're her. The one Mikhail has been searching for to marry."My head spun like I was caught in a whirlpool, the world tilting dangerously on its axis. Everything blurred as if I were teetering on the edge of space and time, about to tumble into the abyss."Samara!" Belmont's sharp and urgent voice cut through the haze. His hands caught me just as my legs betrayed me, their strength the only thing keeping me anchored to the present. I tried to speak, to tell him he had the wrong person, but the words barely escaped my lips, thin and fragile, like a whisper lost in a storm.Then, out of nowhere, a pounding started in my head, rhythmic and relentless. It wasn't Belmont's voice anymore. No, this one was deep, rich, and familiar in a way that sent a chill down my spine. You will never see him again!Dad? But the voice became too distorted, like a radio station that couldn't entirely tune in.Belmont was still talking, but his muffled and distant voice sounded like it came from underwater. Another voice joined the din, a boy's urgent and insistent voice. "Sammy, you have to promise." The words slithered up my left arm like a tingling warmth creeping toward my heart.Promise what? What am I supposed to promise? I shouted back in my head, but the voices only grew louder, clashing and crashing against each other like waves in a storm."Stop it, please! One at a time!" I screamed, desperate for some semblance of order. But the voices ignored me, drowning each other out in a chaotic symphony of sound."Sammy, you will be my wife one day." The boy's voice echoed again, pulling at a thread of something buried deep within me. His wife? Who are you? My thoughts were a tangled mess, a blur of confusion and fear.Suddenly, another pair of hands grabbed me, solid and steady, shaking me from the brink of collapse. The new voice demanded to know what happened, its urgency breaking through the noise."Samara, what's wrong? Open your eyes. Look at me, please." This voice was different, familiar in a way that made my heart ache. Something in it made me want to reach out to it, something that felt like home.I fought to open my eyes, each blink a battle against the darkness. But then my father's voice boomed inside my head, chanting something unintelligible that rattled my skull like a gong. An implosion of pain exploded behind my eyes, and the warmth in my left arm vanished, leaving behind an icy void.And then...silence. Complete and utter silence. The voices stopped, the world went dark, and I was floating, weightless in a sea of black nothingness. There was nothing left to hold onto, nothing left to think. Just...nothing.I floated aimlessly, disconnected from everything—no sound, no light, not even the pounding of my own heart. It was as if I had been erased from existence, a mere speck lost in the infinite darkness.But then, a flicker of light appeared in the distance. It was faint, but it grew steadily brighter. I felt a pull toward it, an inexplicable urge to move closer, to reach out and grasp that light with everything I had left.As I drew nearer, the light expanded, bathing me in a soft, warm glow. It wasn't blinding, but it was enough to chase away the oppressive darkness that had swallowed me whole. The light seemed to pulse in time with a rhythm, a steady beat that matched the cadence of a heartbeat, but it wasn't my heart that was beating.I wasn't alone anymore. The light carried with it a presence, something familiar. It surrounded me, cradling me, and for the first time since I'd been pulled into the void, I felt safe."Samara..." The voice was soft and gentle, and it resonated through the light, vibrating around me. It wasn't the booming voice of my father nor the boy's urgent pleas. It was someone else—someone who made me feel...whole."Who are you?" My voice was barely a whisper, but in the silence of the void, it echoed like a shout.The light didn't answer directly. Instead, it enveloped me, growing brighter and brighter until it became a blinding white that consumed everything.Gasping for breath, I jolted upright, my eyes snapping open to find myself lying on the floor. My heart raced as I struggled to get my bearings, the memory of the void still clinging to me like a shadow."Samara!" Mikhail's sharp, concerned voice cut through the lingering haze. His face swam into view, his gray eyes wide with fear. He knelt beside me, his hands gripping my shoulders as if afraid I might disappear.All I could focus on was Mikhail. His touch ground me in reality, pulling me back from the brink of whatever had tried to consume me."What happened?" My voice was hoarse, and I winced at its sound."You collapsed," Mikhail said, his voice strained."We were talking, and then you suddenly looked unwell," another voice said. I turned my head slowly toward it and recognized Belmont.When did he get back, and why did he look so worried?"We were?" I asked, "I don't remember that."I had no recollection of having spoken with Belmont. It was as if my short-term memory had been wiped, just like when I first woke up in this world.