BXBX NOVEL Chapter 26 – Luna Winfred (2)
Chapter 26 – Luna Winfred (2)
Luna visited Count Yustia’s mansion under the pretext of attending a ball.
Isabel, dressed to the nines, looked lovely even to Luna, another woman.
As rumored, her beauty was akin to a sculpture meticulously crafted by the gods.
Kyle fell in love at first sight.
Even those who hadn’t interacted much with Kyle would acknowledge the pure love shining in his eyes as he looked at Isabel.
Kyle behaved affectionately towards Isabel.
Her slightly blushing face and warm smile at just a few words melted him.
He resembled a boy of his age, with all the innocence intact.
Long ago, just as Kyle had done to Luna.
— Miss, Young Master Kyle left the mansion a while ago.
— He’s heading to the Counte Yustia’s estate again today.
Around that time, Kyle’s outings became more frequent, and he began to focus more on his outward appearance.
Most importantly, life seemed to return to his once half-dead face.
Upon seeing this, Luna realized afresh.
That even in the shattered life of Kyle, there still lingered a glimmer of hope.
— Talks of engagement with Justia…
— It really makes you think that even a simple beast has its uses.
— What are you doing? Without pursuing it right away.
The Duchess, on the contrary, opposed Kyle’s engagement.
She wanted to tear apart that despicable smile right then and there, but Luna endured.
There was nothing to gain from agitating her at this moment.
With the Duchess’s cooperation, the engagement proceeded smoothly.
They went to the cathedral and formally exchanged vows, preparing for the official engagement ceremony.
But where did it all go wrong?
Above all, Kyle’s pure intentions, once as white as snow, began to darken.
— The mansion’s servants say that Young Master Kyle and Miss Isabel’s relationship hasn’t been so good lately.
— Miss Isabel seems reluctant to accept the engagement…
She had forgotten.
That Kyle was a being unwelcomed anywhere.
Because of the misery she had spread with her own hands.
And because of the pride of Kyle that she had trampled upon.
— Young Master Kyle seems to be rushing the engagement instead.
— Miss Isabel doesn’t seem actively inclined towards breaking off the engagement.
— In fact, the atmosphere at Yustia seems to be enthusiastically supporting the engagement…
With time, she thought, one day she could be forgiven for her mistakes.
There were reasons for it.
She hadn’t had proper judgment at a young age.
I loved you more than anyone else in this mansion.
I thought I could eventually be forgiven for my sins.
I wanted to plead for a chance to make amends.
I wanted Kyle to rely on me.
And if only he would call me sister one last time, how wonderful would that be?
But as the light grows brighter, shadows deepen.
Sometimes, certain despair is better than unreachable hope.
So Luna chose despair.
Her selfish hope would be more lethal to Kyle than anything else.
— Send a letter to Yustia.
— A letter, Miss?
— Yes, informing them that we wish to expedite the engagement.
Too much had gone awry to mend the torn relationship through effort alone.
****
Finally, Kyle left the Duke’s mansion.
Since he was now officially married to Isabel, he left the Duke’s mansion to become independent.
As soon as Kyle left, the Duchess seemed to have been waiting for this moment, swiftly erasing any trace of him in the mansion.
His room was immaculately cleaned, and every garment he had worn was neatly stowed away.
Kyle left no trace in the mansion.
Gradually, as if he had never existed in the mansion to begin with, Kyle faded from everyone’s memory.
The horrific realization unleashed suppressed emotions within Luna.
— Sister, where on earth are you!”
— I’ve been searching for you endlessly.
The apparition of Kyle rushing towards her filled Luna’s vision.
Luna looked at the blurry figure of Kyle with teary eyes.
Even knowing it was nothing but an illusion, she couldn’t tear her gaze away.
— You said you wanted to become the head of Winfred last time.
Head.
Yes, I wanted it more than anything.
Just because I couldn’t become the head, I’ve done all sorts of terrible things to you, Kyle.
“Keuk…!”
She couldn’t breathe.
Kyle’s voice pierced Luna’s ears like a sharp blade.
— This way, sister.
Luna stumbled as if possessed by a ghost.
And she found herself standing in front of none other than Kyle’s room.
Through the wide-open window, fragments of memories unfolded.
On a winter day painted in white, Kyle sat on the floor, shivering in agony, banging on the door.
— Please… Please, it’s too cold in here…
Kyle trembled as if frost had settled all over him.
How much pain must he have been in?
How much suffering…
— Please, just a blanket…!
“… …Ah.”
A sigh of anguish escaped from her parted lips.
It’s all… it’s all because of me.
A dreadful sense of guilt seized her heart.
— Too… too painful…
Of course, it was painful.
To throw a child, weak and without proper nutrition, into the freezing cold.
Tears welled up in Luna’s eyes.
A sharp pain pierced her chest as she repeatedly pounded her chest with her palm.
The apparition of Kyle, who had been banging on the door all along, gradually collapsed weakly on the floor.
— Why…
Transparent tears formed in her eyes and fell silently.
She couldn’t breathe, as if something was blocking her throat.
— What wrong did I do…
“K-Kyle…”
Luna staggered towards Kyle’s apparition.
The suppressed, murky emotions turned into sharp blades, tearing through her mind.
“Sorry… I’m sorry…”
Luna cried out earnestly.
Her vision blurred with the incessant flow of tears.
– I want to go home…
Kyle’s apparition, staggering for a long time, eventually disintegrated into fine particles and scattered into the air.
Luna’s outstretched hand, desperate to reach him, waved in the empty space.
A chilling coldness entered her lungs with each breath.
A void as deep as the abyss suppressed her sanity.
“Kyle……”
If only she had known.
If only she had known it would be this agonizing.
“……Kyle……”
She wouldn’t have made such a choice.
“……Ha.”
Luna chuckled, tears streaming down her face.
The belated regret seemed absurd.
****
Time passed, but Kyle’s apparition didn’t disappear.
It would randomly emerge and sharply scratch Luna’s insides, and Luna strangely found satisfaction in that excruciating pain.
Struggling in the swamp of deep guilt, Luna never once visited Kyle after he left the mansion.
So even seeing Kyle as a hallucination felt like a miracle to Luna.
One day, she came across Kyle’s portrait through the butler.
Kyle had grown into a man she no longer recognized.
Her heart raced.
That day, until she fell asleep, Luna murmured to herself while gazing at Kyle’s portrait.
Then one day, it happened.
“Miss, something terrible has happened!”
The butler opened the door with urgent steps.
Laughing at the completely disrupted hierarchy where the servant dared to open the master’s door without permission, Luna was hit by a hollow laughter.
“Y-Young Master Kyle has passed away!”
“…Passed away?”
Luna numbly repeated the report uttered by the butler.
The old butler spoke with a voice mixed with rough breaths.
“Yes, he was found dead at his residence…”
It didn’t feel real.
No, this couldn’t be real.
A squeezed-out voice emerged from Luna’s throat.
“What… what are you saying…”
“The cause of death is poisoning. He died from a lethal dose of poison found in his teacup.”
Kyle… dead…?
It couldn’t be true.
Kyle wouldn’t have taken his own life…
“It’s murder.”
“…Murder?”
The old butler nodded slowly.
“Who.”
“Pardon?”
“Who did it!”
“L-Lady Isabel.”
“…What?”
“Lady Isabel had the maids prepare poison a few days ago. Currently, Miss Isabel has disappeared…”
Luna read the contents of the document handed to her by the butler repeatedly.
It was an unequivocal truth, untouched by falsehood.
Simultaneously, a dreadful realization surged through her veins.
Isabel, the damn woman she had arranged Kyle’s engagement with.
She killed her brother.
“Why.”
Luna murmured with a sinking voice.
“For what reason.”
Everything seemed blurry, as if in a dream.
“Why?”
No, it can’t be.
It shouldn’t be like this.
“…No.”
There are still many questions to ask.
I need to seek forgiveness and prove my love.
“…It’s because of me.”
Her lips moved involuntarily.
“I… let Kyle go…”
Because I couldn’t protect Kyle.
Reason melted away like lava on her forehead.
She had hoped Kyle would be happy leaving the mansion.
She didn’t expect this outcome.
If she had known, she wouldn’t have let Kyle leave.
Everything turned pitch-black before Luna’s eyes.
A chilling numbness crept into a corner of her heart.
“The Young Master’s body is being transported to the Northern region. The Duchess has decided not to hold a separate funeral…”
A sinister glint flickered in Luna’s eyes.
“Not hold a funeral.”
“Yes, they will place him in the family tomb and bury him.”
“What about the others in the mansion?”
“……”
The old butler remained silent.
The implication was all too clear.
“Pfft.”
Ah, yes.
They were originally such people.
Luna’s face contorted into a mess.
A vicious rage surged.
To herself, who sent Kyle to his death, and to the vile creatures of Winfred.
“That’s right.”
Luna spat out vehemently.
The worn-out reason finally broke and snapped.
Let’s atone with death.
Me.
And Winfred.
****
After relentless interrogation, Luna succeeded in procuring the poison used to kill Kyle.
Colorless, odorless, and overwhelmingly lethal.
It was said to accompany excruciating pain when ingested.
Luna adorned herself more beautifully than ever.
Simultaneously, she proposed a banquet.
Under the pretext of the prosperity of Winfred.
The mansion remained bustling as ever.
Even with Kyle’s death, nothing changed.
It didn’t take long for the banquet to be prepared.
Various dishes were laid out magnificently on the long table, and familiar faces gathered around the empty seat.
Ian Winfred.
The Duchess.
And, herself.
Luna sat down with a smiling face.
“Luna, what’s gotten into you? You rarely propose banquets.”
The Duchess smiled elegantly.
Luna also responded with a refined smile.
“I apologize for showing you an unsightly appearance all this time.”
“It’s good that you know. But I’m glad you’ve come to your senses at last.”
The Duchess waved her hands and laughed.
Ian, seated at the head of the table, casually swirled the glass on the table as usual.
“Let’s start the dinner.”
Clank.
The sound of utensils clashing resonated sharply in the air.
Sunlight poured through the window in the ceiling.
In the atmosphere, which seemed faintly sacred, an alien voice spread through the ears.
Cough!
“What…?”
The Duchess spurted out crimson blood.
“P-Please…”
Thud—
The staggering Duchess collapsed to the ground.
“What in the world…!!”
Ian, who was unknowingly eating his food, also rose from his seat in shock.
A deep sense of astonishment filled his eyes.
“Ugh…!”
Before long, Ian too spewed blood from his mouth.
The pristine white tablecloth was now dyed a deep crimson.
“Ugh…”
Ian sank to the ground with bloodshot eyes.
“G-Gurk… Gah…”
A moment later.
Ian, now slumped on the floor, trembled all over like a fish out of water.
His appearance was so ludicrous that Luna couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Haah…”
Thud—
A sinister sound of muscles contorting shattered the silence.
From Ian’s fallen body, the light in his eyes faded away.
The Duchess also passed away without leaving a single word.
In the blink of an eye, tragedy unfolded, and the sharp screams of the maids who had been watching filled the air.
And then.
“…”
Cough—
The blood spurted from Luna’s throat.
“….Ah.”
Luna got up from her chair.
And slowly lay down on the floor.
The sunlight pouring through the ceiling illuminated her brightly.
The sky was clearer than ever.
It was a perfect day to die.
“Pfft.”
The bloodshot vision turned red.
As if squeezing muscles, the pain numbed her senses.
Kyle.
My brother.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
The blood flowing from her lips gradually pooled on the floor.
It was too late, but…
She knew she didn’t deserve forgiveness.
She trembled with cowardice, only thinking of herself until the end.
But she wanted to see him.
Kyle’s bright smile.
She wanted to hear it.
His gentle voice calling her.
Luna’s azure pupils gradually lost their light.
In a moment when her voice failed to come out, it was only her lips trembling.
[You may lose what is most precious to you.]
[Would you like to start over from the beginning?]
In the crimson vision, something indistinguishable entered.
“…”
Starting over from the beginning.
Is that… possible…
Luna’s right arm, lying on the floor, trembled and lifted.
“P-Please…”
Even if it meant sacrificing her soul.
“Just… one more… time…”
The voice that seeped through the gaps of her clenched teeth was feeble, mixed with heavy breaths.
“Again…”
Her eyelids felt heavy.
Between the narrowing field of vision, the message refreshed.
[Initiating Regression]
Luna’s consciousness flickered.