Even though my house stood right beside the castle, I had never truly looked at it.
Not properly.
There was something about it—something that pulled at me constantly, a quiet force tugging at my chest whenever I came too close. It frightened me. Not because I didn't want answers, but because I feared what those answers might demand of me.
So, I avoided it.
I went to college even on days when my body felt hollow, when grief weighed heavier than sleep. I went because, for a few fleeting moments, I could see hope again—curved softly at the corner of Adrien's lips.
That slight smile was enough to keep me breathing.
I caught him stealing glances at me during lectures, during breaks, when he thought I wasn't looking. And every time our eyes met, something warm settled in my chest. His hazel eyes caught the light during golden hour, glowing softly—almost gently.
It made me melt.
There was something sweet growing between us—quiet, unspoken, unforced. Neither of us reached for it, yet it existed all the same. A warmth that felt natural.
Familiar.
As if we had known each other long before this life.
That evening, I walked home once again along the barely lit road, the streetlights flickering weakly above me. The familiar creak of the old gate echoed as I pushed it open.
But this time, my eyes drifted instinctively toward the castle.
I didn't intend to look at it.
My legs moved on their own.
Before I realized what I was doing, I was standing directly in front of the massive wooden doors—dark, closed, imposing. The air felt thick, charged, as if the castle itself was breathing.
I lifted my hand.
Then stopped.
Something lay on the ground near my feet.
A book.
Old—far older than anything I had ever seen. Its leather cover was worn, cracked with age, yet strangely intact. Etched across the front was a single word:
Valecroft.
My breath hitched.
I picked it up and flipped open a page.
The world vanished.
I was back in the house—but not as I knew it.
I stood in unfamiliar elegance, dressed in a black gown adorned with intricate designs, heavy and regal. The fabric clung to me like a memory I had forgotten I once wore.
A warm breath brushed my shoulder.
Someone lay against me.
A man.
He wore the simple clothes of a commoner from years long past, his body tense beneath my hands as I wrapped cloth around a deep wound in his side. Blood stained my fingers, yet my movements were steady—practiced.
Before I could see his face, the scene shifted again.
This time, my mother sat before me.
She was alive.
Her hair was perfectly combed, her royal gown shimmering softly in the light. She looked beautiful—but tired. A weariness sat behind her smile, one that made my chest ache.
I wanted to scream.
To run to her. To hug her. To ask her everything.
But my body would not obey me.
I watched helplessly as she cupped my face, her touch warm and real.
"Mira," she said softly, "I know you are strong."
Her voice trembled, but her eyes were steady.
"You are the strongest in the entire kingdom—well versed in knowledge, art... and of course, swordplay."
My breath caught.
"But listen to me, my dear," she continued. "You must promise me something. You must always pose sickly in front of your father."
She pressed something into my palm.
A black pocketknife.
It looked exactly like the one my mother had given me before her last breath.
"If anything happens," she whispered, "follow your will. Fight for it."
I tried to move. Tried to speak.
Tried to hold onto her.
But the world dissolved before I could.
Sunlight hit my face.
I jolted awake.
I was back in the maids' house, dust floating quietly in the air. My heart raced as I sat up, my fingers clenched tightly around something.
The book.
Still in my hands.
Confusion crashed over me in waves.
I remembered standing in front of the castle. I remembered picking up the book.
But how had I returned here?
I had searched for answers before and found none.
Now, instead of answers, I was left with even more questions.
Who was that man?
How was my mother alive?
And where... had I truly been?
But the one thing I knew was this—
To all my questions, this book held the answers.