Chapter 29 Shattered Beauty
Kaizer didn't fight back against the many vampires holding him. Instead, he just watched me until I completely crossed the mirror that connects our worlds. The last thing I saw was his red eyes starting to turn black again, from the most handsome vampire I had ever seen.
I didn't think I would feel this pain in my chest. My heart doesn't agree with what I did because I went against the man who has loved and waited for me for years, even before seeing me.
I know that anything could happen to me. What can I even do besides use my own blood to cure different sicknesses? I don't even know if I have powers like the Lancasters, or if healing is the only thing I can do. I don't even have the strength of a vampire.
Where did I get the courage to offer to help the second woman in the prophecy?
I'm not doing this to prove anything, or to impress the empire. I'm doing this because I know it's the right thing to do. I know that I'm the only one who can find the woman because the person who can sense her the most can't cross over to the other world.
It looks like my dream of introducing Kaizer to the woman who raised me is impossible now. He can't cross my world.
I let myself fall, like when Kaizer's brothers first pushed me into the mirror. Where in the world will I land? I hope I'm not too late. What will I say to the hopeful king of Aetherio?
You can do this, Saera!
I immediately felt myself falling faster. It looks like I'm going to land somewhere. I tried to turn my body, even with the force of my fall. When I opened my eyes, I saw slightly steamy water. I sighed in relief.
It looks like I'm going to fall into a bath. I hope it's deep and I don't hit anything hard. I screamed as I finally fell into the water.
Where is the woman? I started swimming up to get air.
The water feels so good. Damn. I might forget what I'm here for.
As soon as my head came out of the water, I saw a woman soaking in the water with her back to me. Is she the one I'm looking for? Why don't I feel anything from her?
"Welcome, first chosen woman from the other world."
Other world? Aren't I in the human world? Where am I? Who is this woman? She's not the woman I'm looking for.
"Where am I?" These were the first words out of my mouth.
The woman started to get out of the water, showing her beautiful figure and amazing skin. A woman in elegant clothes, like the maids in Wisteria, greeted her. She quickly wrapped her in a white robe. As I watched, I answered my own question. I'm not in the human world.
I gasped when the woman turned to face me. What happened to her beautiful face? Half of her beautiful face is burned.
"I'm not pleasing to look at, am I? I used to have goddess-like beauty like you, Saera Yvaine Merriley."
I must have been stunned for a few minutes because I couldn't find anything to say to the woman. Why are there creatures who can destroy beauty, which is the most important thing to a woman? Heartless.
"Who are you?" I finally asked her. Why did I end up in this place?
"Why don't you come up first? Join me for tea."
Instead of asking her again, I started swimming toward the stairs, but I didn't need to because the water suddenly parted in the middle, making way for the stairs that I was going to swim to.
"You can walk, my dear," she simply said.
Now I'm even more sure that she's also a powerful vampire.
Another one of her followers was at the edge of the pool, holding a white towel for me. When I took it, I didn't waste any time following the woman. She was already sitting down while her follower poured hot tea into two cups. I couldn't help but feel sorry for what happened to her face. I don't think I would know what to do if that happened to me.
"Sit down," she said formally, and I immediately obeyed.
"What I heard earlier from the mirror? Are you involved in that? Why did I end up here? Do you know where the second chosen woman is? Because from what I heard, I know she needs my help."
She slowly sipped her tea before looking me in the eye.
"Everything you heard or saw was just an illusion. The second chosen woman is still in the other world."
I stood up quickly, with wide eyes and shaking hands.
"What?! Do you know the chaos that happened in the kingdom of Aetherio just so I could cross over to this place?! The Lancasters and the vampires of Aetherio almost killed each other! Did you create the illusion? What do you want to happen? I even left Kaizer wounded! I left my mate because of your goddamn illusion! Where am I?!"
I quickly looked around. Where is the mirror? Where is the mirror I can use to go back to Aetherio?
"Because I need to save you, Saera. I don't want you to end up like me, where after they get what they need, they treat you like trash."
My eyes went back to the woman. What is she saying?
"What do you mean?" I asked her, confused.
"I was also a chosen woman, Saera. I was one of the chosen women before, one of the four unlucky women. Look at me now. It's not impossible for this to happen to you too."
She pointed to her burned face. And I got even more confused by what the woman said.
My grandfather didn't explain the whole duty of the four women to me properly. But why did her face end up like this? Is sacrificing our beauty also part of our duty?
"So, you were also human before?"