Chapter 185 A Clear Mind

Chapter 185 A Clear Mind
~Rose's Point Of View~

News of Hannah's death only reached me the following day. All the excitement I had been feeling from exploring my wolf attributes vanished into thin air. Nyx approached me with a bowl and offered a small smile, “Cereal?”

I shook my head.

“You have to eat something.” She argued, settling next to me and scooping the contents with a spoon. “Open up.”

“I'm really not hungry, Nyx.” I turned my head the other way. Saying my heart was heavy would be an understatement. Hannah was a good girl. Seeing her go like this was… so surreal. 

It was sudden, too. 

There was also that guilt that weighed on my chest. It stemmed from the feeling that whoever took Hannah's life had been after me. Otherwise, why would they attack a maid? And why specifically her? Perhaps she had discovered the intruder when they were stalking around the house.

It was painful. Too painful for me to have the appetite to eat anything.

“Look,” Nyx placed her hand gently on mine. She squeezed tenderly, then said, “It's normal to mourn a loss. But, moping like this won't do anything. It won't bring back the dead, that's for sure. And, how will you honor her death if you remain like this?” 

I turned to look at her, preparing to emphasize that I just wanted to be alone for now, but Nyx quickly placed her palm over my mouth.

“I know what you're thinking. Hannah was one of the maids Caligo asked to take care of you, right? You can't help but wonder if whoever killed her was actually after you. And so you feel guilty.”

She hit the nail on the head. But that only confirmed the fact that maybe it really was my fault.

“She had parents, Nyx.” I was desperately pushing back the tears. “She had loved ones waiting for her back home. She had dreams… and everything was stolen from her. Just like that. All because of me.”

“No, it's not your fault. Because you did not cause her death, Sunshine. Don't do that to yourself. Do I need to remind you that you almost died recently too? Thank the Goddess for preserving your life, but would you have blamed someone else for what happened that night?”

“Of course not.”

“Exactly.” Nyx nodded. “So that girl, Hannah, definitely isn't going to blame you. Instead, she'd want you to be strong for her. So her death does not end up being for naught. Do you understand?”

Well, her words had some truth to them. 

I mustered a nod and said in a low voice, “I wonder how devastated Aurora must be right now. She probably loved that girl like her own.”

“She loves all of us like her own.” Nyx chuckled faintly. “Maybe I should check up on her. Will you be fine alone?”

I nodded tersely.

Nyx placed the bowl of cereal in my hand and said with a stern tone, “Make sure you eat. I'm being serious. For the sake of both you and the baby. Hm?”

“Yes ma'am,” I rubbed my belly with my other hand and thought out loud, “Do you think it'll be a boy or girl?”

Nyx’s lips curled into a grin. 

“Definitely a girl. I'd love to see Caligo play dress-up with his adorable daughter.”

We both burst into laughter. I wiped the dampness in the corner of my eyes and nodded. “Yeah, that would be a very lovely sight to see. Perhaps if it's a girl, we'll name her Hannah.”

“That sounds perfect.” Nyx squeezed my shoulder tenderly. Then, she walked over to the sofa, grabbed her bag, then sauntered to the door. “I'll be back by evening. Make sure to call me if you need anything. Absolutely anything. Do you understand?”

“Hm-hm,” I nodded, lips pressed tightly together.

“Good. Take care, Sunshine.” Nyx’s voice faded as she stepped out and shut the door behind her. 

Soon, I was left alone in the room. My eyes darted to the bowl of cereal, and after much hesitation, I forced myself to pick up the spoon. I scooped some milk into my mouth, forcing the liquid down with a gulp.

“Needs more sugar…” I muttered and calculated the distance between the bed and the fridge. It was quite a walk, and frankly, I was feeling like a couch potato today. I felt zero motivation to do anything.

“Come on, Rose. If you can't do this much, how are you supposed to help Caligo?” 

Feeling a sudden surge of motivation, I pushed myself off the bed and trudged over to the fridge. Just as I reached to grab the handle, I felt a sudden pang of pain assault my temples. 

“Ahh,” I let out a wince, raising both hands to grab my head. 

“What the hell?” 

The sudden throb felt as though I was being stabbed in the head over and over again. I had no idea why, so my first thought was tapping the emergency button. Unfortunately, just as the thought crossed my mind, my legs chose that time to grow weak. 

Feeling like jelly, they failed to keep me upright and I fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

My head hit the floor hard, sending me into another world of pain.

I crawled forward, dragging my body across the floor and trying to reach the button close to the bed. All I could think of was the baby and if it was going to be fine. Was this another side effect of my transition into a wolf? Or was this a completely different issue?

When I made the motion of crawling forward once more, my hand suddenly hung in the air. That was because, at that moment, my mind felt clearer than ever. Certain memories that I never realized were missing were pulled out from the fog that shrouded them, and I could suddenly remember…

I remembered everything. 

And as I did, my expression gradually warped, shifting from puzzlement to horror.

“What? No way… Aurora?”

An ice-cold dread suddenly gripped my heart.