Chapter 66 Kidnapping?
Camilla opened her eyes again, staring at the ceiling and taking a deep breath. The room felt incredibly cold, but she was grateful to be in bed and protected by a thick blanket.
Feeling somewhat calmer, Camilla tried to move her arms and legs. She was no longer shackled, meaning she could move freely. She smiled and tried to get up from her position and sit up.
“A-ahh…” Camilla quickly touched her head. It hurt terribly, and worse still, she couldn't see clearly. When she focused, everything seemed to spin. When she closed her eyes, her head felt even heavier. She bit her lip, enduring the excruciating pain.
Click…
The door to the room opened, and someone entered, smiling as they looked at Camilla. They then stepped closer and stopped right next to Camilla's bed.
“Wh-who are you?” Camilla asked in a low, trembling voice. No… she wasn't afraid at the moment. Her head just felt dizzy and her body was extremely weak.
"I'm Zinan, have you forgotten?" Zinan asked softly. The man then reached out and placed his hand on Camilla's head. He took a breath and then exhaled slowly.
"Zi-zinan? H-how can I be with you?" Camilla asked. The woman struggled to lift her right hand, then pushed Zinan's hand away from her head.
"Sorry, I kidnapped you."
Camilla, who had been desperately enduring the pain in her head, immediately opened her eyes, unconcerned as everything she saw seemed to spin.
Kidnapping?
Camilla swallowed hard, remembering the moment when she was fifteen, spinning and cold sweat seeped from her pores.
Kidnapping?
Camilla's breath suddenly became labored, she covered her ears, and her heart beat even more erratically.
At that moment... yes... that moment, after she was carried away from the ballroom, she lost consciousness. The last thing she saw was death, blood, and Danieru, helplessly falling to protect her. But when she woke up... she was in a very dark room. It felt cold and so still. She didn't know if she was dead or alive, but she felt blind because there was no light.
"D-don't..." Camilla tugged roughly at her long hair, closed her eyes, and shook her head.
"Stop!" Camilla covered her ears, crossed her legs, and opened her eyes again. Tears welled up, the pain stabbed, and her own screams echoed loudly.
"Mother... please!" Camilla tried to struggle, looking so distraught.
Zinan, seeing Camilla's condition, felt even more heartbroken. How deep? That much pain? And... had Camilla been suffering all this time?
"D-Dad! Please..." Camilla's voice was hoarse, tears falling and falling, and her body trembling even more until she peed herself. Fear... that was all Camilla felt right now.
"Camilla..." Zinan immediately hugged the woman, unable to bear the sight of Camilla's tormented reaction.
"Face the pain, calm down... you have to stay calm."
Camilla, feeling Zinan's embrace, didn't respond; she didn't even hear what Zinan was saying. All Camilla saw was blood, blood, and blood. All Camilla heard were cries, screams of pain, and screams of fear. Camilla's body trembled, her heart beating faster and faster, making her feel sick.
"Camilla," Zinan said.
Deg ...
Camilla remained silent, now the glimmer of light she saw seemed to come and embrace her. She opened her eyes wider, and as the light in her shadow gradually engulfed her, Camilla saw a face.
"Camilla... calm down, don't cry, you're a strong woman." Zinan tightened his embrace, closing his eyes, and continued to try to calm Camilla.
Camilla, still lost in her imagination, ran, hugging the person she saw tightly.
“Camilla, can you hear me?” Zinan asked, feeling worried as Camilla hugged him so tightly.
“D-Dad... Dad, please... I-I... I'm scared.”
Zinan, hearing Camilla's words, naturally understood. The wound he had inflicted had not yet healed, but instead... it gaped, leaving a huge hole in Camilla's heart.
“D-Dad, I want to go home.”
With those words, Camilla's consciousness faded. Zinan, feeling her body weaken, immediately released her, laid Camilla down, and stared into her beautiful face.
“I'm sorry, Camilla.” Zinan caressed Camilla's face, his eyes sad.
“I'm sorry... all this suffering is because of me, and it's all my father's fault. I should have... I should have stopped. But that's impossible, I can't fight it.” Zinan swallowed hard, feeling sad as he stared deeper into the face of his beloved woman.
Her face was so pale, cold sweat still beaded on Camilla's face and body.
"Do you want to go home?" Zinan asked, his voice trembling. The man immediately smiled, lay down beside Camilla, and hugged her. His eyes never left her beautiful face, then reached for both of her hands and held them tightly.
Zinan ignored Camilla's slightly unpleasant-smelling urine; he remained focused on her and closed his eyes for a moment. He kissed Camilla's hand ever so gently, then opened his eyes again and stared deeper into her.
"Do you want to hear it?" Zinan asked.
The man felt utterly stupid; Camilla clearly wouldn't answer, let alone listen to him.
"I had just turned twenty then." Zinan returned her smile, then took a deep breath.
"As the heir, I must undertake a mission to watch over children I've never met before. Danieru and Leoni, Hatsu, and I must also watch over you." Zinan felt his heart skip a beat, remembering the first time he'd been given this mission by his father.
"At first, I thought it was a waste of time, with nothing to be proud of. The mission Father gave me was just a formality, and I had to carry it out well."
Zinan kissed Camilla's forehead gently, then down her nose, and finally down to her lips. Zinan seemed hesitant to kiss Camilla's lips, and instead, he smiled.
"But the mission turned into a fun one when I accidentally bumped into a girl. She was so sweet, she had beautiful eyes and a smile as gentle as Mother's. I was drawn to her, and I felt like I wanted to get closer to her."
Zinan felt his heart ache, something squeezing it until tears were the result of his blood.
"That girl's name is Camilla Alistair... yes... that girl is you." Zinan couldn't take it anymore; he immediately hugged Camilla and rested her head on his chest. His hand gently stroked Camilla's black hair, trying to calm himself so he wouldn't lose control and go crazy.
"I've been watching you, watching you from the corner of the room. I feel happy when I see your smile, but I feel sad when someone is closer to you. I want... I really want to take that person's place beside you."
Zinan remembered the moment he saw Danieru and Camilla, who had just met. Only a blind person would say those two weren't a good match, and he was blind at the time.
“I felt angry, but I knew it was pointless. You don't know me; I'm the only one who keeps watching you. Camilla... I'm the only fool and idiot who always stares at you and watches you from afar.”
Zinan held back the tightness in his chest again; love truly is terrifying. “When I think of you, my lips always curve into a smile. But when I see you close to someone else, my heart screams and bleeds. It feels... it feels so painful.”
Zinan took a breath, his eyes blurry as tears welled up and threatened to fall again. “Camilla... when your mother came and told me it was your birthday, I was so happy. I could see the sweet girl who had captured my attention, I could see the one girl who had stolen my heart and wouldn't let me steal it back.”
Zinan felt calmer, and then hugged Camilla's body tighter. “Everyone gave you such wonderful gifts, and you certainly loved them. But I… I gave you such a terrible gift. I inflicted such a wound on you, ruined your birthday, and I… I regret it now.”
Zinan closed his eyes. Everything had truly happened. All the terrible, painful things, and all of them in such a short time, but the lingering feelings would last a lifetime.
The man took a deep breath. “I did it, raping you and the others. I impregnated you, but I couldn’t save our child. Camilla… I really am a terrible person, aren’t I? You’ll laugh when you hear this when your eyes open.”
Camilla’s body trembled, and Zinan, realizing this, released his embrace. “Are you afraid? Don’t… please… don’t be afraid anymore. Camilla, forget those memories.”
After that, Zinan was silent for a few minutes, studying Camilla’s face and smiling when she calmed down.
“I’ll continue the story,” Zinan said softly. The man kissed Camilla's forehead once again, she closed her eyes and stayed in the same position for a few seconds.
Deg ...
Zinan took Camilla's hand, he placed it on his chest.
Deg ...
“Do you feel it?”
Deg ...
The man's heart skipped a beat. "After you were freed, I was still shameless. I kept watching you. And then I knew your habits. You couldn't escape the pain; every night you would be in agony. All that trauma made you out of control and erratic."
Zinan turned his face away, staring at the photo of Camilla on the nightstand. It was a photo he had secretly taken when Camilla was fifteen.
"I disguised myself as a gigolo, trying to stay close to you, and be the man you would always look for when you got bored with other gigolos. But... everything fell apart when I heard the news that you were getting married. It hurt... it really hurt me. But once again, I could only be a fool. I kept quiet, I didn't fight for you. Camilla... am I worthy of being called a man? All this time, all I've given you is pain and suffering. I couldn't lift you to heaven; I was literally imprisoning you in the depths of hell."
Zinan released his embrace, immediately getting out of bed and reaching for Camilla's body. "You want to see him? Our child... the child I couldn't protect."
The man immediately stepped out of the room. When the door was opened by two servants waiting outside, he immediately left. Many people were in the hallway, all wearing black clothes in a style almost identical to Zinan's.
"Young Master, what do you want to do?" asked one of the men.
Zinan took a breath. "To see our child, don't follow me, stay on guard."
Everyone fell silent, quite shocked to see Camilla's pale face, not to mention Zinan's puffy eyes.
"I'm leaving," Zinan said. He remembered that when Camilla miscarried, the baby in her womb wasn't fully formed, but it wasn't a clot of blood either. He buried the fetus in a place strictly forbidden to anyone except himself.
Throughout the journey, Zinan simply smiled, occasionally glancing at Camilla's beautiful face and feeling relieved.
"Camilla..." Zinan kissed Camilla's forehead, trying to appear happy.
“What if that child had actually been born? She would have had a sweet face like yours, and... well... I wish she were a girl. I want to see you and myself in her.”
Zinan's feet continued to walk, descending the stairs, then upon reaching the ground floor, he headed toward the back door. The man looked fine, but his heart was deeply wounded.
“I wanted to go on vacation with you and our child, spend time together and laugh together.” The man took a step further, exiting the back door, heading toward the forest, and continuing deeper. A drizzle began to fall, and the sky seemed to know Zinan was grieving.
“But... that's clearly impossible. That child can never be born, and worse, you'll never be able to smile when you're with me.” Zinan stopped in his tracks and looked up at the small building that signaled something buried beneath it. He tried not to cry, but his eyes were already welling up.
“Son... are you happy? Your mother is coming to visit you today.” Zinan knelt down, he still kept Camilla in his arms.
"Do you feel it, Camilla? That child lived in your womb, slept, ate, and suffered with you. Even though he was so small, he was even more useful than I, who had already been born and grown. That child knew all about your feelings, while I, who could already think with my own mind, never knew."
Zinan bit his lip. "It hurts... I feel like this is too cruel."
The man whimpered, crying, pouring out the grief within him. The pain and sadness drew him deeper into the black valley.
"I'm sorry, Camilla. I'm sorry... I'm sorry."