Chapter 111 111
Chapter 111 111
Chapter 111
...
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound of my heartbeat echoed loudly inside my chest as my eyes remained fixed on the magnificent wedding gown standing before me. Every inch of it had been embroidered with extraordinary care, and every delicate stitch reflected the countless hours that had gone into creating something so breathtakingly beautiful.
I had never seen a wedding dress like this before.
"Wow... Princess Swan, it's absolutely gorgeous!"
I heard Rina exclaim excitedly from beside me, while Laris stood a short distance away wearing a look of quiet satisfaction. Although she didn't say anything, I could tell she was proud to be showing me one of the wedding gowns that had been prepared for my wedding.
My breathing gradually became uneven as my fingers unconsciously tightened around the fabric of my dress until my knuckles began to pale.
"Rina," Laris said in her usual composed voice, "help Layla try on the wedding gown."
"Of course."
Rina smiled brightly before walking over to me and gently taking my hand.
"Come on, Princess Swan."
She started leading me toward the fitting room, but after taking only a few steps, she suddenly realized I was no longer following her.
"...Princess Swan?"
I remained standing where I was.
The closer I looked at the wedding gown, the heavier my chest became, until even drawing a normal breath felt strangely difficult.
Rina slowly turned back to face me, confusion written all over her face.
"Princess Swan... what's wrong?" she asked gently. "Don't you like the wedding dress?"
I immediately shook my head.
"No."
My voice sounded much weaker than I expected.
"It's beautiful."
It truly was.
It was the most beautiful wedding gown I had ever seen.
So why...
Why was I so afraid?
Cold sweat slowly gathered across my forehead as my breathing became heavier with every passing second. My chest hurt so badly that it almost felt as though someone were squeezing my heart, yet I couldn't understand why. I loved this dress. I loved everything about it. There wasn't a single reason for me to fear it, and yet terror continued to spread through my body until I could barely stand.
I couldn't explain what I was feeling. And I hated this feeling more than anything.
I hated this overwhelming sense of dread because it felt exactly like the moments before I caught glimpses of my other life.
Without realizing it, I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug painfully into my palms.
No...
I don't want to see that other life again.
I don't want to lose everything I have now.
I held my breath, desperately trying to suppress the fear that seemed to be slowly devouring my soul.
"Princess Swan..." Rina's worried voice pulled me back to reality.
"Your face has gone completely pale." She tilted her head as she carefully studied my expression before asking softly, "Should I take you back to your room instead?"
I immediately forced myself to smile and shook my head.
"No, Rina." I took a slow breath before walking past her toward the fitting room.
"I'm fine."
"Come on."
"Help me put on the wedding dress."
The smile on my face felt unnatural, but I refused to let either of them notice what was happening to me.
Everything would be alright.
If I ignored this fear... If I pretended it didn't exist... Nothing bad would happen.
Everything would be alright.
By now, those words had become less of a reassurance and more of a spell I kept repeating to myself, a comforting lie meant to hide the terror I couldn't understand.
"O-Of course, Princess Swan."
Although Rina still looked worried, she didn't press the matter any further. Instead, she quietly helped me into the magnificent gown, carefully adjusting each layer until it rested perfectly against my body.
The dress was even more beautiful once I was wearing it.
When everything was finally in place, I stepped out of the fitting room, and the first thing I noticed was the stunned look on Laris's face. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, something I'd almost never seen from someone as composed as her.
Unable to resist, I turned toward the enormous mirror standing nearby.
The moment my reflection came into view, my own eyes widened just as much.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Heat rushed to my cheeks as my heart beat wildly inside my chest.
The gown fit me perfectly, embracing every curve of my body with effortless elegance while carrying the regal beauty worthy of a future Luna. It felt as though the dress had been created for no one else but me.
"Princess Swan..." Rina's voice trembled with admiration. "You look absolutely beautiful."
A smile slowly spread across my face.
At that moment, the only thing I wanted was for Alexander to be standing beside me. I wanted him to see me wearing this dress, to tell me I was beautiful, and to smile at me the way only he could.
"Rina..."
The moment I turned toward her, an unbearable pain slammed into my chest without warning.
The force of it stole my breath as a sharp ringing exploded inside my ears. In the blink of an eye, everything around me froze. Rina stopped moving. Laris remained perfectly still. The air itself seemed to lose all motion, and it felt as though time had suddenly come to a complete stop.
"Rina...?" I called out softly before taking a hesitant step toward her.
"Laris...?"
Neither of them answered. And neither of them moved.
Then the familiar ringing inside my head grew louder and louder until it drowned out every other sound around me. The piercing noise was so agonizing that it felt as though my ears were bleeding and my skull was about to split apart beneath the unbearable pressure.
I immediately clamped both hands over my ears and squeezed my eyes shut, curling into myself as I desperately tried to escape the pain.
"Go away..." My voice trembled into a whisper.
"Go away..."
"Please... go away..."
I remained there, trembling, until the ringing finally began to fade and the crushing silence slowly returned.
Then...