“Jin? Jin? Where are you?”
Deep in the middle of a meadow, where the rocks were as big as elephants, and the grass was greener than jade, a young girl wandered through the vast land, not knowing which direction to head. The black-haired girl’s perky face turned cold and pale as the gravity of the situation began to sink in, causing her voice to screech frantically.
“Irina?! Lilith?! Rosa?! Can anyone hear me?!”
Once again, the girl cried helplessly, hoping for some form of assistance to come. However, no matter how much she yelled and how much she cried, there was no one around. Trapped in the wilderness, the young girl’s voice could only echo around, scaring the numerous gerbils and birds that called this place home.
Eventually, the girl’s voice got hoarse, and she cried: “I-I… shouldn’t have wandered too far…”
The girl fell to her knees, dirtying her pretty black dress with mould and soil. Barefoot and only donned in one layer of clothes, to call her underdressed for the wilderness would be an understatement. If night fell before she could get to safety, the young girl could fall prey to the elements.
Unknowingly, a cryptic fear enveloped her heart. Her face fell, and her eyes started to feel heavy. Before long, the girl’s emotions got the better of her, and large crystalline teardrops dripped down her porcelain clear face.
“N-No… I shouldn’t cry! I’m a Blackburn! I have to be brave!”
But before the waterworks went into overdrive, the young girl forcibly pushed down her emotions. She pounded her chest and rubbed her face clean. Shuffling her adorable little feet, the young girl began her hike through the meadow, hoping to find someone that could guide her home.
However, a minute passed. Two minutes. Fifteen. An hour.
Eventually, over two hours had passed since the girl was first stranded. Her silken white bare feet turned red from the blisters, and her pristine face started to show signs of degradation. Large specks of dirt could be seen on her forehead as her pretty little dress had become drenched with sweat and dew.
Unable to bear the walking any longer, the girl found a nice resting spot in a sheltered grotto. Laying on her back, the black-haired girl spread her four limbs like a starfish to rest her fatigued legs.
“So tired…”.
The girl heaved heavily as she peered out at the falling sun. The temperature quickly turned cold as the light from the heavens dimmed significantly. Judging from her situation, it was highly likely that she would spend the night outside, something she had been trained on before. However, as a young girl that had barely hit puberty, living in the wilderness alone was a high hurdle to cross.
But alas, the darkness of the wild at night wasn’t the first thing that she had to contend with.
Since the girl was so tired, she didn’t notice the serpentine eyes peering from the grotto’s misty corner. Hissing noises, ones that turned more and more aggravated by the second, broke the silence of the cave. The girl abruptly snapped her head back, only to see dozens of wild snakes slithering in her direction.
“ARGHHHHH!!!”
A screeching scream reverberated through the entire grotto, stunning the snakes for a brief second. However, they quickly recovered, and their yellow eyes soon zoned in on the intruder of their den. Many bared their fangs as their speed grew faster, as with each passing second, they inched closer to the frightened girl.
“NOOOOO!!!! GO AWAYYY!!!”
The girl waved her hands, and a pale fire exploded in the centre of the snakes, instantly vaporising one of them while injuring a number more. However, rather than slow their advance, the snakes took it as an attack on their nest, and they doubled down on their intruder.
“NOOOO!!!”
Once more, the girl frantically cast her spells, but she was too afraid to face the snakes, causing much of her fire to miss the mark. The snakes, while fearful of the foreign threat that had entered their home, moved even quicker to eliminate their target.
And it won’t be long before one of their sharp, poisonous fangs came in contact with the young girl’s tender flesh.
“No! No! NOOOO!!!”
Whoossshhhh!!!
Before any snakes could inject their venom into the girl, a blustery gale swooshed from outside the grotto, forcing every one of the snakes to fly wildly in the opposite direction. At the same time, a mini-whirlwind formed, congregating the pale flames that were flickering on the floor. In an instant, all of the snakes that threatened the girl’s life had been burnt into a crisp, turning into pure black charcoal.
“Ysabelle! Are you alright?!”
A young black-haired boy flew into the cave and immediately found his place next to the sobbing girl. Ysabelle, who had just had her heart scared beyond belief, finally opened her eyes at the familiar voice. Once she’d realised who saved her, the girl flung her body into the boy’s arms, openly weeping in the process.
“JIN!!! Where were you?! I was so afraid!!!”
“There, there… It’s my fault.”
Jin gently tapped on Ysabelle’s back, rubbing her from the neck down. Ysabelle continued to cry, her body shaking from the exhaustion and fear, while her eyes and throat turned sore from all of the crying she did. It was only after ten good minutes that the girl managed to calm down and meet her saviour’s eyes.
“How did you find me?”
“We were searching high and low for you, Ysabelle. And when I heard your screams, I rushed here immediately.”
“So that’s how,” Ysabelle nodded in thought while her nose was still sniffling. “I’m sorry for worrying you. I didn’t mean to stray so far away. I just-…”
“Shhh, it doesn’t matter.”
Jin placed his index finger on Ysabelle’s mouth and silenced her. Once she calmed down a little, the young boy rubbed her cheeks, smiling as he observed her every feature. Her soft, vibrant black hair. Her pointed nose resembled an eagle’s beak. Her agate-coloured anime-like eyes that sparkled so brilliantly when she stared unblinkingly.
And most importantly…
“Didn’t I promise you that I’ll be your knight in shining armour? To run to you whenever you need me?”
“You did…”
“See? So don’t worry about it. Even if you were in the pits of hell, I’ll come and rescue you.”
“Really?!”
“Really!”
The moment Ysabelle heard Jin’s masterful sweet talk, her dirtied face blossomed into a gorgeous smile, revealing the two indented dimples that hid under her cheeks.
“There they are,” Jin chuckled and tenderly wiped Ysabelle’s face. “There you go, all pretty again.”
“Hehe~”
Blushing with happiness, Ysabelle beamed from ear to ear. She attempted to get to her feet, but due to her nervousness, her accumulated fatigue, or likely a combination of both, Ysabelle wobbled from her knees, almost falling down again. Fortunately, Jin reached out at the exact moment she stumbled, bringing the girl into his arms smoothly.
“You alright?”
“Y-yeah!”
“Doesn’t seem that way,” Jin shook his head and adjusted Ysabelle’s body accordingly. The young boy offered his back, squatting down in front of the girl.
“Climb on me.”
“H-Huh? B-But I’m heavy.”
“Which knight complains about his princess’ weight? Just jump on; we’ll get to safety quicker this way as well.” Jin urged the girl.
“I-If you insist…”
While Ysabelle was genuinely concerned, she couldn’t help but feel a gentle warmth creeping from the bottom of her heart. As she climbed on top of Jin’s back, the young girl found a spot underneath his ear and softly landed her lips on his cheek.
“Here’s your reward for saving me, my knight.”
“Hehe, I live to serve. Princess.”
??
… Another memory?
As I emerged from the bed, the vivid imagery of my dream lingered in my brain. Just like how it was with Irina and Lilith, the memories I shared with Ysabelle resurfaced. Now that I think about it, these memories were sealed in the first place because their souls were residing in my body.
If the seals that glued their souls to mine loosened up, those memories that had been buried would return as well. And there was only one reason why the seal would loosen…
Ysabelle… She should be nearby.
Being part of Ysabelle, the quarter of a soul residing in me naturally gravitates towards her, hoping to one day reunite with its rightful owner. And the fact that my memories were returning could only mean that she was close by.
If that’s the case… Why didn’t she come meet me?
It had been three days since we’d arrived in the Blackburn House. While the staff in the guest villa had been more than welcoming, there was nothing much to do here. The entire House was working on the numerous Outer Demon activities that had been exponentially ramping up, and the person that I’d wanted to meet the most, well, I was told she was on one of those said missions.
And yet… I can clearly feel her presence around.
Every time I asked Julien, Ysabelle’s butler, about her situation, he would simply smile and tell me the same words repeatedly.
‘Mistress Ysabelle is busy.’
But was she really?
Now, a seed of doubt had been injected into my mind. From my memory and the accounts Irina and Lilith shared, Ysabelle and I should have a good relationship. So, at least emotionally speaking, there should be no reason for her to avoid me.
Unless… Was she jealous that I reunited with Irina and Lilith first? Or did she dislike the fact that I had already signed a Bloodmate Pact with Lilith?
Or… Are there any extenuating circumstances for her reluctance to meet me?
I wouldn’t know.
But, even if she didn’t want to meet me… I wanted to meet her. I had to meet her. But Julien and the other Blackburns wouldn’t divulge anything to me.
Looks like… I have to take matters into my own hands.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel