Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Finally agreeing to Blake's suggestion, we decided to visit this seemingly suspicious place.

The tent's interior was a dark and sparsely populated space that smelled of various herbs and incense.

Of the furniture, there was only a table and a couple of chairs, one of which was occupied by an elderly woman in an unusual purple robe. She was blind, and didn't react as soon as we got inside.

"Good afternoon, mistress," Blake greeted her first.

"I am glad to welcome you, young people," the old woman grunted, "Would you like to have a session?"

"A session?" I asked.

"A session where you can see your future."

I reacted to such a suggestion with obvious doubt, but decided not to voice my skeptical thoughts on this matter in front of this elderly lady.

After all, I saw it as nothing more than entertainment from the very beginning.

Besides, as Blake said, it was unlikely we would be here again anytime soon, and it would be nice to see the city in all its glory in time.

We sat down on the opposite side of the table, and I saw a crystal ball with misty contents on its surface.

"What do we need to do?" Blake asked.

"Touch the surface of the globe," the old woman said, "and then you will fall into a dream that will show you your future."

Even though I thought the whole thing was just a silly performance and a quack, I still felt interested.

"See the future...? Is this even possible?"

But if I really had the opportunity, I definitely wouldn't turn it down.

With equal anticipation, Blake and I touched the crystal ball simultaneously.

Nothing happened for the first couple of seconds, and I was about to give up on it all again, when I suddenly felt dizzy.

After which, I was immediately attacked by drowsiness.

Involuntarily closing my eyes against the fatigue that had settled in, my body went limp in the chair, and I fell into a strange sleep.

---

There was blood everywhere, rivers of blood.

The entire royal palace was ablaze as the guards tried to deal with the rising tide.

Hundreds of people had already fallen from the swords of the invaders. Chaos and destruction enveloped this previously peaceful place, sowing the spirit of death in it.

The hired killers had finished off most of the servants in a short time, and those who were lucky enough to survive so far were running away as fast as they could.

A young woman with platinum-blonde hair and a beautiful face was one of those lucky enough to avoid the mercenaries.

She ran through the corridors flooded with crimson rivers, trying to get out of the castle walls as quickly as possible.

However, it was doomed when the cherished freedom was only a short distance away.

The figure of a girl with close-cropped black hair appeared right in front of her. She was dressed like a mercenary, but she was not of low birth.

The young woman's eyes were redder than the fresh dark blood that covered her clothes and face.

The assassin took a few steps in her direction, staring intently at the trembling noble lady.

"You broke your promise," the Duchess of Cassia said impetuously, "you broke it. Do you know about this?"

The tip of the bloodstained sword touched the marble floor and began to make a loud grinding sound as she approached.

"R-Rachel…"

"You promised me you'd never betray me."

"I'm sorry…"

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry I lied to you."

"You're sorry? You know that more than anything, I hate lying."

"…"

The woman stood as still as a rock as the sword's point swung over her neck.

"The day we met, you said you didn't think I was a monster. Is this still the case?"

Brown blood dripped from the sword's tip and dripped onto her clothes. The blood of countless people she knew. Even the king and his brother, whom Duchess Cassius killed in the first place.

The lady knew that her answer would determine whether she lived.

She closed her eyes and decided to trust her fate.

"No. You're a monster...! Now, I'm sure of it."

And then, before her eyes, there was only darkness.

"Leriana… It's your fault. This monster was raised by you."

In the next second, Rachel Cassius cut her own throat, and fell dead next to her former lover.

---

I woke up to Blake shaking my shoulder for a long time.

The fatigue that had hit me earlier was instantly lifted, and I opened my eyes and blinked in surprise.

You are reading story Even Though I Was Reborn as the Future Queen, I Decided to Live Quietly Instead at novel35.com

Did this session really work...?

"Leriana, how are you feeling?" Blake asked worriedly, "I tried to wake you up for five whole minutes, but you didn't answer."

"Ah, that's… I'm all right."

I smiled and shook my head, letting him know that I was fully awake.

Meanwhile, I strained my brain, trying to remember something from this strange dream. But the only thing that came to mind was… the color of blood.

My entire dream was tinged with this shade, and I had no idea what it could mean.

I found myself thinking that this place was really uncomfortable. Either from the strange incense and the atmosphere itself, or from the dream I just had.

Finally, after paying the fortune teller for her favor, we left the tent and walked down the street. It was late afternoon, and it was time to return to the academy.

We walked in silence, each thinking his own thoughts.

The prediction that the crystal ball gave me still wouldn't let go of me. For some reason, it made me very uneasy, even though I couldn't quite figure out what it was.

Maybe all this was really just nonsense...?

As if he could read my troubled thoughts in my face, Blake asked, "What's the matter?":

"What did the fortune-teller's ball show you?"

I didn't know what to say when I came to my senses.

"It seems like something out of the ordinary, since you're so shocked," the young man remarked, "you can share it with me, you know?"

I hesitated before answering, "To be honest, I don't even remember what it was."

"Really?"

"Yes… And even more so, it is unlikely that this is something important. I told you I don't believe in such things."

The black rabbit nodded in understanding, and then I remembered that I hadn't asked him about it yet.

"And you? What did you see?"

He chuckled.

"Are you really interested?"

"Of course!" I smiled, "Come on, tell me! Your life will definitely be more interesting than mine."

"Well…"

A mysterious smile appeared on Blake's face.

"It's really nothing like that… I'll tell you later."

"What?" I drawled, disappointed. "Can't you do it now?"

"All in good time," the young man continued to say in strange phrases, the meaning of which I did not understand. "Sooner or later, you will still find out about everything.

After Blake refused to tell me anything, I briefly resented him. But I soon stopped when I saw something that took my full attention.

When we reached the town square, where the academy was only a short walk away, we decided to stop for a while to admire the rare beauty.

When it was almost entirely dark, fireworks were set off in the capital, which painted the sky above us in colorful lights and turned this place into a real fairy tale.

I looked up and couldn't tear my eyes away.

In my previous life, fireworks were my favorite sight to watch, even from the windows of my room.

The first time I saw them as a child with my mother at a city festival, and since then, it has always remained for me the most vivid memory.

"How beautiful..." the words came out of my mouth involuntarily as another purple flash passed over us.

"I agree. That's very beautiful."

Blake said yes, but he wasn't looking up at all, but at... me. I couldn't see it, though, because I was so caught up in the night sky.

We watched the fireworks for a while longer, until at the same time we remembered that we were already significantly late for curfew.

Hurrying, I was about to run toward the main gate when Blake suddenly stopped me by grabbing the edge of my sleeve.

His unexpected action surprised me, "Blake, what are you doing? We're about to be late!"

"Can you just give me one minute?" suddenly asked the young man.

"What?"

"It won't take long..." The black rabbit was embarrassed as he looked down at his shoes, "I just want to get it done before we get back to the academy."

"What do you mean?" I didn't understand.

"Leriana, you... you haven't decided who you're going to the banquet with yet, have you?"

"Well, I…"

"In that case, would you be willing to become my partner?"

God, not again! As if Phil's offer wasn't enough, now I need to think about how to reject the black rabbit too!

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